As a particular view of what is a green policy rests at the core of the globalists position, let us begin our exploration of the policy agenda with green matters.
I am a green enthusiast. I wish to live in a country with plenty of beautiful countryside, with clean water and air, where we fish and farm in a sustainable manner and pass on our soils and seas in good order to our children. As a Conservative I take the longer view, see our individual lives as leases , and our own presence here as part of a continuum from ancestors to successors. Families and nations act to sustain memories of what has happened and to support the hopes of the young for the future. We all have a stake in a common past and plans for a better general future.
The immediate task of alleviating undue human pressures on the natural world must rest with less population growth. I have no wish for government to try to limit family size. Rising prosperity and improving chances of survival are the main ways families and nations come to adopt self limitation on the numbers of children voluntarily. Here in the UK the birth rate is below the level of 2 children per woman to keep the population constant, which is a good outcome. Where in the world the birth rate is higher it usually accompanies poverty, disease and shorter life expectancy. We need to help low income nations rise from these tribulations , which we can do by promoting free trade, offering them help with fresh water supplies, medicines and emergency assistance, and ensuring the great technologies of the west are available for them to conquer the problems which hold them back.
Our UK green policy must start with proper control of net migration. We should aim for far fewer economic migrants than have come since Labour first changed our policies following their 1997 election win. The UK needs to train and retain our own skilled personnel, and to mechanise or pay more for the unskilled jobs where governments and business have too readily reached for cheap labour from abroad.
Once we have control of numbers, we can protect more of our countryside from development, and abate our growing appetite for various finite natural resources. Many of the troublesome issues which have arisen, from where to build thousands of extra homes to how to deal with overcrowding on our public transport systems fall away completely or are eased.
October 11, 2020
Forward to your MP – it can only help – From today’s Mail online
‘STOP locking-down to control Covid’: Britain’s WHO envoy pleads with world leaders to stop using lockdowns as their ‘primary’ means of tackling virus because it is ‘doubling’ global poverty
Dr Davie Nabarro blasted lockdowns as ‘primary means of controlling Covid-19’
WHO envoy said world poverty would ‘double’ by 2021 as a result of lockdowns
His calls echo growing concerns of scientists who oppose lockdown measures
October 11, 2020
It is looking as though hospitals and care homes are the main breeding grounds for viral transmission. It would be informative to have the statistic of:
Deaths supposedly from Covid who had visited a hospital or care home in the month BEFORE symptoms or first testing positive versus those who hadn’t
We might then safely be able to say that avoiding these two places will statistically mean no chance of dying from Covid. Rather like MRSA.
October 11, 2020
And Universities where the policy seems to be a “chicken pox party” approach. This is probably the best way to go but the government will not admit they are doing this! They even lock the student all down when the inevitable infections are detected. Is the university plan to get them all exposed and free inocculations or not? If not why are they there when 90% could easily work from home? If so why lock down on detection? Make you mind up Boris!
75% of the degrees have very little (or even no) real value anyway and certianly not the ÂŁ75K or so they cost in time and money. So why so important to get them back?
Why on earth are the NHS still not able to cope as the government seems to claim? They have had over 6 months to prepare. Current deaths are only about 1/20 of what they were at the peak after all.
October 11, 2020
Right now, I’m not concerned about ‘world poverty’. I’m concerned about British poverty and unemployment.
October 11, 2020
+1 so am I
October 11, 2020
A correct policy to pursue
October 11, 2020
Viktor Orban is one of the few European politicians who understands this – much to the horror of The Guardian and the politically correct :-
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/06/viktor-orban-trumpets-far-right-procreation-anti-immigration-policy
In the USA, Pat Buchanan has also been aware of the issue for a long time. His book âDeath of the Westâ is sound.
National suicide needs to go.
October 11, 2020
Fake govt. encourages the destruction of nuclear family life creating the need for more homes when they break up! More need for affordable and social housing, and housing generally, from this irresponsible not to look after and bring up their own children.
For example, Johnson now has three families in three homes instead of one family in one home. Help the environment- he and JR are joking right?
October 11, 2020
Same here. I’m very concerned that we have unlimited immigration with the government flying Muslim families in from Greece whilst locking us down
Green initiative all rely on public subsidy as the government trashes the economy.
We won’t be able to afford anything the way we’re going.
October 11, 2020
They’ll just keep the printing presses running all night. As Acorn points out, we have an independent fiat currency. Mass immigration slows inflation as confirmed here by our kind host. The government can then spend, spend, spend.
October 11, 2020
UK Politicians are able to look at World Poverty/World Climate Change/World Migration/World Covid-19/World economics as an opportunity to become a cheer-leader for political gain, whilst at home UK poverty, healthcare issues and unemployment gain serious momentum. The problem: UK Political jobs are not on the line, cocooned as they are in a Westminster bubble, funded by the constantly under-pressure taxpayer!
UK Politicians are oblivious to realities of local life and the day-to-day needs and requirements of its entire UK citizenship. The major issue: “Politicians stamp on the long-term ants and let the short-term Elephants through”
The UK Government needs to refocus its attention locally (there are enough local issues to be dealt with) and leave international matters alone until local issues have been fully addressed…..but then, who am I kidding?
October 11, 2020
Global poverty IS British poverty.
Think about it.
October 11, 2020
You going without your dinner Mic?
October 12, 2020
Martin, No it isn’t. The UK is only part of the globe, and a very small part.
October 11, 2020
Sea WarrioĆ
Aren’t we all? Is there anybody taking notice?
October 11, 2020
He called lockdown a âGhastly global catastropheâ.
Wonder what Boris is thinking?
Or is this carefully planned to get âlevelling upâ going?
ie…WE have to pay for the global poverty caused by Lockdown policy.
October 11, 2020
Any changes made by Labour to immigration since 1997 can be reversed, as they could have been for a very long time. The Tories have been in for TEN years now. They have a majority of eighty today.
It seems rather lame, still to be blaming Labour for anything that you don’t like about it after all this time.
October 11, 2020
+1
October 12, 2020
Martin, I seem to remember you sneering at Leaves because we were (are) concerned about the excessive immigration of the last two decades. The blame for the mess must be shared – Labour, Conservatives, the EU, big business, and globalism. Labour cannot get away scot-free any more than any other party.
October 11, 2020
Whether it’s green policies or Covid restrictions, do government ministers practice what they preach? From the Mail Online
‘The drinks are on me but Public Health England are in charge of payment methodology so I will not be paying anything’: Health Secretary Matt Hancock makes tasteless Covid test joke in Commons bar as he ‘joined MPs flouting 10pm curfew’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock arrived in Commons bar just before 9.40pm vote
He ordered wine and made crass joke about Government’s test and trace failings
Senior Tory MP said he remained in the Smoking Room bar until at least 10.25pm
Matt Hancock ladies and gentlemen, who is planning more business and job destroying freedom destroying restrictions.
October 11, 2020
Maybe he’s drinking in the last chance saloon
October 11, 2020
+++
October 11, 2020
Whatever he’s drinking keep me away from it.
October 11, 2020
10pm curfew only for the little people.
Hypocritical twit.
October 11, 2020
H of C bar still open.
October 11, 2020
Didn’t you know that the Gov changes the designated status of everything in Westminster, Bars, smoke rooms everywhere has been renamed a ‘working canteen’ and therefor does not come under the Covid restriction. That’s why they take the p**s.
October 11, 2020
Westminster has always taken the p**s? The general public (thanks to Brexit & Covid-19) are just starting to realize what an undistinguished self-indulgent bunch they really are….John Redwood and a few others are the exception!
October 11, 2020
My tenants, restaurant and cafe, also hairdressers, donât know what is going to happen tomorrow! It 9.00pm Sunday night. Are they open or closed tomorrow? You canât run a business this way – tell Boris you canât run a country this way either!
October 11, 2020
Good morning.
Sir John said,
And.
Sorry, Sir John but I find those two statements somewhat disingenuous.
The first mentions ‘net migration’ which is calculated difference between those entering and those leaving. I think you will find that we want immigration cut and only those that have skills we need and the means to support themselves and any family members.
The second the UK could always control. Non-EU immigration, which runs far higher than EU-immigration, could have been cut by any government of any hue but, you all chose to ignore it. Even EU-immigration could have been slowed as there was room in the treaties for National Governments to act if there was a risk to the host nation of being swamped. This would have mean the UK asking the EU Commission for permission to limit it. Something it never did.
The environment can be divided up in two parts – Local / national and international. Local environmental policies can work better as they are more focused and would greatly benefit all. International environmentalism can only be achieved is ALL nations abide, but few do. Currently China, Germany and India are building more and more coal fire power stations. How is that going to help the international environment ? Rain forests being chopped down and the UK being concreted over ! Again, how is that going to address environmental concerns ?
Population growth is used to drive GDP which gives a false positive, to use the new parlance, to what is really going on.
But as always, the government is not listening. Too far away until the next GE ?
October 11, 2020
Indeed. A requisite of being able to emigrate is an ability to stand on one’s own feet. Not so for immigration.
Therefore the quality of those going out does not match those coming in.
October 11, 2020
Exactly !
October 11, 2020
Agree â the tract record of this government has been a disgrace, absolutely no effort has been made to stop immigration, just look at the madness in the channel
October 11, 2020
+1 ah well – thatâs another âtrack an traceâ problem
October 11, 2020
What an absolute load of false tosh from JR today. Mass house building because of his govts mass immigration equals higher energy waste and water building over our land for food supplies while idiot Johnson now wants more sea killing wind machines.
It is becoming unbelievable that an intelligent conservative like JR could write such rot knowing his govts actual record and actions. I think we know after ten years that an announcement of a new policy or czar or task force is to deflect govt. failure.
Hotels for illegal criminals entering our country, families flown in, while pensioners forced to live in poverty or sell their home. Worse your govt responsible for 40% of Chinese virus deaths sending old people to care homes! Shame on you and your fake govt.
October 11, 2020
Mark,
The Fake govt cannot even accurately tell us the numbers! Nor does it want to. Animals can be checked rigidly, but not humans if we believe the Tories. Anyone convinced for Hancock/Dido Hardings track and trace!
Will all those hundreds of thousands illegal immigrants lost to May and Rudd be tracked and traced? Or those who run off the beach from boats?
October 11, 2020
The illegals are living somewhere. It is not too difficult to work out but it is culturally and politically sensitive.
October 11, 2020
++
October 11, 2020
One area of environmental crisis in the UK is in the rapid deterioration of England’s rivers.
This seems to be down to farmers, and to the privatised water and sewerage companies – but not to immigrants.
The former two seem to be taking advantage of the strictures on testing, on tracing offenders, and accordingly on enforcement action.
Nor is the brexit government any longer required – as previously – by European Union membership to do anything to improve the position.
October 11, 2020
Give us your evidence for saying farmers are causing the rapid deterioration of our rivers
October 12, 2020
No response as usual.
Bluster when challenged results in silence.
October 11, 2020
Martin, River management – and flood management – is a mess primarily because of the EU (eg the Water Framework Directive). Farmers suffer along with everyone else from poorly dredged rivers, and greeny instigated “re-wilding”. Moreover, the houses built on flood plains to accommodate the millions of immigrants that you want, make it worse. We should recover land from the sea to give England more space.
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
Another realistic and to the point post Mark B
October 11, 2020
Cheers mate đ
October 11, 2020
‘ I have no wish for government to try to limit family size.’ I do. Government policy should have as an aim to encourage productive married couples to have three children and for unproductive married couples to have less than two. There, I said it. So how do we do that? Do away with Child Benefit and replace it with a tax-allowance for up to three children. The allowance for the third could be higher than that for the first two.
Well, that’s enough policyficating, I have a day to get on with.
October 11, 2020
no! Child allowance for firstborn to help cover the new costs, second child to also be financially helped – thereafter nothing! Announce withdrawal of payments above 6 children from next tax year, Withdraw payment for 6th & 5th the following year, and 4th the year after, 3rd following that.
October 11, 2020
Child benefit used to be paid for every child. Of course following the global financial crash the Tories effectively means tested it – and now lots of families donât qualify. We have never qualified to get child benefit for our children because if either of you earns more than ÂŁ60,000 you end up repaying it all in additional income tax anyway. So it is not worth it.
None of our friends get it either but then we all have well paid jobs and are large contributors to the state.
In this child benefit is unlike the state pension which you just get regardless of any other earnings. Again – Conservative policy negatively targeting the young.
October 11, 2020
That was always the case.
My Dad used to moan he had to claim Child Benefit and my Mum had to go to the Post Office each week to collect it but that he was taxed a similar extra amount.
It was way less than ÂŁ60,000 income even working that sum back to my era.
It was designed for people in need.
It that really you?
October 12, 2020
Not true.
Child benefit only became taxable in 2010.
Osborne taxed the “rich”
October 12, 2020
Wrong
Not if you were a director or higher paid employee.
October 12, 2020
Andy, Whoever pays you more than ÂŁ60,000 per year isn’t getting value for money – you spend too much time commenting on websites. And your comments aren’t worth much either – it’s just ageist bigotry and Remain propaganda repeated ad nauseam.
October 11, 2020
Well said Fred!
We must return to the British way of small families. Two should be the average
October 11, 2020
we have families in the UK, and indeed young single mothers (I hear the howls of outrage) who have children to be secure for the 18 years of the child’s upbringing. Flats, benefits, no work required……
October 11, 2020
I don’t have a problem with large families, provided the children are born to committed parents, and the mother is not under some kind of oppressive culture that restricts her horizons.
What I don’t like is children fathered by a man who has no intention of supporting his children or their mother, and just moves on to another partner.
October 11, 2020
Poor Boris … but I agree.
October 11, 2020
Agree. Responsible hard working couples find they can only afford one or two children while it seems those on benefits have more.
October 11, 2020
Well said. Do away with child benefits and move to tax relief. People on benefits should not be thinking of having children they cannot support. Also great incentive for them to find gainful employment.
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
++
October 11, 2020
I thought they did do away with child tax credit and child number dependent housing benefit in 2017? It was announced in 2015. There was an incentive to have more than three children in both top up credits if someone worked more than 16 hours per week. Did they change their mind on that?
October 11, 2020
Sea Warrior (and others), The current UK rate is already under 2 children per woman, as JR said. There is no need for the government to limit the number of children. What must be limited is the number of immigrants because they add millions to the population relatively quickly.
October 12, 2020
What about good tax relief/bonuses for people who have no children, for whatever reason, who are doing a great deal in not adding to pollution, carbon use, land and housing needs etc., etc.
If some want money instead of children for selfish reasons then they probably should not have children anyway.
Money is king, talks and is heard.
October 11, 2020
A canvas awaiting paint. What is the real picture. Where are you on power generation. What is the way forward for personal transport. What is the answer to the enormous amount of waste we create. There are sustainable answers arising in parts of the World we should pay heed to.
You are right on immigration, the first colour wash, but I think your reproduction aims are too high until we achieve a lower overall population figure. You will need to shame various religious imperatives.
At present your party are mouthing policies that head us in a fanciful green direction that is more rhetoric than practical. They contain nothing to inspire, nothing with engineering or scientific logic to it. The instruction to turn off the lights on leaving wil have been achieved by government and be the cause of leaving. You may as well promote the acquisition of two dry sticks of wood. You have three years till judgement day at the polls, start thinking beyond Covid and Brexit.
October 11, 2020
I understand that contraception is one of the most important factors preventing population growth. Parents can concentrate on raising small families and resources are targeted at their education.
Mass migration from warm countries to colder countries drives a huge demand for fuel to heat homes. Anybody who believes in the environment should believe in zero or even negative migration to colder countries.
October 11, 2020
+1
Wow!
Excellent thinking!
October 11, 2020
The whole point of a person coming here is for them to be able to increase their consumption.
And I don’t blame them but it’s not good for the planet.
October 12, 2020
There are so many benefits for some in coming to the UK, at the moment anyway.
Use of a universally known language, 24/7 electricity, 24/7 running water in your house, drinkable too!, indoor toilets, no mosquitoes. malaria or rabies, or any dangerous animals, pretty good rain drainage, no bad earthquakes/volcanoes, a cornucopia of available food, not much religious/other persecution, etc., etc.
October 11, 2020
Medium term contraception has also been suggested as a means to reduce problems stemming from ‘fatherless’ families.
(There is a large amount of air conditioning used in warm countries as they develop).
October 11, 2020
++
October 11, 2020
I have previously suggested that migration should be limited to transfers from high emissions countries to lower emissions countries. Thus Qataris would be free to migrate wherever they wish, and almost anyone would be free to migrate to the poorest countries.
Of course a corollary of this is that those who do most to improve their living standards get to protect themselves from inundation by immigration, while another is that if you wish to migrate you must first improve your living standards above those of your intended destination.
October 11, 2020
Exactly, clean air and clean water please. There is nothing dirty about CO2 plant food. A little more atmospheric CO2 almost certainly does more good than harm in greening the planet and increasing food production on land and at sea.
Anyway the expensive, subsidised, intermittent renewable energy agenda makes little or no significant difference to overall co2 anyway even if we could get world agreement on it.
Most sensible scientists and physicists tend to think this way I find (unless they are looking for grant funding or scared of telling the truth).
October 11, 2020
The Duke of Cambridge has warned that the planet is âin perilâ in the Royal familyâs first TED talk, delivered beneath the boughs of an oak tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Duke warned his audience that the âstark factsâ of climate change were now âirrefutableâ.
Indeed the âstark factsâ of climate change are that it has always changes and always will. Atmospheric CO2 is just one of millions of factors that affect the climate solar activity perhaps the main on – it is not some simple World thermostatic control. A little more atmospheric CO2 on balance is almost certainly a net positive.
October 11, 2020
History of Art at St Andrews it seems. The less science they understand the more easily they fall for this new CO2 religion. All these deluded, dimmish, group think, art graduates at the BBC – perhaps the best example of this. They even ban sensible, climate realists
October 11, 2020
I got better A levels despite going to a grotty comp.
October 11, 2020
Maybe should tell his father to save us from tyranny not be part of the tyranny.
However Prince Charles has said that the “Pandemic is chance to reset global economy”.
Guardian Wed 3 Jun 2020 18.40 BST
October 11, 2020
Indeed.
Perhaps Prince Charles will soon be suggesting alternative medicine or homeopathy on the NHS as a cures for Covid?
Perhaps he might even set up a foundation for the study of Non Evidence based Medicine or indeed for a Non Evidence Based War on Plant, Tree and Seaweed food.
I wonder what the heating bill is for all the palaces, residences and Windsor Castle?
October 11, 2020
The Duke of Cambridge heir or owner of castles, grand houses, gas guzzling cars, world air travel, lecturing the population who mostly live in poky houses insulated to the gills, trying to save pennies on the heating.
He was at it the other night telling us how he loves animals and nature before he and his wife go out on their estate and blast everything with feathers out of the sky.
These people are so far detached they have no vision of irony.
For the record, I like these two, much more than his brother and sister in law, but just wish they would be less sanctimonious and a do a bit more of what they preach.
October 11, 2020
Yes, our planet has cooled and warmed many times in the past.
The last glacial maximum was 22,000 years ago and the planet has been warming ever since with the last ice age considering to have ended about 11,500 years ago.
How do those who support the thesis that the current warming of the planet is man made explain how the planet began warming 22,000 years ago?
October 11, 2020
How can we object to Meghanâs hysterical political interventions when the rest of them indulge too. Iâm afraid itâs not just Boris in the last chance saloon! The reset might not be what the spoiled brats we taxpayers support, expect.
October 11, 2020
It is a desire to remain relevant and to be seen to be doing something otherwise, people ask; “What is the point of . . . ?”
Trouble is, they do seem to be somewhat out of touch with most ordinary peoples lives.
October 11, 2020
Lifelogic, His dear old Dad (who we all hope doesn’t become King) said – in 2009 – that we had less than 100 months to save the planet. 2017 has been and gone, and here we still are, and no worse off (as far as the climate is concerned). I doubt if Prince Will will be any better with his prediction.
October 11, 2020
Itâs not below 2 for families who cannot afford to have them. People from high birth rate cultures are still having more children than prudent in work middle class Brits can afford.
So find a way to reward people for only having 1 child per adult.
From religiously inspired large families to generations on welfare there are lots of people having children other peopleâs taxes pay for.
How about making people pay for more than two children with of course exemptions for adoptions and natural multiple births.
October 11, 2020
Some men donât just have one wife…and since the benefits + housing accrue to the woman ( women)…well…many children.
When the indigenous UK population got a bit too large…huge numbers of kids in every family not needed any more for the land or factories….they conjured up two mass culls. 1914 and 1939.
Then not wanting to repeat their mistake they flattered women into the workplace, feminised men, and wasted a lot of medical research on birth control.
Then they embraced mass immigration.
October 11, 2020
It is very easy to imagine a cap and trade policy for birth and immigration. The question would be how to enforce it in a non-tyrannical way (though we are currently living in a tyranny).
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
Fully agree today Sir John. How unfortunate that your party and your Government, by their policies and their actions seem not to have your conservative view.
October 11, 2020
Yes.
How many years have they spent doing precisely the opposite of JRâs rosy view?
And watch the rise of anti Tory hatred which will turn into a landslide ( if we still have elections) for the even further left Marxist Labour Party and the whole sorry cycle will start all over again.
Have MPs and local councillors been told to have no contact with their constituents?
October 11, 2020
There was a time when a party would try to adopt its manifesto promise
You vote for a Tory and you get a Green
Elections and manifesto are a waste of time if they ignore the voters when in power
October 11, 2020
High birth rates around the world are responsible for conflicts and mass migrations. So letâs not encourage people to bring the high birth rate culture here with free everything for as many children as people feel like having.
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
+1 exactly right. Why should hard working people pay to bring up other people’s children?
October 11, 2020
It is a question of responsibility.
October 11, 2020
Your remarks make for excellent reading Sir John, and I agree wholeheartedly with your suggestion concerning reducing net migration, however I should not need to remind you that your party has held power for a long time, and nothing appears to have been done in this regard. Whilst I appreciate you have had little control over immigration from within the EU up till now, what has your party done to control immigration from outside the EU?
October 11, 2020
Planner, Exactly – what have the Tory governments done to halt immigration?
October 11, 2020
There is an obvious flaw in your thesis. A birth rate below 2.[something] results in an ageing population, and eventually there are not enough people of working age to support the elderly. This poses a problem that you don’t address. This country’s immigration policy has been bad in all kinds of ways, but at least the demographic has skewed younger as a result. Your proposal solves some problems, but creates at least one more bigger problem.
As for what you say on green issues, obviously you are in the wrong party. You can try and influence policy from your marginalised position, but you will have as much success as you’ve had in any and every other area. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you say, but rather what your party does. You are a Conservative MP, and so you are a supporter and enabler of Conservative policies, whether you like it or not.
The real question is why you remain in the Conservative Party. Given the direction of your party over the last three decades, and where your party currently stands, claiming that you are best placed to effect change for the better from within the Conservative Party is simply not credible. Farage has many faults and weaknesses, and he is not the leader this country needs, but, with respect, what he achieved from the outside dwarfs your own achievements.
Reply Conservative MPs secured the referendum on the EU by Parliamentary action and getting the party elected on a referendum ticket
October 11, 2020
Well, we ordinary folk donât REALLY know what goes on behind closed doors.
But we do know that the last four years have been misery.
And now we have been stripped of our freedom, our jobs and our dignity.
October 11, 2020
Wise and true words -those two sentences says it all
October 11, 2020
But in the last 4 years we have not lost, the whole establishment intended to reverse our decision, they are amazed that we have still not been beaten.
If you canât win, keep the fight going and donât lose! I told PHILIP Davies that, but he gave up and voted for Mays WA.
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply the unanswered question is whether those same MPs would have secured the referendum, leaving and a new trade deal many many years ago as a cardinal part of a different party. It could still happen, 15 years too late.
October 11, 2020
Absolutely. Or, to phrase your question differently, What would have happened if, instead of Tory Brexiters throwing their weight behind Remainer Boris, they had decamped to the Brexit Party last Spring?
But, I don’t think a real Brexit can still happen, because I think in the mind of the general public Brexit is ‘done’. And of course there is now the little matter of the coronavirus….
October 11, 2020
If they had decamped as you suggest, there would be no Brexiteers in Parliament.
October 12, 2020
Regardless of whether there are Brexiteers in Parliament, there is no Brexit, which was the objective. If the electorate had decisively rejected the Brexit Party, that would at least have been democratic, but we’d be exactly where we are now, with no Brexit.
But the likely outcome would have been a hung Parliament in which the only possible government would have been comprised of the legacy parties uniting on an anti-Brexit policy. If this government were formed, then I think an even bigger proportion of the electorate than voted for the Brexit party would then see through the LibLabCon, and at the next election, which could come quickly given the inevitably fragile nature of such a rainbow coalition, the Brexit Party could build on their gains, achieved from a standing start, as more voters were emboldened to vote for their first preference, rather than tactically.
That was the best, and only, Brexit move after three years of (Tory) lies and treachery. Far better than the alternative, which was either Corbyn or Johnson as PM. Too late now.
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply
Technically true, but it was only Farage’s pressure that made this possible. Your attempt to disprove my point serves only to underline it. I don’t envy your position in this argument, but couldn’t you do better than that? I’m sure others will try.
More importantly, how would you address the problems arising from an ageing population? Obviously it’s a problem that can only be managed rather than solved. Bringing in younger workers from outside is an elegant move, and surely the answer. The question then is how do you deal with an expansion of the population? To me, it is obvious, and even axiomatic, that the more government seeks to grapple with the issue, the worse the situation gets. But presumably you envisage government doing something…
October 11, 2020
Then make the target number 2.
I frequently travel with taxi drivers who have ten kids. “How on earth do you afford it ?”
Ans “Government pays me.”
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply. John I think we’ll wait to pass judgment on our unwanted deal with the EU until it has been finalised. Why there are discussions about fishing rights and state aid and tarrifs on our cars is beyond me. These things shouldn’t be bargained away so I will wait and see if the electorate get flushed down the pan yet again.
October 11, 2020
Reply to Reply. I beg to differ. Conservative MP’s would NEVER have given us the referendum had they not been forced in that direction by Nigel Farage and UKIP. Following that, we might still have the appalling Mrs May and been sold out on Brexit were it not for Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party.
The last thing in the world that DC and his Government was prepared to allow this country was Brexit and he proved it with his resignation!
Reply Then you do not understand recent politics. I was in the room with the PM and two colleagues when he finally decided he had to switch to a wanting one, because he realised we were close to 150 Conservative MPs wanting one – do the maths. Mr Farage had no votes in the Commons nor in a Prime Minister/leadership election. This was a Tory war to secure the referendum.
October 11, 2020
BOF
Your analysis of how the referendum came to pass is sound. Sir John’s is… idiosyncratic.
However, I would suggest that, regardless of the identity of the leader, the Conservative Party was always going to sell out on Brexit. May might be gone, but Johnson is very much here. And if it wasn’t him it would be someone else.
Reply In the meeting where we successfully pressed the case for the referendum there was no mention of UKIP. DC always took the view that UKIP would win no seats in 2015 and we did not dispute that, which was almost spot on.
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply
The threat was not so much that UKIP would WIN seats themselves but that they would split the vote and Tory MPs would LOSE their seats.
Reply That was not the issue when we persuaded the PM to adopt the referendum. I was there, you were not. We all agreed at a previous meeting UKIP was not a serious threat but the anger of the Conservatiuve MPs and members about the lack of a vote was a threat to DC
October 11, 2020
Firstly, thank you for making the effort to reply. Secondly, I can accept that it was you and fellow Conservative MPs that persuaded Cameron to hold a referendum. I can further accept that, regardless of Farage and UKIP, you and others were keen to have a referendum, and obviously keen to leave the EU. But will you accept that the existence of Farage and UKIP, and their showing in the 2014 EU election, gave your party pause for thought?
At a particular meeting, within very particular parameters, I can imagine that Farage and UKIP were ostensibly irrelevant. But this is not the point. And besides, the referendum was one thing. The fallout and the consequences (those that ought to have pertained, and those that in fact did), are another, more important, more relevant thing. A vote is meaningless if it is not implemented.
Kudos to you for fighting your corner, but I’m obciously not alone in being unconvinced by your arguments. Still, it’s been stimulating.
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply: JR that is disingenuous – UKIP may not have been mentioned at your meeting, but the electoral pressure for a referendum was building, and was primarily focussed by UKIP.
reply So what? the issue was what the Cons Manifesto would offer which was a battle a few of us Cons MPs won.
October 12, 2020
JR, If the Conservative party had not chosen to have a referendum it would show it was not listening to the electorate: an electorate which had just voted UKIP as the winning party in the 2014 EU elections, followed by son-of-UKIP, the Brexit party, winning in 2019. That’s what.
October 11, 2020
Reply to Reply: There is one thing and one thing only which galvanises MPs to action and that is the possibility of losing their seats.
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply
To deny that Farage and UKIP were instrumental in forcing the referendum is ludicrous. Did Conservative MPs have an effect? Yes. Was it utterly overshadowed by (and indeed a response to) Farage’s efforts. Absolutely! To suggest otherwise does your credibility no favours.
Farage failed, but it is obvious that had he been joined by Tory MPs, like yourself, that were willing to put their money where their mouths were, he might well have succeeded, and we wouldn’t be on the verge of suffering Blowers’ BRINO.
Reply You are completely wrong. It was our amendment pro a referendum which attracted substantial Conservative support which led to us getting around a majority of the party. At the time DSC was worried we might wish to replace him as leader. UKIP was an irrelevance to this process The only 2 UKIP MPs ever elected were Conservative MPs who helped us with this process then stood for election later as UKIP
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply
No one is disputing that it was MPs in Paliament that passed legislation to conduct a referendum. And it would be churlish not to recognise that much good work was done by MPs, not least yourself, to pursue the Eurosceptic cause. However, to deny Farage’s influence itself appears churlish.
But the key point is that a referendum was never going to be the means by which Brexit was delivered. It only gave instruction. The implementation of Brexit was another matter, and your party, and your party alone, was and is responsible for this. The result is BRINO, a work begun by May and continued by Johnson – both Conservatives.
The Conservative Party, regardless of the views of its wider membership, is a pro-EU, pro-big business, establishment party. Not even the biggest democratic exercise in this country’s history was enough for your party to alter its course. When this became crystal clear, i.e. when Johnson emerged as the Brexiteers’ champion, rather than someone who actually believed in and understood Brexit, you, and forty or so other Tory MPs could have resigned the whip, exerted pressure on the government, and fought an election under the Brexit Party flag. That was the one remaining chance to achieve a proper Brexit.
Instead, it looks like Tory MPs’ loyalty to their party, and their distaste for Farage, led them, led you, to take your chances with a remainer-at-heart, hoping that, somehow, a proper Brexit might happen. Party before country, party before the people. That’s what it looks like.
The moment of truth is almost here (though some of us at least have already seen it coming). Perhaps then mistakes will be owned. For my part, I promise that if a proper Brexit is delivered, and if the government makes a success of it, I will hold my hands up.
October 11, 2020
We need more Brexiteers in Parliament not fewer. The more there are the more secure our Sovereignty is, we need Brexiteers on both sides of the House. Itâs very difficult providing the Opposition from the Govt back benches. Attack our enemy by all means, but not our friends.
October 11, 2020
reply to reply ……we don’t believe you!
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply, we have Nigel Farage to thank for the referendum, DC thought that we would vote for Stay and he was shocked and resigned immediately when the result went the wrong way.
Indeed he even had Obama saying that weâd be at the back of the queue, DC was phoning all his supporters apologising!
October 11, 2020
Quite true the decision had to come from the party. But Tory MP’s understood how badly their voter base was being eroded, and most never thought that we would vote to leave, epecially DC.
October 11, 2020
JR
“Reply [JR to BOF] Then you do not understand recent politics”
Then Sir Redwood, I suggest you and other politicians don’t understand us.
We’re done with the lies & broken promises. We’re done with politician’s cowardice when it comes to enemies of our country such as Macron, VdL, Barnier et al.
We were done with you lot when Ms Pattel failed to return cross channel migrants. We were done with you lot when you said you would decriminalise the BBC tax….yet thousands of people are still being harassed for payment. We were done with you lot when you said you said no deal is better than a bad deal….yet we still have this government kow towing to the EU.
We were done with you lot ages ago, we do not need or wish to understand recent politics, please put recent politics somewhere you would not expect to find sunlight.
Conservative’s time is up, we don’t trust you anymore.
October 11, 2020
Sadly, the Conservatives have at least another four years in power…
October 11, 2020
seemingly STILL don’t understand what the Electorate want. Sir John, if he has the stomach to campaign again will be very very lonely on the opposite bench.
October 11, 2020
Reply to Sir Johnâs reply.
How many of the 150 only supported a Referendum because they feared UKIP would take their seat from them?
How many of the 150 voted Remain?
How many of the 150 worked against a Clean Break, aiming for a BRINO?
No Sir John, the Conservative Government was forced down the Brexit path by Mr Farage, UKIP and the Brexit Party.
You will never convince many of us here that it was your colleagues idea.
Reply I suggest you look at our Parly campaign to press for a referendum which is what moved DC
October 11, 2020
Dave knew he and the Party were quite likely to get the boot in the GE without giving way on the Ref – and failed miserably to persuade the EU to help him stave off defeat. They stupidly thought we’d never vote to Leave.
October 11, 2020
And Tory and Labour voters overwhelmingly delivered the referendum result. UKIP supporters should join battle and rejoin the main parties to ensure we have a patriotic Government and loyal opposition.
October 11, 2020
no! – the ex-Tories and ex-New labour should join a new titled Brexit party honestly doing what it claims.
Decades of the main 2 parties bare-faced lies is more than enough.
October 12, 2020
Daniel Hannan tried Lynn the government wouldn’t give him a good run at a seat.
October 11, 2020
Well, you’ll never know.
“The Vicar Of Bray”
October 11, 2020
and as the population ages they have to find work longer, and State funding for pension and health care have to be gradually denied. It is happenning in front of our eyes.
October 11, 2020
Hopefully one of your near future posts will be an invitation for practical suggestions as to how to achieve balanced debate in the media on energy/climate. Without such balance the policies of this actual Conservative government render your aspirational approach redundant unfortunately.
October 11, 2020
Indeed the endless BBC, one sided, totally anti-scientific propaganda is a total outrage. But then all but a handful of MPs voted for Ed Milibands insane climate change act.
October 11, 2020
There is little opposition to climate alarmist group this lunacy on UK media. The BBC stance of only broadcasting misleading drivel and complete lies on this issue and ban all realists is totally appalling.
Catz English Graduate Roger Harrabin – The BBC Energy and Environment Analyst, and one of their senior journalists on the environment and energy is endlessly pushing this one sided, misguided lunacy.
October 11, 2020
I meant – There is little opposition to climate alarmist âgroupthinkâ lunacy on UK media.
October 11, 2020
LL. Our friends have just cancelled their payment yo the BBC. They are now using Netflix, Prime and a firestick. We are looking into this too.
October 11, 2020
Do it! I have. Itâs great not listening to the BBCâs biased position. They have lost Andrew Neill – the only sane interviewer they had. We have a firestick and watch Amazon Prime, Netflix and All 4.
October 12, 2020
You must have a TV Licence if you: (From UK Gov.)
watch or record programmes on a TV, computer or other device as theyâre broadcast (no mention of BBC here)
So watching/recording Netflix, All4, RT, AlJazeera etc., etc. as they’re broadcast you need a TV license!! That sentence from UK Gov does not mention BBC. The next sentence does so all is covered.
‘as they’re broadcast’ – surely if you TV is on all images are being broadcast. I wonder if they mean broadcast live.
October 11, 2020
LL
BBC + alleged conservative government = one and the same thing. Don’t be fooled.
October 11, 2020
You are alas probably right!
October 11, 2020
LL
I am right.
You have a State Broadcaster that doesn’t report on matters relating to threats and blackmail against this country, you have a state broadcaster that openly and actively campaigned to overturn democratic vote. You have a government that sought to do same.
Coincidence? not a chance. They’re in it together up to their necks and some day the truth will out.
October 11, 2020
Good grief. You cannot blame a labour policy for the immigration debacle. The Conservatives have had years to change it. At the moment Ms Patel appears to be a toothless tiger. We canât even stop the dinghies full of illegal immigrants let alone legal ones. There are no refugees landing at Dover so it should be simple. Open Dartmoor. The worst thing Labour and Blair did was to incorporate the Human Rights Act into domestic law which did nothing but protect criminals and those enemies of GB that wish to do us harm. It also provided an endless cash cow for all the lawyers with morals lower than a snakes belly. I see yet again the Supreme Court has overturned A decision by the HO to deport a drug dealer as yet again it has put the poor manâ right to family life above those lives he is destroying. They could offer to send his family with him.
I hear that part of any agreement with the EU will have us promise to stay in the ECHR. And there I was thinking that in the 1st Jan we would be repealing that act replacing it with a bill of rights linked to personal responsibilities. Immigration will never be solved whilst we are in the ECHR.
October 11, 2020
Trouble is because of unwary,weak,liberal âToriesâ ( Social Democrats really!),
The Long March has all but worked.
Lefty liberals seeded ( by Blair?) in every possible institution.
Very difficult for the Tories, who stupidly fell on their sword with âNasty Partyâadmissions, to regain that ground.
The left have RESET morality and brainwashed the sheeple with ideas of ânicenessâ.
October 11, 2020
+++
October 11, 2020
BJ
“…..enemies of GB that wish to do us harm”
Of course they’re protected, they’re our “friends in the EU” according to Boris.
October 11, 2020
Thatâs what we all want!
But politicians keep building and letting in a Birminghamâs worth of people every year!
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
Everhopeful.
“But politicians keep building and letting in a Birminghamâs worth of people every year!”
Ever thought that maybe there’s a slight chance they’ve been lying through their front teeth every five years ?
October 11, 2020
Yes..I think that at every election..and vote accordingly.
Obviously to no avail.
Not front but back…teeth that is!
October 11, 2020
in the future they will get to Brum quicker by HS2.
October 11, 2020
John, well said, thanks
October 11, 2020
“Many of the troublesome issues which have arisen, from where to build thousands of extra homes to how to deal with overcrowding on our public transport systems fall away completely or are eased.”
Finally, at long last, an admission that we don’t need more house building. Perhaps now we can stop the special dispensation given to overseas bricklayers to work here because of the so-called shortage?
October 11, 2020
Of course. There never has been a housing crisis. It has always been a population crisis, caused by Government.
October 11, 2020
BOF
We were never asked, we should have been.
October 11, 2020
Exactly !
October 12, 2020
There is a housing crisis – there are too many houses. So with those with a sane population level we can all have 2 houses.
October 11, 2020
Difference is the essence of existence, and Numbers dictate every difference within it. Fast-growing numbers need self-control to survive exponential self-destruction.
Moderation maintains quality, enabling continuity in betterment for all. A zest for life starts with A. We need to look after ourselves first to be able to help others efficiently.
October 11, 2020
Whether we like it or not we must start to deal with world population control. We must also stop rewarding people for having large families. Personal responsibilities have disappeared in this regard as the state will pay. So as the State created this, the state needs to solve it.
October 11, 2020
Many people – the revered broadcaster David Attenborough included – would agree that the world’s population at ~ 9 billion is approaching the limit of sustainability.
The resulting pressure on the finite resources that our planet holds appears to be accelerating – the world’s economy and financial system operates on the principle of growth. An inovative solution to this issue is required if we are to prevent irreparable damage to the world that we live in.
I wonder where those dinosaurs who wish to continue with the status quo – burning the green lungs of our planet – imagine that the oxygen that we breathe is going to come from once the Amazon, the Congo basin, the Indonesian forests etc are reduced to ash blowing in the wind?
The world is indisputably heating up. The fabled North West Passage has opened up for five months of the year; this is exercising the Royal Navy. The Russian permafrost and tundra is now melting and spontaneusly catching fire, adding millions of tons of CO2 and methane to our atmosphere; this will accelerate climate change.
Many scientists, broadcasters and commentators, myself included, agree that we must firstly stabilise the world’s population and secondly, gradually reduce it. Time, however is short – if we do not achieve this ourselves, it may be that the world will enter the tipping point that many fear and a catastrophic and sudden reduction in the world’s population will be the result.
October 11, 2020
Well the average British person wanted to limit population growth in the UK but weren’t allowed to do it.
You keep on importing people who like to have big families and then pay them lots of money to do it.
October 11, 2020
And many scientists, broadcasters and commentators conclude the complete opposite
October 11, 2020
âThe world is indisputably heating upâ
That is not indisputable at all.
October 11, 2020
Even a cursory glance at the stats demonstrate that the population of the world is not “approaching the limit of sustainability”, it is well beyond it.
Global warming, deforestation, the shortage of food, overcrowding and the spread of population into areas not suitable for human habitation all indicate this is so. Nature has a habit of addressing these things and it is only science and human intervention that have prevented a natural correction through a global pandemic, famine or other event.
October 11, 2020
In 2014 a ship called âSilver Explorerâ became stuck in the ice of the North West Passage. The Canadian Coastguard icebreaker sent to rescue the ship also became stuck.
It was pretty cold up there!
October 11, 2020
Sakara
Nice argument, well put……but please take it to China – the cause of finite resource depletion and global warming.
October 11, 2020
The growth in population is coming from the Indian Subcontinent, the Far East, South America and Africa. ie The poorer parts of the world. So if you want to save the planet I suggest you and all those lovies start there and leave the rest of us alone.
October 11, 2020
Sakara
“An inovative solution to this issue is required if we are to prevent irreparable damage to the world that we live in.”
So simple….just stop trading with China. Shut it down problem solved.
October 11, 2020
No doubt you’re one in favour of those lovely big wind turbines that we could spread all over our green and pleasant land. (Though of course not in Mr Attenborough’s or Mr Johnson’s back yards.)
Take a look at today’s conservativewoman.co.uk and read the article about these things.
October 11, 2020
I agree with the majority of replies re lack of immigration control from outside of the EU. I fear that if your government does not address this matter during this tenure that I and many other conservative supporters will be looking to vote into power other parties which will undoubtedly arise
October 11, 2020
That could be one of the reasons why the main parties are so keen on immigration and pandering.
Ready made, compliant, disorientated voters.
Who will probably go on to form their own political parties.
=lost country.
October 11, 2020
Translator
“I fear that if your government does not address this matter during this tenure that I and many other conservative supporters will be looking to vote into power other parties which will undoubtedly arise”
Most of us traditional conservative voters have already decided that next election we’re slinging this bunch out on their backsides. Maybe before as and when they come back from the EU at the eleventh hour pulling a Chamberlain number on us.
They’re giving us nothing but pure BS over brexit, the green enemy, immigration.
They’re in cahoots with the media especially the BBC…if they weren’t they’d have taken it off air.
If they weren’t lying about brexit, they’d have walked away from the EU, they’d have shut down the likes of Macron, they’d have stopped the french dumping illegals on our shores.
There can only be one of two explanations:
1) they’re frightened of their own shadow and potentially the biggest bunch of gutless sissies ever to get elected by deception.
2) they’re in it up to their necks on the brexit / cover / green scam.
You see why we won’t be voting for these con merchants ever gain.
October 11, 2020
Yes – Of course, we must stop our country being flooded by immigrants — but otherwise there is plenty of empty space to go around — like all resources, it is all about willingness and management skills.
With the right level of innovation and a mind to do it, we could see humans living under the sea or up a mountain, without being a great burden on our world… Our planet is far from over-populated when you look at the vast areas untouched by mankind.
We have top get away from the insane idea that we couldn’t feed a larger population — twiddlesticks, it would just take the application of knowledge we already have to make the food supply chain better.
WE have been so indoctrinated by the BBC and other irrational environmentalists that we cannot think beyond the boundaries they have established… but we need to
Of course we want to enjoy our countryside and have access to real green spaces, but there is plenty of land outside where we currently live… If only we could use a little imagination to make it work for nature and for us.
October 11, 2020
Bryan, good God. I hardly think the natural world needs moving in. We destroy everything we come into contact with. If our population reduced I think nature would breath a sigh of relief.
October 11, 2020
I think Bryan, that you live in cloud cuckoo land. I thankfully am now approaching death but feel for my offspring
October 12, 2020
Mike – Like everyone else you have been indoctrinated to believe the garbage
October 11, 2020
If the population of england was spread evenly, that would 45m*45m each.
Be thankful people live in cities. The cities are full.
65million , 131,000 km2 or 131,000,000,000 m2.
October 11, 2020
Bryan
“we could see humans living under the sea….”
…..I know of someone who could be the first inhabitant. I’m sure he’d appreciate the peace and quite from being away from ungrateful pensioners. I think his undersea house should be made of lead and about 5 feet long x 2 feet wide, no need for a door.
October 11, 2020
Re-arrange these words into a well-known phrase or saying: land, cuckoo, cloud
October 12, 2020
Replies to my comments just confirms what I’ve always said – Despite knowing they have been brainwashed by the BBC ETC, most don’t realize it has been going on for decades on every possible subject.
Our thoughts have been tailored from birth to fit in with the politically correct socialist garbage that we all see too often spoken as a ‘truth’.
People, by and large, can clearly not think for themselves — they rely on someone else, or something else, telling them what their opinion should be.
October 12, 2020
Bryan – obviously you know nothing about ecology.
October 12, 2020
Dennis — An unnecessary attempt at an insult – You have no idea what I know
October 11, 2020
Let’s forget the whole idea that any level of net immigration is advisable; by doing so we will make England a more attractive place to be for those who originated here, reducing the exodus. This may also attract families who presently live and work abroad to come back and bring their families. The influx of others is manifestly unsustainable.
We must also abandon all this globalist subversion about increasing diversity. That by its very nature destroys and is designed to destroy the indigenous culture, which by way of change must for the future be given precedence in all things.
October 11, 2020
The dam’s been broken by Labour subterfuge and Tory capitulation. There’s no going back.
The use of mass immigration from certain nations and from certain cultures to create a political and electoral weapon of power and political leverage has been highly successful for scum Labour
This politics is not Tory politics so why have they given in to it? Their capitulation has changed the UK forever and for the worse. We all know why.
It’s all downhill from here
October 11, 2020
The problem started in the â60s. Read Powell.
October 11, 2020
+++1
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
In the UK one third of babies are born with one parent born outside the UK. The birth rate is higher where both parents were born outside the UK. Immigration has brought with it higher birth rates, need for schools, housing, jobs food and transport.
October 11, 2020
Indeed and this is certainly not covered by the taxes paid by parent(s) of six children on a low salary it is paid for by other tax payers some of who perhaps think they cannot afford a second or third child for financial reasons (perhaps as they pay so much tax for other peopleâs children)?
October 11, 2020
“must rest with less population growth. I have no wish for government to try to limit family size (emphases added).
First you write of necessity (“must”), then you write of your personal desire (“I have no wish”). I would like to know if you are prepared to state, as a matter of principle, that government must not try to limit family size.
Reply Yes
October 11, 2020
Nivek
“I would like to know if you are prepared to state, as a matter of principle, that government must not try to limit family size.”
Well I know of one thing government must do, and that is go to hell in a handcart.
October 11, 2020
Makes sense, so why is it not happening ?
Not enough politicians thinking the same way.
October 11, 2020
Not enough politicians thinking things through.
Not enough politicians thinking.
Not enough politicians capable of independent thinking.
October 11, 2020
More than enough politicians acting like sheep.
October 11, 2020
Hardly any thinking that way or indeed “thinking” at all in general.
October 11, 2020
COVID-19 is raging.
Are you ok
October 11, 2020
”Raging”? Really?
October 11, 2020
Came across a video from Spectator TV. It really drops Boris and Sturgeon in it!
W.H.O. bloke appealing to world leaders to STOP doing lockdowns saying such things as….W.H.O.does not advocate lockdowns as primary tool in pandemic and bemoaning the now failing Caribbean tourist industry and opining that lockdowns make the poor poorer. Lockdowns, he says have been a âghastly, global catastropheâ.
So…lockdowns NOT recommended by W.H.O.
Did Boris misunderstand orders or does SAGE rule alone and supreme?
October 11, 2020
Oh and I wonder whether it has occurred to the govt. that fibres and chemicals from masks will no doubt migrate to the far reaches of the wearerâs lungs ( those things the govt. is sooo keen on protecting to protect the NHS clap clap!)? Especially since breathing under masked conditions is probably deeper and more stressed.
October 11, 2020
Is that why we donât know if we can open our businesses In the North tomorrow or not?
October 11, 2020
Off topic
I am horrified to find that yet electoral register marked at polling stations is available for sale in the U.K. so it can be established, over time, who does not vote and those votes can be âusedâ in fraudulent postal ballots.
Please raise this with the authorities urgently, before we have the same problem as Trump. I am concerned because of the way the Welsh Referendum on the assembly was won – on the last 2 ballot boxes brought in late and almost all in favour.
October 11, 2020
A couple of years ago the population of UK was approaching 60- million souls. Now on an international website, I see that our population has gone up to 75 million. But who is counting and how many illegals have disappeared into the woodwork? Who knows?
October 11, 2020
The 60m mark was met in 2005.
October 11, 2020
Government didn’t have to limit family size – we’d decided that for ourselves already but your party decided it was going to be otherwise with its immigration policy and the importation of cultures which have large families.
Similarly our energy policy. No-one voted for your government for wind farms. They weren’t even in your manifesto.
One would have thought that the CV-19 economic depression would have brought with it a lowering of consumption and travel to suit the green targets but no – never enough. Now your shambles of a PM decides to pile on more economic pressures by going full eco loon. At the same time as white BLM liberals decide to attack our culture and call us nasty names (when we’re already bored out of our tinies with nothing but repeats and crap lefty chat shows.)
October 11, 2020
I agree. One small measure which would assist our host’s pursuit of his agenda would be to diminish the attention given to national GDP and to elevate that given to GDP per capita in formulation of policy and assessment of progress relative to other states.
October 11, 2020
This is a government of cut nâ paste
Youâve copied and maintained the green policies of the Green Party
Youâve copied and maintained the immigration policies of the Labour Party
As per the wishes of the majority of the people and conservative voters, you should be pro-carbon and stop immigration âŠ..Youâve failed on both counts
Has there been a silent coup in the party
October 11, 2020
They rule by ongoing opinion polls.
Havenât twigged yet that polls are rigged.
Dear Leader actually believes people love Lockdown.
October 11, 2020
I too wish to live in a country which has lots of beautiful countryside. It’s one of my main considerations. Do you think the Conservative Party looks all that appealing to people like me? It is the friend of land-grab builders, and needs to house the large numbers of immigrants it allows in every year.
October 11, 2020
There are too many people on Earth. No question. But – and hereâs the problem – everybody believes that it is everybody else who is the problem. They never consider themselves a part of the problem.
But there are two key drivers of global population growth. Increased longevity and lower infant mortality. In the developed world it is it usual for people to live into their 70s, 80s, 90s or older. In the past, frankly, most of these people would not have been there. Increased longevity is a key driver of the population boom.
Secondly, more children are surviving. Victorians had 6 or 7 kids because the chances were that half of them would not survive. Education and contraception – combined with high levels of children surviving into adulthood – has massively reduced the birth rate. In many western countries families are now, on average, having less than 2 children.
In poorer parts of the world this is still not the case – and this is where populations are growing. Helping these countries develop proper education systems, helping them with things like family planning and child vaccinations, sanitation helps reduce the number of children being born. But none of you like international aid. And international aid is the best way to do it.
October 12, 2020
Many of us are the ones giving money to international aid voluntarily as well as through enforced taxation. What we don’t like is how it has been spent and the rather large salaries we have discovered are being paid out to the heads of the charities who decide where to spend the money.
The UK if a very generous donor to worldwide aid and has been for my entire lifetime, you insult us regularly and to be honest people like you switch me off.
October 12, 2020
Andy – how much international aid is required to raise all people below Western standards to Western standards? Have you worked it out yet? And don’t forget that aid will nedd to increase year on year.
October 11, 2020
As a child growing up in 1960âs, yes we had open fires because most couldnât afford central heating… but
We re-used, repaired, didnât have plastic bags or bottles, glass bottles were re-used. Clothing was made here etc etc and repaired or passed on ….We mostly went to school locally, holidayed in Britain….
Farmers, environmental people kept the countryside in good repair…immigration was manageable….
Since membership of the EU with the evergrowing number of rules and regulations our government seemed to lose the plot, and now it seems the world globalists want to punish the people for their own mistakes. It was government that ruled kids could be bussed in from Brighton to school in south London, cheap clothes were imported, cheap foreign holidays – the list goes on. My point is people were encouraged to spend, spend spend, live on credit! Immigration seemed to be encouraged to the point of out of control.
When I was at school the population was around 54 million!
We the people were encouraged to behave as we do and now the globalists have decided to punish us for their mistakes.
The mistakes continue… these draconian measures to curb the virus are killing off people all over the world – but not of Covid. So these globalists will have culled a large number from other illnesses and from starvation in poorer countries.
All this inspired by those very same globalists who now want world domination in the name of global warming, climate emergency and un- greencrap to take us back to pre-industrial dayâs but with total tech control over our lives!
October 12, 2020
Indeed these large plastic milk bottles came about through milk imports from the continent instead of the well set up British dairies reusing glass bottles. Leaky tuppawear beakers because you had to bite the top off. In supermarkets, my Mum collected boxes at the entrance to put her shopping in no plastic bags. She could cook good, healthy food and we ate well on a very low income.
October 11, 2020
I applaud you as one of the few, possibly the only politician I have heard who has linked population with sustainability, something I would have thought was blindingly obvious, but something not done.
I have been surprised at why the Conservatives have been so slow at doing this, linking population ( in our case immigration control) with green stuff, would highlight the contradictions in the policies of the left, where they are for mass immigration, while at the same time trying to make us feel guilty for taking a deep breath.
In doing this it would smoke out the left, and make clear their addiction to Global Warming is about state control, believing they have a right to tell us how to live our lives, unbelievably something the Conservatives have taken up, a big state world Government agenda, and they are for mass immigration as a tool to unpick the cohesion of the state, separating people with their identity, and making it easier to push their socialism. Essentially contradictory policies which have the same agenda.
October 11, 2020
It’s a fact that there would be no significant housing shortage in the UK were it not for net migration. The net deficit is no more than 10-20,000 housing units pa, a number that is easily remedied with a modest increase in the granting of planning permissions.
We also have an economy that is less productive than other advanced societies. This is because the availability of cheap Eastern European labour in recent decades has rendered it unnecessary for businesses to become more efficient through mechanisation. Bringing in people transfers the costs to councils and ultimately the taxpayer, rather than the business and does nothing for the indigenous people other than to depress wages.
The policy should therefore be to incentivise the acquisition of modern machinery through tax breaks. I would suggest 50% tax relief in the year of purchase rising to 100% if the equipment is manufactured in the UK. The resulting gains in efficiency will also make British businesses more competitive in world markets. There are no downsides, other than to the less agile economies in Europe that have relied too much on protectionism over the years.
October 11, 2020
I turned the radio on for the news and heard this youngish chap going on about the usual extreme climate change nonsense and was keen to know who was talking this drivel so waited until the end – guess what it was Prince William.
October 11, 2020
The Royals in general must be seen ( and heard) to be promoting something to earn their corn ……yawn.
October 11, 2020
Then let them promote Britain!
October 11, 2020
Conservative objections to green policies have long been baffling. But now it poses an existential threat to your party because, for younger people, it is the main issue. They simply will never vote for a party which does not take the biggest threat to their generation seriously. So what do we mean by green?
Firstly, we need to stop spewing so much carbon into the atmosphere and we have to remove some of what is there. These levels are not natural and we need to act fast. Europe is already committed to action, so now is China. The US will come back on board when Trump is gone. Many individual states are taking touch action anyway.
Properly insulating all homes is an important step, as is investing further and faster in renewables. Frankly, all of our electricity could come from green sources by 2030 if the political will was there. We know petrol cars are dead – which is another welcome change. Air travel is harder but we will get there at some point.
In the meantime, eating less meat is good. If everyone had two meat-free days a week that would have a big impact on the environment. I have been a vegetarian for 30 years and it is perfectly easy. Government needs to legislate against the plastic polluters. Manufacturers and retailers have had enough time to switch to sensible packaging – they must now face sanctions if they donât.
Finally government needs to offer things like interest free loans for people to invest in things like solar panels and heat pumps. This technology has a big role to play. It is cheap to run but is expensive to install. Help people install it. People want to do the right thing, government should help.
October 12, 2020
Which particular objections to which green policies are baffling you Andy?
This government seems to be moving on with green objectives a pace.
Don’t you wonder why the Chinese aren’t developing with green objectives in mind from the start, solar panels, windmills, if they’re starting from scratch surely they’d want to use the cleanest most advanced energy technologies and stop pollution amongst their Country and their neighbours. Korean air quality is horrendous, they have to wear masks outside for most of the day.
October 11, 2020
I believe that the conservative party should come clean about its âgreenâ views and policies and publish a paperâŠand sooner the better
Also is the conservative green policy the same as the governments green policy ?
We donât believe you
October 11, 2020
And while theyâre at it – perhaps the conservatives can explain why we are all being told a vaccine will be ready soon. But said vaccine is being developed by four Pharma companies with the sole intention of it reducing symptoms of people already infected with Covid.
Itâs not being developed to prevent people from catching it…
We are being mis-led. Iâll bet most people wrongly assume itâll stop you getting Covid!
October 11, 2020
glen cullen
“I believe that the conservative party should come clean about its âgreenâ views and policies and publish a paperâŠand sooner the better”
Good luck with that. It would have to be some work of lies since most people know what the real purpose of the green agenda is.
October 11, 2020
The State is already dictating who can have children and how many by taxing some and funding others. I am related to 3 young families who canât afford a second child, such is the burden of tax and hidden taxes like huge house prices massaged up to pay for the quota of âaffordable homesâ. Iâm going to add that these are all 2 income households, so child care cost, private education etc. no longer optional but a necessity because of so many foreign speakers in state schools holding everyone back, are debilitating. They are all professionals and household income exceeds ÂŁ200k in each case.
October 11, 2020
If ”income exceeds ÂŁ200k in each case” then it springs to mind immediately that they’re not particularly good managers. Or else their ideas of ”necessities” are vastly different from those of the majority of us.
October 11, 2020
Taxes as your income increases go through the roof. The marginal rate of tax in this country is over 90%. Thatâs why we are all poor, even those who earn a lot.
October 12, 2020
You are trying to tell us that households earning ÂŁ200k a year have to make do with ÂŁ20k (your 90% marginal tax rate). Please give more details on how you get to that conclusion. You may want to add income tax, NI contributions, council taxes, VAT on food, TV licence, vehicle road tax.
I think it would not be relevant to include capital gain tax, tax on dividends, inheritance tax, stamp duty land tax or the likes, as those are not paid by the majority of British people and/or are one-off taxes not paid every year.
October 11, 2020
do what millions of parents have always done when faced with that problem. One must take years of to look after/educate offspring if State is thought to be so poor.
What is it you want? Zero tax if you have children?
October 11, 2020
I donât want a marginal rate of 90% on workers so that non-workers get everything for as many children a they like, free. Once you are on the treadmill, wives and mothers have to work too, and the effect is actual cruelty. Their children are surrendered at 6 moths to strangers.
October 12, 2020
Parents cannot have it all ways. Lower income but stable happy, well-looked after children, or high salary tax paying (or avoiding) income. Nanny and nursery care versus Mum or Dad.
Simple choice.
October 12, 2020
Completely agree. The second earner in any household should be taxed at 90% to discourage it.
Life was better and simpler when money was scarcer and the main income denotes where one stood in the earnings hierarchy).
October 13, 2020
Lynn Atkinson,
This 90% tax rate is not real and is just a fixation in your head like lots of other things you write about, but do not really know about
October 11, 2020
Totally off topic Sir John, for which my apologies.
But I assume you are voting against, with vigour, MCC proposals to eliminate even the present allegedly “free” elections to its committee?
And Jacob as well…
Just in case you’re too busy with less important affairs to give it your full attention!
October 11, 2020
Labour’s hidden agenda was “Immigration, Immigration, Immigration” to copy creating the client state socialist voters in what was once known as Holland etc. Along with multiculturalism it turned out to be something they could not deny as the adverse side effects filled the news daily since 1997.
Anything said to challenge a sensible debate was despised. Meanwhile common sense thinking was regarded as subversive. Look what happened in Holland.
Now we have the situation where Russia sees us as easy prey invaded by lilos and Argentina is thinking the same. The EU thinks we are pussy cats and just need some gentle prodding from our comfort zones.
Immigration like most things in life is beneficial when done in moderation but done on an industrial scale the size of cities over 23 years is unfair to both the local communities and the immigrants themselves as they become useful pawns in the political and business games where nobody wins.
October 11, 2020
What is the Conservative government going to do to improve the water quality in English rivers, only 14% of which are of a good ecological standard, mostly because of phosphate run-off from farms ?
October 11, 2020
It will, I suppose, cut back even further on the resources for testing and tracing so that the figures – and the perpetrators of breaches become unknown, and enforcement is de facto abandoned.
There is no requirement for it to improve those matters now that we are out of the European Union – the single most damaging thing that any country could do for environmental standards.
October 11, 2020
Your post today is music to my ears and mirrors my own aims and values. If only the rest of our political class shared your goals. Thank you for all the work you do to try to preserve our wonderful country for future generations. Next, we must work on how to overcome the problems you outline. Why canât we provide home-grown workers to fill UK job vacancies. Why does our NHS, farms and fishing trawlers see the need to import so many foreign workers. Government should be working to first identify the reasons then put in place policies to mitigate the problem.
October 11, 2020
‘As a particular view of what is a green policy rests at the core of the globalists position, let us begin our exploration of the policy agenda with green matters.’
No, the core of the globalists position is One World Government – currently this still allows for nation states, different religions, diverse cultures and languages, different thoughts, different economies, different political systems – but over time, these difference are to be eroded – in effect, a totalitarian determination of our planet . The Green Agenda is only one part of their overall aim.
I too am a green enthusiast. I am old school, seeing ‘small is beautiful’ (families, local tribes, then Nations), difference, and diversity, as being essential to man’s survival. This is entirely alien to the conformity and global internationalism pushed by the Globalist Agenda.
I agree that the immediate task of alleviating undue human pressures on the natural world must rest with less population growth; but I hope by this you mean no population growth, and an overall reduction in the world’s population to at least half. However, I totally agree that this must be achieved voluntarily. There is deep concern that the globalists intend to do this through force. [Millions might die from the effects of Lockdown; and some might argue that such deaths were regarded as collateral damage in order to bring about the ‘New Normal’ – the Great Reset. There is concern that at some stage gene-based vaccines will be used to reduce population.].
Other essential tasks of the Green Agenda should be to lessen man’s harmful impact on the natural world; and to lower consumption. This seems to mean moving away from the capitalist ‘Growth model’ of constantly expanding GDP to something more akin to having a fixed stable pool where there is no further world growth overall. Free trade, democracy, diversity and competition would continue; over time redistribution would occur to ‘level up’ the developing countries. Half the world population would mean a ‘levelling-up’ strategy could still be pursued without too much decline in Western living standards.
So, in some ways I am for some of the international green agenda. However, I am entirely against their methods of anti-democratic, ‘masonic’ re-structuring of world systems into some global conformity (Common Purpose, their footsoldiers?); and their callous (Stalinist) disregard for the individual.
October 11, 2020
When is this MP going to do the honourable thing?
An MP who used public transport while knowing she was infected with coronavirus has called it a “blip”. Margaret Ferrier argued that the virus “makes you act out of character” in an interview with the Sun on Sunday. She faced calls to quit after travelling from Glasgow to London with Covid-19 symptoms last month, then returning home after testing positive. The SNP suspended Ms Ferrier and the Metropolitan Police is investigating the incident. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said she “couldn’t be clearer” and Ms Ferrier should resign. The MP, 60, told the paper that she “panicked” and insisted she followed the rules.
October 11, 2020
The MP, 60, told the paper that she âpanickedâ and insisted she followed the rules.
….
a woman was jailed for getting petrol as she left a boat in her car, the alternative is she would have ran out. We cannot have a two tier system.
October 11, 2020
Put yourself in her shoes. Apparently she is not a career politician but according to Wikipedia was employed as a commercial sales supervisor for a manufacturing company.
If she resigned she would obviously not get any sort of public service job and might well find herself unemployed and on Universal Benefit. Over the next 4 years as an MP she will earn well in excess of ÂŁ300,000 and will be much nearer claiming a pension and plainly currently feels she can tough it out.
October 12, 2020
I agree miami, she’ll be look at her MP pension pot too. She’d be an idiot to resign the only response is if her own electorate sack her and then there is probably a big pay off.
She can’t claim she didn’t know the rules – in Scotland Sturgeon goes on and on about the rules daily, we even got her reports on a daily basis in England long after Boris stopped the tv speeches.
People that think they may have the virus that don’t want to lock themselves up for a fortnight just won’t get a test and will be running rampant as they are in Manchester, 100 out at a party this weekend, thousands crammed into the Trafford Centre without their masks and physical distancing. It’s all just weird.
October 11, 2020
Sir John ‘Here in the UK the birth rate is below the level of 2 children per woman to keep the population constant’.
UK pop 1950 50.6m
1960 52.2m
1970 55.5m
1980 56.3m
1990 57.2m
2000 58.8m
2010 62.5m
2020 67.9m
Note the upward trend. And the often commented on illegals not included!
Reply Migrations has been running at a net gain of more than 250,000 a year this century!
October 11, 2020
Reply to reply:
This is the low wage, hence low GDP per capita economic policy of, it seems, both major parties. Either stop it (e.g. much higher income threshold, no immigration without very low unemployment and very high labour participation rate, a cap of zero) or give a reasonable ethical argument for it and have cities and infrastructure that can make the best lives from it.
October 11, 2020
REPLY TO REPLY …..But you don’t mention that on average 400,000 people left the UK.
This century population grew from 58.8m to 67.9 – and that is without illegals.
October 11, 2020
So the net immigration is 650,000 pa.
October 12, 2020
Lynn Atkinson
NO the net immigration is not 650.000 it is much less look it up, do you ever read?
October 11, 2020
Sounds good, but the problem is that if we control our population while other countries let birth rates rip they will be looking enviously at our green and pleasant land from their cheek-by-jowl ghettoes and sooner or later they will invade with a massive weight of numbers.
October 11, 2020
Our tax money is still being given to “charities” who have achieved nothing else in African countries but enormous population growth and who are now funding these populations to pay human traffickers to bring them illegally to the UK.
October 11, 2020
Save the children….
October 11, 2020
Only four days to the 15th now, tick tock tick tock. Thus far the Conservatives have done few of the things we gave them that majority for and a number of things that we didn’t vote for. I suspect that like the country a number of Tory MPs have gritted their teeth and told themselves that the important thing was cutting ties with the EU. We will know soon whether or not this will happen.
October 11, 2020
Never going to happen – the 15th will be extended
October 11, 2020
beresford
Eleventh hour deal, hailed as good for the UK but in fact giving our fishing grounds to the french, keeping us under the ECJ, selling out NI, failing to stop illegal immigration.
Or possibly an extension.
This bunch of sissies calling themselves the conservatives WILL capitulate to french demands. Bank on it.
October 11, 2020
“proper control of net migration”. Absolutely but government now talks the talk then does nothing to control it and is ineffective at deporting the illegals.
As for the “green” policies it is imperative that government ignores the “green” agenda of the globalists and applies some common sense in place of servitude to the flawed “science”, which started with Gore’s manipulation of climate data and is now being used as a tool to support control by the globalists to the detriment of all except themselves.
October 11, 2020
We in the UK solved our population issues decades ago, but successive governments insisted on importing millions more.
October 11, 2020
We can export them. We are sovereign, We can stop the market that politicians created, in citizenship.
October 11, 2020
Well done Sir John for pointing out the elephant in the room. Not politically correct of course but even in the 1960’s people in general thought of replacing themselves with just two children (per couple). We ended up with 2.5 children but that’s life, but the intention was there and no way a government directive, just common sense.
October 11, 2020
offering them help with fresh water supplies…………….
I started work in 1956 and before receiving my first month salary had been signed up by fervent do gooder colleagues to donate each month a portion to a clean water for the third world charity.
Sixty five years later we are led to believe by ubiquitous clamouring adverts that third world clean water is still a massive problem requiring our financial attention.
Do you really believe that and does not a small part of you wonder how after more than half a century this remains an intractable problem.
Where did all the money go and why did generations of unemployed local men not lift a finger to change the situation for their own benefit?
October 12, 2020
Good point Roger, you’re not the only one wondering about this, so much money, so much investment and it’s still an unresolved problem. Perhaps they’ve been going about this the wrong way all these years.
October 11, 2020
JR
“We need to help low income nations rise from these tribulations”
Why ? we owe them nothing.
“We should aim for far fewer economic migrants than have come since Labour first changed our policies following their 1997 election win.”
Ok for you to say that, now. But can you name any conservative government that reversed damaging policy of it’s predecessor ? They ‘say’ they will undo the wrongs but once elected it never happens. In fact elected governments actually adopt the damage done by predecessors to feather their own nest.
Oh, and on the subject of immigration……we were never asked.
October 11, 2020
Oh come on! How can Mr. Redwood write this with a straight face. He wants to live in a green and pleasant land while Wokingham, IN THE LAST 10 YEARS UNDER A TORY GOVERNMENT, has had every spare blade of grass built on.
And then he talks about immigration and seeks to blame the last Labour government. Err, NEWSFLASH, during the last 10 years of a Tory government, they have allowed, nay – encouraged, not immigration of 300,000 a year. 3 MILLION more people – no wonder Wokingham had to be concreted over.
Really, how do you have the nerve to write this stuff?
October 11, 2020
In the last 10 years UK population has gone up by 5.4m — official and without the ones flying in, never to return and ones walking up beaches etc.
October 11, 2020
+1 Sir John the local Conservative Council cannot be defended, it not Tory, its a real left wing Socialist bunch that are so involved in their own egos its embarrassing.
October 11, 2020
Harnessing A green Climate – Unbiased Information – Climate Change –
The wave of IDENTITY POLITICS which has filtered throughout western society can only be
stopped by those who quarry below superficial media reports, and thereby rescue our SOVEREIGNTY from the perfidy in Parliament, it is also quite apparent EDUCATION is
responsible for a larger than comfortable majority for this modern dilemma!
Amongst our MPâs most fortunately we do find examples working above ground such as
Sir John who is an exemplary representation to ensure DEMOCRACY will ultimately prevail.
It is NOW fundamentally essential that the U.K. turns the âwokingâ tides for her survival, a
leading example is seriously needed in the West as a whole. This must be the U.K..
So many counties are watching us. (At present we live in Italy, thereby have some experience
of this.)
The present Brexit opportunity must be grasped in its entirety by the British Isles, which
has unforgettable history (EDUCATION) now is the time to continue building on that
enviable reputation for our future history, becoming a story of powerful success and continued
achievements.
Henceforth, everyone should try to inform us of the facts regarding this precarious moment in our present history throughout these next few weeks, to pressurise MPâs whose apparent only
resolve is fanatical destruction of a splendid country!
The U.K. is not alone of course in trying to circumvent the channel (or heavy seas) of sinister
threats to mould society with their idea of equality, thousands world-wide are listening to
Douglas Murray, Dr Jordan Peterson, Melanie Phillips, the list goes thankfully on.
Importantly, concerning Sir John’s publishing today, which includes GREEN POLICY Climate Change etc.. Why are the numerous empty floors above city centre shops not used as
apartment dwellings? So many beneficial spin offs from that, thousands of homes provided
to save the countryside being consumed by even more buildings, town centre security, less
travelling needs, increase income for rates and less expense for landlords etc.etc..
We listened to this discussion between John Anderson, a very fine contributor to factual
intelligent discourse – (X Australian Vice Prime Minister), and Dr. Terry McCosker – subject:
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT MATTERS.
The very relevant point taken from the Anderson â McCosker discussion, concerns a
CARBON FARMING INITIATIVE, this needs government leadership as in Australia. Then
we have Tony Abbot coming on board, who must have been a âhands onâ aware
Prime Minister. We also have rain, which suggests the method should be a synch in the U.K.!
And âMother Nature Helpsâ FREELY.
Turbine Generated Energy, including those proposed as Maritime Farms must not be the
last word in energy! Also, what about Fusion Power? Mr Johnson previously proposed, that
the U.K. would become a world leader in Energy Production â Ugly Turbines at sea are most
certainly not it! Perhaps yet again, another disturbance to maritime life and a further
ecological disaster. Life in and around OUR BRITISH WATERS we are supposedly protecting and
and fortifying in what will be after the E.U. carnage, OUR OWN WATERS, once more.
Back to farming, as a valid contribution for expanding thoughts and debates, the
aforementioned interview is most valid, extremely enlightening, and one that upon our
leaving the E.U. in entirety, we can finally work directly with Commonwealth Friends
and many other âfriendsâ to advance everyoneâs agricultural benefits.
Out of interest I have forwarded the informative discussion to Minister George Eustice
– Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs U.K., also to the
National Farmers Union.
Hope Springs Eternal!
October 11, 2020
When you state ‘Here in the UK the birth rate is below the level of 2 children per woman’ you are obviously talking about indigenous British not all the foreigners that come to this Country since 73% of all children born in the UK are to foreign parents. So the easiest way to reduce the population is to reduce immigration substantially and put a very low cap on those that do come. Stop the incentive for illegals ie: Benefits, Cosy hotels, free food. Did you know that 91 hotels in 52 authority areas have been taken over by the Government and filled with illegals plus a number of MOD Army barracks while 1000s of Veterans sleep rough and the MOD is evicting their families from Army Living Quarters? This Government has a lot to hang its head over in shame.
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
Boris didn’t even mention wind farms in the general election.
The man’s a liability. I do not trust him to get us through the coming economic depression.
October 11, 2020
Well..how could you?
He has caused it!
October 11, 2020
It is being reported that personal data collected for the Government’s Track and Trace system is being sold on to various businesses. Who could have guessed that would happen?
October 11, 2020
Nelson defenestrated. Another nail in our coffin.
Mr Redwood.
Would you mind passing on our most sincere thanks to your leader and his refusal to confront the taxpayer funded, destructive, vicious, violent, insider bigots intent on destroying the UK and exposing us all to Marxist barbarity?
Yours sincerely
The tens of millions of honourable, decent British people who now despise your party and that scum opposite you collude with to dismantle the fabric of our very being
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
+2
October 11, 2020
+1 Dom
October 11, 2020
+1
October 11, 2020
+1
October 12, 2020
That fabric of your being must be quite some flimsy stuff.
October 11, 2020
Oops, I thought todayâs topics was somewhat green-related. So a bit of greenery from me.
Available from most investment platforms are ârenewables-relatedâ unit trusts, investment trusts (IT) and ETFs. I do not want to bore you to death with a list, but just looking at ITs there appears to be 12 such ITs available from the London Stock Exchange. When summed up, the total money invested in those is ÂŁ8.43bn. On average they have grown between 3.1 and 7.7% over three years, not an exceptional growth but they serve a dividend between 4 and 6.6%. A way to judge whether these ITs attract investors is to look at the premium/discount. All are in premium territory with such a premium to NAV between 10 and 28.9% (all numbers from 10/10 after the closure of the London market).
Those ITs might charge an annual fee of 1.1 to 1.4% (with some greedy one going to 3.6%).
So for all of those who want to let the market decide, it would look as if the market is quite happy with this continuing push towards renewables. In comparison a similar type of comparison would show a drop of the oil-gas sector over the last 12 months between -10 and -19%.
Some might want to adopt a contrarian view and possibly even buy coal-related shares … Good luck in that case.
October 12, 2020
Investors soon realise when a market is rigged to their advantage.
Huge subsidies create good profits and good returns.
Why are you so surprised?
October 11, 2020
My Dadâs version..strangely appropriate in this bizarre world.
The boy stood on the burning deck,
His feet all covered in blisters.
He threw a sausage at the cat,
And hit him on his whiskers!
We ARE all doomed!
October 11, 2020
Dear J R
If only your party would stick to Your Manifesto, instead of just riding Roughshod over your promises
Yes we realise that we will be Betrayed by your PM. No longer is he ours
Most of us have held with your party.
I voted for Fararge, but he told us to put our votes with Boris., he thought he was honest.
Boy have we been taken in by your party.
Well you have lost most of us now.
Fararge I will always vote for him,
Let us face it you have been in power for 10 years,
If anything is wrong now it is because you have gone back on your Manifesto.
You have made many many people who trusted you , there lives are ruined we have been betrayed.
Nothing you have done in all this time has been for what the Sovereign People voted for
I am sorry to say I hope we see the back of this disgraceful Parliament, I sincerely hope
This is the last of the Treacherous Tories And for that matter the other two parties
All rotten from the head down
Bring on the next Elections
October 11, 2020
I still remember Boris election win speech ââthank you for lending us your voteââ
October 11, 2020
Ian.
+1
October 11, 2020
Reading the majority of contributions today I judge that as a party you are in serious trouble. Brexit based on WTO rules would be acceptable, but with an FTA that stands up to scrutiny it would be even more so. Scrutiny would be, does it return full sovereignty to the UK. On the apparent green agenda you are highly vulnerable, on immigration and out of control population explosion you are equally vulnerable. You have about two years to produce a plan for GB Ltd and two years for the electorate to appreciate that it is working. Putting aside Covid and Brexit, nothing I have heard from the mouths of government suggests you have any idea of how to manage a revitalised, financially successful GB Ltd. At the moment there is only one minister whose thinking and actions have been original and effective. The thinking of most of the rest of the Cabinet are unlikely to be supportive of the sort of GB I wish to see post Brexit. Consequently you are in longterm trouble with those who might vote for you.
October 11, 2020
I donât believe that our cabinet ministers are even patriots any longer
October 12, 2020
and are unopinionated sheep. Like the virus spreading rail travelling MP, they value the salary and ‘respect’ the job provides. No rocking the boat!
October 11, 2020
Can the stupidity get much worse
Lord Nelson’s “heroic status” will be reviewed by the National Maritime Museum as part of efforts to challenge Britain’s “barbaric history of race and colonialism”, The Telegraph can reveal.
We didn’t choose our history, we don’t live in the same society or act as our for-fathers did
so by attempting to air brush our history changes nothing. History is a reminder of things, removing it removes the moral compass in the human race going forward.
October 11, 2020
History is a reminder of whose country this is. The replacement needs us to forget that.
October 11, 2020
An utter disgrace – every single MP should shout out about this and write a public letter to the national maritime museum
October 11, 2020
The people who want to cleanse away our history have pushed and found the British Establishment have gone AWOL, they have runaway, they have no desire to defend our history or culture, they feel ashamed and embarrassed by it. This would not have been visited on us if the Government had shown some spine. We are paying the salaries of the people in these museums yet the Government does nothing.
PS In one months time it will be remembrance Sunday , when the British establishment troop out to the Cenotaph and will say ‘we will remember them’ , but they can’t be bothered to find the person who tried to burn the Union flag on the Cenotaph. Until they do they will never be able to live down the shame.
October 12, 2020
They found the woman who tried to burn the Union flag she’s just not been prosecuted, yet the man who relieved himself next to the police memorial was charged and locked up in a week!
October 12, 2020
Trafalgar Day 21st October
I have a feeling that Royal Navy will not be allowed to parade
October 11, 2020
I see a twitter clip of Boris Johnson wearing a UN Agenda 2030 badge.
October 11, 2020
agricola
In total agreement with your observations. The tone of replies are just confirmation of what people I meet are thinking and saying. I think it would be fair to say that the fuse has been lit and is rapidly speeding up for a big bang. Are the ministers and central office obvious to actually what is going on in the real world.. Someone should be getting a grip on proceedings pretty damn quick.
October 12, 2020
A lot of that is true, but there are other factors at work. The break up of families (divorced couples need 2 homes), huge disparities in wealth coupled with policies broadly supportive of multiple home ownership, the attraction of home ownership as an investment strategy etc. So itâs not all down to immigration, though I agree we have to put the brakes on that for a number of reasons. Also the truly green and pleasant bits of our land are highly protected with anti-development planning legislation. Not easy to build on a SSSI or NNR or National Park. But really, why care if if pesticide-soaked piece of urban fringe farmland gets some houses on it…probably better for wildlife if we are honest about it and build in a few wildlife friendly features.
October 12, 2020
JR – do you share all these views with all your fellow Con. MPs? What do they say I wonder when they know they are all being held in utter contempt.
reply This is a public site so they can read them if they wish. I share my own views with them.
October 12, 2020
Reply to reply – so you are not warning, informing them then. It’s not good for them to be unaware of the feelings held about them by people who care what is happening to the UK. You should advise them to read your blog.