I have set out my local reasons for not seeking election in 2024. I also had a number of reasons related to national direction that meant I was in disagreement with One Nation Ministers.
Lord Cameron at the Foreign Office was offering concessions on Gibraltarās borders and in pursuit of the Windsor Framework in Northern Ireland that were damaging to U.K. independence. Whilst he agreed we should not transfer NHS powers to the World Health Organisation he did not withdraw from talks about an unsatisfactory text.
James Cleverly at the Home Office refused the sensible amendments to our laws about illegal migration proposed by Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick based on their Ministerial experience. He did not get his preferred Rwanda plan to work or come up with a substitute deterrent to people trafficking.
Business Ministers failed to repeal or improve large numbers of restrictive and unhelpful inherited EU rules.
Jeremy Hunt allowed the Bank of England to sell bonds at huge losses, sending the bill to taxpayers. He believed 5 year out OBR forecasts which constrained tax and spend policy. He failed to help the Health Department resolve the doctors dispute where the loss of young doctors abroad or to non doctor jobs showed pay is too low.
One Nation Ministers were slow to let the government toughen criteria for legal migration and seemed to think we could invite in 650 ,000 extra people a year without exacerbating the housing shortage and without over stretching everything from NHS capacity to our energy and water utilities. The January change of policy was welcome but did not go far enough to fulfil the 2019 Manifesto pledge of lower levels of legal migration.
These and other disagreements made me apprehensive about what the 2024 Manifesto would contain. Because the election was brought forward the 1922 Committee and its policy committees had not been consulted on the Manifesto and there had been none of normal dialogues about what it would contain. I did not fancy defending a Manifesto sight unseen. I disagreed with the economic , health and migration policies the government had been following.
July 9, 2024
Good morning.
The Wets / One Nation / Blue Labour (Blairites) basically messed it up. And for once I agree. I have said here that they won the war regarding the internal battle between the Left and Right of the party, with CMD and his ‘reforms’ and CCHQ promotion of Lefty Parliamentary candidates into safe seats. But as I said, it was a pyrrhic victory, although like much else (eg why they lost the election) they will never see it was all their fault.
But what makes me so sad, and indeed a little angry, is that ‘we wasted 14 years’ on a party that did not deserve to exist let a lone be in office.
14 Years – WASTED !!!
July 9, 2024
” One Nation”- – I haven’t heard of that political party, were they in office recently?
You’ve got to define the problem correctly, before you can work out the correct answer.
July 9, 2024
This is what the pro EU one nation coup of Johnson and Truss were all about. They wanted to stop Brexit. That is why Slimy Cameron was brought back. There was no appetite to be conservative, refusal to deliver Brexit and so no real interest in the election. Shocking they did not even consult committees or party! But conclusive proof.
Labour will now take the EU one nation baton and be full steam ahead to sell out our nation to EU. Starmer Balkanising the country today by making unwanted mayors in regional councils as the EU always wanted but the public of our nation rejected.
I hope the Tory party is obliterated for its utter betrayal of the nation. JR, you must not waste your talents any further on a failed cause. Help Reform with your economic/business talents and defeat the Uni party that you have proved them to be.
July 9, 2024
Yep
July 9, 2024
JR has pointed out it is a one nation govt ie no divergence from EU and act in lock step, JR has pointed out how woeful the election campaign and manifesto was. Now ask yourself why?
Sunak could have set booby traps for Labour, he did not, he praised Starmer, praised his own EU Windsor sell out in his final speech. The rest just empty platitudes- his treachery done. Namely, Johnson and Truss gone, EU lock step and now a free rein for Labour to tie the UK irretrievably to the EU. Starmerās lot will carry on the treachery where Sunakās lot left ie Cameron will pass to pro EU Lammy, both of whom insulted everyone who wanted to leave EU!
They think WE will not notice and that Starmer has a mandate in his manifesto!
Dodds still cannot say what a woman is! She says there are different definitions!! No, Anna, a woman does not have a penis. Simple. JK Rowling correct again.
Creature Blaire still spewing his bile and getting more air time. Get Starmer out our nation depends on it our nation needs to survive.
Sunak did not consider the wipe out his party got that was embarrassing for him/them.
July 9, 2024
Why would I want to work out their own problems. Some ex-MP’s have come out and said that they lost because they did not listen. Not so. They lost because they would not act on promises made and never resolved to get round to why such promises were never enacted.
July 9, 2024
Peter – Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-nation_conservatism
Chairman Damian Green, MPs saying they were One Nation Conservatives include – Rishi Sunak, Boris, Cameron, May, 21 Tory MPs had the whip withdrawn after supporting the Benn Act, one Nation Tories released a statement demanding the whip be restored.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Nation_Conservatives_(caucus)
July 9, 2024
Re the manifesto it made no difference, it was a very slight difference to the liebour party on most things. The only difference is liebour will bankrupt us a year or so earlier.
As they say, it’s two cheeks of the same posterior.
Reeves is going to build 830 houses daily for the next 5 years , that’s 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
They will be all electric but no mention of building any base load capacity to power them.
Making it easier for onshore windmills which yesterday total output 0.54gw and 24% power being imported
Who is going to buy these overpriced pieces of junk, only the council via the taxpayer so they will become 60s style ghettos
We are in for interesting times and Farage is going to have a field day.
July 9, 2024
Who is going to build these houses and new infrastructure? We produce few skilled manual workers now as youngsters would rather go to Uni to study for a worthless degree.
July 9, 2024
The majority possibly won’t be brick and mortar, or perhaps that’s what all the immigrants soon to be given papers to work will be doing.
July 9, 2024
Who
They will import them on special visa’s, but they know nothing about our Building Regulations for a while. Problem on most building sites is site supervision by a qualified manager/site agent.
July 10, 2024
They’ll probably just be putting up foreign-made imported pre-made homes for speed and cost savings.
July 9, 2024
Starmer is going to carry on the constitutional break up of our nation, particularly England, where Blaire left off!!
It is a great pity the Tory party did not reverse all that Blaire did instead of Cameron honouring him!
July 9, 2024
Who are these houses for and is the Labour Government relying on immigration to drive pretend growth? We ALL KNOW its GDP per capita that counts. The Tory’s allowed 85% of the total 3 million in 2 years to be non working student/dependent immigrants. So its free social housing, health, education and welfare for them all paid for by increasing taxes on the English. Total fools. The Uni Party are going and can’t be trusted. We will get Reform via the useless Starmergeddon. We all know his boat people plan (again unchallenged by the msm) is a non starter so his honey moon will be over in months!! Two houses but no taxation Angela Raynor is going to impose quotas on us all of these illegals as well. That will go down well.
July 9, 2024
ā I did not fancy defending a Manifesto sight unseen.ā
Another move away from collective decision making and towards diktats from a leader? The date of the election was a surprise to most. So too were off the cuff announcements like national service.
Maybe Sunak was in panic mode by then ? The signs of jubilation in Downing Street after Sunakās leaving speech seems to suggest he was glad to get away from the job.
July 9, 2024
We could thank the dear boy for one thing thoughā¦
He hasnāt bequeathed Labour the usual post Tory treasure chest to pour down the drain.
Presumably we will be taxed to oblivion to achieve Labourās plans but that on top of recent hikes will not be at all popular!
To say the leastā¦
July 9, 2024
You canāt get blood out of a stone.
July 9, 2024
I had thought Rishi went early to accommodate a US job offer. However, now it seems he had been briefed about Reform gathering up electoral support, and if he had waited any longer the defection of voters would have been far greater.
July 9, 2024
Look at the Tory rabble opposition bench! There is no opposition to Delivering Brexit, none, zilch. This is why the traitors in the Tory party need obliterating for their utter betrayal of the nation.
Mayors need to be scrapped. Less accountable more taxes under Labour.
July 9, 2024
I see Fishy has appointed a shadow cabinet, all dripping wet remoaners. Good job they’re irrelevant.
July 9, 2024
And Mr Cameron will still log in for his Ā£xxx/per day.
Can you resign/return a Lordship?
July 9, 2024
Indeed but are there many sensible Tory MPs to select from? Kemi perhaps the only sound Shadow Minister.
At least Richard Holden has resigned as party chairman, after what he described as a “very tough set of results”. A shame he scraped back in after forcing himself Basildon and Billericay just 20 votes in it is seems.
Indeed totally appalling results, and this not even against remotely competent opposition. Just an appalling Starmer led Labour Party with entirely duff policies, essentially the same duff policies as Sunakās.
July 9, 2024
LL,
Nothing sensible about Kemi Badenoch. Another U-turner for career. Badenoch cancelled her own legislation to scrap 4,000 EU laws!! She achieved nothing.
Listen to rogue parliament boo Farage who raised Brexit. The UniParty want to keep the betrayal quiet.
Rees-Mogg today Tory party not popular and not conservative! Pity he told his colleagues to support Sunak!
July 9, 2024
Not called āDrowning Streetā for nothing!
July 9, 2024
Agree 100%
And they kept stringing us along with absolute lies!
Immigration down to the tens of thousands indeed!
Giving us hope ā¦keeping us hanging on with Brexit.
If only theyād told us that basically One Nationism is socialism!
And I very much doubt if the highly disrupted and āleft behindā North is remotely pleased with them!
July 9, 2024
Totally agree. It started with Cameron who moved the whole party left most importantly candidate selection. Sunak brought him back to help fight the right of the party and what has he done again? Run away again. The frightening thing is that party members who are closer to the voting public have been sidelined, the disgraceful placing of the party chairman is an example, my MP was imposed, now fired having lost a massive majority and the fact that working for the party, canvassing, back scratching etc is more important re selection than business/management etc expertise.
We therefore got the mediocre malleable blob that manifestly let us down.
The One Nation group, the mucky Damian Green etc were like all liberal elites so full of their own self importance and so out of touch thought that Starmerās lack of personal standing was not a threat and some bogeymen words about their higher taxes etc would frighten us off.
They learned nothing from our reaction to Osborneās childish foot stamping threats to punish us if we voted for Brexit.
This superiority, the ādonāt you know who I amā mentality meant that their focus was trashing the ādinosaurs on their Right, Sir JR etc. parroting elections are won from the centre.
To their utter distaste the ādinosaursā were correct and they were utterly outflanked by Farage.
The worrying thing is that many are still in denial. If the party stays that way, with Farage a consummate communicator it is Reform that will gain continuing the decline.
July 9, 2024
Indeed 14 years doing the total reverse of what they promised in their four serial & lying manifestos.
So what did we get from the Tories – the highest taxes for 70 years, vast government waste, a botched Brexit, vast increases in government debt, open door 700,000 PA low skilled immigration, very poor healthcare, plastic police, prisons full, woke lunacy, the total insanity of net zero, net harm lockdowns, net harm vaccines, housing shortages, piss poor public services ā¦ with 5-20+ years of socialism to follow now for good measure!
Thanks very much!
July 9, 2024
Both the left and the right of the Tories messed it up.
What we need are Tories who are neither left or right but pragmatic, entrepreneurial-minded Tories who want to help entrepreneurs in our country and who are also cultural Tories, working with our Judaeo-Christian heritage and with the churches (not forgetting how our Parliament, great universities and judiciary and guilds and work ethic and family values and community values and sense of Patriotism are all profoundly Judaeo-Christian in origin), as well as with those in education, arts and media to promote culturally Conservative values (like in Edmund Burke) then our country would be flourishing.
So we need to ditch the two extremes of Conservatism and go for a more balanced, pragmatic, creative and cultural type of Conservatism.
July 9, 2024
The way to help business and entrepreneurs is – far less government, ditch net zero. far less tax, ditch net zero, have a bonfire of red tape, relax planning… the reverse of the UNI parties agenda.
July 9, 2024
Hold on!
They are connected but not directly.
More direct things can be done. Such as the way the American government helped to create Silicon Valley and how the Israeli government helped Tel Aviv to become a world-leading high tech hub. How the government could do more to promote coding amongst kids. Etc. But entrepreneurs and high tech entrepreneurs would have a lot more to say about this. You need to approach this with specifics.
July 9, 2024
Your disagreements with ministerial direction were more fundamental to the future of the UK. Your local disagreements were akin to having out of control children.
I am thankful that the election killed off so called One Nation Conservatism in government. Question, how much of it is left in the rump 121 conservatives in Parliament. What is the differeence between them and Labours concilitary movement back towards the EU. The only force against this Remain tendency is five Reform MPs, led by the most formidable voice in english politics since Margaret Thatcher.
The combined forces of remain are now virtually the whole of Parliament. This does not suggest a very happy electorate when they awake. Even if true Conservatives gained control of the parliamentary party I do not see them as an effective opposition while trying to manage their paganism to the pope party.
The only positives are:-
The low election turnout, suggesting elector disdain.
The 93 seats in which Reform came second.
Early indications that Labour are not up to the job.
Nigel Farage is heading the fight against all those negatives that precipitated your departure from front line politics.
July 9, 2024
āEven if true Conservatives gained control of the parliamentary partyā Alas this seems rather unlikely by my estimate at best 10-20 of the 121 MPs are actually real Conservatives. On the insanity of the mad net zero religion I doubt if more than one or two of them are in favour of ditching this economic and environmental lunacy. Non have pointed out the vast net harm done by the Covid āvaccinesā and the lockdowns. Having seen what happened when Bridgen told the Truth on this topic.
JR says Hunt (and Victoria Atkins) failed to help the Health Department resolve the doctors dispute where the loss of young doctors abroad or to non doctor jobs showed pay is too low. Indeed it is way too low most new doctors have Ā£100k of debt and interest on it after 5 or 6 years at university. To repay this debt in say 15 years
by the time they are about age 40 out of taxed and NIāed income they need about Ā£24,000 of extra salary on top of what they need to live on. They start even in London on about Ā£34k.
Someone leaving schools at 16 and taking a job stacking shelves at Tesco for similar hours would have earned more disposable income than a junior doctor by age 40. Say 24 years at Ā£25k gross Ā£600k gross. The doctor 16 years earning at average Ā£50k less loan repayments so Ā£800,000 – Ā£340,000 (to repay student dept with the tax and NI). Ā£460k gross. By about 50 they might just have caught up but will still stuggle to buy even a small flat.
Even a 35% pay increase is not sufficient. Most of my sons Doctor friends will be of to Australia or similar or just get a job in banking on double the salary. I still have to subsidise my sonās living costs. A room in a shared flat cost him Ā£1200PCM plus bills and council tax. His take home is about Ā£2,500 PCM.
July 9, 2024
Ā£2500 PCM this less his rent, commuting costs, student loan interest, prof. fees, gas, elect, water, council taxā¦leaves him about Ā£15 a day for food, lunch, fun, holidays, dentist billsā¦ his similar aged flat mates get three times as much and with far less student debt. Cannot even afford to run a car let alone buy a flat.
July 9, 2024
The notion of viewing devolved nation leadership symptoms as Mother UKās children prompts diagnoses:
Scotland: Born of fine heritage yet living partly on bank of Mum and rejects parentage, eager to leave home. Recently unpopular. Lacks independence, reads above average, but some tendency toward drugs. Prospect of free healthcare in later life.
Wales: Not doing well at school, but has bi-lingual skill. Slow and struggling to be healthy. Recently overwhelmed with sudden red flush. Good at litter duty.
Northern Ireland: Much lower in aggression than earlier. Signs of a split personality, and feeling of being treated unfairly, especially at the shops in places away from home.
July 9, 2024
I assume Boris Johnson counts as one nation as much of this continued with him. Another example of a government getting elected on one prospectus, doing the opposite, and then losing.
I do wonder though whether it wasnāt ideology but just ineffectualness and incompetence which led to the above.
We will now get 5 years – and probably 10 – of one nationism with knobs on, and perhaps much worse.
It will be interesting to see where Brexit gets to in the coming years. My guess is largely reversed.
July 9, 2024
Richard 1
We will also have technocracy…look at the people being put in charge of things. Lords, not MPs!
How do we get anyone out that’s been installed without being voted in?
July 9, 2024
Sack the Government. Itās all we have. If they propose PR we then have nothing but fighting on the streets like the poor bloody French.
July 9, 2024
Indeed Labour will be a disaster – after the Blair wipe out of Major it took three terms before they were kicked out and then only for a leftwing climate alarmist EUphile Cameron/Clegg coalition.
I might well be dead before we see a sensible government. But then in my lifetime only Thatcher was relatively sensible and even she failed to cut the state back sufficiently, appointed the foolish John Major as Chancellor and let him join the ERM, buried us further into the EU, failed to get real and fair competition in education, healthcare, closed very many good grammar schools and even fell for the mad CO2 devil gas religion. And she was the best of them!
July 9, 2024
So Lord Cameron of Greenshill, Libya now petulantly abandons the bridge for a second time. Will he be handing his peerage back then? I suppose not.
July 9, 2024
I think the coalition govt was a major improvement, there was an attempt to control govt spending. Although some cuts such as to defence were wrong. There was a real attempt to reform education and welfare (though that got scuppered in the end by Osborne and UB does not now seem to have achieved its objective). Since then, especially under the nominally āright wingā Boris Johnson the govt has essentially been social democrat. One or two Conservative ministers might have talked like classical liberals, but in office they havenāt acted on it. Whether due to ideology or incompetence I donāt know.
The failure to recognise and address the size, power and growth of the statist quangocracy has been a major strategic error. This will of course get much worse under Starmer and must be reversed if thereās ever a centre right govt again.
July 9, 2024
Johnson is a major Globalist, left wing Wet. Always has been, always will be. We stomached him because his only route to Nr 10 was to promise Brexit. It was worth it.
July 9, 2024
@Richard 1 – Cameron, May, Johnson the Sunak ā not a Conservative amongst any of them. 14 years of manifesto promises that morphed into just lies. 14 years of preening ego, 14 years of punishment for the economy ending up with excessive uncontrolled spending, massive taxation and borrowing. That is 100% out of the Socialist play-book, confirming the āOne Nationā meant pure Socialism on a massive scale.
Theses people are still there lurking, there will be no return for the Conservative Party until they are all gone
July 9, 2024
+1
July 9, 2024
It IS ideology! Thatās why so many have had no Conservative candidate to support for decades!
In the 1990 we ran a campaign called āThe Campaign for Conservatismā – the rot had started then.
July 9, 2024
Sir John,
In light of what you said yesterday about the lack of cooperation from the council, it was amusing to see this headline in the Bracknell News…
“Wokingham Borough Council leader: Working with our new MPs”
It just proves what you were saying Sir John and what a bad bunch our council are.
July 9, 2024
What else can be said about the party that hasn’t already been said? It is now nothing more than a vehicle for valueless, loathsome careerists rather than a home for moral, conviction politicians. The rot started in 1991 when SCUM brought down one of this nation’s greatest ever leaders. It’s been downhill for the party and the country ever since. We haven’t yet reached the nadir but when we do I suspect we’ll know about it
July 9, 2024
+1
July 9, 2024
A āOne Nationā ethos might seem acceptable when it operates in the best interest of the UK as that nation, distinct from dissolving our sovereignty within places such as the EU.
The UK does not even operate as One Nation within itself. There are opposing powers vested in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, which errant Tony Blair started that separate us.
Ireland within the British Isles similarly belongs to some overseas power.
July 9, 2024
The Blair Brown era was a total disaster as Starkey often explains very well. See for example the video:- āA Labour Government Should FRIGHTEN Us All. To Save Britain We Must REVERSE Blair’s Revolutionā
July 9, 2024
So UEFA have appointed controversial German referee Felix Zwayer to officiate Englandās Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund. Zwayer, 43, was involved in a match-fixing scandal in 2005 and was given a six-month ban.
Is this sensible?
July 10, 2024
I donāt know. If youāre referring off topic to a game about ball-kickers, many people would prefer to know nothing about such dull things either. Chess and tiddlywinks are more sensible and exciting.
July 9, 2024
But people voted Labour partly because our Tory party had become too right-wing (neglecting being pragmatic and creative in things like being a party that really focuses on entrepreneurs and the high tech industry as well as supporting cultural values such as promoting work ethic, family, community and country – patriotism).
July 9, 2024
What did the Tory party do since 2019 when they were re-elected that was “too right-wing”? Do you have three examples of too right-wing action, so much so that 4m people thought they weren’t right wing enough?
July 10, 2024
How about LIZ TRUSS.
Who held the mantle of Conservative Libertarianism – and she was a complete disaster (you could write a book on that).
July 10, 2024
Also, Reform aren’t actually as ‘right-wing’ as some make out.
For example, they’re not wedded to the idea that everything should be privatised – at least not to the same extent as some Tory Libertarians.
Reform are actually quite pragmatic / realistic here (I actually like some / a lot of Reform ideas – but like the Tories they’re not focused enough – really focused – on things like entrepreneurs, the high tech industry, building up more the Leeds-Sheffied-Manchester area, really working hard to promoting Conservative (in broad sense) cultural values (not just political ones).
July 10, 2024
Ed, Liz Truss got the blame for a lot of things, such as the collapse in the bond market and the weaknesses in LDIs. Here’s an interesting article in CAPX – https://capx.co/did-liz-truss-really-cause-the-bond-market-rout/
2Itās a comforting story to tell, particularly for those who always opposed Truss and her attempts to shake up the economic status quo. The problem is, itās not actually what happened. In fact, the collapse in the bond market that spelt doom for Truss and Kwarteng was down to a hitherto unnoticed beast lurking within the pensions industry: the leveraged Liability-Driven Investment (LDI) fund.”
Mortgages rose in the States. Check the comparison of the statistics; the Tories had somehow held rates down for 13 years in line with America.
The options of Truss or Sunak were put to the members by MPs. The members preferred her offering. Are you sure she’s thought of by them as ‘too right wing”?
July 9, 2024
šš¤£ – so they voted for Farage because he was more āleft wingā? You been at the sherry?
July 9, 2024
Previous Labour voters continued to vote that way, Previous Conservative voters either didn’t vote or turned their face towards Reform. A mass walkout.
July 9, 2024
And the Labour Government plans to devolve more power to the regions of England according to the newspapers.
Why do the ‘left’, soft or otherwise, try to do England down?
What are they frightened of?
July 9, 2024
England is Britain. It is the U.K. in the colonies we always spoke of England meaning the U.K. so did Kipling – he was also born abroad.
If they break up England or break our back, the U.K. is finished.
Englishmen donāt even really understand they are under attack. Letās hope they start fighting back before the final blow.
July 9, 2024
You misunderstand the moniker.
July 9, 2024
Misguided, mistaken, misinforming does not begin to describe the One Nation Tories. They deserved to lose and they lost badly. The best outcome for a centre right grouping in UK politics is for the Tory party to split and one side of the splinter to make an alliance with Reform UK and to rebuild from that base. The more likely outcome is for the Tory party to try to paper over the obvious cracks and to remain as Farage put it “A broad church without a religion”. And it would not surprise me if Reform itself wanted to keep its distance as it pursued its opportunities in red wall seats.
July 9, 2024
I see little prospect of anything positive from this government. All their polices are anti-growth other than relaxation in planning if they can do that quickly amd sensibly.
The appointment of race baiter Lammy, Patrick Vallance (who got so much wrong during Covid and even is a believer in the net zero insanity, Rayner to housing and now Anneliese Dodds will be the Minister for Women and Equalities (how can you be for women and Equality?)
Well said the excellent J K Rowling.
when asked for Labourās definition of a woman, Ms Dodds said there are ādifferent definitions legally around what a woman actually isā and, when pressed again, said: āI think it does depend what the context is.ā
Ms Rowling tweeted: āAnd if you happen to be wondering how I have the transcript of that Womanās Hour to hand, it was sent to me by Doddsā office after I publicly criticised her prevarication on the programme. They seemed to think Iād find her comments less nonsensical if I saw them in print.ā
July 9, 2024
Note for Wes Streeting a 35% increase in pay for junior doctors is still not enough to retain them!
Thinking again about my Junior Doctors son’s salary. When I was an undergraduate student in the late 70s early 80s I had a full grant about Ā£1,000 PA that was more than sufficient for lodgings and the food (even cooked for us at college) – plus a bit of sponsorship from an Engineering Company plus I was working in some of the holidays which gave me about additional Ā£3,000 disposable cash after food and lodgings (no sig. tax on this either). This Ā£3,000 was worth about Ā£23,000 in todays money. You could even get some unemployment benefits in holidays if you could not find a job. On this I ran a car, had several holidays and a great time.
My son a first year qualified doctor & working well over 40 hours a week in London & with some shift work (after food and lodgings, prof. fees and student interest etc) has about Ā£5,000 PA income disposable PA. So I as a first year undergraduate had four plus times as much disposable income. What on earth has gone wrong with the economy over 44 years? A massive decline in living standards per cap PPP surely other than perhaps in banking, law, government, finance.
And a huge growth in regulation, taxation & largely parasitic and unproductive (indeed often negatively productive government).
July 9, 2024
Health Secretary Wes Streeting refused to rule out introducing charges for NHS treatments during an interview at the Tony Blair Institute. Well done Wes what really is needed is tax breaks for people who choose private, abolition of IPT tax and partial payments for people on the waiting lists who go private say 30% they pay 70% and the waiting list reduces for all the others. A win win.
Just the same applies to private schooling but the moronic Labour party has the opposite policy here with VAT coming in (which will raise less than it costs them and do huge damage).
Still one step at a time Wes!
July 9, 2024
Those Tories who reassess their position after the internal leadership contest settles down, and finding it doesnāt suit them, could switch to Reform UK. Following Lee Andersonās lead could bolster Reformās 5 MPs to double or much more without needing another 5 years for an election.
July 9, 2024
Bloke
Agreed, I do not like Mp’s crossing the floor without a bye election, but the precedent has been set !
July 9, 2024
Yes. Some couldnāt decide until they saw what the country had decided, to know whether to stay or move to do better. However, with the Toriesā heavy defeat, defectors wonāt need to cross the floor, but just slide leftward on the opposing side they now already occupy.
July 9, 2024
I donāt hold out much hope because the majority of true conservatives across the country could not even b]vote for Reform – where they are good they are good but where they are bad they are very very bad –
July 11, 2024
Lynn:
Reform tends to purge those found to be bad, faster and firmer than other parties. Much of the claimed badness is unsupported, misquoted or set up by opponents. If you can state any āvery very badā actions of the Reform Party with verified evidence, I would then be inclined to agree with you.
July 9, 2024
I am in agreement with Mark B and Agricola this morning.
Having joined myself, I am encouraged to see on social media that there is a constant stream of people joining Reform and if this momentum is maintained it could become unstoppable.
July 9, 2024
Nothing that you have written here looks like it means you won’t be standing in future elections, once the Conservative Party has become conservative again.
I for one hope very much that you will.
July 9, 2024
I am sorry to say Sir John that the more reasons you give for not standing for re-election to Parliament only give more weight to the suggestion you should have stood for Reform or have been an Independent Candidate. Win or Loose you would have had more impact locally and Nationally in putting forward your small c conservative views and advice. In fact it is difficult to see how someone in your position can still remain in the Conservative Party. The only way it can be changed is key figures like yourself leaving it and forming another conservative political Group if REFORM does not tick all your political boxes.
July 9, 2024
There again, if the Conservative grass roots proved successful in kicking out the fake Conservatives in CCHQ, whilst Reform fell apart with disagreement, you’d be praising John for making the right decision in remaining with the Conservatives.
July 9, 2024
Really you should learn a bit more about Reform. This blind faith is the reason that the One Nation Conservatives ousted every real Tory from the party and perverted it the point where none of us recognize it.
July 9, 2024
I agree with your assessment Sir John but these were not new policies, the direction of the Conservative party had been set since at least 2010.
Kemi Badenoch was Business Minister – why not mention her by name as you did with other ministers.
There is no mention of net zero folly in your damnation. That is disappointing.
July 9, 2024
The Tory party went in the wrong direction once the foolish John Major took over in 1990. Indeed even before that Thatcher has made many serious errors – John Major as Chancellor and his idiotic ERM the worse one. Needless to say most of the Blob āgroup thinkā wanted the ERM and to enter the EURO. Just as they wanted to give ever more power the EU and now want net zero. Totally wrong as usual.
July 9, 2024
Plus the blob were also in favour of HS2 and the mad Covid lockdowns and the net harm vaccines coercing – even for people who never even needed them had they even been safe and effective. If all the parties are in favour of something it is almost invariably wrong! Equality, the NHS, OTT employnent laws and red tape for examples.
July 9, 2024
NS
I think if you read enough of JR’s postings it was very clear he had made his opposition known to a whole host of Government policies and suggestions.
Indeed whilst a Conservative Mp at every election he put forward his own ideas and future policy thoughts, on his own campaign literature, rather than use the standard guff that was put out by the Party., so his constituency voters always knew exactly where he stood on most policies, hence the reason he was continually elected.
I came as no surprise to me that he did not stand at the last election as his daily postings over the last 18 months, and his growing frustration was obvious, and should have given anyone a clue his thoughts were not in line with the Party machine..
No point in bashing you head against a wall for ever only to get the same result or no result at all !
July 9, 2024
Alan I don’t disagree but as Sir John knows communications requires the constant reiterating of your message.
In a post that highlights disagreements that net zero (either policy or approach) is not mentioned is an error in my view.
Net zero zeolotry needs to be called out whenever possible.
July 9, 2024
1990 – where have you beeeen?
July 10, 2024
Michael Howard and Ian Duncan Smith were Conservatives Lynn.
July 9, 2024
The LibDems have never won a General Election and they do not command popular support across the country.
So I fail to understand why senior “Conservative” Grandees/Ministers/MPs are attempting to turn the former Conservative Party, offering a clear Conservative-based alternative to Labour, into the LibDems.
When he became Party Leader, Cameron planned and prepared for a coalition with the LibDems. He proposed a coalition in The Guardian in an article he wrote in 2008. He was obviously comfortable working in coalition with Clegg. There is nothing genuinely Conservative, let alone conservative, about him or the other senior LibCONs.
They lost the election; they have destroyed the Conservative Party. Perhaps their ultimate aim is to permanently unite the Not-a-Conservative-Party with the LibDems. They might as well because there’s nothing fundamentally different about them. They’ll never win a General Election again if they don’t ….. but they’ll never win a General Election again if they do.
It must be incredibly sad for you to witness the deliberate destruction of the Party you served for so long. You were right to walk away Sir John.
July 9, 2024
The answer to your first point is that they all come from the same school of PPE.
July 9, 2024
@Donna – because the Leadership, CCHQ have all along been LibDems. Infiltrate and destroy a terrorist in action write large, there can be no other explanation, they make the Union controlled Labour seem mild.
July 9, 2024
We used to be brutally frank and call it ‘Fifth Column’.
July 9, 2024
@Donna – the LibDems were never anything to do with what was known as the Liberal Party, they were Labours ‘One Nation’ infiltrators. They split from Labour, the original players were ex-Labour MPs. Which illustrates the same thinking that we get from the Conservative ‘One Nation’ desenters. Left Wing and Socialist throwing a tantrum. They should be honest with themselves and integrate with Labour
July 9, 2024
This is why they failed so badly. Not listening to experienced members of their party is a disgrace and shows their arrogance. No good blaming Reform. Thank goodness they have stepped in to give us some hope. If they were not about what is left of the Tory Party would go on in the same way and completely obliterate itself. It needs to take advice from older, more senior, members who have seen many governments in action and know how to avoid the sort of position we now find ourselves in. The older generation is not respected as it should be. Experience is more important than a new kid on the block which seems to have been going on for far too long.
July 9, 2024
Again, we may regress 50 years and look at another passage in Enoch Powell’s celebrated resignation letter: “The election will in any case be essentially fraudulent; for the object of those who have called it is to secure the electorate’s approval for a position which the Government itself knows to be untenable, in order to make it easier to abandon that position subsequently.”
This rang just as true in 2024, with an added twist by way of further fraud. It is increasingly difficult to avoid concluding that a parallel object of those who called it was to ensure they would lose it. In Powell’s words: “unworthy of British politics, and dangerous to Parliament itself.”
July 9, 2024
I agree. They WANTED to lose, so Labour would have to deal with the shambles they’ve created. But they didn’t want to be obliterated: they miscalculated on Nigel/Reform which is why – when they realised the usual “Labour will be worse” wasn’t working – they got their pals in the MSM to orchestrate several hit jobs.
It still didn’t work because the people who switched to Reform are wise to the propaganda and now largely ignore the blatantly biased MSM.
July 9, 2024
Indeed. Reform have 4 years to drive home the lies, propaganda and self interest of the UniParty. No longer will it be able to ignore English people’s rights and interests. Come the next election we will have the choice of a real Conservative Party.
July 9, 2024
Excellent. Spot on.
July 9, 2024
There is nothing new under the sun.
July 9, 2024
Interesting we are seeing statements that the new leader must pull all parts of the party together. Another way of saying āwe wets have to be listened toā
Maybe instead of forcing a leader to trim, they should change to reflect the views of the public.
Unfortunately to many we voters are akin to something you tread in so I am not holding my breath.
July 9, 2024
āwe wets have to be listened toā well they do seem to be about 100 of the 121 Tory MPs.
July 9, 2024
The OBR are ostensibly independent but have poor quality models. How would you, as a minister, change their methods without giving the impression you were cooking the books?
July 9, 2024
Sir John has detailed his approach on other blogs. Make them run the models historically and change where necessary, until the known result is reflected. Then you have a chance of the forecast being in the right ballpark.
July 9, 2024
A shout out to Lee Anderson, the one person to show real courage and rewarded by re election.
Given the Deputy Chairsā job a naked sop to the party right and to keep him quiet.
It highlights the cowardice on all those MPs on the Right now bleating that they werenāt listened to. An accommodation with Farage could have meant more right leaning representation in the House. Instead they chose to commit Hari Kari in the name of party loyalty. Self indulgent to the end.
Our host, at least made some disapproving noises and given his longevity of service has earned an honourable retirement but looking at it another way, the One Nation group has succeeded. They forced a ādinosaurā to walk away.
July 9, 2024
Most people understand āpeople traffickingā as the movement of people, AGAINST their will, from one country to another, to then be exploited and controlled by gangs in low paid, or sex, work. This is not what is happening with the boats. Instead of saying āpeople traffickingā (which suggests you just need to find and stop the ātraffickersā), it should be āillegal migrationā. But this, of course, means admitting you need to deter people from coming here illegally. And politicians of the uni-party canāt, and wonāt, do that.
July 9, 2024
Donāt you know that itās people-traffickingā? Oh hell – if you donāt know the ABC you canāt possibly read. Why do you think āmodern slaveryā is so much discussed? They are slaves, in the U.K. while the whites apologise for stopping the historic slave trade in 1833.
July 9, 2024
Your comments are getting more bizarre by the day. People are coming here voluntarily looking for a better life. When they get here they work – not for a gang master or in modern slavery. Perhaps you watch too much crime on the tv.
July 9, 2024
My principal point is that calling it people trafficking and trying to prevent it by catching the ātraffickersā is just deflection, obfuscation and an excuse for doing nothing.
July 9, 2024
Yes, I’m afraid Sir JR the party of which you were once a valuable member turned into a party of absolute fools. Following hippy drippy current fads and forgetting how to govern for the silent majority.
The conservatives deserved their recent fate. Hopefully from the ashes will rise a Phoenix called a Centre Right Conservative party.
July 9, 2024
I agree with everything youāve said but in the main, one-nation is the disenfranchisement of the tory member & tory voter
July 9, 2024
The common factor about these Ministers was not that they were ‘One Nation’ Conservatives. Kemi Badenoch (Business Minister) and probably some others would technically say they are not members of the One Nation group. What unites them is that they were all following, indeed subservient to, Civil Service advice. Very few Ministers over the years, the good ones (Nigel Lawson, Michael Howard and recently Suella Braverman) have overridden the Civil Service to impose their own political agenda. This is continuing with the new Labour government. Rachel Reeves has already been persuaded to waste fortunes on funding 300 extra Planning Officers to speed up their planning decisions when she could have not spent the money but just fined Councils Ā£30,000 each (to match fines they can inflict on individual landlords) for late planning decisions with the provision that such fines could not be passed on to their Council tax payers bur only paid for via capital asset sales. That would have guaranteed success in speeding up planning which the civil service notion of employing more planning officers won’t.
July 9, 2024
Sir John
I donāt think I am alone in thinking āOne Nationā stood the closet Socialists who believed it is the World order defined by bureaucrats that should dictate to Nations, their āOne nationā – meaning them personaly.
To that end they where and still are fighting Democracy, the purpose of Democracy and seeking to carry out retributive punishment on all those that considers all people āfreeā and Sovereign.
What they never were is Conservative.
July 9, 2024
+1 One World Nation – for One World Government. They knew China would resist because it wants to rule the World in their own way. So they intended to isolate China and attack it, but Putin threw a spanner in the works and now BRICS is bigger than the Gs.
The Globalists have lost. hurrah!
July 9, 2024
What is your position on Net Zero policy Sir John?
July 9, 2024
I read an article in The Guardian yesterday. It focused on a visit, prior to the election, by the journalist to 3 constituencies around Milton Keynes. He focused on what he said was a surge in support for Labour. Labour won all three of them.
I looked up the results.
A āsurgeā of about 4% for Labour.
A collapse of about 22% for Conservatives.
I donāt know what anyone can do, if Mr. Redwood cannot, to make these āone nationā half-wits realise THEY LOST the election. Labour did not win it.
If you want high immigration, high taxes and public sector that exists to serve itself – you vote Labour. When are these one nation wets going to realise that?
July 9, 2024
We will have to keep teaching them the lesson by cutting their support and returning fewer and fewer MPs. I had hoped to do a more comprehensive job this time around. But until they are all sacked, like Liz Truss, they simply will not believe it.
July 9, 2024
Sir John
As you suggested in your last paragraph and as was carried out previously, they set out to distort not reinforce Democracy. They wanted Democracy on their terms, with themselves personally as the masters of the Universe.
They would fight Democracy with campaigns of fear, when in reality they were just fighting the people.
Democracy has many flaws but it is infinitely safer than the system these demigods of the falsely named āOne Nationā Socialist cabal would wish to impose on people ā are any of them any different to Putin, Hussain even?
The Socialist dictatorial takeover was nearly complete. The People didn’t vote Labour, they voted against a ‘Con’ Party flying under false colours even then knowing that under Labour the punishment will be greater – but to a degree it will be more honest, Labour is Socialism.
July 9, 2024
One would expect, given “the 1922 Committee and its policy committees had not been consulted on the Manifesto”, that the One Nation gang would now willingly own the outcome they did so much to craft. Might we though expect (and hope) that Merkel-like, when remedy to EU failures was always “more Europe”, they will do so by doubling down on their folly and so disappear entirely at the next election?
July 9, 2024
Thank you for your diary entry today John which explained why over 4.1 million people voted for Reform UK.
July 9, 2024
10 million voted for Le Pen in France. Reform has a way to go. There is much that is not acceptable.
July 9, 2024
17,410,742 voted for Brexit, Farage has not taken a great % with him. Maybe we have to acknowledge that it was Tory and Labour voters who voted for Brexit? And now they want their parties back!
July 9, 2024
Brexit was a VERY minor issue in this election, perhaps you didn’t pay attention – it was a single subject Ref!
July 9, 2024
Why would you think that? The Tory vote HALVED between 2019 and 2024. Labourās vote went down from 10.6 million to 9.9 million. Who knows how many would have voted Reform if our FPTP voting system did not make so many votes meaningless.
July 9, 2024
That’s a lot to disagree with although it is but a fraction of what most people complained about and saw as evil within the controlling echelon of the Tory party..
One Nation Conservatism has a lot to answer for – It is yet another form of unthinking ideology that makes less of the national identity and creates problems that should never have existed.
We can see now that the handover of power to Labour was deliberate and planned. Whether it was down to things like netzero becoming obviously too costly and very hard for a Tory regime to defend is debateable, but certainly Sunak gave power away too easily with no preparations.
Similar accusations can be made against Macron, for now we are in line with France, both with a hard left government that will make life intolerable for most of us, while pushing us down the path to a one world order, which we seem to have no way of fighting against.
Oh for the joys to come – ha
July 9, 2024
I am 80 and a life long Conservative supporter until Cameron appeared on the scene. All the reasons, which you put forward for resigning, are the reasons why I could not support the Conservatives again. I voted Reform. Common sense both human and business has disappeared from the Conservative psyche.
July 9, 2024
+1
July 9, 2024
I think we need to ditch both terms ‘ONE NATION’ and ‘LIBERTARIAN’
When Libertarians think of ‘One Nation’ they think of ‘wets’ (and bureaucratic lawyer types).
When One-nationers think of Libertarians they think of psychopaths (and greedy capitalists).
Instead, let’s go for Entrepreneurial-Cultural Conservatism.
Name says it all:
1) Conservatives who are ENTREPRENEURIAL / business-minded in a practical and creative way. Including a particular focus on helping to build up our high tech industry even more – with great jobs and exports.
2) Conservatives who are CULTURAL. Who strongly support (and work with through politics) our Judaeo-Christian heritage (including ideas of work ethic and personal responsibility, family, community and country – patriotism – and a particular focus on Edmund Burke) and the churches, the Armed Forces (and National Service – at least for 3 months and voluntary to start off with), who strongly support British Arts (including promoting the study and enjoyment of Shakespeare, Sport (and the idea of healthy competition in general), and more green and quiet spaces in our cities and towns.
July 9, 2024
And you think the One Nation Conservatives will sign up to that? š¤Æ
July 9, 2024
Fair point. Not easy. But I’m saying it’s the best manifesto vision for the Tory Party going forwards.
I’ve never supported One Nation Conservatism nor Libertarianism but rather Conservatism that is focused on ENTREPRENEURS / HIGH TECH and on CONSERVATIVE CULTURAL VALUES (promoting of – not just focusing on Conservative political values – the two go together and bolster each other).
And that is also PRAGMATIC. Brexit is a GREAT idea – but in theory only. It has to be framed in pragmatic reality: 1. You have a strong leader to implement it 2. The country can afford it 3. You have a proper plan to implement it. We had none of those (really) which is why Brexit has been a failure (at least according to Farage). I mean what I say here is not revolutionary thinking or rocket-science. It’s exactly the same approach you’d apply to setting up a business or organising a military operation.
July 9, 2024
From Cameron to Sunak, we have not had a conservative PM lead a conservative government. In your days as an MP, you constantly highlighted what a conservative government should be doing, and they all took no notice.
The GE wipeout was richly deserved because they were a labour-light government refusing to tackle GOVERNMENT SPENDING to cut taxes, doing nothing about immigration despite the manifesto in 2010,2015 and 2019 promising to do so, and generally ignoring their voters. If Sunak did not consult MPs on the 2024 manifesto and the GE date then he deserved to lose. I hope we can get rid of the one-nation conservatives who are responsible for this mess. We need to be a proper Conservative Party and eventually government that is in the centre ground which is well to the right of where they have been for the last 14 years. In government, they have to be tough and reverse what Labouir have done and will do over the next five years. Let’s have a real bonfire of Quangos and return power to Parliament from both Quangos and Judges.
July 9, 2024
All you have said in this post confirms to me my view that I have held for some time, that the ‘Conservative’ party is composed of two entirely different parties which should now go their separate ways. Any attempt by a so called to keep them together ‘Unity’ leader is doomed to failure.
July 9, 2024
What’s left of the Tories aren’t going to change their stance in future. So if we disagree with them, who is going to vote for them again? Not me.
July 9, 2024
From what I can gather, One Nation comprises the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the regions of a nation once known as England.
England was balkanised by Labour (actually started by Major) and the balkanisation was exacerbated by the Conservatives under Cameron, who foisted unwanted elected mayors on English cities that had rejected them in local referenda. These city mayors then became Regional mayors and PCCs were imposed across England too. Cumbria was divided with a north to south border creating two unitary authorities that had been rejected in a local referendum.
England is the only country in the world without its own elected assembly and the only UK country never to have been asked, as a nation about devolution, never mind independence.
Instead, English political opinion, indeed NY opinion, has been ridden roughshod over.
No party with MPs at Westminster cares a jot about English people. In fact, all MPs give the impression they hate the English.
July 9, 2024
Well said. England’s destruction and the English peoples identity is now under Starmer to be speeded. And even our host is not interested. He gave up the subject long ago after deciding there was nothing in it for him.
I would ask Mr Farage to take up the subject.
Reply I was a realist fighting many other battles with a government that had no interest in England with an Opposition who want to break it up.
July 9, 2024
Much truth in this.
July 9, 2024
The ‘One Nation’ advocated by D’Israeli in 1872, was one nation of all social classes, nothing to do with the countries of the United kingdom.
July 9, 2024
Dear Mr. Redwood,
Did the Conservative party have a 2024 manifesto? I am struggling to think of a single policy or aim in it, so useless and ineffectual has the party become.
The disagreements you had with the ruling One-Nation caucus perhaps serves to confirm that many people who were naturally inclined to vote Conservative but voted for Reform were correct to do so. Asking people to continue to vote Conservative to prevent a Labour super-majority was an act of utter desperation and an insult to the intelligence of voters.
The election was brought forward. Was this done deliberately to sideline the 1922 Committee and the usual dialogue? I think I am correct in saying Mr. Sunak visited King Charles to seek a dissolution of Parliament before telling his cabinet that he had called a snap election.
The One-Nation lot have got their just rewards. Arrogant and out of touch, even now, I am sure they are planning how they can fix the Conservative party leadership contest so that they obtain their preferred candidate – perhaps by excluding those pesky Conservative party members for good.
July 9, 2024
The ones that stood out for me were compulsory national service or voluntary work for a year for all 18-year-olds. 2.5m more NHS dental appointments through its Dental Recovery Plan. Utilising Pharmacies more.
July 9, 2024
In my view the “one nation” conservatives forgot which nation they were obligated to and focused instead on serving the interests of every other nation, supernational body and minority.
The Labour party is no different – one nation’s flag was notable by it’s absence from the crowd greeting Starmer’s entry to Downing Street.
July 9, 2024
I have said here before, the electorate gets the Government it deserves.
Sadly, this means the present left-of-centre concensus as expounded by the three largest parties with almost nothing between them on policy. Only Reform offers something different.
We will have to see who is elected as Conservative party leader. This is crucial.
Given the make up of the party now in Parliament, I suspect that the MPs will ensure that membership is only given a choice between two different One-Nation Conservatives. If that is the case, the membership will be completely at odds with the parliamentary party and I suspect many will boycott the leadership election and not cast their vote.
The remaining “proper Conservatives”, those in the Thatcherite mode, should then move to Reform en bloc and they will be joined by thousands of ordinary members of the Conservative party. The Conservatives will then be nothing more than LibDim/Labour Lite and it will have no political future.
I am not currently a member of any political party, but I have always supported the Conservative party and canvassed for it at General Elections. I am sad that it has come to this, but if a Wet is elected leader, I will definitely be joining Reform and become active for that party. Reform will then be the only way we can achieve a rIght of centre government.
July 9, 2024
Hi sir John
It sounds as if we are more DOOMED than I
Thought,
we don’t seem to have the political expertise in the people running the country
Trouble is they can’t blame the EU for their mistakes. In some cases we need to be more like Poland and Ireland
Thank you
July 9, 2024
The criticisms Sir John raises in his post today I fully agree with . It only goes to show that sensible views by Tory MPs were ignored by 10 Downing St . We now face at least 5 years of Labour mayhem and as an aged pensioner I quake in my boots .
July 9, 2024
Aye, not in agreement with much, a lot of voters felt exactly the same, hence the loss of power and a humiliating defeat for the Tory One Nationers.
In Australia one of their amusing road signs is “Wrong Way, Go Back” … entirely apposite to the Rishi led ex-government imvho.
Labour now have the right to govern and fail (or no) and so we watch and wait…. also how might a functioning ‘conservative’ political party may develop is also anyone’s guess.
July 9, 2024
Well the reasoned opposition to the Wetās agenda has been chronicled on this blog on a daily basis. When JR says āI opposed this and thatā, itās not hindsight, itās proof that he was right and they were and are wrong and always will be wrong, because these are truly limited people with room for only one idea in their heads.
But for the wide-boys who wanted a political career, and donāt really have any politics, kow-towing to the wet agenda was the obvious ladder to climb.
Only the electorate, and more specifically the Conservative voters could kick that ladder away – and as soon as Brexit was not the prize worth swallowing all the rest of the junk to achieve, we did that with gusto.
Itās disappointing to see the reaction of many commentators on this blog, distracted by fiddle faddle – change the voting system – instead all we need to do is change the politics on offer. We know that offering even a proportion of Conservative policies won a lot of votes for Reform.
Imagine what the full, proper, capitalist, democratic, Conservative agenda would do!
Keep that flame safe, never allow anything to distract you from the politics. I donāt care about the name, or the address of HQ, or the history (which has been throttled), I care only for the politics.
Letās beat the bāstards with our invincible weapon which is our politics that serve the British people.
July 9, 2024
One Nation = One Government = Communism and/or WEF Feudalism and these people know that the way to power is to give their populations unending manufactured crisis from which they clamour to be saved.
Youāve again omitted Sir John the most important manufactured crisis, Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming (CAGW), where the IPCC science (āthe Scienceā) says that a doubling of CO2 produces a mere 1.2 degrees C increase in global temperature (IPCC WG1 P95 footnote). Happer & Wijngaarden calculate 0.7 degrees C.
Peace = war. Hence Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine to save democracy.
Freedom = Slavery. Hence lockdowns, C40 cities and Net Zero ending affordable and plentiful energy, food and travel to save the planet.
Strength = Ignorance. Hence the attack on private education and state education transitioning from teaching the ā3 Rsā to CRT, DEI etc.
Meritocracy = diversity. Forced replacement of meritocracy with diversity to destroy tolerance, capability and cohesion and overload the infrastructure and institutions. Hence mass immigration of alien cultures. You can take people out of the third world but you cannot take the third world out of these people.
Prosperity = Net Zero. The impossibility of unnecessary Net Zero is designed to destroy the Westās wealth and democracy. The One Nationers have no issue with China emitting CO2 as they are already an authoritarian state and CAGW does not exist.
July 9, 2024
Sir John
If the media is to be believed ā today Blair has told us all and Starmer that immigration has to be controlled and that Taxes will have to go up!
I thought we got rid of him and his vanity.
Andā¦ as we know what is referred to as āOne Nationā is juts his disciples keeping the UK on the path to decline. No controlled expenditure just tax & borrowing increases in leu of real earnings and a real economy.
In a similar vein as reported elsewhere āHad the UK economy grown at the average rate of OECD economies since 2010, it would have been over Ā£140billion larger.ā – Meaning, āThis could have brought in an additional Ā£58billion in tax revenues last year alone to sustain our public services. It falls to this new Government to fix the foundations.ā
Blair, Brown, Cameron, May, Johnson then topped off by Sunak all āOne Nationā Socialists PMās all manipulating decline to stroke their own personal esteem. Not one prepared to hear, listen or work with the People of the UK
July 9, 2024
from the me why are we being punished year in year out?
David Starkey: Starmer is like a ājunior Gordon Brownā
David Starkey, the prominent historian, suggested Sir Keir Starmer is like a ājunior Gordon Brownā.
Addressing this morningās Popular Conservatism event in Westminster, Mr Starkey said: āIt is vital to recognise Starmer is not very clever, he is a little bit like a junior Gordon Brown and like Gordon Brown he is very thin-skinned.
āHumour, wit, cleverness, fleetness of foot, needling, will get that man.ā
July 9, 2024
But then Starkey also said āSunak is cleverā when in fact he falls into the ātrainableā category. Heās a slogger. Heās not a thinker. Farage is the same. They can learn the words, they canāt make them up.
So Starkey is often wrong.
July 9, 2024
@Lynn Atkinson – I will now seemingly contradict myself. We do not want what is considered careerist as MP’s, along for the ride as no one will employ them. We need half the number of MPs we have got all paid at a professional rate and 2 year terms of service. That way there maybe someone that is good enough to be a proper PM.
Also needs to be drummed out of the heads of those that swan around the Palace of Westminster, is that tax is not income it is just that tax on income. Remove by way of tax money from the economy you squeeze and cause inflation in the economy – as Sunak/Hunt has just proved, and the OBR ignored. The other phrase all Politicians must stop using as they are making themselves look sillier than a kindergarten kid – ‘Government Money’ they don’t have any, in the UK there is no such thing. They simply have with the force of the Laws they make, access to our wallets
July 9, 2024
Sir John
Sorry for posting quotes from the Media, but a lot of commentators see the fault line that most of your contributors do – are we saying good bye to the Conservative Party?
PopCon director questions approach and direction of Conservative Party
The director of the Popular Conservatism group said the Conservative Party was āin danger of replicating the centralised, detached, arrogant and unresponsive practices and structures that have become endemic in the state itselfā.
Mark Littlewood said: āThe man in Whitehall knows best is mirrored by the man in CCHQ knows best.ā
Mr Littlewood also said that Reformās rise and performance at the general election had effectively been the āfaultā of the Conservative Party after it āvacatedā political territory which Nigel Farage moved into.
July 9, 2024
Obviously. The Wets made Farage.
July 9, 2024
@Lynn Atkinson – who else would have opened the door
July 9, 2024
Well said, John!
A One Nation Conservative Party, is a party of the Center – Left, with State based solutions, and not empowering individuals to solve it for themselves! And, that’s a polite description!
I agree with the People that say Devolution will undermine GB, and so will need to be got rid of! But, I fear it’s now too late, Labour are going to push it more! Power grab by Welsh Labour! E.g English Mayors only, today at Number 10!
As you will know; I’m a supporter of empowering Individual solutions using a Free Market model, with real Regulation, protecting the British Interest! Making a Free Market open/work for everyone; Providing Opportunity, individual wealth generation, Saves, Deposits,… and, in time, low Taxes!
The lack of support for Port Talbot Steel works, was the last straw! From a British Interest test!
The need for State support, for a new Blast Furnace, was the result of years of neglect! The Lack of a Cheap Energy Strategy, Conversion to Gas?, the lack of access to World Markets (The EU is too protected!), the lack of Development (Technology; the future is Blast and Arc, a mix),… It has not being done; British Steel, Corus, Tata Steel! Their focus has been all to narrow, Internal,… The key is how does the State support, and ensure, its development? A Laissez-faire attitude is going to undermine the British Interest, we will just lose the asset (high value jobs for individuals), the supply of high quality steel to British Industry, the MOD, and external company’s looking for that guaranteed supply! All instead of Importing an alternative Supply!
So, a Free Marketeer can act in the British Interest!
Just an example!
Not to mention their attitude to the Self Employed, Contractors, and Family SME! Now we are stuck with IR35!
Hope this adds something!
RDM.
July 9, 2024
Sir John,
Is the media is tuned into to your thoughts?
G7 real GDP percentage change compared with pre-pandemic level Q1 2024 compared with Q4 2019, OECD stats
US 8.7 %
Canada 5.1 %
Italy 4.6 %
Eurozone 3.4%
Japan 2.5%
France 2.2%
UK 1.7%
Germany 0.3%
Then āHad the UK economy grown at the average rate of OECD economies since 2010, it would have been over Ā£140billion larger.ā ā Meaning, āThis could have brought in an additional Ā£58billion in tax revenues last year alone to sustain our public services. It falls to this new Government to fix the foundations.ā
The figures speak volumes, Blair, Brown, Cameron, May, Johnson then topped off by Sunak all āOne Nationā Socialists PMās have brought about not managed decline but damaging decline. They all saw tax as earnings that were achieved remotely from the economy.
July 9, 2024
Seems pretty clear to me, Sir John, that you should follow conservatism which, having been deserted by the Conservative Party, has found a new home in Reform UK. They could do with your experience as a former minister. In opposition to Labour, the Lib Dems and Wet Conservatives I am sure will find your opinion, alas no longer that of an MP, aligning with Reform on every significant issue.
July 9, 2024
So you did not read yesterdays post.
July 9, 2024
I see that Labour are following in the same footsteps of the Tories appointing more peers to the Lords ā¦the lords are a one-nation unelected & undemocratic house
July 9, 2024
What you mean is the Globalalist one world supports, and if you do not conform as a country we will sanction or bomb you, this country voted for Brexit so you need to be taught a lesson which the last government failed to do on behalf of the Globalalist because they could not begin themselves to do what they wanted so the Golbalalist ordered a change over to Labour to finish the job.
All I can say to you is strap in and hold tight, the Golbalalist are going for it. This will mean the end of the Labour party as well.
July 9, 2024
Do you think the One Nation people will lean in towards their true home in the LibDems? Which LibDem policies do One Nation MPs disagree with?
July 9, 2024
Very good summation Sir John but why not call them by their correct name ‘Remainers’, or anti-democratic anti-Brexit people?
July 9, 2024
Well you certainly made your stand at the right time. At 73 years of age , you probably have already said all you believe in. In about 20-30 years time someone somewhere will be introducing your ideas as theirs and claiming newness and superintelligence. I have observed that (along with many others ) that there is more to political sway than being sensible and doing and saying the right things. People still obsess about party gate and cite that as a cause for tory loss . I really don’t think so.. the media hype there was designed to make the Tories look bad. I mean of course it shouldn’t have happened , but is of little consequence in overall management. Actually the Tories did a good job of managing the pandemic and didn’t leave the nation floundering .
No one likes losing or being downtrodden by the majority ( even if the majority are wrong and that is often the case due to the sweep of opinion and wrong designation of cause and effect) What I have seen though John is your willingness, not to cover up your losses in argument , which is a healthy outlook.
July 9, 2024
š¤®they destroyed capital and business that had taken generations to accumulate and build. The suicide rate was enormous! Our children will never be what they would have been – we inculcated them with fear for their own people. Johnsonās destruction will takes generations to pay for.
People could not visit their own families in homes or hospitals, they could not have funerals, their little children did in hospital alone while the parents were kept away.
We will not even think about the 3 million excess deaths worldwide – the experts say from the MRNA shots. Another family member diagnosed with cancer yesterday.
And you say āit was nothingā. Have some cake – itās a work event!
Wow!
July 9, 2024
Rate cut coming July.
July 9, 2024
I see there are just two candidates to lead the 1922, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Bob Blackman.
Both voted Leave, and Bob Blackman was a member of the European Research Group, not sure about Clifton-Brown.
but is either a One Nation type ?
July 9, 2024
Bob Blackman was elected to chair the 1922.
July 10, 2024
1922 election – Yes, and even that procedure & how the voting slot / timings seemed to have been messed around with, left questions to be answered, as discussed last evening 09 July by Mark Francois on GB News ( Patrick Christys )
July 9, 2024
If only the Conservative Party had more Ministers like yourself Mr Redwood, you are a big loss to your constituency and an even bigger loss to the Conservative Party who appear to have lost their way, I still feel the One Nation Liberals are still too arrogant to see why they suffered such a massive defeat at this election.
July 10, 2024
Well said – totally agree.
I do not understand why the majority of Conservative MPs were happy to follow the course they took. It is strange they did not attempt different policies – particularly to cut immigration and prevent illegal immigration – that could increase their popularity with potential Conservative voters – instead they were content to carry on letting down their electorate and lose their seats. This is not normal.
I conclude there is some other non-conservative agenda at play, and that the Conservative party has been infiltrated by non-conservatives over a long period who have gained control of candidate selection, and are now in a majority in the party and therefore not easily removed. They want to take conservative votes under false pretences in order to deny such voters conservative policies. As a result trust has been lost.
There is no future for the conservative party unless it aligns with Conservative voters and Brexit – but as the non-conservative majority are in control and on a mission to drag it further leftwards – and there is no solution with their presence – I suggest the few actual conservative MPs get their Local Associations to disassociate from the central party and form a coalition with Reform (and encourage other local associations to do the same).
July 10, 2024
We have Business Ministers?