As most of you are so critical, this is your chance to have your say and to explain what change you want.
The by elections showed many Ā former Conservative voters stayed home. Some went to vote Reform. The Labour vote stayed around 2019 levels, with a big turnout fall of Conservatives.
The Lib Dem vote collapsed and the Green vote stayed low. The electorate is not saying they want more net zero policies or a faster transition. Labour announced its cancellation of Ā£28 bn extra spend a year on net zero but that clearly did not upset their voters.
Reform did better than in previous by elections, with a slogan of wanting Ā net zero immigration, not net zero. As a result if the voting pattern the UK now has two more Labour MPs.
The impact of Labour’s troubles over anti semitism will be seen in the next by elections, where they have now written off Ā Rochdale and have no candidate they support. In the areas where Labour want to alter current policy they would make things worse.
So what would you like the government to Ā do now? I have set out many if the things I am trying to change.
February 17, 2024
Housing remains a key issue for many people. One measure that would make available much more rented accommodation is to remove VAT on property conversion works. At the moment new houses and flats are zero rated whilst newly renovated homes incur VAT.
In many towns and cities across the country huge amounts of vacant space above shops could be made available for affordable accommodation.
February 17, 2024
Housing is only a problem because the best part of a million are being imported annually.
Cameron wants priority treatment for Hamas children injured in Gaza followed by dinghy people ans last in the queue the taxpayer.
Scrap the stupid net zero and get using home grown energy.
Your party has to be wiped out to rid it of the Limp dumb one nation faction.
February 17, 2024
āSo what would you like the government to do now?ā In a word – resign. They need a period of time to reflect upon their incompetence.
February 17, 2024
James,
Agreed. It is beyond saving. Stand down to allow Reform a free run so people vote for change.
JR and the few other conservatives would be welcome and his ideas could be pursued in his current party they never will.
Tory party like scare campaigns and never keep their promises- fact. In 2015 Cameron and Osborne did the scare campaign of Red Ed with Alex Salmon, scare campaign against Brexit, scare campaign against Sturgeon. Trecherous May was so disliked she failed to beat Corbyn and asked for help help from DUP and then backstabbed them! Same for 2019 election where Johnson asked to borrow votes and asked Reform to stand down in return for assurances and thenā¦ā¦.back stabbed the red wall voters, back stabbed Reform and deliberately failed the nation to deliver the single issue mandate of delivering Brexit.
Trust is gone. Sunak, Hunt, May and Cameron represent why people should never vote Tory again. The trecherous socialist Blaire bunch are back in charge and no one can believe a word they say.
Oust Sunak and co or be oustedā¦forever.
February 17, 2024
agreed
February 17, 2024
Farage does not think Reform can break through. Thatās why he wants to be the āleader of the Conservative Partyā (!)
Until a group of heavyweight Tories decide to start a Conservative Party, there is no hope.
JR – you listening?
February 18, 2024
I had forgotten some of the back stabbing history by the Conservatives who must have created quite a following cumulatively.
In terms of numbers, my guess is those who voted for (the crying out loud) Brexit and got jilted by a succession of wanna be PMs with totally different slogans and agenda, will decide the next election.
February 17, 2024
Yes, on housing, and most other items we purchase, the price is ‘what someone is prepared to pay for it’. Removing VAT or Stamp Duty will simply increase the price the seller receives.
Net Zero is the big deal. It is so ridiculously costly, we are seeing that now in loss of jobs and unstable home heating costs. It was introduced without a costing and without a thorough impact review. It is also the promoted by Labour.
February 17, 2024
Ironic:
Trump cut taxes, wanted to drain the establishment swamp, wanted to build a wall to stop illegal immigration, left Paris Agreement a scam to transfer jobs and manufacturing east, stopped funding Chinese led WHO, stood up to China, self sufficient in energy, built military, cut unemployment, put US interests first, did not enter foreign wars, made NATO pay their fare share etc etc. he loved the UK but Tory party sneered and derided him!! In contrast Tory party loved Obama who hated our country..like Biden!
Trumpās son recently asked in disbelief why Trump was popular, he replied he thinks like an ordinary person but much richer.
February 17, 2024
Hope, ++++. two excellent answers to the question asked.
LL, is also most accurate with his oft repeated (but ever ignored) list of straightforward vote winners and UK resurrection guarantors.
The current lock-in of two disastrously useless main Parties requires that they be by-passed by an alternative Party and way of thinking.
An alternative way forward has been bypassing the system for many years now, and it has brought us a plethora of unwelcome developments and wokery which were never openly proposed nor voted for.
Patiently working within the system is as impressive as spectating at a lonely artist or poet in the open country, but it will achieve no more than it has recently done.
Long past time to step down off the middle of a stopped escalator and resume at the bottom of an active functioning ascending one.
February 17, 2024
You are correct. A variety of mortgage subsidies and money supply increase to fund them are responsible for our property bubble prices. Labour’s BTL boom was the start, with landlords allowed high LTV interest only loans that saw pyramid buying. Continued with QE, ZIRP, and Help to Bubble.
Now with higher interest rates creeping in as fixes expire, and QT we are seeing falling prices, very sharp in inflation adjusted terms. See this chart of Nationwide inflation adjusted house prices in 1974 money.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b79c633db08df7de7453707e6900ec5fb420f03f6cd0c663b69af5459ad65fe3.png
February 17, 2024
Money in the sellers pocket goes around – money in the Governmentās pocket is spent once. Let the housing market find its own level.
February 17, 2024
Indeed cut immigration hugely, relax planning to build sufficient houses, ditch net zero fully, cut the size of government hugely, cut and simplify taxes, relax employment laws, get more competitive banking & energy and have a bonfire of red tape.
Sunak incorrectly says it is āmidtermā bye-elections hardly midterm mate the General Election has all but started. He was right in that there is little desire for Labour. Why because they have the same policies are the fake Conservatives with a bit of antisemitism and the evil politics of envy thrown it.
U-turns on nearly every issue are needed Suank. Starting with net zero and cheap on demand energy which is an obvious fraud and a scam. But only a new leader has any chance as you have got everything wrong and failed on nearly all you pledges and on inflation you actually caused the 12% inflation.
Good to see Libdems and Greens, the most infavour of the net zero scam lost their deposits. The public are usually more sensible than politicians.
February 17, 2024
So on this day in 1972 our MPs, under the dire PM Ted Heath, voted to take us in to the Common Market leading to so many of the idiocies & problems the UK have suffered in the last 52 years since and still suffer. Appallingly the people were not even asked for consent and Heath lied that there would be no loss of sovereignty. The lies still continue for example over the dreadful Windsor Accord.
The House of Commons voted 356ā244 in favour of the totally anti-democratic motion:-
That this House approves Her Majesty’s Government’s decision of principle to join the European Communities on the basis of the arrangements which have been negotiated.
Plus we will through democracy, the fishermen and many others under the bus! Heath might have added.
February 17, 2024
throw
February 17, 2024
LL, ++++ Believe me, I never tire of reading your perfect and largely proven list of vote winners, so paste that first paragraph as often as you need to. There was a time when we saw and appreciated ‘the real thing’, and Sir John was a key figure in the miracle recovery of the heart and soul and spirit of the country.
February 18, 2024
All sorts of insane tax anomalies and other market rigging. It you choose use private healthcare saving the NHS you pay four times over so why? Same with private schools except only three times over unlit Starmer and socialist Gove add on 20% VAT then four for that too.
People renting a house indirectly pay 3% more Stamp Duty as rent. Plus more rent as double taxation of interest on the landlord thanks to the dire socialist Osborne.
February 17, 2024
āSo what would you like the government to do now?ā
Call a general election now.
That wonāt happen of course. They will cling on until the last minute.
After that we can survey the wreckage. Reform will not gain seats but they may deny Conservatives seats. Farage would be wise not to get involved other than to offer encouragement from the sidelines.
Then see how long Starmer lasts. Angela Rayner may look to take over.
In the long term, violence may feature more in British politics, though not from the age group that post on here
February 17, 2024
What makes you think an election would make any difference. Alternative political parties have no more idea of how to mend UK plc than the current lot. The UK has a fundamentally flawed management system. It has an elected dictatorship model for its “executive” and a “legislature” summed up by the pantomime that is prime ministers question time. The UK’s continued post GFC economic decline is inevitable. A depressed and demoralized citizenry, are too thick; sick; lame and lazy, to do anything about it.
February 17, 2024
I think a quick hit for the Conservatives in housing would be to commit to the abolition of leasehold – or even just do it. At the moment itās possible mandatorily to extend a lease, itās a short hop to simply forcing conversion to a share of freehold. This would bring the U.K. into line with almost every other country and be hugely popular with millions of struggling property owners – exactly the votes we need. It would of course be vociferously opposed by some house building companies and the estates of a few mega-rich aristocrats. But I think they will get over it, after all there would be compensation, and it would be worth putting up with the complaints for the huge political benefits.
February 17, 2024
Not as easy as you think to do this and share of freehold arrangements are often rather a disaster to run too. With various owners arguing and often having different agendas. As usual the lawyers are often the winners.
February 17, 2024
No problem at all it works like this for blocks at least in every other country in europe
February 17, 2024
My wife has such a flat in Italy it works OK but still many problems. Moving from A to B not easy or cheap. Good for lawyers though.
February 17, 2024
we should make long term secure tenancies a viable market for large decent companies to enter. but it needs a lot of change. it needs the removal of catchment areas, as allocating a property into the catchment area of a failing school of hospital can half its value. it needs social housing to stop undercutting proper commercial rents. it needs agreed national house designs which can be “cookie cutter” implemented without endless local review.
tenants want long term stable rental properties where they can decorate, and be sure their kids can finish in one school without having to move. but it needs a lot of joined up policies to deliver, a lot of which are counter the reflex sound bites our politicians spout.
February 17, 2024
Yes RIchard I think Leaseholds, especially those that double and treble in charges every year and disallow conservatories and other garden fixes. I wonder why they couldnāt just ban them and insist they have to be sold to the owner?
February 17, 2024
Pure Communism. Well I would not be surprised if the followed Majors pure communist lead. They have done everything else wrong!
February 17, 2024
I agree. Peter Bottomley MP seems to have been fighting for enhanced leaseholder rights for decades, and usually a move to commonhold for blocks of flats. But whenever he thinks he’s making progress, he gets kicked back by the government of the day.
Those who thought they were buying a normal low-rise house and still got lumbered with a leasehold plot, on which they must pay ground rent for the rest of time, were victims of mis-selling, i.e. fraud. They ought to be offered the freehold of the land for a nominal one-off payment. But why didn’t their solicitors spot the problem?
February 17, 2024
Thank you for the opportunity to say what I want. I want the Conservatives out. They have had 14 years in power and every single thing in this country has got worse over that time. So I shall vote for the candidate best placed to defeat the Conservative candidate, whether s/he is Reform, Labour, Lib or anything else.
February 17, 2024
I myself could never vote Labour, Green or Libdim. Reading Sunakās piece in the Telegraph
ā I know our plan for a brighter future will deliver ā Labour doesnāt even have one
Later this year we will have a general election and I am confident that by then we will have made moreā certainly does nothing to make me vote Conservative.
He says inflation is falling no it is still going up at about 4% and you Sunak caused the 12%. He is still pushing net harm Covid vaccines, net zero, 750k net immigration and many other insanities.
February 17, 2024
Sunak also claims he has cut taxes (actually NI) but no mate they are still going up hugely overall, due to your huge fiscal drag. He avoids any mention of his mad net zero rip off energy agenda. On the disaster of the NHS he says we have not made āas much progress as we would likeā rather an understatement it is killing thousands in delays. Waiting list are through the roof and not helped by his dangerous Covid Vaccines still pushed and that he, quite wrongly, assures us are uniquivically āsafe and effectiveā. They have caused huge numbers of extra Cardio/Vascular and other issue as he must know. I myself know directly three people with serious covid vaccine caused heart issues.
No growth in living standards for years, government debt increasing hugely, housing shortages, out of control immigration, abysmal and declining public services, potholes amd road blocks, endless pointless and duff degrees, largely useless and misdirected police, poor schools. Tell us one positive Sunak? Your daft smoking ban by DoB plan or forcing maths on to people to 18. People who will never understand much maths and do not want to!
February 17, 2024
How do those people with heart issues know they were caused by covid vaccines? Most consultants are avoiding talking about the vaccine let alone giving that as a potential cause, more than their jobs are worth, are they just surmising?
February 18, 2024
Just look at the timings of the huge increase with the rollout of the vaccines by age. What other likely causes are there? Other evidence from pathologists. Also these new white blood clots found in bodies post vaccines. Google frame shifting caused by such āvaccinesā
February 23, 2024
Anybody who looks for information from Google will be sent to sites similar to what they have searched before, so no surprise that LL only finds sites reporting blood clots. But who would expect LL to follow a scientific approach?
February 17, 2024
Reform is the only party that promise to do the sensible think with net zero – bury it. Alas they will not gain any power given the voting system that pertains. Namely a vote every 5 years who is best to stop X getting in?
February 17, 2024
“At the next election, I will need the support of everyone who wants lower taxes and secure borders because the alternative, Keir Starmer, believes in neither of those things.” Sunak in the Telegraph Today.
Why would anyone support Sunak on these issue. Has put taxes up to the highest for 70+ years and allowed 750K net migration PA. Taxes are still rising yet he still lies that he is cutting them. Why would anyone think Sunak is any better? Less anti-semetism and less evil politics of envy on private schools etc. is all you might get,
You ask us to judge you by your results on your “pledges” so here goes:-
Inflation halved yes (but you caused the 12% anyway still double the target) the other four (Debt, NHS, Growth, Boat People) are a total fail. The other pledges you should also have made:- to cut taxes, deregulate, ditch net zero and frack, drill and mine, halve the size of the state, cut legal immigration (far far larger than boat people), stop the dangerous “vaccinations”, compensate the tens/hundreds of thousands victims, relax planning to build houses … you do not even make these!
February 17, 2024
It would seem you know what you don’t want but not what you do want. Voting on that basis, I fear, will only lead to further disappointment and disillusionment.
February 17, 2024
Repatriate ALL the uninvited immigration over at least the past 5 years, pump our own gas and oil at the fastest rate possible and scrap ALL subsidies for āgreenā projects – letās see how many people line up to put their own money where their Green mouth is.
Slash state spending to create āheadroomā for āresponsible swinging tax cutsā – we can start with abolishing many of the financial institutions and at least two more whole levels of government – say Devolutionary Assemblies and mayoral levels, forcing government Departments to do the jobs they are paid to do. For instance the Treasury must do its own annual forecasting and ANNUAL budget – no more nonsense based over 5 years and no more hiding behind the skirts of the alphabet.
The Budget, after resetting tax thresholds from the 1984 marker, must link thresholds to inflation and benefit and anything else, however many ālocksā are required to ensure that they are fixed regardless of the irresponsibility of forthcoming governments. Taxes must be slashed and abolished en mass, else there will be no wealth created to tax.
Iām afraid the jab has massive health consequences and very many healthy people will never reach their peak production capacity now. So a great deal of the health budget needs to be diverted to supporting those people and their dependents. ALL elective surgery and treatments must be defunded! All foreign medics and their foreign patients need to practise and be treated in their own countries – we could shut half the hospitals in this country as a result.
No government/PM can have the authority to participate in any war (and that includes funding other peopleās wars) unless we are ourselves attacked – and then itās nuclear. So all the rest of the available funding can go to restoring the rule of law within the country. No immigrant should get British citizenship for 3 generations and any breaking of British law would trigger immediate deportation for the whole family. All biometrics to be logged so that they canāt āimmigrateā the next day. I understand there is a revolving door from Romania where they pick up Ā£1,500.00 every time they āarriveā.
Unless you have a programme to restore the gentle, generous, law abiding place that is the home of the British, and which will attract the diaspora home to run our country in the way we have always expected, you may as well all just give up, because nothing less will now do.
We have at last run out of patience.
February 17, 2024
I totally disagree with Lemming and excepting Lynns talk about Nuclear , i agree with all else she says.
We must rid our country of all the migrants as their murderous ways are not British ways and that is a bad example to our youth of today!
To achieve all of this we must ban our politicians from being members of other political parties like WEF and WHO!
February 17, 2024
Strange sentiment from someone who canāt see that every aspect of our lives ( including plumbing) have been subverted and subsumed by the global bodies you mention.
February 17, 2024
** have = has
February 17, 2024
With a deportation rate of 1.6% of the boat people, we’ll never be shot of them under the Uni Party. Just victims of their crimes and taxed to pay for them.
February 17, 2024
Sadly you are probably correct. The police will not turn up but you will get a victim of crime letter and a number if you are āluckyā. You insurance will go up as will your taxes. You will get almost nothing of value back by way of useful public services.
February 17, 2024
Excellent start Lynne.
Scrap ECHR. Scrap EU Windsor sell out. Scrap EU sell out agreement, WTO arrangements, take back fishing grounds, scrap energy inter dependence with EU. Scrap quangos like ONS, OBR and BoE back to govt control. Scrap overseas spending as percentage of GDP, humanitarian aid only, bribes to other countries only with national interest conditions. Get out of Paris Agreement, stop finding WHO, get out of UN agreements like UN migration pact. Scrap S.172 Companies Act, scrap Race/diversity schemes in public sector. Sack Rycroft at HO.
Constitutional changes require referenda, spending beyond our means require referenda, net stupid referenda.
February 17, 2024
Scrap the Royal Prerogative. Then the politicians canāt unilaterally do any of these things.
February 17, 2024
Nuclear defence means we will NEVER be attacked. Thatās good enough for me.
February 17, 2024
+++++++
I love your last paragraph, pure poetry.
February 17, 2024
A great comment Lynn.
I would also say that I would like more referenda as per the Swiss system – rather than the Govt/ MPs deciding what they want to do regardless of their election promises. More and greater democracy.
Removal of the unaccountable Quangos.
Generally, Sir John, I like they way you think and what you want. But then again you are conservative. The Govt is a high tax high spend ruling party.
February 17, 2024
I would also like a root and branch re-organising of the civil service, so that it becomes objective in trying to carry out the wishes of the Govt of the day – competent, meritocratic and vastly smaller.
We need to keep more of our money and make more of our own decisions and be more responsible for ourselves.
The lifestyle choice/ abuse enabled by the “benefits” system needs to be reviewed again.
February 17, 2024
I ran out of patience when Cameron failed even to prepare for a Brexit outcome, failed on immigration, increased taxes hugely, pushed the net zero insanity and abandoned the bridge like a petulant child. Then it got even worse with May, Boris and now Sunak.
February 17, 2024
And now Cameron is back rewarded with a top job for his disloyalty to the Tory members and electorate.
February 18, 2024
And given power in the Lords for life.
February 17, 2024
LA and LL, ++++++ Tough, trenchant, and true, may your ideas prevail for the good of the country and populace.
February 17, 2024
we need some serious thought about what we do about places like Bradford where alien cultures exist independently without any integration into the rest of society.
we need some serious thought about the people who march through London every Saturday, many of who are clearly anti British.
we need some serious thought about London itself which has forced native Brits out.
we need some serious thought about people who have been given British passports who are openly anti British.
the answers are probably going to be unpalatable, but it needs some brave people to address this stuff.
February 17, 2024
I guess pretty much most of us here admire your stand, your position on many issues, and recognise you are not the government but simply one backbench MP with limited ability to change the government’s course.
Having said that, I would like the Conservative Party to disband and not run at the next election, and the very few MPs who are true Conservatives to join up with Reform, or create another Party that does an electoral pact with Reform.
The Conservative brand is dead yet still destructive. It needs to go. Make space for a proper conservative, traditionalist, Britain-first Party. After one term of Labour, the electorate may be screaming for this.
February 17, 2024
Completely agree, Wanderer. Also, ensure that Conservative Central Office is broken up, not re-branded, and people who have worked there are not recruited by any successor party. The Conservative Party under Sunak has firmly placed itself in the dustbin of history, and the lid must be kept down.
There is a proper conservative party out there, and it’s called Reform. It will get the chance to rule once the next Labour administration has collapsed in policy disputes between the hard left and front-benchers.
February 17, 2024
Yes the short cut to what we’ve wanted would be to lift the manifestos of UKIP in 2010 through to Reform in 2024 and implement them. Don’t lie, divert and dilute as the Conservatives have for 14 years. Ignore establishment resistance because you have an 80 seat majority. This job can and will be done but probably only in the ashes of the UK once the Conservatives have dissolved and Labour has trashed the country with no car zones, windmills, gender-free kids, benefits-first culture and partisan devolved assemblies.
February 17, 2024
The UKIP manifesto of 2010 is nowhere near as good as their present (up-to-date) draft. I can’t find anything in it I disagree with. It is a pity that Reform think they can go it alone. They could do with some of UKIP’s way of thinking.
https://irp.cdn-website.com/f6e3b8c6/files/uploaded/UKIP%20Manifesto%202023%20Final%20version%202%20(web).pdf</a
February 17, 2024
Oops try this one.
https://www.ukip.org/party-policies
n/
Sir John, I would welcome your opinion on the viability of their policies on illegal immigration
February 17, 2024
Blair et al mostly expelled the left in his party from 1994 onwards. By fixing internal elections, they committed electoral fraud to do so.
Starmer’s party represents global capital, much as the US Democrat Party has done since Clinton’s term of office (1992-2000). If you look at voting patterns, both main UK parties get heavy support from the managerial and clerical classes. Manual workers, SMEs, owners of micro-businesses and the like have nowhere to turn. Johnson meant SMEs, not Amazon, when he said ‘f*** business’. Even HMRC has targeted the little people and offered a ‘light touch’ approach to the super-rich; read The Finance Curse.
February 17, 2024
+++++
Although I think the time has gone for any defection to Reform they should have done it long ago.
All now would seem to me as just preservation of their own careers, and not the desire to put things right for us little people.
That’s just my personal opinion, I’m sure many would disagree.
February 17, 2024
Yes we need the heavyweights like JR to form a real alternative. It canāt be done by well meaning people who shave no idea of what taking on the state is all about. We need people representing us who can defend us from the state machine and force it to implement traditional values in which none of us need to have instruction.
February 17, 2024
Wanderer, +++++
February 17, 2024
Cut business taxes- Corporation Tax, Windfall , VAT on energy and tourism
Cut public spending – Non working benefits, Aid, Barnett , the Civil Service , green subsidies
Get on with nuclear power.Commission RR’s SNRs
Make the police effective at controlling demos, disorder, knife crime
Leave the ECHR and control our borders
Get rid of EU regulations
Reform the tax system
Reform the NHS
Rebuild our defence
February 17, 2024
Thanks – saved me typing all of that.
Iād add:
De-politicise education and prioritise the teaching of British and European history, maths, English, geography, foreign languages and science;
Stop taxing food and drink in an effort to promote healthier lifestyles, and focus instead on making sure at least the kids are fit by mandating sufficient physical activity in the schools curriculum;
Combat the ludicrous woke culture infecting so many institutions;
Ensure Parliament is sovereign (vice the courts and unelected judges);
Cut any foreign aid which doesnāt enhance the U.K. economy;
Regulate fuel costs;
Promote the use of cash vice card to keep our money in the economy;
Support British farmers and fishermen and reinforce our strategic asset industries;
Deport ASAP anyone who arrives here illegally or who has already arrived illegally;
Ensure U.K. universities prioritise British studentsā applications;
Legislate to ensure proper English representation on the political scene.
I could go on.
The so-called Conservative Party has lost my vote. Iāll never in a million years vote for Starmerās joke of a party because I could never be directly responsible for putting it in power. However, the Tories have just lied, ignored their direct or implied promises, and spent nearly ten years chasing votes from people who will never vote for them – all the while alienating those who trusted and believed them. Furthermore they deposed the man who won them a massive majority – Johnson was just as bad as the rest IMO but the bottom line is he won a presidential-style election and the electorate was treated with scorn. Several times bitten, forever shy.
I hope to see Ticeās party attract some real conservatives and talented economists, and have a surge akin to those weāve seen from the real conservative parties in France and the Netherlands.
Most of us here say regularly that SJR is a good man and that there are many like him on the back benches. But they have no influence. The Labour Party is unrecognisable from the one that represented real working class people. Likewise the Conservative Party is no longer that, and is dominated and steered by naive, deceitful, weak, timid liberals who prioritise their rivalsā interests and their popularity in the left-wing media and international fora over the interests and concerns of the British law-abiding taxpayers who vote for them and want to live their lives without interference.
Enough is enough. These two parties have dominated British politics for over a century and changed beyond recognition. Neither represent the British public any more – time for change is ripe, and as a patriotic Englishman and pro-union internationalist libertarian Iāll personally do anything I can to ensure it happens.
Have a good weekend everyone.
February 17, 2024
“Keir Starmer recently stated he was a fiscal conservative and would only borrow within narrow fiscal rules. Given the expected deterioration of public finances, this will severely limit the scope for public investment. In 1945, the Labour government inherited much higher levels of debt 180% of GDP, but borrowed even more, setting up the NHS, welfare state and building houses. Debt soared to 240% of GDP, but it didnāt damage the economy, it led to a post-war economic boom. However, unfortunately 2023 is very different. Low growth, high inflation and high interest rates have seen debt interest costs soar, making government borrowing much more tricky than say in 2010. However, whilst there is some justification for being concerned about long-term debt, it is a mistake to reject public sector investment because of debt fears.” (Tejvan Pettinger at Economics Help. an A Level Economics revision site)
February 17, 2024
The 1945 debt was not run up by a huge state, it was spent on armaments and men. After 1945 that deficit stopped. Our modern day deficit is out of control. In 1945 we had an army of fit young British men come home to build a life, they built the country at the same time in spite of running straight into the socialist war (98% taxes).
February 18, 2024
When you say investment acorn you really mean extra State borrowing and spending.
We have high taxation now.
Choking growth.
You would cheer for even higher taxation.
February 17, 2024
Dave M and David Peddy : Thank you both for your sound contributions to the call for ideas. Such ‘back to basics’ can easily be misrepresented as being extreme, but wasn’t it the case that the transforming initiatives of the Thatcher days were, in their day, also represented as being extreme, unthinkable, impossible, but change there came, and Sir John knows much more than I do about the difficulty of expediting those radical but effective ideas.
A similar revolution is required. The Conservative party is utterly worn out and decrepit, as much use for the battles ahead as Don Quixote’s Rosinante as a vehicle for the charge.
“The impossible’ is already well advanced as we can all see but its direction is the totally opposite to what we wish to see.
February 17, 2024
Any effective measures to counter the leftward drift or the cultural change (two opposite and unequal trends) will be declared to be ‘extreme’ and worse, but the front line has ceded so much ground and appeasing and placatory measures will be ineffectual so ‘extreme’ is what the reaction will increasingly look like. More extreme and less accommodating movements will gather adherents if the centre right fails to be sufficiently able or willing for what will be needed.
February 17, 2024
Exactly and so much more. Rid ourselves of DIE, ESG, non Equality anti Englishmen laws, fight all wokery by re writing all selection processes for our health, public and emergency services with conservative values and British culture prioritised, subject to all candidates being selected on merit. Cut welfare and time limit them so work pays and feckless idle people being made to work or no benefits. Set immigration thresholds so high as to ensure only those net contributors are allowed on time limited contracts. No family members as well except time limited visas. All visitor visas to have health insurance. Stop health tourism and put British people first in the queues. Get rid of ECHR and deport ALL illegal immigrants with return agreements with those who receive aid. Cut Corporation tax, increase income tax thresholds and remove inheritance tax……….Cut stamp duty on share purchases and raise ISA allowances and on and on. Just needs a conservative outlook and mindset. Reform.
February 17, 2024
Stop the war on C02 based on no real evidence (There is no climate emergency, why does Wokingham have a committee for this ?).
Stop forcing expensive wind and solar on the grid, we still have to pay for generating capacity when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining (Wokingham council want to put a solar farm in Barkham, they obviously hate the poor).
Remove all tax advantages for EV’s and chargers (They are never going to be cheaper).
Start fracking and encourage north sea drilling to enable cheaper energy (Good for everybody).
Stop funding green hydrogen (It is just mad, and not going to work).
Stop the war on motorists especially using Orwellian names like Active Travel (Wokingham council :- “The new executive member for active travel, highways and transport will be Cllr Paul Fishwick. This role will have an āemphasis on active travel,ā said Cllr Jones.”).
Help Ukraine kick the Russians out, and educate the Russians that Putin is a dictator not working in their interests (Why are we not using the compulsory foreign aid budget to get Ukraine better weapons).
Make the law equal to everybody and stop giving special interest groups a pass.
Start sacking public servants (People being paid/subsidised from taxes) who are not working in the interests of the public (That includes overpaid train drivers and junior doctors, we are all skint).
Stop funding charities (They should be funded by individuals voluntary).
Stop importing more people we don’t need, we have enough trouble supporting the people we have.
Change the planning system to create a limit on population density in areas (Wokingham has too many houses, and they want to build more!!!).
Remove the BBC tax, they should get their money from people who want to watch them (Why am I forced to pay Gary Lineker, I don’t even like football).
These are just off the top of my head, I am sure I can give you more if these are not enough for you to start on.
I am sure a lot of this crap was originally created with good intentions, and this will be how the world ends ā with a raft of āgood intentionsā backed up with wishful thinking and zeroĀ commonĀ sense.
February 17, 2024
Wokingham Council has a climate emergency largely thanks to a Conservative councillor who in 2021-22 was vigorously promoting the idea.
Your policy programme looks good to me, Big John, except I cannot understand why the pledged Ā£12bn wasted on Ukraine is not good enough for you. What has been achieved with the money already spent? Far from “kicking out the Russians”, as you want, the Ukraine army is about to lose another major stronghold to them. Especially now this country is officially in recession, we should stop giving any more of our money to the Biden White House’s clearly failed Ukraine project.
February 17, 2024
Itās the last stronghold and the Azov brigade is surrounded. They are being massacred/surrendering en mass. This is the end of the Ukrainian war thank God!
The man who came second on the election for Mayor of Moscow never was a political danger to Putin. Iām sorry he is dead, but thousands of jabbed young men are dying unexpectedly these days. Letās find out whether he is one such before shouting about murder and āfingeringā the culprit. Itās not the British way – innocent until proved guilty.
Cameron is an embarrassment – may as well have kept Truss.
February 17, 2024
> Wokingham Council has a climate emergency largely thanks to a Conservative councillor who in 2021-22 was vigorously promoting the idea.
Obviously not a Conservative then, I can now see why the Conservatives lost the council to the Libdems.
> Your policy programme looks good to me, Big John, except I cannot understand why the pledged Ā£12bn wasted on Ukraine is not good enough for you. What has been achieved with the money already spent? Far from ākicking out the Russiansā, as you want, the Ukraine army is about to lose another major stronghold to them. Especially now this country is officially in recession, we should stop giving any more of our money to the Biden White Houseās clearly failed Ukraine project.
You must mean Avdiivka, the Ukrainians never expected to hold on to it.
They were just causing as much damage as possible to the Russian army.
It has taken the Russians a year to gain it, at great cost in lives and equipment.
February 18, 2024
So you would want the Ukrainians to do the same again as they did at Avdiivka – sacrifice their men for nothing? I think a better strategy has to be found than that, BJ, if anything is to be left of Ukraine.
February 17, 2024
Spot on! The road to Hell is paved with ‘good intentions’…..
February 17, 2024
Good intention are not enough. Itās results that count.
February 17, 2024
@Big John – I nice item the other night on TV that showed James Dyson(The UK’s Largest Farming Company) with his automated strawberry greenhouses. He has to create/manufacture CO2, just to keep things growing
February 17, 2024
“not working in their interests”.You obviously know nothing about Russia-they have never been better off,and their prospects are excellent as the world moves inexorably towards Eurasian-centred multipolarity which will put Russia at the centre of things(and the UK on the periphery of the periphery).
February 17, 2024
Gets my vote – all excellent conservative points that should be adopted by this government
February 17, 2024
I explained what went wrong for your consocialist party yesterday in both by elections. Briefly real Conservatives stayed at home or voted Reform. Other party support shrank or roughly stayed at 2019 levels.
I suggested what to do about it yesterday in detail but this lost favour at the moderation level. Thus dismissed, I see no point in repeating it again today. If you really wish to know, just publish it in todays diary. Briefly repeated it suggested being Conservative, but it has been long obvious that there are not enough of you to achieve that. Those who are left should join Reform.
For the consocialists it is too late. They are the wind in a busted paper bag. Best leave the field to those who really are Conservative and hope that they can lift personal GDP from 21st in the World to parallel the more mythical 6th position of national GDP. When the electorate feel they are being used and conned, that is when you lose them.
February 17, 2024
I would like the government to listen to you! But, tbh, I think the Tory Party has had it. It has become socialist. Look at the way it crashed the economy during lockdown and printed money to support people for not working, and then seemed surprised at the subsequent inflation! That was Sunak, not Liz Truss. Her policies made sense even if her implementation of them was crass – true to form. I will not vote Tory while we have a Hindu PM. That is not a racist comment; I would be happy with Ram Gidoomal or David Kurten, but in a country with an Established Church we need a practising Christian as PM. Neither the country nor the Party voted for Sunak, but only the MPs.
February 17, 2024
+1 Abigail.
February 17, 2024
David Kurten wrote in Conservative Woman that āwe are winningā – speaking of the increase of non-native British population increase.
He seemed to expect us native British to applaud.
I will NEVER vote for Kurten –
February 17, 2024
It might help to have a Christian running the Church.
February 17, 2024
Not David Kurten, but George Hargreaves. Stop the right to British citizenship to anybody who has not been here for at least three generations. Don’t let people use the NHS unless they have paid taxes in this country for ten years. Prioritise British people for housing and benefits. Let charities fund the rest, if they choose. Defund the BBC. Restore the 30mph speed limit on roads and ban the 15-minute neighbourhoods. Don’t allow people from other countries to block London’s roads with their own demos which have nothing to do with us. Restore freedom of speech. Set up an urgent enquiry into the jab-injured, myocarditis, turbocancers and excess deaths. Stop funding Ukraine until it gets rid of all the Biolabs. I
f you will not consider the role of PM yourself, Andrew Bridgen for PM! Give him the respect which is his due, a very brave man – and honest, like yourself, one of the few in the House. Shall I go on? There is so much wrong, and we are not being told the truth on so many fronts.
February 17, 2024
There is no way anybody can put a positive spin on the by-election results. Labour won Wellingborough on a swing of 28.5% points ā the second largest swing from Conservative to Labour at any by-election since the Second World War. Tory voters did not just stay at home – they came out in droves and voted Labour
Reform achieved a 13% vote share. Which means that their anti-net zero, pro-fossil fuel, anti-renewables policies were rejected by 87% of those who voted.
Sunak and his pro-fossil fuel, anti-renewables move to the right has now been rejected at 5 by-elections since he was anointed (not elected) PM. There will be no autumn general election. He will not countenance a May election either, so Labour will have to wait until Jan 2025 to take power. At which time, on these by-election results, the Conservatives will be reduced to a rump of about 80 MPs (if they are lucky) and the Lib Dems will be the official opposition
Sunak should now do the country a favour and resign. Rock on, Partygate.
February 17, 2024
wrong in spades.
The Tory voters stayed at home – not for Labour their vote was almost the same.!
Reform can now demonstrate acceptability for seats.
Libdems were totally ignored in both elections – the electorate knows they have nothing but nonsense to offer.
Green has now become associated with bizarre impossible dreams and offers lies – just like Sunak.
February 17, 2024
@Micky Taking
I agree.
The BBC today posted on social media:
“Ben Habib, deputy leader of Reform UK, spoke to #BBCBreakfast after the party came third in two by-elections where Labour overturned large Conservative majorities”
Labour did not overturn large Conservative majorities.
The large Conservative majorities were overturned by the Conservatives.
February 17, 2024
By elections are very poor predictors.
The votes are to punish and do not indicate changed allegiance.
February 17, 2024
The turn out was very low in the 30 ‘something’ percent I believe, so it doesn’t exactly point to everyone being cock-a-hoop with all Labour had to offer.
I’m not sure people are just voting on the ‘net zero’ issue and many are self contradicting on the issue anyway as they are with mass immigration.
Apathetic until it affects them.
February 17, 2024
Pure fantasy , the Labour vote remained at 2019 levels, nobody swung towards them. Conservatives stayed at home or voted Reform, end of.
February 17, 2024
The LibDems are scoring on single figures in national opinion polls. How would they become the official opposition, I wonder. Perhaps if tactical voting by Labour voters delivered them a lot of seats in the South? In other words, Labour voters would help install an ‘opposition’ to Labour? I didn’t realise democracy was supposed to work like that.
February 17, 2024
Tebbit always said ālook at the numbers not the %ā. He was a great Conservative campaigning chairman.
The big problem for the Tory Party is that they will not be able to get their supporters out without a massive swing to JR policies (I.e. Conservative Policies).
February 17, 2024
You couldnāt be more wrong Sakara. Apparently Labour received 5,000 votes LESS than last time in Kingwood and apparently only 100 more in Wellingborough. The Tory voter either stayed at home or voted for the real Conservative Party which is REFORM.
February 17, 2024
SG : āReform achieved a 13% vote share. Which means that their anti-net zero, pro-fossil fuel, anti-renewables policies were rejected by 87% of those who voted.ā
Unfortunately the majority of voters are, thanks to the BBCās propaganda, blissfully unaware of why we have high energy prices and where weāre heading if we continue with the hydrocarbon to renewables transition. But this will change quickly when we start to have the inevitable blackouts caused by an excess of chaotically intermittent renewable generation and a lack of reliable hydrocarbon generation.
February 17, 2024
SG : “At which time, on these by-election results, the Conservatives will be reduced to a rump of about 80 MPs (if they are lucky) and the Lib Dems will be the official opposition.”
At the two by-elections the Lib Dems lost their deposits! Or is this the sort of “opposition” you are seeking for your future government?
February 17, 2024
All the political parties mandates, apart from Reform, have the net result of civilisation suicide.
The whole of Westminster is not only in a bubble but has now floated away and lives in la-la land with the fairies.
February 17, 2024
Good morning.
Go !
February 17, 2024
Comment of the week, if not the decade.
‘and take the horse you rode in on’ I’d like to add, as the damage they’ve done is apocalyptic.
February 17, 2024
Brilliant š š š
February 17, 2024
I would like to see the Conservatives standing for the policies that you are advocating, but the Government just ignores you and has thrown away its great opportunity to lead the UK forwards. Neither Sunak nor Hunt communicate thoughtfulness, ideas and conviction. So they fail to inspire.
February 17, 2024
+1
(I tried to save Johnson’s premiership by telling him to read this diary so he would know what to do: had he listened he would likely be prime minister still. I told Truss to appoint Sir John to a leading job: had she listened she would likely be prime minister still. I have not bothered with Sunak, the cost of stamps being what it is.)
February 17, 2024
I am sure you know what conservatives want, Sir John, since you ae one of the few conservatives in the Conservative party. It is your colleagues who are the problem. The criticisms on here, as far as I can tell from my usually fairly casual reading, are directed to your Party more than you.
My list:
1. Stop the boats. Use UNCLOS and ECHR Art 5 in UK’s Contiguous Zone and Territorial Waters as necessary to turn the boats back when conditions are safe, otherwise arrest the drivers of the boats and charge them with endangering human life at sea under the Offences Against The Person Act 1861. If necessary beef up domestic law to clarify and enforce these objectives. I am not sure how ECHR case law comes to permit so many appeals, but given the supremacy of UK domestic law over international law I don’t see that it can be difficult for the UK to assert its interpretation of the ECHR as written over the case law of the Court. ECHR ARt 5.1.f provides for ‘the lawful arrest or detention of a person to prevent her/his effecting an unauthorised entry into the country’.
Relying on co-operation with the French to get rid of the people smugglers is a waste of time and money. If the French get cranky over turning the boats back, a) cite the UN Convention to emphasise France’s responsibilities to look after asylum seekers, including issuing ID documents, in its territory, rather than sloughing them off to the UK with a naval escort, and b) cut off the money UK pays to France.
2. Reduce legal immigration by adopting all the measures used by Australia and applying them to discourage rather than encourage immigration. For example both countries have skills shortage categories. In the UK they are used to make it easier and cheaper to employ an immigrant recruited overseas than a resident Brit and there is no cap on numbers. In Australia, the shortage categories are used to direct funding towards training Australians in the shortage skills. There is a cap on both the total number of immigrants and on each skills category. Furtermore the Australian employer and nobody else must pay for the visa and additionally make a hefty payment into the Skilling Australians Fund, which is used to train up Australians, not immigrants. UK could also restrict entry only to candidates who can show they will not be a burden on the state, but a net contributor. I realise this last criteria is difficult since ONS figures show that net contributors are a minority of the UK’s population.
3. Review all legislation with consukltation with industry to identify laws and regulations that inhibit enterprise and productivity. I understand that Kemi Badenoch wanted to do this rather than have blanket removal of REUL. I have conducted such reviews myself (not in the UK) and they are not difficult and can be completed in a few months so long as industry is calling the shots, not government. This quickly produces a list of the top ten – or larger if desired – which by the Pareto Principle probably account for most of the problems. It does not matter whether they are derived from the EU or not.
February 17, 2024
PS. (Sorry got distracted)
4. No doubt Net Zero would come out top or near the top of the list derived from action 3. Remove all legislative mandates and apply risk management, including risks to energy supply, and cost-benfit analysis. No money for reducing emissions without a solid business case.
5. Cancel HS2 and redirect funding into improving connectivity in the midlands and north eg. cross Pennine to support levelling up, development of fishing and fish processing etc. (And ban supertrawlers from UK’s EEZ).
6. Identify strategic industries, eg., steel production, on which UK relies to resist external threats, whether state based or otherwise, and create incentives for their profitability and financial sustainability within WTO rules.
7. Restructure the NHS so that the available funding follows the decisions of patients, not those of the suppliers. As with immigration, Australia provides a good model.
8. Legislate to ensure the right to freedom of expression take precedence over other rights with which it may conflict.
9. Change employment law a) to ban quotas for specific groups based on ethnicity or other cultural or physical differences, retaining incentives to employ the disabled and b) to strengthen anti-discrimination laws to ensure they cannot be used to discriminate against white males.
10. Reduce the tax burden, reduce public spending and change social security so that the majority of UK residents (and all immigrants) are net contributors to the state. ONS data show that the majority have been net beneficiaries for years. When the majority have their hands in the public purse, democracy dies.
February 17, 2024
+1
February 17, 2024
Well, you saved me a lot of typing Peter – I might have worded things slightly differently but the sentiment is good.
The one thing I might add (in answer to Sir John’s original question) would be for the Conservative Party to get back to it’s roots. No more ‘A’ Lists of bright young things being shoe-horned into safe seats. You want local activists (e.g. volunteers) then you have to give them absolute authority over who represents them for a start. I wouldn’t join the current Conservative Party Sir John because they don’t listen to their membership. What is the point of being a Conservative Party Member and being completely ignored? You want people to turn out and actively support the Conservative Party? Then listen to us or we won’t do so. The ‘Conservative’ Party has forgotton this simple truth, has completely lost it’s way and has now lost us too.
February 17, 2024
Well said PG,
Would you have time or inclination to perform the top job however?
One further step, possibly in your second term, adjust the basis of GDP to reflect public sector activity as a cost; ie move it across the trading account of UK Plc as a cost rather than an output.
February 17, 2024
It is not a matter of what I or others would like the government to do now, but what the government has already done and also failed to do. It has followed a disastrous path to net zero, uncontrolled migration, wokery, giving in to the EU over our hard-won sovereignty and so much more, whilst ignoring both its election manifesto and its traditional Conservative principles. The Conservatives have been captured by the “progressive left” and there is no sign any of these elements are being purged. The Tory Party deserves condemnation and its own destruction.
February 17, 2024
Well, they are facing a long, hard time wandering in the wilderness, which will either kill them off completely or allow a purification to occur. Unfortunately, under a Labour Government the whole country will suffer too.
February 17, 2024
The German finance minister has admitted NetZero policies will cause energy prices to be FIVE times higher. This is the same increase that caused the 1970 oil price crash.
Whilst the hippies are dancing round their pagan campfire banging their vegan drum the whole of Europe will nosedive into a permanent recession. Germany who has been the rock on which the EU is based will see its core industries collapse because they are all based on Energy.
Meanwhile India has predicted their use of natural gas will grow by five times in the next ten years. So NetZero will not be achieved. All that will happen is that India and China will gain geopolitical power and Europe will slide backward and not be able to defend its interest.
The long history of Europe has been a history of continuous warfare. There has been a short peace whilst Russia, France and the UK standoff. But war has still occurred in Ukraine and the Balkans. Revolutions have still occurred. War will come again to Europe. Whether itās going to be against immigrants or between countries, war will come because the size of Europe will not be able to support its population when energy is so expensive.
So I say this to the lite headed Net Zero hippies. You are soft but you and your sons will be conscripted at gun point to go and fight then you will harden up and realise that NetZero is nothing but a pagan cult that worships Gaia.
February 17, 2024
+many.
February 17, 2024
Germany has also lost the huge Russian market for all sorts of things – cars(where Chinese market capture in Russia was the single most important reason for China becoming the world’s largest car exporter last year),machine tools,process engineering(China is now doing much of the fabrication work for Russia’s massive Arctic energy projects and has also won at least two $1 billion dollar steel manufacturing equipment projects recently).In many areas Chinese tech is now at least as good as the west.
China is reorienting it’s trade away from the west and towards BRICS and the global south(many of whose constituents are BRICS membership candidates).You can also see that in commodities where Brazil is now a huge supplier of corn to China,displacing Canada,where a $26bn long term grain deal was signed with Russia last year and in the recently announced huge iron ore extraction development in Guinea which will substantially diversify supply away from Australia.
February 17, 2024
@ Javelin – conscripting the unwilling may prove possible with some effort but training and thence getting them to fight at all effectively seem bridges too far.
February 17, 2024
Not for cannon fodder – in Ukraine they are meant just to sop up some Russian armaments. No training required. You must have seen some of the very distressing film of kidnappings on the streets of Ukraine by now? Filmed by wives and mothers. (Ukrainian propaganda JR – not Russian).
February 17, 2024
The issue (from your point of view, I am not a Tory) is āwhy did the Tory vote not turn out to vote?ā You know you only need a relatively small percentage of the vote to win an election – thanks to First Past the Post.
I would say you need to stop trying to be all things to all people. Concentrate on your core vote. What do they want? I think you could turn your fortunes round with one action – physically stop the boats. Yes, there would be howls of outrage by the media but all over the country people would be thinking āabout bloody time – at last Salome leadership, some actionā. This was why Margaret Thatcher won elections – you knew where you stood with her.
1) Stop the boats
2) Stop mass immigration
3) Stop the public sector working from home and lower taxes
4) Get cheaper energy
5) Stop obsessing about net zero
Youād win a landslide – even with Sunak in charge – someone who I would say is pretty much unelectable.
February 17, 2024
Introduce a devolved English parliament.
Scrap the House of lords and replace it with a UK senate.
Stop the boats.
Stop legal immigration for ten years.
Get the willfully unemployed out of bed and into work.
Remove VAT from energy.
Remove tax from insurance policies.
Raise the thresholds for income tax.
Stop taxing the retirement pension.
Stop driving the police to do your wokery and get them defending society from criminality.
Increase sentences across the board and build new jails if necessary.
Leave the EHCR and Human rights quangos.
Stop the war on motorists
Stop knife crime instead of running scared of racism accusations.
And finally for now; Scrap Net zero
February 17, 2024
ABSOLUTELY NO ENGLISH PARLIAMENT! That is death to the U.K. we lose our Constitution which took 800 years of fighting and arguing to achieve.
There can be only 1 Parliament because Parliament is sovereign and there can be only one sovereign entity.
February 17, 2024
Lynn the UK is already dying, have you not noticed? England is now the only nation in the UK and western world without itās own legislature and the English will eventually stand up and say they are sick of being treated as fourth class citizens in this so called union. Only idiots and our self serving politicians would suggest the current set up is fair to England.
February 17, 2024
England is the U.K.! In the colonies we always called the U.K. āEnglandā – read Kipling. Our enemies want us to serve England up on a platter with a ānew constitutionā written by Starmer? – the Remainers have admitted that they intend to get the power to put together a codified constitution which includes subservience to the EU. No referendum possible to reverse that.
Moreover Iām not prepared to give up Neil Oliver, for instance, because he is Scottish. Iām 1/4 Scottish.
February 17, 2024
Agreed. Old Albion composed a fine list Lynn, but Devolution has blighted the UK’s ability.
February 17, 2024
Then reverse the devolution, donāt do more of it!
February 18, 2024
Yes! Reverse it. Blair was wrong to introduce it in the first place.
February 17, 2024
Perhaps you’ll tell that to the Scots. There is a gaping Democratic defecit where England sits. It needs to be rectified. If it ends the laughingly named UK, I couldn’t care less.
February 17, 2024
So fix it by removing these marginal assemblies. Donāt destroy the only thing not yet destroyed! Anyway, Iām from the north of England (over thousands of years) pict, reever where is the border – who is Scots?
You wallies down south keep referring to Hadrians Wall as the border and giving away 100 miles of England!
February 17, 2024
Again Lynn you hit the nail full square on the head! It will only Die if people like Jooles B do not fight for OUR country.
February 17, 2024
I agree with Lyn Atkinson, Wanderer, David Peddy and Big John.
I do not believe there will be more than a rump of the Con party left after the next election. Having treated the electorate with total disdain since2010, they deserve it.
February 17, 2024
The tories know full well how to destroy political opponents.
They have done it enough times to those warning of many present issuesā¦such as erā¦mass immigration. Labour is good at it tooā¦ritual public humiliation.
Soā¦do it to Labour. Gloves off.
Tell the world what a country under Labour will be like ( or will it actually BE labour?)
Fight really dirtyā¦not a problem surely?
Fight dirtyā¦tell the truthā¦thatās what weāve come to.
Or are the blankets tucked in too tightly for the tories to get out of bed?
February 17, 2024
The government should reflect on itself.
The white light of Truth is effective at preventing wrong.
Criminals and other wrongdoers avoid it in fear of being caught, or exposed in shame.
Any party shining that light assists goodness.
The old Daily Mirror is distorted toward Labour and losing.
The Reform Party and GB News are sharper in contrast and brighter in ascendance.
February 17, 2024
Well obviously yes we would all like honourable politicians but they do deal in politics after all!
If the tories were so inclined they could save us from Labour quite easily but they donāt appear to want to.
One thing the tories have always been good at though is fake oppositionā¦pressure valves.
A new political party ā¦hiss..hissā¦.A new news prog. hissā¦hissā¦hissā¦
No hope anywhere.
February 17, 2024
Truth is everyoneās most loyal friend. Even those intending to do wrong rely on checking it to assess their chances.
February 17, 2024
Everhopeful :
You will not see the Conservative Party elites attacking Labour because a majority of them are happy to see a Labour Government continuing with the wrecking of the UK using Net Zero and mass immigration. They may even defect to Labour, their real home.
February 17, 2024
Indeed yes.
So many LibDems tucked up tightly in bed with Labour.
February 18, 2024
…reminds me of Tracey Emin’s bed.
February 17, 2024
Become more right wing meaning acting like Conservatives we had when Thatcher came to power. This country needs a good shaking up which it had in 1979. Immigration needs culling. Use the unemployed and kids who are not attending school to fill the gaps by military type training to get them ready for discipline and work. Get rid of foreign prisoners so that jails can cope with the lot who claim to be British (have to include the many given residence who would not have got it 50 years ago). All useless talk, as you will not do anything about it. Don’t know why I bother but you can be sure I am voting Reform this time round. Oh, and get rid of the back stabber Sunak as he will never be trusted even though he is playing Mr Nice Guy now.
February 17, 2024
Read Conservative Woman articles and you will get the picture of what we want.
February 17, 2024
The tories know EXACTLY what they need to do to get re-elected.
A purge of all lefty thinking would be a good start.
They know how to do that when it suits too!
Except that they always purge the right wing thinking that the electorate craves.
February 17, 2024
Go back to allowing the local conservative associations ( assuming they are sound) to elect candidates.
Do a Feldman in reverse.
The tories found it so easy to destroy their grassroots.
Turn the process on it head.
February 17, 2024
I’m surprised this question is being asked as many of the major problems have been aired several times over, with people voicing their anger, concerns and frustration.
There is much to be said and many have already outlined points on economy/housing etc. so to be brief, I desire those who put themselves forward to run our affairs, to see it as a duty and privilege if given the trust to do so. Once in office I expect them to preserve our way of life. I expect them to put us first and foremost. I expect there to be one law, that all abide by.
I do not expect to be handed over to outside bodies to be ruled by.
Is it so hard to keep the contract and trust?
February 17, 2024
Iām afraid your party is going to be extinct Sir John, itās a bit like a dead rabbit on a road side a fly comes a long and lays its eggs in it after a while they turn to maggots and devour it from the inside out, a lot like the conservatives you have that many factions in your party that have devour the true meaning of conservative and eaten away your party from the inside out , so who can blame the people to look elsewhere to restore the Greatness back into our country
February 17, 2024
Minimum, increase tax allowances. Take loads of people out if 40% bracket that have been brought in by your deceit.
Change the anti business narrative. Find easy wins on post Brexit regs, pennies off Corporation Tax. Britain open for business.
Migration. No one cares about āreputationā ECHR etc, instead of BS actually do something send them back to France for a start. Create an āinternment campā somewhere remote, no temp jobs, no benefits, no accommodation that UK residents need.
Sack Andrew Bailey, push back against WFH, wokery, hold Mandarins to real account, again no more BS.
With that reduce Public Sector budgets, a real drive against faux benefit claims, ie (pretend) stress, actually achieve performance improvement.
Actually look at previous Tory manifestos and start to be true Conservatives again.
I see no point in voting for you when you believe in nothing and from Sunak down look too weak to achieve anything.
February 17, 2024
PS. Sorry forgot. We are fed up with being hammered re net zero, both battered to acquire technology we cannot afford and doesnāt yet work and the subsidies through our energy bills.
Stop lying, get real.
February 17, 2024
Regrettably āwhat do you want the government to do nowā is an academic question. Itās
too late and, even if they undertook to bring about change and improvement, nobody would believe them. Representative democracy has failed under the conservatives. We all have to hunker down as best we can in order to protect whatās left of our way of life in the face of governments that actively seek to destroy it.
February 17, 2024
People in general now want a change of government. You have to accept this and prepare for Opposition.
February 17, 2024
@ChrisS – yes unless the whole of what is still the Boris Johnson Cabinet, with the BoJo main man at the helm is replaced it will be forced on the electorate to do the job of the Conservative Party.
We mustn’t let them lie any more this Government has deserted the Conservatives in the UK
February 17, 2024
I have not seen any mention of:
1) Unloading half of the H of L – and plan a replacement ‘Bill Examination Group’ which would replace the Lords completely.
2) Revoke Mayors in Councils.
3) Force cancellation of 20mph zones apart from within 400m of schools.
4) Force a by-election should an MP not attend H of C for minimum 100 days per year.
5) Triple Paramedic force
6) Introduce Nurse role for people without ‘A’ levels.
7) Ensure much better use of high-tech operating equipment over weekends.
8) Force Water Suppliers to triple spend on stopping Leakage.
9) Legislate to ban striking of transport services, medicare, education.
10) Reduce places for Foreign students in universities by two thirds.
February 17, 2024
@Mickey Taking – you are suggesting we need to find a Conservative Government
February 17, 2024
Oh …I should have precis’d my lengthy wish list.
February 17, 2024
75% of UK degrees are not remotely worth the Ā£50K and three years loss of earnings they cost. If people want to waste their own money fine. Only give soft loans to people who are doing sensible subjects and got at least 3B’s at A level. The rest should learn on the job or resit A levels.
Please stop Sunak saying “the plan”, we have a plan, they have no plan, our plan, stick to the plan… So tedious. If you Goole “Sunak’s plan” it shows his economic plan with his flip charts full of lies and dissembling.
Follow my plan please.
Ditch Net Zero, go for cheap reliable on demand energy, frack and drill, halve the size of the state, stop nearly all immigration for five years, relax planning and OTT building controls to get houses built, cut and simplify taxes (not just lie you are doing this), cut out the vast levels of government waste, stop the Covid vaccines, tax relief for private schools and private healthcare, abolish the BBC subsidies tax…
February 17, 2024
Gets my vote
February 17, 2024
You know what the majority of British people want. Trouble is that these things are against the wishes of the global elites who pay the piper. The objective of both cheeks of the Uniparty is to promise whatever it takes to assume/retain power and then thumb their nose at the electorate, but a growing number of voters are getting wise to it.
February 17, 2024
I would like HMG to:-
1. send all immigrants boats back to France;
2. get gov borrowing down to below 100%;
3. stop paying dole to those who refuse to work;
4. reduce the number of civil servants;
5. make people who have self-inflicted injuries pay for medical treatment;
tell us what is going on on a weekly basis.
February 17, 2024
Indeed especially those who have foolishly chosen to have plastic vanity surgery that so often goes wrong.
February 17, 2024
What does it matter what we want John because itās clear socialists Hunt and Sunak are not listening. Itās almost as if they are doing everything they can to give us a Labour Government. You reap what you sow. The majority of your fellow āConservativeā MPs are Liberal wets at best and donāt have a Conservative bone in their bodies. When they didnāt like the party membersā choice of Liz Truss over their man, they performed their coup and foist him on us anyway. They deserve everything they have coming to them.
What I would now like to see is all those true Conservative MPs, not a lot I know, move to Reform UK and the rest get annihilated come the next General Election.
February 17, 2024
JoolsB +1
The true enemy to the Country is as you suggest is the Sunak/Hunt and we mustnāt for get the whole of the collective responsibility Cabinet. They are going in a direction that no Conservative Manifesto would aspire to take us.
February 17, 2024
Alas Reform will not break through in the short term. Even if they did the Lords is so stuffed with dire green crap pushing Socialist – as is the Civil Service and Lib/Lab/Con.SNP, Plaid. The position is fairly hopeless. Thanks to Cameron, May, Boris and Sunak all also dire green crap pushing, tax borrow and piss down the drain Socialists in essence.
February 17, 2024
LL,
Cameron stuffed HoL with LibDumbs! Get real LL! You vote for Cameron all you like and keep banging your head wondering why it hurts. You have commented for years the same themes but do not want to change! Change will come when everyone votes for what they want. Listen to you and no one would have voted for Brexit and followed Cameronās rigged referendum! Cameron is back to rig EU foreign policy so divergence does not occur!
February 17, 2024
Hope :
Correct.
As Einstein is reported to have said :
The definition of insanity is to do the same thing time and again expecting a different result. Any vote for any of the existing Parliamentary parties will be taken by them as a vote to continue with Net Zero and mass immigration. So anyone not wanting the continuance of these policies must stop voting for the parties that support these national suicide policies.
If such a government can be formed then it will become additionally necessary to hold referendums to overcome the civil service and judiciary refusing to implement the new policies.
February 17, 2024
Scrap the Lords. The Lords have long since gone and we need the Bishops out of politics.
February 17, 2024
1 Reform political candidate selection, to more closely reflect voters views in the candidates, and have more real-world experience selected.
2 Make class based, regional accent based, school tie, regimental tie, discrimination āprotected characteristicsā under all equality legislation, actively promote a proper meritocracy, and stop the open discrimination against white males with working class accents.
3 New Zero immigration
4 Supposedly highly skilled immigration to be stopped when the skills are already in oversupply, and where it is disincentivising Brits being trained in those skills.
5 Stop the artificial constraints on the numbers of locals allowed to enter medical, nursing, and medicial specialism training.
6 Stop replacing doctors with PAās and AAās. Stop the hiring of PAās and AAās.
7 Make the NHS copy the Australian or New Zealand models of care in their entirety.
8 Sack senior public sector staff who are obviously failures, across the top of the NHS, Bank of England, FCA, FOS, Planning Depts, Building Control, etc etc.
9 Tax all imports proportional to the amount of pollution created in their production wherever they were produced.
10 Implement proper pre EU fishing rules, so that the UK fishing industry can grow again.
11 Implement abd.org.uk roads policies.
Etc etc, all this is so obvious does it have to be stated?
February 17, 2024
Anyone given indefinite leave to remain or British passport simply for working here to have them removed.
Stop segregation of children into different schools per religion.
Grammar schools reintroduced.
Force the police to act without fear or favour.
February 17, 2024
The problem is that Rishi has talked right but governed left, due to over-caution following the truss debacle. So he needs to do 2 things. 1) implement some quick hit policies which are very popular and turn the electoral tide and 2) give a pointer to some proper robust Conservative policies after the election when he would be much less constrained but which policies would be impossible to get through now.
Examples under 1) could be: inheritance tax cut / abolition; decriminalise the BBC license fee; basic rate tax cut.
Examples under 2) could be: a huge cut in the quangocracy; a big delay in net zero; give the BBC to license holders; leasehold abolition (see above); human rights law reform / abolition; corporation tax cut; allow tax deduction for private health insurance / payments.
I was pleased to see that Michael Howard, always a sensible voice, thinks all is not yet lost.
February 18, 2024
Michael Howard promoted the LibCON Cameron to become Party Leader, instead of David Davis …. believing that the only way the Tories would be re-elected was to turn into BluLabour. He’s also been “fingered” as the man who “persuaded” Sunak to make Cameron Foreign Secretary and appoint him to the House of Frauds.
He bears significant responsibility for the wreckage of the country – and the Not-a-Conservative-Party.
February 17, 2024
“So what would you like the government to do now?”
Simple: I would like some sensible appointments. You to the Treasury and someone wise, discreet, and responsible to the FO. Mogg back at Business and Energy. Mrs B and Mr J back to the HO. NI must be got back from the EU and we must sever the financial and regulatory obligations. The fish must be got back once and foir all and our fishing industry built up again. Self sufficiency in food must be the goal in farming. No more thoughtless treaties. Between them, these new appointments must see off the post Blair encroachments from civil servants and judges, from quangos and NGOs. At the moment HMG is in office but not in power, but still takes responsibility. Most people have no idea who the CEO of the NHS is, let alone what she looks like.
February 17, 2024
Implement every policy set out in the 2019 manifesto. Implement all Brexit policies and gains including the promised removal of VAT. Change the law ācommittingā us to Net Zero by 2050 to an āaspirationā. Scrap the proposed 2035 ban on new ICEās and scrap the proposed ban on gas/oil boilers. Withdraw from the ECHR and reduce legal immigration to tens of thousands as promised by Prime Minister Cameron. Detain all illegal migrants and house them in detention centres utilising military camps. Stop Border Force and RNLI from acting as an illegal migrant taxi service. If the Upper House frustrate the implementation of the Rwanda legislation start a returns to France policy by boat as we are legally entitled to do. Remove the moratorium on Personal Allowances and reduce Corporation Tax to 19%. Stop the war on the motorist, get potholes and road surfaces repaired quickly and professionally. Get this country cleaned up of litter and detritus, abandon the nonsense of rewilding, the blocked roadside drains and gutters, our roadside verges, Road Traffic signs and shrubbery. Ensure all Chief Constables focus resources on tackling all types of criminal and anti social behaviour. Ensure warranted Constables are deployed in all towns and cities engaged in foot patrols. Abandon the policy of recruiting PCSOās and concentrate on recruiting and training warranted Constables with full powers of arrest and detention. Furthermore ensure ALL police recruiting is not outsourced or undertaken on line and ALL background checks are made.
February 17, 2024
I think it is for Conservative MPs. The Vonsetvstive Parth and its leaders to provide leadership. They should be capable of working out what needs to be done and then arguing for it. Mrs Thatcher and Sir Keith Joseph did not ask Conservative voters what they thought would be a good idea. But llloked to Conservative principles, worked out policies and argued for them. Why canāt you go the same.
February 17, 2024
Mrs Thatcher had a party of `mP selected freely by the Conservative members. They told her what the Conservative voters wanted on a daily basis. Itās their job – to REPRESENT US!
February 17, 2024
Let’s take one example of what we would like HMG to do before it was too late, namely repeal Ed Miliband’s Climate Change Act.
There is no prospect of the Commons voting for this, as currently composed or as likely to be composed next year in the absence of a seismic event. The Conservative Parliamentary party is wedded to the green religion because its MPs and Lords think it is a good thing. On the Labour side, they look upon it as a device for more and more control via taxation, bans and regulation.
Now back to that seismic event. Enoch Powell observed at the time of the 1974 general elections that the only prospect of keeping the EEC issues alive and to prevent Heath from pressing on for full economic and monetary union was to provide a Commons majority to a party committed to keeping them alive. What are we to conclude today when the two main parties are in unholy agreement about the CCA?
February 17, 2024
Dear Mr Redwood
Why do you think the Conservatives are doing so badly?
Because they are not acting like Conservatives, more like socialists with their high-tax, high spend policy. Why did they allow us members to vote for Liz Truss, one of the few with genuine Conservative vision, and then get rid of her?
Because of their failure to take advantage of the Brexit opportunities and destroy EU regulations.
Because of their capitulation to the EU over Northern Ireland, which is treated differently to the rest of the UK.
Because of their total failure to prevent the woke poison that has affected our institutions: schools, universities, courts, museums, the BBC, the armed forces and the police. do Jewish people go in fear while aggressive Palestinian protests take place in London every weekend?
Because of their total failure to prevent illegal immigration.
Because of their ridiculous adherence to unrealistic net Zero targets and unpopular EVs, as you have so often pointed out.
The list goes on an on, but the Conservatives wonāt listen.
Why do you think that Reform are doing so well, polling over 10% in the two by-elections this week? Because they represent the Conservatives who deplore the partyās drift to the centre. It is obvious. We have not left the Conservatives, the Conservatives have left us.
As a result, a recent poll indicates that you are likely to lose your seat in Wokingham to the Lib Dems. I donāt want a Lib Dem MP any more than I want a Labour government. But this is what will happen if the Conservatives continue the way they have been and more and more people are forced to vote Reform. For who else should they vote? Not for the woke, gutless Conservatives who are ruining the country, that is for sure.
Do you understand why so many people like me (I have voted Conservative in every single election since 1970) are so angry?
David Ruddock
February 17, 2024
+many.
February 17, 2024
England Exit UK and lapse all treaties, UN 2018 Migration Pact filling our country with migrants, WEF destroying our farmers with nitrogen removal and carbon taxes, WHO creating worldwide communist totalitarian state, NATO bringing endless warfare. Anything else is tinkering at the edges.
February 17, 2024
HC, ++++ so much under discussion fails to see things in the big picture
February 17, 2024
1. Proportional representation.
2. Planning permission taken away from local/county councils – required to zone and be issuing permits within 6 months – or have it done for them. A presumption to build.
3. Publication of ministerial incomes.
4. House building standards to be modeled on German standards and inspected or under a long and enforcible guarantee. Up to and including barring builders from offering for sale.
5. Build council houses on the French HLM model. No favours for politicians or trades unions. No inheritance and chucked out for bad behaviour.
6. Severely cut The Establishment including MI5 and MI6.
7. Lease Norfolk to the Chinese for 99 years to grow industry and science. Stop sucking up to the Americans.
February 17, 2024
The obvious thing to do is remove the Conservative whip from non-Conservatives such as the Prime Minister and Chancellor and several other MPs in that category.
With proper Conservative leadership installed there is a remote chance of winning the next general election, but, in any case, this will allow the Conservative party to re-group in order to win the following general election.
February 18, 2024
tell me, who appoints the whips?
February 17, 2024
You could write a manifesto that, I suspect, many contributing here could and would support including myself. But that choice is not on offer. Furthermore trust in the Conservative party has been lost after successive leaders have made stupid commitments on subjects such as Net Zero. My vote will be going to the Reform party as a potential disruptor of the cozy, self serving complicity of the two main parties in the current consensus. That consensus is the cause of the UK’s decline as a viable nation state. That decline is manifest in many ways. 1 The state is too large. It needs to be smaller. 2 Choice should replace the compulsion that the political class has inflicted on us all – often at the behest of single issue pressure groups. The most dangerous of these compulsions emanate from the Climate Change Act and the unjustified and misguided obsession with Net Zero. They are dangerous to the point of self destruction. 3 Taxes are too high. They need reduction and reform to promote savings and investment in enterprise and the restoration of a vigorous capital market able to finance business formation and growth. 4 Net immigration needs to be steered to net Zero to stabilize the population and allow time to absorb the growth of recent years. 5 The opportunities provided by Brexit need to be further developed, including escape from needless regulations. 6 There needs to be a hard look at and definition of the the UK’s weaknesses with respect to national food supply, industrial capacity and reliance on other countries for critical defence technology. This should be followed by policies to reduce identified weaknesses. 7 Once upon a time the UK was a leading source of innovation; judged by international comparisons of patents issued and research papers published that is no longer true. This reflects in part, I suspect, a wider malaise in higher education over attitudes (wokeism), financing (over dependence on foreign students) and the elevation of university degrees over practical vocational skills. I suspect change will need to be driven by a revitalized business sector.
I see no way that either the current Conservative party or Labour party can reverse the national decline so evident over the past thirty years. The Thatcher years attempted to arrest that decline with radical policies. The reversal of the current decline will require painful adjustments. It will not and cannot be delivered by the state (the Labour party’s delusion). It can only be delivered if people and businesses are set free from the tax and regulatory shackles that inhibit the instincts of enterprise and get up and go.
February 17, 2024
If you can send them to a camp in Rwanda, why canāt you send them today, to a ex-army camp in the Hebrides ā¦if the new law is there, use it
February 17, 2024
Abandon net zero. Thatās where most of our problems come from. Have the guts to secure our borders.
February 17, 2024
I think enough people have said plenty already John, and you have constant feedback every day from many of the people who comment here on a regular basis.
You are sensible enough to know what the Conservative have to do, and that is govern like traditional conservatives, not like new labour, which sadly your party has become.
1.Stop ALL immigration for 10 years and re-set. Remove all newcomers who break the law.
2.Reduce taxation by increasing the personal tax allowance, and link it to inflation.
3.Increase the State Pensions to 75% of the minimum wage, with people only getting the full rate for 40 years contributions, pro rata for less contributions (credits for childcare)
4. Social Care is a National responsibility so it should be Nationally funded, remove the cost from Local Authorities.
5.Net Zero is a farce, we all know it, so scrap it, and scrap all subsidies for so called green products
6.Scrap all taxation on savings and investment income, and remove the residential/family home from Inheritance tax, whilst setting IHT at Ā£1,000,000 per person
7.Give Tax credits to people who use/pay for private medical treatment.
8.Stop funding all Charities.
9.The NHS needs a huge shake up, have a Cross Party Commission to investigate and compare to all other health services throughout the World, to see who operates the best, and most cost effective systems, so we can learn from real life results, and not fantasy idealism.
10.We need smaller government, with fewer people employed, and we need a justice system that works, not one that only gives justice if you can afford it !.
AS a Constant I vote for you, not your Party, because most of your thoughts (not all) echo many of my own.
Enough for now.
February 17, 2024
Been viewing the old versions of “Yes Minister”over the past few weeks, probably more true today than ever it was then.
How sad that this is how Government in this country is perceived !
February 17, 2024
but they were funny, this real world isn’t!
February 17, 2024
It is very simple John.
The Tories need to drop Net Zero or at least defer until 2050 at the earliest. Plus delivery in full the 2019 mandate.
Ditch Windsor agreement & get NI back in UK. Rescind EU laws en-mass. Stop the boats & illegals then mass deportations. Then cut immigration for 2 years minimum.
Get rid of this diversity nonsense & jobs, that none of us voted for.
Rebuild our armed forces
Cut all city Mayoral roles & give the councils responsibility & accountability. Ban all ULEZ & congestion systems & fines
Stop all Government reliance on NGOs & any other non elected organisations that impacts our lives . Minimum working hours increase to 24 per week. Universal credit reduced & only valid for 12 mths before reapplying.
All current & future photo ID to be checked via facial recognition dBASE to stop major fraud.
Hope this helps…..
February 17, 2024
OOps. As a Constituent of yours……..
February 17, 2024
There’s a whole lot of things I’d like to see HMG do next, as part of a new charter of actually working for the people of the UK – Here is a sample of the charter I would propose:
– STOP DECEIVING THE PEOPLE OF THE UK – START TELLING THE TRUTH;
– CLOSE DOWN THE CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE;
– SACK THE CHANCELLOR AND HIS TREASURY ADVISERS;
– REPLACE THE HEADS OF EVERY QUANGO, WITH REAL EXPERTS;
– STOP ALLOWING THE EU TO WALK ALL OVER US;
– KICK EU OUT OF OUR FISHING GROUNDS;
– STOP FUNDING THE UN;
– EITHER GET THE UN, AND ALL ITS AGENCIES REFORMED AND HONEST OR GET OUT;
– REVIEW AND CANCEL ALL INTERNATIONAL TREATIES THAT TAKE AWAY ANY OF OUR SOVEREIGNTY;
– PUT A RINGFENCE AROUND THE UK AND ACTUALLY RESOLVE THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION PROBLEM.
February 17, 2024
Not surprisingly, there are some pretty lengthy wish lists above. Mine is very short: I would like to see you appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.
February 17, 2024
PM.
February 17, 2024
When John Watts, the man whose health has been wrecked by the experimental gene therapy pushed by the Government, challenged Sunak on GB News it would have been nice to see a response along the lines of:
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Andrew Bridgen, MP, who has a degree in biological sciences, has raised this issue in Parliament several times. I understand that there have been about two million reports of adverse effects or deaths from the jab in the UK and I am going to get this matter properly investigated as a matter of urgency.”
Instead, he spouted the usual drivel (except he didn’t dare say the jabs are safe and effective) and didn’t even say that the max Ā£120,000 compensation IF you can prove 60% disability was inadequate and the compensation scheme would be reformed.
February 17, 2024
You have to be careful about claiming jab damage. The insurance companies donāt have to pay out in that case, so you lose your life insurance etc. because you ācommitted suicideā by knowingly agreeing to take an experimental drug.
February 18, 2024
Which makes the Government’s refusal to even investigate the 1.5 million adverse effects (including deaths) which have been reported via the Yellow Card system even more disgusting.
February 17, 2024
The existing government is prone to self-destruct.
Put the fake PM under the heat of Net Zero to melt his plastic laurel wreath.
Frankie Howerdās syrup was more credible.
February 17, 2024
Abandon net zero.
Halt migration and start mass deportations.
Start large scale reductions in the public sector.
Cut taxation by double figure percentages each year.
Repeal all EU statutes.
Repeal all climate legislation.
Halt all overseas “aid”.
Halt all funding for wars.
Wholesale reform of local and central government financing to a situation where it does not contravene your own legislation.
Wholesale reform of policing.
Enforce laws equally.
That would be a good start.
February 17, 2024
Dear Mr. Redwood,
Most of us are so critical because there is a lot to criticise. Much of it is borne out of sheer frustration with what your party has become and its reluctance or inability to deliver its manifesto pledges. A future conservative government, if indeed there is one, should start governing on behalf of the British people and not be so fearful of upsetting international bodies and world opinion.
There is no shortage of ideas on today’s blog from your readers. The Conservative party knows what needs to be done but lacks the leadership and the will to do it. It is all just too hard. The party has given up. Easy, short-term solutions are taken to deal with difficult problems. For example, some 5.6 million adults languish on out-of-work benefits and yet immigration is running at extraordinary levels because it is easier to let millions in than to do the hard yards and get people back into work. The government has also allowed the pernicious cult of wokery to infest our lives with all its deleterious effects.
The Conservative party is often described as a broad church. Perhaps, it has become too broad and accommodates too many MP’s and opinions who belong elsewhere.
February 18, 2024
better description ‘ a bunch of hungry rats fighting noisily in a closed sack’?
February 17, 2024
Sir John
Thank you for the opportunity. This Conservative Government seemingly guided by CCHQ has made elections about support of Rishi Sunak and his Socialist thinking (that is what their, his & CCHQ, mailings and questionaries lead with) and not about actually having a Conservative Government with good Conservative MPās that have conservatism at the top of their list.
The UK has been through 14 years of purgatory with a Conservative Grouping at the helm that have steadfastly held on to Blair/Brown Socialism. Not a Conservative or a Conservative Government in site. Thatās why we have the spend, destroy spend mentality at the top. That comes at a cost 70 year high in taxes and borrowing at levels never seen in this Country, thatās before we talk about ramping immigration legal/and criminal to un-sustainable levels.
Those that pretend to have been Conservative Government throughout the 14 years have moved that far Left they have deserted the naturally conservative population of the UK. Then to rub the electorates noses in it, everyone knows āweā that are left in the Country will be picking up the bill and paying for this Socialist anti-UK Doctrine for a generation ā long after those that have caused the mess dessert the UK to hole up at a distance.
February 17, 2024
āSo what would you like the government to do now?ā
The Government knows what to do to halt the wrecking of the country. But they have no intention of doing so.
The āheir to Blairā has so corrupted the Conservative Party that if the party was to fold the majority of the ruling echelons would defect to Labour to continue with Labourās policies to destroy the country with Net Zero and mass immigration.
The irony is that Labour itself is very likely to split along theological lines.
The future of our civilisation, our prosperity, freedoms and stability lies in the hands of our electorate refusing to vote for any of the existing Parliamentary parties, all of whom now pursue the same suicidal policies.
February 17, 2024
Any tax reduction, shuffling the deck by these incumbents will be seen as them trying to āblackmailā us with our own money.
If tomorrow, and I mean tomorrow,
All illegal immigration stopped,
Legal immigration was 10% of now,
The debt was halved,
The Quangos gone and the Civil Service reduced by 50%,
Expenditure controlled and with investable/re-investable having a purpose,
The UK owned its own energy sources.
Ensure all entities that receive āTaxpayerā handouts, funding have full and proper political oversite
Enforce those at the helm of taxpayer funded entities to pay personally for their Woke enterprises
If all that happens tomorrow the Conservative Party stands a chance. I didnāt need to mention tax reductions as by pursuing the above tomorrow they would naturally feed in. It is not possible to have a meaningful change in Tax without the above ā so any unaccompanied announcement is just more āblack mailā
February 17, 2024
Conservatives surely in full support of private sector industry. So get them to say how well things are and how terrified they would be to have a Labour HMG. Also, despite all he misery about cost of living, we are so much better off than we were 50 years ago. That fact needs to be shouted from the rooftops. Poverty needs to be redefined.
February 17, 2024
The worst thing āThe Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022ā changing 4 years to 5 without asking the people. So not up to 4 years of hell but a forced 5 years
Then add in the insulting un-democratic concept of the HoL
Itās the system that has become self-corrupting, manipulated to stroke the self-gratification and ego of the incumbents. Democracy and freedoms of the Citizen are being turned away at every opportunity.
CCHQ want the election to be about Rishi Sunak, the man at the top. How about we act like a Democracy and have Primaries so the man at the top is supported by those that empower and pay.
February 17, 2024
Drastic change is necessary and it must start with the leadership . Sunak and Hunt have to go ; the entire Cabinet must be changed and replaced by experienced individuals who follow the policies and priorities that Sir John has advocated for years . A deal must also be struck with the Reform movement in order to stamp home the message that a clean sweep has occured . There must be absolutely no illegal migration and the flights must remove all those who should not be here . Stimulation to work and the economy is essential as is the mechanism for dealing with Union representation . The NHS must be completely changed into regional control . Universities must re-prioritise their admission system and restrict places to foreign students . Vehicle tax should be changed to limit mileage . The House of Lords must be abolished . The method of selecting MPs has to be changed and only sufficiently experienced and qualified candidates allowed to stand .
February 17, 2024
Yes Sunak and Hunt and the entire cabinet need to be replaced but not with yet more WEF puppets
February 17, 2024
Whilst the Tory Party have been engaged in their continuous internal squabbling, the citizens of this country have suffered on several fronts. Cost of living, war on motorists, net zero fantasies, unfettered immigration, dearth of social housing, Unions regaining negative powers after Maggie caged them, laughable justice system, education being ran by Left thinking brainwashers as is the not so Civil Service, fraudulent practices becoming the acceptable norm, Remainers still harping on about Brexit etc etc.
It appears that when individuals reach the top of the political greasy pole, they turn their attention toward the world stage, ignoring domestic issues. Who cares about Britain being at the top table when there is nothing on the plates of those who were born and raised here? Trump is right regard NATO and the EU Countries not paying up. The same applies to every other global issue, why should the British Taxpayer always be at the front of the payment queue. Funny how many Politicians love to spend other peopleās money whilst feathering their own nests and ironically not having to face any serious accountability for their actions.
Sir John, the Electorate are sick and tired of Politicians ignoring them. They have been screaming en masse for years about what they want, do Politicians listen, do they heck. Many of your so-called colleagues are jumping ship at the next election rather than suffer the shame of losing at the ballot box, they all get a golden goodbye and for what. We have 5 years of disaster with the Labour Party to suffer, during which time Reform will hopefully only grow stronger. Sharia Law before Net Zero not out of the question.
February 17, 2024
Generally, most commentators/pundits even polling when looking to the next GE seem to suggest that the Conservative Voter has deserted the Torys.
They are all wrong. Over the last 14 years we have had extensions to the Blair/Brown way of thinking just destruct and create a Socialist Country. So, it is not the Voter, but 100% clearly this pretend Conservative Government and it collective responsible Cabinet that have deserted the Conservative Voter.
Its down to the Electorate to solve the situation as the Conservative Party and CCHQ have shown they have a certain deafness to reality
February 17, 2024
There is clear blue water between what conservative voters want and what your party has delivered.
Immigration: you have constantly promised to lower it. But it has gone up. You could solve the need for extra people to fill jobs by training the economically inactive to fill them. But instead, you take the easy path of bringing in more people.
Housing: You needed to build more houses to accommodate the population increase. But you didn’t, resulting in sky-high house prices and rents. Conservative voters do not want the countryside concreted over, but this is not why houses do not get built. The problem is the overly complicated planning process, meaning individuals and small businesses cannot produce the houses we need.
Excess regulation: this was one of the drivers of Brexit, and we want less of it. But your government has yet to do anything to reduce this burden and, in many cases, has increased it.
Climate scam: many voters do not buy the climate crisis narrative despite endless propaganda from the BBC. The Climate Change Act is a socialist project. Smoothing it out with a few market mechanisms hasn’t prevented electricity bills from soaring. The Tories doubled up with net zero based on a dodgy date analysis. Voters now see more of the same for driving their cars and heating their homes. Most conservative voters would like to see the whole thing scrapped, leaving it up to concerned individuals and businesses to decide which green products to buy.
Authoritarianism: exemplified by the response to COVID-19, your government does not trust the people to do the right thing. Spy cameras are everywhere, now restricting where we can go. You have allowed ‘woke’ culture to take hold, controlling what we can think and say.
In short, train people for in-demand jobs, get out of the way and trust us to do the right thing. This approach will result in less government and a buoyant economy, allowing reduced taxes.
February 17, 2024
I would love to show today’s Matt cartoon hereā¦
New London Rail Lines
Delays due to problems with āvirtue signalingā
Just think last year the London Mayor was pleading poverty, so this Conservative Government handed him wads of Cash. Now this year the London mayor keeps finding money down the back of the sofa, last count re the Ā£600 million, so is able to splash our on electioneering and the frivolous – is it an election year?
The state of UK Politics is appalling and it is lead from the top
February 17, 2024
Another perversion is Sadiq Khan will be re-elected with more votes than the whole of Rishi Sunakās Cabinet and with a greater collective majority. Seemingly he also appears to have more power to Govern and manage than those in N10 & 11
February 17, 2024
Bigger constituency. Nothing to do with popularity.
February 17, 2024
@Ian B
You are right that it is lead. A complete dead weight.
Iām voting Reform.
Does Downing Street read this blog? We may not all see 100% eye to eye, but most of us have conservative values, and I think that Sir John is one of the very few true conservatives who have not either been thrown out of the Party or submitted to the Standards Committee. Thatās why the Conservative Party is finished.
February 17, 2024
What we want is our sovereignty back, in full and undiluted.
Zero foreign courts, zero NI fudge, zero Net Zero, zero cancel culture, zero WEF, zero WHO, zero quangos, zero tip-toeing around unacceptable immigration issues for fear of being branded “racist”, zero acceptance of Civil Service’ own agenda, zero acceptance of a politicised legal system, zero acceptance that there is no fair alternative to Tony & Cherie’s Human Rights Industry, Zero acceptance of “THE SCIENCE”, etc etc etc.
That means we want you, Sir John, and like-minded clear thinkers to get your act together. You are tireless in your efforts to offer guidance to the out of touch spinners currently in office but you need power so go and get it. You already know what to do and what it is we want. You know what British Democracy entails. Give it back to us.
February 17, 2024
Agree zero WEF zero WHO and zero Net Zero and the rest
February 17, 2024
Does a UK Government still wield sufficient clout to overcome the home and abroad political and financial forces set against it?āProbably not.āNot until the situation is sufficiently dire.āThe public then notice the Government’s impotency weakens their vote.āDire enough that the axis of non-political power is weakened by events, like the next financial crisis caused by the last bail-out.āSupport will go to those politicians who name the causes and offer painful, commonsense solutions.āThatcher and the unions.āArgentina’s Milei and the fiat money of the central bank.
February 17, 2024
I largely agree with David Peddy, above, but wish to add;
To me, Sunak and Hunt, and Boris Johnson are not electable! So, I would take a gamble on Liz Truss, & co.
Start with the movement back to a flexible Free Market, de-alignment from the rigid EU Customs Union and Single market rules! A Working Price Mechanism, so this includes Social Reforms, things that make Work Pay, and removes State Dependency!
Reform and Support of the Self Employed, Owner Drivers, and Family SME’s, with reforms of IR35 by allowing contractors to be Sole Traders with no Accountants, reduce costs, a fix rate tax system, etc,…?
John Redwood to be the Banking Minister to oversea the reform of BoE, and British Banking! Banking must act in the British Interest, and not for the selfish few!
The Strategic Position of British Business Banking by holding 51% of our Nuclear plants, investment in Virgin Steel Making, British IP like silicon? Geo-politics will dictate this? This will reaffirm the confidence the British People will have in our Political systems, with the system protecting the British Interest!
No general Tax cuts of IHT or even Income/NI Tax, because it will fuel Aggregate Demand, and that will fuel Inflation, almost directly! Besides, they are not a priority, what is?
So, target Business Activity rate by looking at the drivers of Inflation! Price Inflation of Food, Fuel, Energy, Transport (make profitable Farming, Fishing, Transport, Fuel/Diesel), etc,…
In the longer term; Supply-side Reforms, De-regulation, and a strong Competition Regulator!
Energy sector need reforms, removal of subsidies,… Fracking home grown cheap energy!
Cheap Energy Strategy for energy intensive industry’s!
Commitment to Virgin Steel manufacturing will gain you support, in some strange places!
Competition Regulator that will block dumping, and market capture of industry’s!
Especially the EU, China, and India, all know dumpers!
Start building 500K+ Houses per year, including Social Housing for those that have been left behind in the 80’s de-industrialisation!
Scrap Net Zero! The UK has done enough, already! Anyway, everyone will need to wait until the Technology catches up!
That would be a good start! Do it now, and show some Conservative intent!
BR
RDM
February 17, 2024
I’d summarize the answer to your question as
1) Carry out the economic strategies you (and we) have outlined
2) Remove benefits from the workshy and get them and the wfhers back to real work.
3) Leave the ECHR, cancel all migrant benefits, and order the Navy to return all illegal immigrants to France.
4) Lift all parking restrictions in city centres for an initial period of 2 years, while also freezing council tax.
February 17, 2024
We want a govt with a spine. The pro Hamas demos after the worst terror attack in modern times are an abomination. A mob at an MPs home ditto. An MP has left politics because of frightening persecution.
Get a grip , arrest more than just two stupid girls and kick out out some obviously malevolent people. Actually do it and if a mosque harbours extremism shut it. Dont allow teachers to have to go into hiding chuck out the mob .. all of them.
February 17, 2024
Frances, +++++++. !!!!!!!!!! WELL SAID
February 17, 2024
What is the change I want? Itās simple really, I donāt vote Globalist.
Iām hoping that a Nationalist option will be available at the next election.
February 17, 2024
The single most important thing that is needed is replacing Sunak as Prime Minister. Sunak has far too much bad baggage ever to win (4 of his 5 key promises broken; absurd policies- Maths for everybody up to age without Maths teachers; a gradualist age-related smoking ban, already dumped by New Zealand, the only other country planning it and the highest taxes in 70 years), whatever his election message. Furthermore he is no salesman and has no positive vote winning appeal even if he is not a hate figure. Elections in Britain are largely Presidential in fact , if not in name and are mainly a choice between two alternative Prime Ministers. It can be cruel (for instance though in technical terms he wasn’t a bad Leader of the Labour Party, most British people just did not like the look of Ed Miliband and wouldn’t vote for him. Sunak has a similar problem though in his case it is more a ‘nonentity not worth supporting problem’). The pity is Starmer is not popular (just more popular than Sunak) even though he is doing a third rate version of Blair while lacking Blair’s charisma. So the picture can change rapidly if Sunak and his harmful baggage is replaced, especially by somebody with a narrative he can sell.
The important thing at elections seems to be a credible and attractive narrative. Though I greatly favour the growth through lower taxes narrative supported by the right of the Conservative Party and most people on this site, the truth is other possible narratives can also be election winning. Boris Johnson’s was ‘Get Brexit done’ with a supporting tilt at ‘levelling up’. Donald Trump’s is ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘I will put America first and won’t allow it to be kicked around and disadvantaged by other countries’. A strong narrative, well delivered is essential and Starmer’s ‘put us in because the alternative has failed’ is rather uninspiring and weak, especially if the Conservatives go ‘under new management’.
February 17, 2024
I find it amazing that politics results in the absence of mostly common sense, ethics and principles.
The great majority of points made here today would seem to be long overdue for all parties to want.
Clearly politicians manage to behave in a strange group-think way that become the near opposite of what their supporters actually want.
It must result from self-interest comes first, friends’ interest comes next, and weakness to not see ideas promulgated might be absurd and damaging.
No wonder Sir John’s offer to have us load the diary with what we would like to happen has flooded it with mostly good ideas. If the great majority were to be actually enacted our society would be much nearer the fairest balance of things for most citizens.
But then, what would we know?
February 17, 2024
When the public voted for Brexit it was to take back control from the EU, which was being used to bypass Parliament by setting laws designed by bureaucrats (many at the instigation of our own bureaucracy). We have seen more delegation upwards via treaties and continued control by the unelected quangocracy and bureaucrats and their international friends in WHO, IPCC, WEF, WWF, Greenpeace, ECHR, etc.
It is perhaps no wonder that so many voters concluded there was no point in the elections. How do we get rid of these troublesome priests?
February 17, 2024
Mark :
Referendums.
February 17, 2024
I would like the Government to look in the mirror and see what we see. The Conservaties have been in power for 14 years and excluding Brexit there is little to no Conservative legacy. Taxes are much higher, imagration is out of control, crime is up, home ownership is down, institutions are more socialist, free speach is being curtailed and the tax payer is being fined left right and centre to pay for the bloated public sector. After the Thatcher government there was a legacy that remained in place for 20 years which now is being destroyed. You only have to look at the devolved administations to see that socialism is winning on every front. With this in mind what does the Prime MInister make a priority to exert government time on in his last year? to BAN smoking! It is little wonder that socialism is winning when Conservatives are doing the job for them.
There is only 10 months, at most left, so the Government should be looking to do as many things that it can quickly and easily change to make this country Conservative.
– Reduce legal migration
– Reduce taxes
– Put into law that MP’s do not get a pay rise without growth in GDP and a pay cut with recession
– Increase in personal allowance at least in line with inflation into law
– Basic rate personal allowance should be higher than the living wage for a 37 hour week
– Get rid of 20mph zones on main roads. Ban other unwarrented speed restrictions
– Ban ULEZ and LEZ zones, bus lane camers, box junction cameras and parking fees based on emissions
February 17, 2024
Has anyone started talking loudly about Labourās ā Make Britain a Clean Energy Superpowerā document?
It would put most off voting for them I imagine!
A true Tory party would have been doing this already but of course our LibDem cons are all for outlandish greencr*p.
Will they just go over to Labour if it wins the election? Happy to have destroyed a once conservative political party.
February 17, 2024
Itās not that voters have changed sides.
They have just given up on politics.
In Wellingborough 24,000 previous Tory voters stayed at home.
So greatā¦does that mean we will get a Labour govt. voted in by one man and his cat ( who is a terrible socialist)?
Considering that globalists always wanted to do away with democracy this is a very bad outcome.
āIām not voting for HIMā bleated the sheep. ā Iāll just trot along to the slaughterhouseā.
February 17, 2024
1) STOP ALL MIGRATION.
2) LOWER TAX,
3) RADICALLY REFORM THE NHS.
4) BRING THE POLICE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE ARMY.
5) INVEST IN SECURE NEW NUCLEAR AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY.
6) ON-SHORE MUCH MORE MANUFACTURING.
7) GET RID OF NET ZERO.
February 17, 2024
Frack, drill and mine too plus R&D into better nuclear.
February 17, 2024
Effie Deans, normally the astute scourge of the SNP, has a blog today that highlights the failings of the Conservative Party to conserve. Many comments here seem to reflect her thoughts.
February 17, 2024
I see that in Wellingborough almost 50% of votes cast were postal votes. Perhaps someone who knows the local demography can offer an explanation.
February 17, 2024
EU “Suicide Pact” Threatens To Flood Continent With 75 Million More Migrants
February 17, 2024
Don’t make promises you have no intention of keeping.
Start looking after the interests of the British people instead of a globalist cabal.
Refuse to agree to The WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty and leave the WHO.
Stop all illegal immigration and deport any entering country illegally.
Have moratorium on legal immigration and if necessary to re-introduce, impose strict limits of less than 100,000 pa.
Scrap all Net Zero plans – there is no climate emergency.
Strictly control government waste/spending and reduce taxation – smaller state.
Stop government bodies obsessing and wasting taxpayers’ money on DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion)
February 17, 2024
Replace Sunak or the Tories will not win.
February 17, 2024
I just want a government that believes in what the conservatives used to – Free Enterprise, Law and Order, small state, low taxes and minimal red tape.
The Tories have a 50+ seat majority; they have been in power 14 years. It is difficult to distinguish them from the Labour/Lib-Dem/Greens.
Too many Tory MP’s are in the wrong party.
Too many promises have been broken.
There is too much evidence of an arrogant “Nanny knows best” attitude.
If I vote at the next election it will be for Reform. If the Tories scrape a win, they will, almost certainly, carry on as they have for the last 5 years, soaking the public to extend vastly inefficiant public monopolies, crippling tax rises and encouraging unsustainable immigration. The only change would be that the PM would gain legitamacy, then being appointed by the will of the people; not by an opaque process after losing the competition to be party leader.
A Labour government will be bad, but the Tories are no longer fit to lead. Hopefully they will retrench and turn things around while in opposition, but how long that will take – even if it is possible – is unknowable.
I believe we are facing a very bad future for the next 10 to 15 years.
February 17, 2024
Every single contributor to this diary has a better plan, than Sunaks government
February 17, 2024
You haven’t got long left to prove to your voters that you’re a conservative party
February 17, 2024
Main problems)
1) Not enough high quality Tory MPs (with proper business experience)
So TRY and attract higher quality MPs into Parl – not easy but have to do something).
2) Modern native British nationals too DYSFUNCTIONAL for a healthy economy and culture to flourish
This is the real problem. Means:
1) They don’t want to work so some capitalists want to important lots of immigrants to do the work (and socialists happy to go along with this for reasons of their own).
2) They’re unhappy and so this leads to bad health physically and mentally, costing the NHS billions
3) Also, with those who do work, their productivity is lower than it should beif they were happy and healthy (so costing private business lots of money).
4) Because so many children come from dysfunctional families or single parents – or no parents at all, so there is a tonne of crime (including petty crime in middle-class areas), drugs – and just general dysfunctional behaviour in general.
And lots, lots more. Politicians can do relatively little to fix all this. What they need to do is work closer with the churches, the arts, media, those in education to figure out how to reverse this general cultural malaise in the country (including returning to more Conservative values of work ethic, family responsibility, patriotism etc). Not easy. But have to start somewhere.
February 17, 2024
Well SJR you asked the question and have 161 answers, most of which accept that while you might be 100% Conservative your party and HMG are most definitely not. There is no time for you or a handful of your Conservative colleagues to change the direction of the political party you have devoted your political life to. So what is it to be, a bunch of consocialist no hopers, or the supporting of Conservative philosophy in Reform. Anne Widdicome worked it out long ago. There is an army of Conservative support sitting at home, as they did last Thursday, awaiting the catalyst of leadership from such as yourself, to ensure that Reform replaces consocialism. When leadership talks sense with conviction the votes will follow.
February 17, 2024
agricola : āThere is an army of Conservative support sitting at home, as they did last Thursday, awaiting the catalyst of leadership from such as yourself, to ensure that Reform replaces consocialism. When leadership talks sense with conviction the votes will follow.ā
At the UK 2019 European Parliament elections the Brexit Party came first with 30% of the vote, the Lib Dems were second with 20%, labour third with 14%, Green 12% and Conservatives with 9%. So the votes exist.
February 17, 2024
The conservative leadership should revisit the Liz Truss budget plans with input from those back benchers with the knowledge and experience to advise.
In fact, this procedure should form the basis of all future Government business. That way, we, the electorate, can see democracy in action. Something sadly lacking in successive governments over the past decades, and the dire results are very clear now.
February 17, 2024
1. Reduce net migration to the tens of thousands
2. Do whatever it takes to stop the boats once and for all.
3. Reduce taxes by restoring the 40% band to where it should be before your government stopped increasing it in
line with inflation.
4. Reform the civil service to root out socialists and liberals who have taken over policy.
5. Introduce ID cards to help sort out the black economy
February 17, 2024
Can I add Education? Dump all of those useless Mickey Mouse degrees and replace them with apprenticeships and only subjects that will provide with employment within the UK, with the basic three “R”s to start with. Let’s get our kids educated again.
February 17, 2024
Sir John — please find away of sending this day’s diary to every MP, with the note ‘This is what the Electorate want!’
Reply I do send key bits to relevant Ministers when I write this
February 17, 2024
reply to reply…..and how many write back ‘thank you for doing the work I should be doing to understand what is expected of me?’ Answer? probably none?
February 17, 2024
You’ve had 14 years to get dental oppointments for everyone and failed, you don’t deserve to be re elected if you couldn’t sort out something as simple as that.
February 17, 2024
They’ve been busy stopping the boats and implementing net-zero
February 17, 2024
Sir John,
My main concern is that a Conservative win at the General Election will be seen by the Party as a validation of its current policies and direction of travel. How will you get across to those in Government this is not what the country needs or wants?
The current Prime Minister and his Chancellor are not fit for office, but unfortunately now is probably not the time for change.
We are relying on you and true conservative colleagues to pull it together to get your party back on track, promises of cake tomorrow will not be enough.
A quick suggestion for the March budget.
1. Tax allowance of Ā£15,000
2. Cooperation tax no more than the average amongst EU countries – encourage large cooperations to keep their profits in the UK and invest here.
February 17, 2024
Corporation tax… Doh š
February 17, 2024
We have REASON to be critical Mr Redwood in case you are not aware and as a politician you are still living in your Westminster bubble. All talk NO action. Say one thing do another. Do not look here look over there.
Until the WHOLE system of the HM??? government is changed NOTHING will change.
February 17, 2024
I am a 77 year old pensioner
Government need to get control of NHS its too complicated. For example my wife needs injections in her Knees which last about 6 months. She has to go back to square on with a referral from a GP then a visit to the knee clinic who then refer her to the hospital. The injection needs to be done by a consultant as she is on a blood thinner. This all takes time and money and the time of a consultant who could be doing better things. We go through this every 6 months.
I worked hard and entered into thinks that would give me a good pension at 65 I worked part time till I was nearly 70 saving money. I have had the transfer allowance from my wife and find I will be paying tax on nearly 3k this coming year you need to move the tax thresholds.
And Finally get a grip on Immigration and put them to work
All Tories to be singing of the same sheet
February 17, 2024
You can’t do anything conservative. It has been outlawed in effect.
February 17, 2024
I would really like to an “I vote for none of these candidates” option on the ballot paper.
February 17, 2024
Sir John, you ask what would we like now from the government. First of all, give us the independence the most of us voted for at the Referendum ie remove all that hampers this. Stop the frustration. Secondly, encourage ‘regular people’ to want to work by applying taxes that do this. Make hard work worthwhile. People are going to spend the money anyway, putting more money into other people’s pockets ie create that ‘virtuous circle’ a nation seeks in its economy. Thirdly, the Civil Service has to be sorted out ie Civil s e r v a n t s are to know their position in life..which is that of ‘obeying’ and carrying out what they are being told to implement. If they rebel, they’re sacked. Plain and simple.
February 17, 2024
1. Raise the personal income tax allowance to Ā£18,000, drop some of the universal benefit to pay for this. Reward work rather than none work.
2. Iād give people their child benefit back to help them pay for childcare if one parent earns over Ā£50k (childcare in London we are told is around Ā£19k pa per child and Ā£13k elsewhere).
3. Put corporation tax down to 23% or 20% even if only for the first Ā£300k of profit. I wouldnāt allow Ireland to get away Scott free with their low taxes, we need to import less meat from them and buy British and put pressure on them to pay their NATO support fee for peace keeping if necessary.
4. Build lots of low rent and purchase retirement bungalow complexes and low maintenance City apartments, encourage people to downsize with tax incentives and free up bigger homes, when Homes England are currently building all these two bed āaffordableā homes they should be prioritised for council people blocking 3 bed homes with gardens with no kids living with them, claiming their single person council tax discount, for years on housing benefits, fully decorate and furnish them, make them too nice to turn down with solar heating providing low cost heating and small manageable gardens with parking out front instead of giving them to people starting families.
February 18, 2024
Here is a thought A-Tracy. Do all that buying of inexpensive property in southern Spain for the retired. Muuch lower cost of living, infinitely healthier climate, a health service that works and has great respect for the aged. The bonus, absolutely no woke or diverrsity, and if you learn to speak a bit of Spanish a whole new world opens.
February 18, 2024
Oh no, i couldnāt stand the heat, I actually like England and Iād miss my family, I speak French and a little of another language but not Spanish.
February 18, 2024
where is the space you suggest building ‘ lots of low rent and purchase retirement bungalow complexes’ to be found?
I don’t think the elderly wanting easy access to services and friends’ support are going to rush to move out to the back of beyond.
February 18, 2024
I agree there would have to be driverless tubes to connect to rail heads from more remote areas brought back into use.
Thats why I said apartments for populated areas but plenty of bungalow complexes are built up North. Would you not fancy the Isle of Sheppey š Southend, or Wales lots of retirement potential there.
February 19, 2024
OMG NO!
Us former W.London children, adult life in ‘former leafy Berkshire’ think in horror of moving out as you suggest.
However – the latter might be perfect to build multistorey flats for immigrants prior to sending them ‘home’.
February 18, 2024
Agreed, A Tracy,
But include,
1/ enact legislation to either withdraw, or reform our membership of the ECHR, thus enabling us to ‘control our borders’ more effectively.
2/ totally scrap ‘Nett Zero’
3/ Reform the NHS, starting at the top (remove the large amount of ‘woke’ managers)
4/ Ditto the Civil Service
February 17, 2024
PM Sunak may say āa vote for Reform is a vote for Labourā, but a vote for his party (and any other existing Parliamentary party) is a vote for the twin national suicide policies of the economy destroying Net Zero and the British culture destroying mass immigration.
February 17, 2024
We need security of: – energy
food
our borders
our nation
We need accountability of: – the treasury
the civil service
all quangos
You could possibly retrieve some of the rural vote by paying farmers to produce food rather than be park keepers. Perhaps consider going back to the deficiency payment scheme which we had to abandon when we became part of the C.A.P. That would allow us to take advantage of trade deals without risking farmers’ livelihoods.
February 17, 2024
Too late, Sir John.
Your party and the country is finished.
There is nothing that can stop it now.
Thankfully my boys are emigrating with their excellent qualifications. Others I know are educating their kids never to vote Tory again.
Who is going to be left to fund DB pensions ???
February 18, 2024
The papers were full of statistical info using percentages to explain why Labour were going to trounce the Tories in a coming GE. Totally misleading because a marked reduction in the people actually voting will give a Labour Party with an unchanged number of people voting for them a greatly increased percentage of the total vote.
This may look good on paper and delude Labour into thinking they had become popular among the electorate. They will succeed in a GE only if a large selection of Conservative thinking continues to stay at home. A likely outcome when they realise that consocialism represented by the current Tory Party has no future to offer them. The answer is for Reform to lay out their offer of true Conservatism, continuously and repeatedly between now and the GE. It may not be quite enough to beat Labour’s numerically static vote, but it would give them a run for their money and ensure a coherent opposition. A battle worth wageing. Thursdays outcome clearly confirms that the proponents of more EU and Nett Zero, the LDs and Greens, have nothing the electorate wish to buy into.
February 18, 2024
Sir John,
Yes you have set out many of the things that ought to change, and I thank you.
Thank you also for listening to the concerns of ordinary people.
It is not really the Conservative Party’s fault. The entire Western Civilisation seems to be suffering something like a death by a thousand cuts.
February 21, 2024
I don’t read this blog daily now.
I only comment when I’ve necked a couple
of lagers, like now.
I’m affiliated to no one, no party.
It’s so clear to me what’s going on and has always been going on.
The ” answer” is to shine a spotlight on oneself.
detach from the “group”.
It’s not your job ( or mine ) to solve the problems of the world.
Some people are ok . They may have erred when younger.
I can see who is ok ( now). Make peace with yourself.
You are ok.
February 21, 2024
Why have I posted here since pre Brexit ?
1 Relieves boredom
2 Dialogue with the supposed powers that be.
2 To watch the comments here and on GP.
I’m amazed how thick are leaders are, both R and L
What is goodness ?
What is love ?
I can see the ” Powers that be” saying
Its more complicated than goodness and love;
It’s not.
As we will realise on our deathbed.
February 21, 2024
Sit in a darkened roon for a few evenings. No media, phones etc.
Consider that Peter, Rodney et al are wrong. ( They are )
Consider all the Con sleazeballs that have been outed recently.
The sleazeballs are why Cons will lose ( not policies)
Detach yourself . It’s never too late.