The resignation of Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, read here, and his replacement by the obviously inadequate Danny Alexander, as reported by the Daily Mail, read here, will surely remove the rock upon which the Concordat between Cameron and Clegg was based. Reviewing the available talent from both parties for the most important portfolio in the present crisis following the departure of Mr Laws, only one candidate immediately came to mind and that was John Redwood. If a senior post was needed to balance matters within the coalition then moving Philip Hammond to the position he had shadowed might have made some sense allowing Clegg's buddy, Danny to takeover at Transport, where with spending constraints the order of the day, the margin for error could not be so potentially and disastrously costly!
The ongoing silence from the Coalition on the growing crisis within the EU, commented upon in my posting of yesterday on Ironies Too regarding the seventieth anniversary Dunkirk evacuation commemorations, linked here, is even more ominous for Britain.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A Parliamentary programme for Ostriches
The Queen's appearance in Parliament yesterday not only looked like pantomime, but revealed a speech worthy only of farce.
Albeit recognizing the prime necessity of eradicating the structural deficit it otherwise avoided the horrifying real debt levels and relied on wishful thinking rather than real actions to salvage the nation's finances.
Take a pie chart showing UK expenditure, include contributions to the EU (if factual figures can be found) black out this amount and all the other areas the Coalition Government is committed to exempt from cuts and you will be left with a sector so tiny it will leave the structural deficit virtually unscathed.
The EU is the first urgent area where giant savings can immediately be made.... the NHS is next!
Albeit recognizing the prime necessity of eradicating the structural deficit it otherwise avoided the horrifying real debt levels and relied on wishful thinking rather than real actions to salvage the nation's finances.
Take a pie chart showing UK expenditure, include contributions to the EU (if factual figures can be found) black out this amount and all the other areas the Coalition Government is committed to exempt from cuts and you will be left with a sector so tiny it will leave the structural deficit virtually unscathed.
The EU is the first urgent area where giant savings can immediately be made.... the NHS is next!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Full Coalition Agreement
The document is available on a pdf file linked from here.
The crucial issue is of course the EU, particularly in view of the duplicity and deviousness of both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister over the referendum and ratification of the Lisbon Treaty AND the moves already underway to extend economic governance across the entire EU based upon the German model.
I reproduce the section of the document covering Europe herewith:
13. EUROPE
The Government believes that Britain should play a leading role in an enlarged European Union, but that no further powers should be transferred to Brussels without a referendum. This approach strikes the right balance between constructive engagement with the EU to deal with the issues that affect us all, and protecting our national sovereignty.
•
We will ensure that the British Government is a positive participant in the European Union, playing a strong and positive role with our partners, with the goal of ensuring that all the nations of Europe are equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century: global competitiveness, global warming and global poverty.
•
We will ensure that there is no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament. We will examine the balance of the EU’s existing competences and will, in particular, work to limit the application of the Working Time Directive in the United Kingdom.
•
We will amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that any proposed future treaty that transferred areas of power, or competences, would be subject to a referendum on that treaty – a ‘referendum lock’. We will amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that the use of any passerelle would require primary legislation.
•
We will examine the case for a United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill to make it clear that ultimate authority remains with Parliament.
•
We will ensure that Britain does not join or prepare to join the Euro in this Parliament.
•
We will strongly defend the UK’s national interests in the forthcoming EU budget negotiations and agree that the EU budget should only focus on those areas where the EU can add value.
•
We will press for the European Parliament to have only one seat, in Brussels.
•
We will approach forthcoming legislation in the area of criminal justice on a case-by-case basis, with a view to maximising our country’s security, protecting Britain’s civil liberties and preserving the integrity of our criminal justice system. Britain will not participate in the establishment of any European Public Prosecutor.
•
We support the further enlargement of the EU
The crucial issue is of course the EU, particularly in view of the duplicity and deviousness of both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister over the referendum and ratification of the Lisbon Treaty AND the moves already underway to extend economic governance across the entire EU based upon the German model.
I reproduce the section of the document covering Europe herewith:
13. EUROPE
The Government believes that Britain should play a leading role in an enlarged European Union, but that no further powers should be transferred to Brussels without a referendum. This approach strikes the right balance between constructive engagement with the EU to deal with the issues that affect us all, and protecting our national sovereignty.
•
We will ensure that the British Government is a positive participant in the European Union, playing a strong and positive role with our partners, with the goal of ensuring that all the nations of Europe are equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century: global competitiveness, global warming and global poverty.
•
We will ensure that there is no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament. We will examine the balance of the EU’s existing competences and will, in particular, work to limit the application of the Working Time Directive in the United Kingdom.
•
We will amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that any proposed future treaty that transferred areas of power, or competences, would be subject to a referendum on that treaty – a ‘referendum lock’. We will amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that the use of any passerelle would require primary legislation.
•
We will examine the case for a United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill to make it clear that ultimate authority remains with Parliament.
•
We will ensure that Britain does not join or prepare to join the Euro in this Parliament.
•
We will strongly defend the UK’s national interests in the forthcoming EU budget negotiations and agree that the EU budget should only focus on those areas where the EU can add value.
•
We will press for the European Parliament to have only one seat, in Brussels.
•
We will approach forthcoming legislation in the area of criminal justice on a case-by-case basis, with a view to maximising our country’s security, protecting Britain’s civil liberties and preserving the integrity of our criminal justice system. Britain will not participate in the establishment of any European Public Prosecutor.
•
We support the further enlargement of the EU
Coalition's anti-democratic leanings again displayed in attack on 1922Committee
The Daily Mail carries one report on this worrying further trend by Cameron to bulldoze his party in a direction which appears to be what many would view as the opposite of Conservatism.
The earlier concern was of course the stated wish to require a no-confidence Commons vote to in future require a 55% majority and fix the Coalition's own lifetime to an arbitrary five years!
None of this of course should come as any surprise to readers of my blog Teetering Tories which chronicled the manner in which Cameron's supporters rigged the party leadership election and regularly followed the small group and their cavortations around the party leader.
Given that the loss of the election by Cameron can fairly and squarely be laid at the door of this arrogant man, how long will rank and file Conservative MPs be prepared to allow this situation to continue.
Unfolding details of the Coalition's plans are linked here; a separate post will be added to this blog with a link to the full document and comment when it is available.
The earlier concern was of course the stated wish to require a no-confidence Commons vote to in future require a 55% majority and fix the Coalition's own lifetime to an arbitrary five years!
None of this of course should come as any surprise to readers of my blog Teetering Tories which chronicled the manner in which Cameron's supporters rigged the party leadership election and regularly followed the small group and their cavortations around the party leader.
Given that the loss of the election by Cameron can fairly and squarely be laid at the door of this arrogant man, how long will rank and file Conservative MPs be prepared to allow this situation to continue.
Unfolding details of the Coalition's plans are linked here; a separate post will be added to this blog with a link to the full document and comment when it is available.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
PR and the Alternative Vote
The above video appears in this explanation of the Alternative Vote system which appeared in the blog of the New York Times, linked here.
Cameron's sudden dash to Scotland and the reported concessions he has made to that already over-coddled portion of the UK and the abandonment of tried and tested Conservative principles by the Cameron Faux Tory Party during the campaign is beginning to dash earlier expectations that the Coalition Government will best solve the deficit problems and deserve some longevity by holding the centre ground.
How can other smaller parties that have previously also suffered under the First Past the Post voting system now maximize their votes assuming a shift to the Alternative Vote system and the now almost certain ongoing disgust across the country with all three of the established main parties.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Understanding the philosophy of the Coalition.
He who holds the purse strings will now set the priorities. My observations of the Cameron/Osborne partnership, (as detailed on my blog, Teetering Tories, over many years since the days when the new Works and Pensions Cabinet Member, Iain Duncan-Smith led the Conservative Party) lead me to conclude that, other than the burning desire to be in power, the Cameron Conservative party is an almost completely ideologically free zone.
At the Treasury, therefore, where the new Chancellor of the Exchequer will be probably anyway distracted by juggling the financial figures in the Herculean task of "accelerating the rate at which the deficit will be reduced" his new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, will thus be free to impose the Departmental spending contraints directed in accordance with his own background and priorities all as carefully described in "The Orange Book: Reclaiming Liberalism". This book was reviewed in Liberator September 2004 edition (pdf file linked here). Required reading for all senior Civil Servants and political commentators I would suggest.
In so far as the Downing Street Duo are concerned, I find it fascinating that if David Cameron, has any guiding political principle at all it is that he seems almost obsessive in his protection for the inefficient, administratively rotten and creaking Marxist inspired National Health Service while Nick Clegg is reportedly on the record as agreeing with my view that the elevation of the NHS to the level of something akin to a religion across the UK is more than a little odd. One interesting quote from the new Deputy Prime Minister comes from a Telegraph article written dated 20th January 2008, linked here, from which comes this:
Decisions should no longer be taken in Whitehall, shrouded in secrecy. Instead, directly elected local Health Boards would put people in charge. Via the ballot box, communities could choose to focus resources where they're needed - based on their own understanding of local needs. They could choose to have the council commissioning services, too, if they preferred. In time, I envisage us going further and raising some of our NHS money locally.
Details of the referenced book as detailed on Wikipedia are as follows:
At the Treasury, therefore, where the new Chancellor of the Exchequer will be probably anyway distracted by juggling the financial figures in the Herculean task of "accelerating the rate at which the deficit will be reduced" his new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, will thus be free to impose the Departmental spending contraints directed in accordance with his own background and priorities all as carefully described in "The Orange Book: Reclaiming Liberalism". This book was reviewed in Liberator September 2004 edition (pdf file linked here). Required reading for all senior Civil Servants and political commentators I would suggest.
In so far as the Downing Street Duo are concerned, I find it fascinating that if David Cameron, has any guiding political principle at all it is that he seems almost obsessive in his protection for the inefficient, administratively rotten and creaking Marxist inspired National Health Service while Nick Clegg is reportedly on the record as agreeing with my view that the elevation of the NHS to the level of something akin to a religion across the UK is more than a little odd. One interesting quote from the new Deputy Prime Minister comes from a Telegraph article written dated 20th January 2008, linked here, from which comes this:
Decisions should no longer be taken in Whitehall, shrouded in secrecy. Instead, directly elected local Health Boards would put people in charge. Via the ballot box, communities could choose to focus resources where they're needed - based on their own understanding of local needs. They could choose to have the council commissioning services, too, if they preferred. In time, I envisage us going further and raising some of our NHS money locally.
Details of the referenced book as detailed on Wikipedia are as follows:
| The Orange Book: Reclaiming Liberalism | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Author | Paul Marshall and David Laws (editors) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Politics, Liberalism |
| Publisher | Profile Books |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 302 |
| ISBN | 1-86197-797-2 |
| OCLC Number | 59265240 |
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
And so it begins!
The Coalition Agreement is linked from here.
This blog offers the new Coalition Government Good Luck and Strong Following Winds!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Clegg and his party show their worth
Well, well well!
My blog Ironies and Ironies Too has proof enough of the true natures of Cabinet members, past and present of the New Labour Governments.
To witness Nick Clegg and his LibDem colleagues being sucked into their disgusting and depraved fantasy world is so depressing it just further deepens my despair for my Country!
Perhaps this blog must be abandoned, if so let it stand as a statement of that which might have been were there the slightest scrap of decency or common sense remaining in our political class!
My blog Ironies and Ironies Too has proof enough of the true natures of Cabinet members, past and present of the New Labour Governments.
To witness Nick Clegg and his LibDem colleagues being sucked into their disgusting and depraved fantasy world is so depressing it just further deepens my despair for my Country!
Perhaps this blog must be abandoned, if so let it stand as a statement of that which might have been were there the slightest scrap of decency or common sense remaining in our political class!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Birth complications!
If a live birth remains possible some more experienced midwives would seem to be required. The insane package of measures agreed over the weekend to try to spare the euro currency, read here, may distract the financial markets for a while but the threat to sterling remains very real.
Losses sustained during a short but sustained speculative attack could take months or even years to reverse. Clegg and Cameron must TODAY privately agree on the main issues, announce the fact of their electoral pact, request Brown's resignation, send Cameron to the Queen then retire to Downing Street to form a crisis cabinet to secure the economy.
Among the members of such an economic team I believe the following are essential (in alphabetical order):
Vince Cable, Kenneth Clarke, David Laws, Oliver Letwin, George Osborne and John Redwood
Stop boiling water and send for the forceps!
Losses sustained during a short but sustained speculative attack could take months or even years to reverse. Clegg and Cameron must TODAY privately agree on the main issues, announce the fact of their electoral pact, request Brown's resignation, send Cameron to the Queen then retire to Downing Street to form a crisis cabinet to secure the economy.
Among the members of such an economic team I believe the following are essential (in alphabetical order):
Vince Cable, Kenneth Clarke, David Laws, Oliver Letwin, George Osborne and John Redwood
Stop boiling water and send for the forceps!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Watch this space!
65 years this weekend since Victory in Europe Day.
Time to pension off the Post-War consensus?
Britain lies leaderless, broken, divided and penniless. Bound inside an EU where democracy is as absent as corruption is rife. Eurogroup EU Council leaders meet this afternoon to take the first steps towards non-democratic totalitarianism in support of a common currency that otherwise cannot survive. A new approach to the EU is required from Britain so it cannot now remain as a stumbling block to a CamCleggalition!
Conservative and Liberal Democrats will meet at 11 oclock am to try to forge an agreement that will forestall the hurricane due to hit sterling when world financial markets open for business tomorrow.
Can Cameron and Clegg forge a Concordat that will permit Dr Cable and Kenneth Clarke (the only team likely to salvage the nation's economy) to begin the work of imposing the age of austerity now required? How long can the stupidity of your typical Westminster MP allow such a Concordat to survive? Can it even be constructed?
Watch this blog as events unfold!
Time to pension off the Post-War consensus?
Britain lies leaderless, broken, divided and penniless. Bound inside an EU where democracy is as absent as corruption is rife. Eurogroup EU Council leaders meet this afternoon to take the first steps towards non-democratic totalitarianism in support of a common currency that otherwise cannot survive. A new approach to the EU is required from Britain so it cannot now remain as a stumbling block to a CamCleggalition!
Conservative and Liberal Democrats will meet at 11 oclock am to try to forge an agreement that will forestall the hurricane due to hit sterling when world financial markets open for business tomorrow.
Can Cameron and Clegg forge a Concordat that will permit Dr Cable and Kenneth Clarke (the only team likely to salvage the nation's economy) to begin the work of imposing the age of austerity now required? How long can the stupidity of your typical Westminster MP allow such a Concordat to survive? Can it even be constructed?
Watch this blog as events unfold!
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