John Redwood's Diary
Incisive and topical campaigns and commentary on today's issues and tomorrow's problems. Promoted by John Redwood of 30 Rose Street, Wokingham RG40 1XU.
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My interview with Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk Radio
October 28, 2021 16 Comments
Part A
Part B
October 28, 2021 16 Comments
16 Comments
Mactheknife October 28, 2021
I will share the missive I sent to my own Conservative MP yesterday….
Dear XXXXXX
Hope you are well.
Having heard the budget yesterday and listened to feedback from various sources, mainly Conservative, what is clear is that it was a socialist budget committed to spending money we don’t have.
Once again I would urge you to listen to Sir John Redwoods take on it (see his website with HoC videos). He rightly points out that tax revenues had increased 44 Bn above the treasury / OBR forecast of last March, which he points out was – as ever – wildly pessimistic and inaccurate. Based on this he questions the need for the NI tax rise, and rightly so.
Over the last few months we have seen a Conservative government adopt what are Socialist policies and deliver a tax and spend budget. Parliament has written a blank cheque for all of the green nonsense proposed by the PM. Where will it end XXXXX ? Should we just vote Labour back in as I don’t see any difference in policy right now.
On the subject of greenwash. Its long been acknowledged that using “green” as a cause celeb is a tactic of the left. They know they can’t get into power so have adopted greenwash as a way of getting socialist policies adopted. I have actually heard people involved in Labour and left wing politics say this, and we have a PM who has fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
Those who have spoken about the WEF ‘Great reset’ have been ridiculed as conspiracy theorists and yet we see the UK government enshrining all the great reset aims and objectives into policy and law. A Conservative government delivering Labour policies. Robert Preston in his TV program said that it was a budget delivered by Boris and Rishi but could have come from Starmer’s own mouth.
I’m afraid you can’t ignore this any more as its clear for all to see. This government is introducing draconian green policies, which we all know about and then deliver a tax and spend budget and needlessly increasing a tax on growth and jobs with NI.
The PM needs to go, and the parliamentary party needs to start this process immediately as the next GE is going to end up a complete car crash I’m afraid.
Where you asleep the last 18 months when they pulled back the green curtain ?
The government is not revenue-constrained and can spend whatever it likes ,but that doesn’t mean it should spend whatever it likes.
The point is obvious – there are definite economic limits on the ability of governments to spend and they are defined by the real resources that are available at any point for sale and are not being utilised (or purchased). Beyond that you get inflation.
Lifelogic October 29, 2021
+1
Oldtimer October 29, 2021
@Mactheknife. You say, re greenwash, “we have a PM who has fallen for it hook, line and sinker”. I think he actually believes it, having been indoctrinated from an early age by his father, Stanley Johnson. I agree with you he needs to go.
For those resident austerity denialists, look at the % decline of “Public Sector Current Expenditure from 2009/10.
Then look at the forecasts for 21/22 to 26/27. Notice the “Current Budget Deficit” goes negative in 2023/24, implying a government budget surplus. That would be some Rabbit-out-of-a-Hat trick; and exactly the wrong thing for a country that is a large importer to attempt.
If the currency issuing government sector is running a surplus, the non-government (private) sector has to run a deficit to pay for it. Somebody has to pay the Rest of the World for the imports.
Peter2 October 28, 2021
Ah the Zimbawe school of economics.
You and DH should run a bank.
PS
Please print me a million and transfer it to my account you two
I will give you the account details.
dixie October 29, 2021
+1
X-Tory October 28, 2021
Although Lord Frost is not actually doing anything about it, at least his public statements indicate he is aware of the problem with the Protocol. But he has never even mentioned the fishing problems, so it is clear that there is ZERO prospect of him doing anything at all to solve that issue! And given that no Tory backbenchers are raising this in the media it is clear that there is no pressure on the government to help our fishermen who are now being harassed by the French authorities. Our fishermen have been completely abandoned by the Conservative Party.
rose October 28, 2021
Yes, indeed, the French are going to make trouble whatever we do or say, so we might as well do the right thing by NI and the fishing grounds, and do it now.
ChrisS October 28, 2021
The unholy empire that is the NHS will absorb every pound thrown at it, no matter how much, and will always demand more. It is therefore utter folly to just give it billions extra without a detailed proposal with deliverable targets. This has been going on for decades. Certainly since Blair famoulsy allowed Gordon Brown to throw money at it with no accountability.
The problem is that ministers are accountable to Parliament for the performance of the NHS when they have very little control. The NHS should be managed at arm’s length with management at all levels making their own bid for funding and setting their own targets, right down to surgery and hospital departmental levels. More senior management then needs to verify and submit a plan, ultimately ending with a National plan to submit to Ministers. The plan should always be supported by deliverable objectives.
Ministers need to make sure that the requests and targets are realistic and when they are, he or she should forward the plan to the Treasury. Inevitably some horsetrading will take place but once the plan, budget and targets are agreed, Ministers then need to monitor performance and call managers to account. Heads of surgeries, hospital departments at levels and higher management rather than ministers must expect their heads to roll when the targets are not met.
Nothing else will ever bring the NHS under proper control.
Narrow Shoulders October 28, 2021
The NHS should be eun as a provider.
Every procedure from Dr consultation to heart by pass and Cancer treatment should have a fixed price the trust can charge the government from taxation for proven eligible recipients.
Each Trust then gets revenue for delivery not prospects.
The fee chargeable can be worked put by average costs plus a margin.
Why on earth did we give out licences in the first place ?
Why do we insist on exporting a diminishing resource in huge numbers it makes no sense ?
More needs to be done to encourage more eating of fish at home.
Nottingham Lad Himself October 29, 2021
To talk of destroying the individual character of nations, it wasn’t the European Union, which stuck KFC, McD, Pizza Hut, TGIF and the rest on every street parade in nearly every country was it?
It’s hard to find a fish and chip shop these days, and the young almost never eat them now.
Peter2 October 29, 2021
NHL
It is just what the people to choose their particular food offerings they want to spend their money on.
Being a enthusiastic democrat you must feel this is a good thing.
alan jutson October 29, 2021
Why are we even talking to the French, should we not be talking to the EU, after all it is an agreement with them as a collective, of which France is only a small part.
This has nothing to do with trade it’s all about politics, which plays well with some of the home crowd at a time of elections.
Time for us to get serious about protecting our own.
Lendin October 30, 2021
No, derek, they are acting as if we did leave. Members of the EU play by the rules with each other. But the EU uses raw power when it deals with the rest of the world. They have a lot of raw power, we don,t. Brexit Britain is a weakling, but hey you voted for it
October 28, 2021
I will share the missive I sent to my own Conservative MP yesterday….
Dear XXXXXX
Hope you are well.
Having heard the budget yesterday and listened to feedback from various sources, mainly Conservative, what is clear is that it was a socialist budget committed to spending money we don’t have.
Once again I would urge you to listen to Sir John Redwoods take on it (see his website with HoC videos). He rightly points out that tax revenues had increased 44 Bn above the treasury / OBR forecast of last March, which he points out was – as ever – wildly pessimistic and inaccurate. Based on this he questions the need for the NI tax rise, and rightly so.
Over the last few months we have seen a Conservative government adopt what are Socialist policies and deliver a tax and spend budget. Parliament has written a blank cheque for all of the green nonsense proposed by the PM. Where will it end XXXXX ? Should we just vote Labour back in as I don’t see any difference in policy right now.
On the subject of greenwash. Its long been acknowledged that using “green” as a cause celeb is a tactic of the left. They know they can’t get into power so have adopted greenwash as a way of getting socialist policies adopted. I have actually heard people involved in Labour and left wing politics say this, and we have a PM who has fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
Those who have spoken about the WEF ‘Great reset’ have been ridiculed as conspiracy theorists and yet we see the UK government enshrining all the great reset aims and objectives into policy and law. A Conservative government delivering Labour policies. Robert Preston in his TV program said that it was a budget delivered by Boris and Rishi but could have come from Starmer’s own mouth.
I’m afraid you can’t ignore this any more as its clear for all to see. This government is introducing draconian green policies, which we all know about and then deliver a tax and spend budget and needlessly increasing a tax on growth and jobs with NI.
The PM needs to go, and the parliamentary party needs to start this process immediately as the next GE is going to end up a complete car crash I’m afraid.
Best Regards
XXXXXXXXXXX
October 28, 2021
Hi, Mactheknife
Hope you are well.
” spending money we don’t have. ”
Where you asleep the last 18 months when they pulled back the green curtain ?
The government is not revenue-constrained and can spend whatever it likes ,but that doesn’t mean it should spend whatever it likes.
The point is obvious – there are definite economic limits on the ability of governments to spend and they are defined by the real resources that are available at any point for sale and are not being utilised (or purchased). Beyond that you get inflation.
October 29, 2021
+1
October 29, 2021
@Mactheknife. You say, re greenwash, “we have a PM who has fallen for it hook, line and sinker”. I think he actually believes it, having been indoctrinated from an early age by his father, Stanley Johnson. I agree with you he needs to go.
October 28, 2021
Have a look at OBR https://obr.uk/download/public-finances-databank-october-2021/ Particularly the “Aggregates as % of GDP” sheet.
For those resident austerity denialists, look at the % decline of “Public Sector Current Expenditure from 2009/10.
Then look at the forecasts for 21/22 to 26/27. Notice the “Current Budget Deficit” goes negative in 2023/24, implying a government budget surplus. That would be some Rabbit-out-of-a-Hat trick; and exactly the wrong thing for a country that is a large importer to attempt.
If the currency issuing government sector is running a surplus, the non-government (private) sector has to run a deficit to pay for it. Somebody has to pay the Rest of the World for the imports.
October 28, 2021
Ah the Zimbawe school of economics.
You and DH should run a bank.
PS
Please print me a million and transfer it to my account you two
I will give you the account details.
October 29, 2021
+1
October 28, 2021
Although Lord Frost is not actually doing anything about it, at least his public statements indicate he is aware of the problem with the Protocol. But he has never even mentioned the fishing problems, so it is clear that there is ZERO prospect of him doing anything at all to solve that issue! And given that no Tory backbenchers are raising this in the media it is clear that there is no pressure on the government to help our fishermen who are now being harassed by the French authorities. Our fishermen have been completely abandoned by the Conservative Party.
October 28, 2021
Yes, indeed, the French are going to make trouble whatever we do or say, so we might as well do the right thing by NI and the fishing grounds, and do it now.
October 28, 2021
The unholy empire that is the NHS will absorb every pound thrown at it, no matter how much, and will always demand more. It is therefore utter folly to just give it billions extra without a detailed proposal with deliverable targets. This has been going on for decades. Certainly since Blair famoulsy allowed Gordon Brown to throw money at it with no accountability.
The problem is that ministers are accountable to Parliament for the performance of the NHS when they have very little control. The NHS should be managed at arm’s length with management at all levels making their own bid for funding and setting their own targets, right down to surgery and hospital departmental levels. More senior management then needs to verify and submit a plan, ultimately ending with a National plan to submit to Ministers. The plan should always be supported by deliverable objectives.
Ministers need to make sure that the requests and targets are realistic and when they are, he or she should forward the plan to the Treasury. Inevitably some horsetrading will take place but once the plan, budget and targets are agreed, Ministers then need to monitor performance and call managers to account. Heads of surgeries, hospital departments at levels and higher management rather than ministers must expect their heads to roll when the targets are not met.
Nothing else will ever bring the NHS under proper control.
October 28, 2021
The NHS should be eun as a provider.
Every procedure from Dr consultation to heart by pass and Cancer treatment should have a fixed price the trust can charge the government from taxation for proven eligible recipients.
Each Trust then gets revenue for delivery not prospects.
The fee chargeable can be worked put by average costs plus a margin.
October 28, 2021
We need to hold firm against the French John !
They acting as if we never voted to leave.
Why on earth did we give out licences in the first place ?
Why do we insist on exporting a diminishing resource in huge numbers it makes no sense ?
More needs to be done to encourage more eating of fish at home.
October 29, 2021
To talk of destroying the individual character of nations, it wasn’t the European Union, which stuck KFC, McD, Pizza Hut, TGIF and the rest on every street parade in nearly every country was it?
It’s hard to find a fish and chip shop these days, and the young almost never eat them now.
October 29, 2021
NHL
It is just what the people to choose their particular food offerings they want to spend their money on.
Being a enthusiastic democrat you must feel this is a good thing.
October 29, 2021
Why are we even talking to the French, should we not be talking to the EU, after all it is an agreement with them as a collective, of which France is only a small part.
This has nothing to do with trade it’s all about politics, which plays well with some of the home crowd at a time of elections.
Time for us to get serious about protecting our own.
October 30, 2021
No, derek, they are acting as if we did leave. Members of the EU play by the rules with each other. But the EU uses raw power when it deals with the rest of the world. They have a lot of raw power, we don,t. Brexit Britain is a weakling, but hey you voted for it