The leadership contenders for the Conservatives need to own Brexit, be proud of Brexit and say how government should now use the Brexit freedoms to make us more prosperous and successful.
Brexit is only done in a legal sense, and is still encumbered with an EU Agreement that damages Northern Ireland. So far government has failed to change EU taxes, refused to amend their austerity economic controls, Ā repealed very little of their excessive anti innovation and enterprise regulations, and has stayed wedded to some of their worst net zero, fishing and farming policies. Despite all this our service sector trade has boomed, we have joined the TPP, we are now saving Ā£12 bn a year on contributions and have avoided our share of the huge Euro 800 bn debt the EU is now running up.
If we look at the history Conservatives won a decent majority in 2015 greatly helped by the pledge to hold an EU referendum. Some Ā Conservatives helped secure a decisive Ā win on a big turnout in the referendum, whilst the leadership wrongly backed the losing side and then resigned. Mrs May tried to give us Brexit in name only and lost the majority as a result and from wider misjudgements in her manifesto Ā in the stupid 2017 election. In 2019 Conservatives swept to a big win on the single slogan of Get Brexit done. In 2024 the party playing down Brexit and signing the damaging Windsor framework went down to a huge defeat for that and other related reasons.The failure Ā to change EU economic style controls, the refusal to exercise our new ability to control our borders Ā and bad Central banking led to a big loss of support on the back of an avoidable inflation and real income squeeze.
So history tells us the Conservatives back Brexit or they lose. It is curious that the only one of the 6 leadership hopefuls to have voted Leave, voted against the May sell outs and not supported the Windsor framework is removed first by the MPs. In the next rounds they need to make sure chosen candidates are now proud we can govern ourselves again, and keen to show how we can do so much better if we stop modelling our laws and taxes on a failing EU model. They should start by asking why GDP per head in the US is double the EU average.
It was notable in the last eight years how the most talented and dedicated Brexiteers like David Jones, William Cash, Iain Duncan Smith, Mark Francois, Craig Macinkay, Marcus Fysh and others were not used in Ministerial roles to drive through the benefits we all saw from the freedoms.
September 6, 2024
Good morning.
It is good Sir John that you can now speak more freely now that you are no longer and MP and that, whilst at the time you were and MP you had to support your Leader(s) (gosh there were so many /sarc š ) but I seem to remember that you rather tried to put too much of a positive spin the day after that defeat. Yes it was a defeat ! The idea was to win a majority, not bloody lose one. So a little bit of consistancy would be nice š
We also must remember, whist still under the, Mrs. May regime, for that is what it was, the Conservative Party lost the Euro Elections. You were all but wiped out ! But your party did not learn its lesson then or afterwards. It, through the likes of Alexander Johnson led the people to believe it was serious about truly LEAVING the Stupid Club. And then there was the further betral of the Westminster Agreement. Surely, looking back, it would have been better had you and others followed the advice of Dr. Richard North and just gone for an EEA Agreement. Yes, you would still have EU immigration as an issue but, both at the time and even now, non-EU migration is running far, far higher. In fact, it sky-rocketed post the Glorious Referendum ! Now thanks to a Labout Government, we are pretty much back to where we were.
There are none so deaf who refuse to listen !
Reply. I consistently argued for the WTO No Deal option , the only MP who did.
September 6, 2024
They have still not learned their lesson even now. Not one of the leadership challengers is sound but then so few of the MPs voting are sound. They are even all either, A. so daft they truly believe in the Net Zero and the insane Energy Policy, B or they are just lying to appeal to the 121 MPs.
September 6, 2024
Rather depressing that (lefty, net zero loon – in my view) Robert Jenrick is now favourite. I too suspect he will indeed win. But then how could any sensible leader lead these essentially 121 Libdims and green loon socialists anyway in a sensible direction?
Also very depressing that Kamala is now only just behind Trump in the odds. But I still think Trump will just abour edge it unless it is rigged. He certainly should win. This if only for his sensible climate realism (and his appealing general modesty).
September 6, 2024
I find it astonishing that someone who is an intellectual snob – who is obsessed with the university that someone attended and the degree they have – supports Trump (who would struggle to pass GCSE Maths at āOā Level) for president of the USA.
September 6, 2024
You are impertinent. Trump is a very gifted and hardworking man. Moreover he is honest! He has run and grown a huge business. Now look at the alternative. Harris is less articulate than Biden, at least he has the excuse of dementia. Donāt tell me Iām wrong – the US authorities state that he cannot be indicted because of his dementia.
September 6, 2024
Well he has worked out that Net Zero is a scam & for that alone he is worth voting for – v. modest with it too!
Similarly the 121 Tories, Labour. the LibDims and all the would be leaders of the Tories are very pro the total insanity net zero and so all unsuitable to vote for and either very dim or liars.
I am not obsessed with the university that someone attended nor the degree they have, BUT different types of people do choose rather different degrees. I rather like having my energy systems, aircraft, bridges, buildings and operations… designed and built by people with the right aptitudes and skills. Rarely would this be a politics, grievance or media studies graduate from the ex-poly of Bognor.
A joke for you – well perhaps? How do you tell if someone went to Oxbridge? Don’t worry they will always tell within about five minutes!
September 6, 2024
Plus One
September 7, 2024
Yes, you are wrong Lynn.
In the 08/02/2024 Special Counsel Report on Biden keeping classified documents at his Delaware home in 2022 there was no mention of dementia. First he had the authority to have these documents as Vice-President then President, second the report states that āit would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict (him) of a serious felony that requires a mental state of wilfulnessā.
September 6, 2024
Too many things are coming out about Robert J now.
I still think the plan is Tudgendhat and if they can’t achieve that by putting him up against RJ it could be Badenhoch who Gove/Cummings etc support. I’d like to know who the top four team would be under their leadership. Who would be Chancellor, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary with each choice, if they won’t tell us at least their Chancellor then how can anyone make a conscious decision Sunak has taught us the Chancellor can bring down any PM of choice anyway.
September 6, 2024
But Brexit in practise was a daft idea in the first place (GREAT idea in theory – Sovereignty is gold).
Not hard to see foresee that Brexit would fail (as Farage says it has) – certainly immigration is way up (including from non-European countries). Because there was 1. No leader, 2. No proper plan in place 3. and not the wealth in the country to support the transition from Brexit to Sovereignty).
It’s Harry Potter to think Brexit would take care of itself once voted through and everything would go honky dory. You need leadership to implement. Without leadership you got nothing. And you need a proper plan (like in business – a really detailed business plan) which is connected to proper leadership. And you need the money as well (like starting up a business).
None of this was in place. So it was inevitable Brexit would fail (and we could EASILY return to the EU – not a great idea now we’re out but a possibility).
Instead of Brexit back then, we should have focused on a plan for Brexit. 1) By building up our economy (in particular through building up our high tech industry). 2. Making Brexit popular (Brexit is a GREAT idea but so often immature, hissy-fit, negative arguments were used – attacking and berating Remainers instead of winning them over!). If we’d done more to win over Remainers, we could have found a proper leader from one of them to help lead Brexit. So 3) Time to find a proper leader. 4) Time to put together a proper business plan.
So Brexit has been a flop to a degree. Inevitable as gravity. Like in Business or a Military Campaign, you’ve got to have the leadership, proper planning and finance in place.
It’s not too late to make a success of Brexit, but we’ve got to admit what went wrong before we can begin to do that.
September 6, 2024
Ah – had we not governed out]rselves successfully for 800 years I might have red more than the fit]rest line of your post. But you see, the evidence is against you 100%
The experiment of forcing different nations into one country was doomed from the start. The CIA does not understand that because it has no experience of a nation (I.e people who are related). They think that the real tag and bobtail who live in one place instantaneously become a ānationā. Eccentric view.
September 6, 2024
And people like you, EdM, have got to start reading what has gone right. Read up on what savings are being madeāthere are plenty! What new trading opportunities are opening up?
Food is not only more expensive in the EU than the UK but since Brexit the gap has widened. Read the ONS, Eurostat CPI Food and None Alcoholic Beverages 2010 to 2024.
Ā£3bn saving on Customs Union 75% of which would go to the EU if we hadn’t left.
Ā£1bn saving on plastic packaging fee.
Ā£2bn in additional tax revenue to spend on public services from Swiss equities story in Reuters.
You can read many more on the Gully Foyle account on X.
September 6, 2024
‘And people like you, EdM’ – you mean people who are strong supporters of Brexit in theory but as long as the timing is right?!
‘have got to start reading what has gone right’ – I’m not binary on Brexit. I agree with a lot of what you say. But I’m going on Farage to a degree (who says Brexit has been a failure). And also high immigration. And also that the Tory government wasted, to a degree, 14 years squabbling about Brexit and drained out by it (again NOT opposing Brexit in theory – but as long as it is feasible to implement successfully at a given time).
September 8, 2024
Farage! Hard Brexit favoured by Farage failed because too many Tories wanted to remain Brino, conjoined, just what Starmer is going to do which is why many of them stood aside. At first the Lib Demās in the Tory party thwarted every effort to secure the best deal for the UK. Then Boris, even though he was clear about what he was standing for in 2019 and was reflected with a large enough majority to achieve a good deal had too many sly operators moving against the course given to him by the electorate.
If Starmer overturns Erasmus and we have to start paying for EU students tuition and maintenance again in England and provide it free in Scotland then you know the first two stages of overturning Brexit is underway. As we have billions outstanding from this practice. The EU universities that want to could join Turing but they donāt want to because they donāt want to upfront the tuition costs and provide the loans.
September 6, 2024
“If weād done more to win over Remainers”
The only way to ‘win them over’ would be to re-enact the Treason Act and try anyone attempting to reverse the results of the 2016 referendum and at least one if not two elections, and compounding with a foreign power with the aim of overthrowing UK sovereignty and our constitutional settlement.
Parliamentarians would have no immunity. It would affect e.g. all those involved in the Benn Act, including the former Speaker.
September 6, 2024
Which brings us back to Reform LL. 5 years? is a long time. Let’s hope for an early election and a wiser electorate.
September 6, 2024
The Conservatives can hardly criticise Labour for Brexit after their first few months in power when the Conservative Party dragged its feet on the issue for so long.
It is not really surprising that Priti Patel is out of the running in a party that is now little different to the Liberal Democrats.
September 6, 2024
Indeed, it is surely impossible to lead these 121 mainly fake Conservatives in a sensible direction or to get into the last two is you push sensible policies. Braverman and Patel should perhaps move to Reform.
September 6, 2024
Mentioning moving to Reform, when might Sir John and his list of ‘talented and dedicated Brexiteers like David Jones, William Cash, Iain Duncan Smith, Mark Francois, Craig Macinkay, Marcus Fysh and others’ realise the only way to continue directing the politics they want is to team with Reform?
September 6, 2024
Reform the party of government with SirJ as chancellor …gets my vote
September 6, 2024
No. The Tories were pretty ineffective the last 14 years because they were squabbling and drained over Brexit (Covid didn’t help either).
September 6, 2024
People were happy with them within that 14 years, electing Boris as recently as 2019 with a good-sized majority. They screwed up after 2019, so four and a half years, not 14.
Boris wasn’t as great as he thought he was. The MPs who blocked Brexit squabbled and got him removed, removing the party from power. It all seems like a game to them and many already lined themselves up with other work before Sunak called the early election.
September 6, 2024
I don’t recollect any squabbling. None of the Tory MPs, well most, refused to support Brexit which is the reason for the “inevitable Brexit fail”.
September 7, 2024
They got everything wrong on Covid – the hige and long net harm lockdowns, the net harm vaccines, the vaccine origins, the suppression of free speech and the endless misguided propaganda and suppression of free speach, the dire NHS, the closing of healthcare and schoolsā¦
September 6, 2024
Itās a pity that the Conservative members didnāt get to vote on the candidates first and at each stage, rather than choosing between the MPs choice of the two left at the end. Perhaps, Priti would still be in the race?
September 6, 2024
R to R.
And in doing so you were 100% correct SJR.
September 6, 2024
The Ine Nation tories sabotaged a proper Brexit and left the door open for Starmergeddon to try and rejoin.
This alone is reason enough for us never to trust the tories again.
The potential leadership are ll wedded to EU membership and mass immigration so are irrelevant.
September 6, 2024
Rubbish. Brexiters need to grow and accept it was their fault too and the need to stop berating Remainers but to try and win them over! Otherwise it’s just nurseryroom hissy fits. ‘I’m right and you’re wrong. It’s sooo unfair. Boo hoo hoo hoo’
September 6, 2024
Accept the result of the Referendum! Stop whinging – you lost, you were WRONG – the evidence presented by JR above proves it! And we have only a fraction of the benefit we were entitled to have.
September 6, 2024
I support Brexit (in theory). Stop being so binary!
And I supported Brexit once the Referendum was won.
The problem in the UK is that many people both for and against Brexit were just arguing to be right – like nursery children – instead of arguing openly and objectively – like grown ups!
September 6, 2024
Pot, kettle Ed.
It’s not unfair; the Tories got their just desserts, and they’ll never get back into power if they don’t try to understand what went wrong after 2020.
September 6, 2024
I want Brexit perhaps more than most Brexiters!
But when the time is right. With a strong leader, plan and finance in place.
The sad thing is that so often people have to take an extreme position and stick to that like kids in a nursery school (‘I’m right / you’re wrong followed by hissy fit). Or else go to the other extreme, and just indifferent.
Instead of being subtle and objective and creative in thought (at least I try and be). That’s what leads ultimately to great success in business, the military and politics. Not squabbling.
September 8, 2024
Ed. I was on the fence on Brexit for a long time. My family split quite evenly in half on the matter. Once the majority view was delivered then for me it should have been full steam ahead to make the best for Britains place in the World. Even when presented with 60 benefits of Brexit, remain/rejoiners dont want to list to any of them just rebuffing all savings and opportunities that are opening up out of hand.
If Kemi hadnāt just overturned the revocation of Brussels legislation she would have been in top position for me because I think she seemed to have control of her brief then blew it. Without an explanation to people like me about going back on that then I hope she fails in her bid to be leader.
September 6, 2024
Right to reply – I note your stance on the WTO No Deal option, as every brexit voter expected …no one that voted for brexit expect an EU Deal, we expected to leave ‘full stop’
September 7, 2024
It was obvious at the time that No Deal would have been our best option. it might well have concentrated minds in Brussels, and led to us being offered a far more equal deal, although, given the animosity they demonstrated, I doubt that ! At least we wouldn’t have the terrible deal over NI.
September 6, 2024
@ Reply – and, very properly and to what would have been our great advantage, you said we should be out when when say we are out, rather than pander to Evil Empire notice-giving rules and timetables. If only!
September 6, 2024
@Mark B & Reply – the USA & China have WTO trade arrangements with the EU and have more reciprocal trade as a result. The UK version handicaps us all as it is one way, the EU to us, all take and no honest return
September 6, 2024
R2R Yes but May could have, indeed should have, had a plan, be it Swiss-type, EEA or no deal and negotiated it. She equivocated and shook like a jelly, giving no hint of her/our position. Stupid indeed on every level and the root of much of the current malaise.
September 7, 2024
Reply to reply – no Mr Redwood, you voted for Boris’s deal which betrayed Northern Ireland
Reply I did not. I was one of only 2 Conservative MPs who refused to vote for it.
September 7, 2024
Come on Lemming
Get your slurs right.
You owe our host an apology.
September 8, 2024
Apologise Lemming! False information.
September 6, 2024
Good Morning,
What an excellent summary, and what ALL those wannabe PM’s should say when asked why the Tories lost the last GE so catastrophically, instead of mumbling about Covid, Putin, immigration and parties.
The majority of the rump of the PCP is still in denial; local party members need to get hold of the candidate list and start selecting conservative candidates.
Yesterday Ms Coutinho and Sir Bernard Jenkins did a fair job of eviscerating the Miliband GB Energy Bill, calling it what it is, a fantasy plan with no substance or basis on real data. The dogma driven socialists from the typical supporters thought it was fantastic. We are heading rapidly toward becoming a banana republic economy.
September 6, 2024
“Ms Coutinho and Sir Bernard Jenkins did a fair job of eviscerating the Miliband GB Energy Bill, calling it what it is, a fantasy plan with no substance or basis on real data.”
Well perhaps, but the Sunak Tories and Coutinho were pushing entirely this agenda but with just a tiny dab on the brakes – we need an immediate hand brake turn. As any sensible & honest engineer, energy economist or physicist will tell you.
The dogma driven socialists circa 95% of Labour MPs and 85% of Tory MPs.
Why the Tories lost the election – they fooled the electorate four times with the endless lies in their manifestos that they did not even try to deliver. Finally the penny dropped and the electorate said we do not belief you. We do not believe you on immigration, on the Brexit, on tax levels, on public services, on the economy and we do not want Net Zero anyway.
We are just like Labour but not quite as bad was not every likely to win. Especially as they could now vote for Reform alas FPTP prevented them keeping Labour out.
September 6, 2024
I don’t disagree with your comments, other then I don’t recall the Tories actually suggesting anything akin to Miliband’s GB Energy fantasy.
I would however suggest a way to make use of GB Energy. Quite simply, establish it as an energy trading entity. Employ a few proven energy, oil and gas traders, give them the instruction that they must secure supply of gas and oil and refined products to match UK’s expected demand for the next 2,3,4,5 years by buying forward, hedging and other financial products. Over and above that they can trade for profit and bonuses. The objective being to secure supply at the lowest market prices over the longest term. Miliband could probably then deliver on his promise to reduce our energy costs.
September 6, 2024
Strange that back in 2015 Ed Miliband didn’t pledge nor include ‘net-zero’ or ‘climate-change’ or ‘renewable-energy’ on his stone plinth …..but he did mention point 4 Controls on Immigration https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32580534
September 6, 2024
Very depressing to see the vastly long, hugely delayed and largely misguided multi Ā£ million Grenfell Report.
See the BBC “Grenfell Report: Key findings from the inquiry” list from the BBC. They essentially get the emphasis totally wrong.
Main faults were:
1. It was idiotic to clad the building at all cost many millions energy saved far less than used to clad it.
2. Building such is should have two staircases set well apart.
3. The senior fire officers should not be total idiots (or educated into sheer stupidity) and then send people back to their flats or tell them to stay put in death traps long, long after the fire was clearly totally out of control (as was obvious to anyone sensible from one tiny glance at the TV pictures).
4. Fire and Building Control Regulators need to be competent and not bought by the industry. The same applies to the MHRA who are funded by big pharma with far larger & even more disastrous consequences with the dangerous and largely pointless Covid vaccines.
Finally yes if you really must clad a tall building for some reason then do use materially that does not burn and test this (this costs about Ā£100 and take 30 mins) before spending Ā£ millions doing so.
It was almost entirely circa 98% a failure of Government for the net zero/green loon group think, the fire brigade leaders, the fire and building regulators and the system of (partially bought) regulation. But they want to shift the blame entirely to the use of this cladding material. A page of A4 saying this a week or too after the tragedy and making these changes years ago would have been rather better value.
September 6, 2024
āThey should start by asking why GDP per head in the US is double the EU average.ā
Indeed less government and far cheaper energy and this higher GDP is despite an absurdly damaging legal system with far too much litigation, often very high crime levels and an absurdly expensive healthcare system too.
September 6, 2024
It’s essentially that Americans just work harder. More productive. Cultural mindset. I’d still rather be poorer and live in Europe with its old buildings and culture and beer on tap and local cheesemakers than in the crazy shopping malls and suburbs of the USA. Crazy place. Worked there during university. But great for a visit travelling around.
September 6, 2024
“In 2006, changes to UK building regulations, intended to facilitate greater energy efficiency at lower cost, arguably made combustible cladding and insulation in buildings over 18 m legal, and opened the way to its widespread use.” Wiki
“Composite panels were developed as a means of providing a cheap, lightweight, weather tight, insulated building envelope which could then be rapidly erected over the interior structure.” Lawcomm Solicitors
Buildings in London and all over the UK were expected to be improved with more insulation (cutting fuel bills), protection from the elements, noise control, and boosting the aesthetic of the brutalist concrete blocks.
The building owner chose to reclad it.
The sales people from the cladding company lied.
Building Fire retardent checks and regulations were insufficient.
From what I understand, the fire brigade says it wasn’t trained to deal with these types of high rise emergencies. Fire officers didn’t know the different types of hydrants and didn’t follow instructions to evacuate the top of the building, as people were already on their way down, and effective fire evacuation plans weren’t in place.
“A Freedom of Information request has revealed that 90 residential medium-rise buildings are clad with ACM ā the most dangerous form of flammable cladding.”
That’s what we should be concentrating on changing fast.
September 6, 2024
In the latter stages of the administration it was increasingly obvious that right wingers were being marginalised and Central Office was blocking right wing candidates ahead of the election. It is clear the party is being steered to the centre, yet Badenoch and Jenrick are positioning themselves to the right in the leadership contest – to what avail should they win?
Unfortunately the challenges facing this country are too urgent to wait around for several years for the Conservatives to possibly get their act together. Every serious right wing Conservative knows that the only answer is Reform now.
September 6, 2024
Currently there are no signs that the ‘new’ Conservatives stand a chance in the next GE. They will have to trust that a) Labour trash everything (almost a given) and b) the dim electorate will forget the 14 years and marginally vote them back in.
September 6, 2024
Indeed. Agreed. There is no other choice.
September 6, 2024
What is also notable is the Conservatives have done nothing to conserve our culture, but instead supported the spread of left wing dross of self-hating, anti-British poison throughout our institutions.
An example, in 2017 under the Conservative watch the BBC Charter had “Diversity” added to it’s Public Purpose – I don’t recall licence fee payers nor the country being consulted on this. The Conservatives also oversaw the removal of trustees and replacement by a BBC Executive Committee and Ofcomissars. So there is now no independent route for complaint any more.
Time to ditch the BBC and it’s waste of Ā£80m on diversity hires at the partial expense of ditching local reporting.
Also, If people wish to start fighting back against the woke cancer then vote for candidates who are standing next month, against the incumbents, to “Restore Trust” in the National Trust AGM.
September 6, 2024
Forget Brexit, this will now be reversed under EU fanatic Starmer and the next Tory leader will in private be supportive of this though condemnatory of Starmer’s betrayal in public. This is the type of Tory deceit we have come to expect. A party concerned with career and itself at the expense of honour, nation, truth, democracy and liberty.
The Tories have already sold us out by supporting and at times clapping Blair’s realignment agenda (rubbing indigenous noses in mass immigration) under the loathsome Cameron. This realignment will in time splinter the nation right down the middle. The recent riots are evidence to the volcanic forces now at work under the surface. You can thank Tory and Labour scum for that poisonous and destructive course of action.
Jenrick or Badenoch? Both are empty Tory drones without conviction and unwilling to expose the sinister nature of Labour and its activities. It’s simple, the Tories will not act in anyway that undermines the status quo. Unfortunately for them Labour is forcing societal change to benefit their party and that plan is to massively ramp up the importation of a new bloc vote from abroad. The Tories simply refuse to expose Labour’s cynical plan,. They don’t want the war and that means a once great nation will be erased out of existence
September 6, 2024
Dom, if the current political class has set our their ambitions to destroy the UK economy, destroy the UK’s world standing for innovation, invention and stability, they could not have done a finer job than this.
September 6, 2024
I think Labour are beginning to realise that mass immigration will only bolster the Labour vote to some extent and when numbers get high enough a new sectarian political party will take seats away from them – they lost four seats in the last election and were close to losing in several more.
September 6, 2024
The “new bloc from abroad” are not in general socialists. They are more likely to be conservative in outlook and even far-right in their behaviour. They will more readily join a political group other than Labour.
September 6, 2024
This is indeed “the type of Tory deceit we have come to expect. A party concerned with career and itself at the expense of honour, nation, truth, democracy and liberty.”
Promise in various manifestos to lower immigration, cut taxes, provide growth &efficient public services, deliver a real Brexit, have cheap reliable energy, low crime, real borders… but then they deliver the complete reverse for 14 years. Expecting the public to trust their 5th manifesto of lies. Fool me five times no thanks!
One leadership candidate said the Tories had failed to sell the good things they had done at the last election. Needless to say he did not list any. Indeed were there any at all from 14 years? May’s opt out organ donation bill perhaps? A few parts of the badly botched Brexit perhaps?
September 6, 2024
A large majority of Not-a-Conservative-Party MPs did not support Brexit and, after Leave won the Referendum, did not want it implemented. Neither did Labour, LibDems, SNP etc.
That’s why it hasn’t been implemented and why we are now only semi-detached. The Establishment’s intention, which Starmer is preparing with the “new deal”, is for us to become a member of the outer tier of a two-tier EU: an Associate Member, along with the other countries outside the Eurozone, the remaining EFTA nations, Turkey and Ukraine when the war ends.
No future “Conservative” Government will do anything to further distance the UK from the EU. Sunak’s junta was doing its utmost to make us permanently interdependent with the electricity connectors.
If you want a real Brexit, which I do, then Reform UK is the only option.
September 6, 2024
Turkey has just formally applied to join BRICS.Erdogan will be attending the summit of the expanded BRICS in Russia next month.Palestine has also been invited and it also intends to submit a membership application.
BRICS will thwart the Zionist plan to control the land from “the Nile to the Euphrates”(see the Abraham Accords and so-called “Deal of the Century”).
September 6, 2024
One of the better US geopolitical think tanks-Responsible Statecraft.org:”Turkey’s gambit is just what Russia ordered” -6/9/24,Michael Corbin.
September 6, 2024
And see Foreign Affairs,3/9/24:”America is losing South East Asia-Why US allies in the region are turning towards China.”Lynn Kuok.
“Blind Support for Israel is destroying American soft power in ASEAN countries,especially in muslim-majority nations….In Indonesia 73% say they prefer good relations with China over the US.In Malaysia the figures are similar.”
The President of Malaysia is presently in Vladivostok,attending the Far East Economic Summit with President Putin.He’s positively gushing at the prospect at greater economic integration with Russia and the wider BRICS.Malaysia is itself a prime candidate for BRICS membership and holds the Presidency of ASEAN for 2025.
September 6, 2024
How can they remain in NATO assuming NATO survives? I have to say I would not wish Turkey in anyone. A massive liability.
September 6, 2024
You seem pretty excited by that, Mitchel; why? What benefit would that be for the UK?
Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Russia, South Africa, and the UAE.
You also think Palestine will be accepted into this club following their invitation!
September 7, 2024
The problem is that St Petersburg and Moscow will āsubsideā and Vladivostok will grow into Russiaās major city as the economic power moves east. Think of Bristol and Liverpool when the USA and the Atlantic was our major trade route. Both fizzled when that trade went in favour of Continental Europe.
Russia will still be sustained, but will Europe?
Many of the countries joining or seeking to join BRICS are in fact liabilities – letās see how they fare out of the molly coddling western sphere.
Nevertheless the USA is in a very real crisis as the Reserve Currency is lost with USD 35 trillion debt. They canāt recruit to their military. When the USA is in trouble, trouble for Europe is not far behind and none of us are robust enough to weather hard times.
Hard times might be the price we have to pay to be rid of the asylum seekers.
September 7, 2024
For about a decade there has been a movement in Russia calling for a new capital to be built in the Far East to reflect Russia’s Asian reorientation -the mirror of Peter the Great’s establishment of St Petersburg as the ‘window on Europe’.Not sure it will happen any time soon but I can certainly see new cities being built in Siberia and the Russian Far East in the medium term.
September 7, 2024
I don’t believe there is a mechanism for expelling a member from NATO.And Turkey could be of more use to BRICS as a member of NATO.Quite large demonstrations in Turkey this week “Yankee go home!”Turkey joining the SCO(Shanghai Cooperation Organization)which has a greater defence/security focus would be more problematic for the west- Turkey is also seeking membership of this body.
I think you fail to understand Turkey’s geopolitical importance,particularly re the Black Sea-although this is diminishing due to Russia’s rapidly diminishing interest in Europe and the focus on the Caspian Sea/Indian Ocean trade routes to the east through the INSTC and the alliance with Iran.
September 7, 2024
No benefit whatsoever to the UK-quite the opposite but the UK has made fatally poor geopolitical choices and will have to live with the consequences.
I don’t expect Palestine will be admitted in the near future but it is a demonstration of support.
September 8, 2024
Mitchel, a demonstration of support to whom Hamas? In order to what obliterate Israel?
If all of this is to the UKs disadvantage why are you so excited by it?
Who do you believe leading NATO, Trump or Harris, would be better partners to the UK and the NATO alliance?
September 6, 2024
+1 Donna
September 6, 2024
Sorry to say it, but the conservatism we have experiencsd since the referendum of 2016 and the rump remainder in Parliament currently, have rendered themselves irrelevant to the future of the UK. Their in house election is equally irrelevant. It is only of interest to a media on a no news day.
Conservatism in the country has no prospect of leadership from within the current leftovers. Those seeking true Conservatism need look no further than Reform, whose published contract with the people is true Conservatism. Even they will need to go way beyond that contract to redirect the Civil Service under a new contract of employment. As you define, they will need to clear up all the ommissions of conservative governance since 2016. They will also need to clear up the minefield left by Blair, and the bumbling inept legacy that the Starmer will leave in his wake.
The greatest service you might do for a future UK, in or out of Reform, would be to rewrite/condense our 20,000 page 7 volume tax book to something the size of the one Singapore uses at a reputed 500 pages. The specified aim should be to return UK citizens to fifth place in the World personal GDP ratings and in the process turn us from a dependeny society to an entrepreneurial society that once again can be proud of itself while looking after those in real need, properly. Reform itself will need to do an awful lot of dragon slaying on our path to recovery.
September 6, 2024
Superb comment and 100% accurate. Well said. I’m not sure there are many people who fully grasp the enormity of the task that Reform faces. It’s likely to be a ten year project – two full parliamentry terms – but to protect Britain and its culture it HAS to be done.
September 6, 2024
Reform will disappoint you. They can talk the talk but they have no ability to walk the walk. Read what Ben Habib – a very talented man, has to say.
My husband is addressing a Reform Association – so I assume they are actually setting up some. Do people on this blog belong to any? Would be interested to know where.
September 8, 2024
Why isnāt Ben Habib a Tory Lynn?
Does Ben still support Reform or has Nigel, Tice and the new Chairman turned him away? This can be the problem with new parties a total lack of discipline. Everyone hates that MPs toe the line and defend cabinet decisions but when they donāt damaging infighting causes collapse.
September 6, 2024
The Conservative Party degraded itself, and struggle in the darkness of defeat, sliding even further down the creek backwards. Only dodgy ones of the rump are left trying to lead what remains, like Captain Ahab chasing Moby Dick to the bottom. It may take years before anything of value can be regained from the partyās disoriented, wastefully destructive ways; if ever.
September 6, 2024
Sad, they could have turned it round and perhaps even won had they seriously tried to controlled immigration, not locked down, not pushed the net harm vaccines, ditched HS2, cut all the duff degrees out, cut taxes and ditched net zero – but alas we had the fools Cameron, May, Boris and “unequivocally safe B/S” and Currency Debaser PPE Sunak in charge. He even pathetically scuttled the boat 6 months early
September 6, 2024
“Towards thee I roll,thou all-destroying but unconquering whale;to the last I grapple with thee;from hell’s heart I stab at thee;for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”
September 6, 2024
You say, SJR, that it’s “curious” that the only one of the Tory leadership candidates to have taken a consistent pro-Brexit stance has received the lowest number of votes from her MP colleagues. I don’t find it curious at all – the surviving Tory MPs are largely Remainers. Your party never really persuaded the anti-EU electorate that it supported Brexit, as shown by its failure, as you say, to appoint leading Brexiteers to decision-making roles in government. So it’s no surprise that that the anti-EU electorate has turned away from the Conservatives and has looked for another party to support. I suspect many surviving Tory MPs’ constituencies are still hankering after EU membership, as yours was. Few of those MPs have your experience and ability to overcome that handicap, should they wish to support Brexit as you did. As things stand, the Conservatives will not recapture the anti-EU, anti-mass migration electorate with the sort of leader they are going to have. The political Right will be split, I fear, for many years to come.
September 6, 2024
+1 Clough. Nothing at all “curious” about it!
That’s why I would like the Tories to be described as leftist or centre-left. Perhaps a few more rightist or centre-right voters would then finally realise they are cheering for the wrong side and the post-Cameron Tories are not conservative?
September 6, 2024
There are many other disturbing aspects to the appalling Grenfell fire, which the final report correctly blamed on the highly inflammable cladding. Cladding which had been approved by the manufacturers, several building standards and fire authorities.
The block was designed and built with only one core, which rapidly filled with thick black smoke due to the chimney effect. Those calling 999 on their mobile phones were advised by the fire brigade call handlers to stay put and await rescue – even so, many bodies were found on the stairs.
And to add insult to injury, the police have now stated that it is unlikely that any prosecutions will be possible before the end of the decade. Have we not heard this sort of thing before?
It is time for a Royal Commission to look into the influence of secret societies on the fabric of our country. If we do not curtail their malign influence, more Grenfells – and quite probably worse – will inevitably happen.
September 6, 2024
I would be interested to know which tenants actually had an agreement with the freeholder and how many were actually sub lettings.
September 6, 2024
The building wasn’t designed to have cladding. It was installed to meet EU insulation requirements.
Perhaps, if we hadn’t been in the EU and therefore forced to apply their rules/regs, the tragedy may not have happened.
September 6, 2024
Yes the most disturbing of all is that the cladding complied with the EU spec. These sub-standard claddings were installed on EU instructions. Are we claiming damages from the EU and if not why not?
September 6, 2024
“The leadership contenders for the Conservatives need to own Brexit, be proud of Brexit and say how government should now use the Brexit freedoms to make us more prosperous and successful”
Perhaps the Conservatives should ask Nigel Farage to stand for leader………….
September 6, 2024
My guess is that for the foreseable future he would feel he would be committing political suicide.
Until real Conservatives emerge he will stay put.
September 6, 2024
The Conservative party is finished. It is about as out of touch with its former constituency on the right as Labour is with its own the left. Unfortunately both share many similar ideas and hold enough power to see those destructive ideas through to implementation via regulation and legislation to finish off the UK as a serious country.
September 6, 2024
There is no mystery why the advocates for a sovereign UK nation such as the MPs you mentioned, were side lined and refused the chance to influence the direction of Tory policy post the referendum on EU membership.
Nor is there any mystery in why Priti Patel a leave champion was the first leadership candidate to be eliminated by the Westminster Tory MPs. That group are by a huge margin , they are ‘remainers’, all dedicated to realignment with the EU. If you ask those Westminster MPs now voting for a new leader if they would like to take the UK back into the EU’s closeted stifling environment/control they would say, yes.
That is the reason Reform is gaining so much ground nationally. It is why the Tory Party will disappear from the political landscape, they no longer represent the people. If the Party does not re-establish its core beliefs of conservatism, belief in the sovereign nation, and belief in common law values, they will die.
The people are tired of the lies, tired of the deceit from double dealing MPs who say one thing and do the exact opposite.
It is time for dramatic Reform of our political representation in Westminster.
September 6, 2024
For the political right to win there can only be one party therefore the Conservatives need to be obliterated allowing Reform to win the next election. Only Reform has MPs with the vision and intelligence to make our country great again.
September 6, 2024
Starmer is taking advantage of Brexit by putting VAT on school fees which is disallowed in the EU. Why didn’t the Conservatives take VAT OFF a range of goods and services ? Well, obviously because they don’t believe in lower taxes and they want to stay aligned with the EU. And they still do.
September 6, 2024
You forget that the controversial Brexit referendum was only won by the Leave persuasion 52% to 48% on a 72% turnout; nearly half of those who voted opposed the measure.
I was swayed by the sovereignty issue and voted Leave; many of my family, friends and acquaintances voted Remain after endless and frequently robust discussions. I now find the insane restrictions on travelling to France and through the EU countries irritating.
Those negotiating the Brexit agreement were up against very clever and experienced EU negotiators. Unfortunately, we had his lordship and Govey, whose machiavellian skills were of no help
September 6, 2024
Yes Lord of Bullingdon couldn’t contemplate the foolish dim electorate doing other than bow, touching forelock and muttering ‘yes my Lord, whatever you say’. So no preparation, vote shortly followed by a trail of dust as at the speed of light a departure to one’s mansion and resignation as MP. The EU of course had played out all possibilities and arguments and we were nicely tied up hands, feet and brains.
September 6, 2024
You forget there were two chances to overturn Leave, had people wished to, in 2017 and 2019. The Euro elections following Brexit also gave the Brexit party a stonking majority.
The Lib Dems offering a complete reverse were nearly obliterated. Corbyn offered his version of a deal and then a referendum on that deal, but with all his other giveaways, he still didn’t win. The Benn Bill did its duty to the EU, leaving us weak in the negotiation because our ultimate threat of walking away was surrendered (we’re not meant to use that word – even though it is true).
The negotiation wasn’t a joint endeavour, we gave so much and didn’t ask for the same in return from artists work permits to free movement of goods whilst we facilitated that for EU imports. Luckily, those of us who could gave our protest by stopping buying German cars, so the UK government bought them for public sector workers such as social workers instead. Why don’t the UK government buy cars ultimately finished or made in the UK?
We have to allow race grifters onto our screens nearly every day now but we are being silenced. The Tories need to articulate in the politically correct terms acceptable to parliament their supporter’s concerns or get out of the way, join the Lib Dems and leave the right wing to re-associate.
September 6, 2024
It would be huge boost to Conservative fortunes to see Brexit finished. Given the sensitivity at the time, maybe the plan was to leave first and finish the job later (if that was the plan) but completing it is overdue.
Maybe the next Conservative shadow cabinet could consult with leaders of all our industries in the manufacturing and services sectors and identify the efficiencies gained by repealing the EU legislation and policies which are burdening them. I believe Covid interfered with the Brexit delivery as did inexplicably jettisoning Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. We have an opportunity now though to rectify this and we have a duty to get Brexit finished. It would be a big vote winner too!
September 6, 2024
Many who are supporters of the Monarchy regret the apparent falling out of the brothers William and Harry. The King is known to desire a closer relationship with his youngest son and apparently would welcome a reconciliation.
Diplomacy may be at work. Harry has not updated his book “Spare” with further royal revelations. Apparently he has approached trusted friends requesting suggestions centred on the possibility of coming in from the cold.
Harry sports a beard, which was noticeable on his recent, highly successful, royal visits to Nigeria and Columbia with his wife Meghan. Today we see a picture of William in the press, also sporting a beard. Let’s hope that the brothers can overcome their differences and that Harry and Meghan can resume a royal role here in “the Firm”
September 6, 2024
I’d rather none of that happened. Monarchy doesn’t need Hollywood show-business with Oprah holding a disclosure every few weeks.
September 6, 2024
OMG, SK, do you have a brother? A brother prepared to sell out all the family business for money, fame, and sympathy. If there is reconciliation after H attacked William in his book and attacked Kate publicly in writing with his cloaked suggestions of racism, I will be very surprised. I’m not bothered, either. Harry made his choice. Goodbye.
The Queen did the opposite to her Uncle, always putting duty first; she didn’t grant his dying wish. It will be interesting to see who William resembles.
September 6, 2024
You say correctly that “Brexit is only done in a legal sense, and is still encumbered with an EU Agreement that damages Northern Ireland. So far government has failed to change EU taxes, refused to amend their austerity economic controls, repealed very little of their excessive anti innovation and enterprise regulations, and has stayed wedded to some of their worst net zero, fishing and farming policies.”
Indeed and Starmer, Lammy and Zealot PPE dope Miliband are clearly intent on “effectively” taking the UK back in (in all but name) and will doubtless make net zero (all of which is appalling, counterproductive and totally absurd), fishing and farming even worse still. Encumbered indeed by the NI agreement and made far worse by Sunak’s appalling Windsor Accord.
I was accused the other day of being a degree snob. Not at all (loads of bright people with no degrees and load of dim one with several usually ones with rich parents) but if I use a bridge, car, helicopter, plane, building or rely on an energy system or I am operated on… I would rather like to have it designed by or done by people with the relevant skills so it is as safe and efficient as possible. Almost no one in the department of energy, the top civil service in this department or the Committee for Climate Change has these it seems. See The Sceptic Podcast. I suspect the same is true of much of the rest of government. These people did not even aspire to learn anything about energy, transport or electricity generation let alone actually do so.
September 6, 2024
I wonder about this. We had 8 years from the referendum until the 24 election, 4.5 of them under clear Brexit-supporting PMs and cabinets. Yet there was a complete failure to implement the Leave vision, or even really much of an attempt to do so. The current govt will do nothing to try to advance Brexit, on the contrary they plan sector by sector deals with the eu – which will of course just mean accepting the relevant eu rule book and removing any power to change that from the U.K. parliament. I think theyād do better just to have done with it and re-join the single market, and try to get something in return.
So the position at the next election is likely to be the Brexit vote has receded into history and the U.K. has surreptitiously slipped back into being an economic colony of the EU. Will people really listen to Conservatives saying āI know we didnāt do anything with it last time even when we had an 80 seat majority, but give us another chance to make brexit workā? I doubt it.
There might have been a chance for a re-elected Conservative govt to have gradually built on some of the things it had done, like trade deals. But the Truss disaster put paid to that.
September 6, 2024
A lot of the ‘Truss disaster’ has been debunked.
The biggest piece of new expenditure by Truss was the energy package to support consumers and businesses, it had been well reported on for at least a couple of weeks prior to the mini-budget statement and there was no market movement.
The OBR called it wrong assuming energy support would last long into the future and Truss was right, energy prices dropped fast. The OBR and the IMF were far too pessimistic. Six months later they were producing the same positive forecasts as reported in the Telegraph.
“She was done in with a hat pin”.
September 6, 2024
Possibly but thatās the game. You need to prepare the ground so as to succeed, as Thatcher did.
September 7, 2024
Sadly Thatcher did NOT – famously. Thatās why the destruction began with her ousting and the disastrous Major-Balls.
September 7, 2024
So what exactly should Liz Truss have done that she didn’t?
Reply Spend less. Agree with Bank of England not to announce a huge fire sale of bonds on the eve of the budget!
September 6, 2024
Clearly the rump Conservative Parliamentary party has given no consideration at all to the possible reasons for its defeat.
September 6, 2024
They donāt have the wherewithall.
September 6, 2024
“The leadership contenders for the Conservatives need to own Brexit” isn’t that the problem they don’t like Brexit, they don’t like being asked to manage, they don’t like the UK having to be its own Legislators. Being ‘One Nation-errs’ seeing the centre ground as somewhere ‘Left’ of Ed Davey its against all their inner tribal instincts. Like Starmer they are devotees of WEF Socialism before democracy and a UK Parliament.
These are the ‘Guys’ that squandered an 80 seat majority, they are the results of the manipulation of the Liberal Democrat CCHQ & the 1922 Committee the faux Conservative overlords that are fighting all real Conservatives that make up this once fine Country.
This leadership election seem to be to define how to fail gently, cause the Party into obscurity. These are not people speaking their mind, being out spoken in a common sense conservative way. These are people who because of strict religious backgrounds have difference embedded, have a split nationality stance( citizens of other countries) as such they are not that neutral they have other loyalties that are directly the opposite the main stream of the UK. A leader of a party is a potential leader of the Country, to that end they is a need to be of those they wish to represent or the opposition will have a ‘hay day’ and use these out of kilter loyalties to beat you and the party with.
Starmer has an act of Parliament to protect his pension as it turns out to be, from himself. So he can beat up on pensioners and remain 2 tier Kier. If there was an opposition they would be all over this like a rash. Relate that to having a dual citizenship, members of your family working for a foreign state, and a religious belief set that doesn’t sit well within the main stream. Saying that is not showing prejudice it is begging the question of were does loyalty lay, family, background, cult etc? when it doesn’t chime and is in conflict with those you are wishing to serve were does that leave us? The Conservatives in Parliament its CCHQ, 1922 Committee its Leadership have a reputation for lying etc to get elected then reneging once elected (Still NO BREXIT) so start out being a contradiction is anyone even going to start believing in you?
September 6, 2024
The political establishment is still very much in control of the Tory leadership elections. They won’t allow a real right of centre candidate to win, nor anyone who can innovate. Certainly there will be no room for a leader that would attempt to achieve a real Brexit.
Look at what happened to the last Tory leader that strayed from the path of establishment doctrine. She was pushed out in a very unseemly coup.
Yet our host is right, we badly need a Tory leader that will do something about BREXIT, unless there is a great deal of pressure applied we know for certain that Starmer will complete his plans to join us back up with the EU in any and every fashion he can.
One thing is clear, the odds are that the candidate chosen will be left of centre and propose policies very similar to Starmer and the establishment.
September 6, 2024
Not one of the Tory leadership candidates are proposing to repeal the UK/EU withdrawal agreement …maybe they’re all in agreement with Starmer and a closer relationship; who knows they’re to scared to tell us
September 6, 2024
āSo far government has failed to change EU taxesā¦ā¦..and has stayed wedded to some of their worst net zero, fishing and farming policies.ā
Our Net Zero policies are worse than the EU. The EU still define unabated gas (methane) as green energy. PM Johnson moved the banning of the sales of new ices forward by 5 years which has now been moved back to the EU date of 2035 but has left increased damage to our car industry compared to the EU.
There is no need for Net Zero as CAGW caused by increasing levels of CO2, whether natural or anthropogenic, will simply not happen because of IR saturation. There is already sufficient CO2 in the atmosphere to produce 99% of all the greenhouse gas warming that is possible. So adding further CO2 to the atmosphere makes negligible difference. 1.2 degrees C according to the IPCC and 0.7 degrees C according to Professors Happer & Wijngaarden.
We need a referendum on Net Zero to stop it before it destroys our energy, economy, environment and military capability.
September 6, 2024
āIt is curious that the only one of the 6 leadership hopefuls to have voted Leave, voted against the May sell outs and not supported the Windsor framework is removed first by the MPs.ā
Not curious at all and one leadership hopeful is also a French citizen whose wife is a senior French civil servant.
However, the installation of a Remainer and the direction the Conservatives are moving will make for many voters the decision for whom to vote at forthcoming elections an easy choice.
September 6, 2024
Priti Patel failed. She may have signed the returns agreements, but we didn’t see enough returns. Big speeches about sending people to Ascension Island and other places but didn’t follow through on anything.
She was said to have broken the rules in her first cabinet job by Gaby Hinsliff, and there were too many accusations of bullying (one out-of-court settlement for Ā£25k with no admission of liability); she should have fought it, I have no problems with firm Management and I do think the civil service stitched up Patel and Raab, she took away HO targets for processing, and she should have stood as Reform as I think she is a better fit with them than the liberalised Conservatives.
September 6, 2024
ā The leadership contenders for the Conservatives need to own Brexit, be proud of Brexit and say how government should now use the Brexit freedoms to make us more prosperous and successful.ā
Exactly. The Conservatives need a change in attitude more than a change of leader.
The current leadership contest has all the relevance of electing a deckchair supervisor on the Titanic.
September 6, 2024
Hi John,
Here is something that might interest you.
Research Article; Science of Climate Change https://scienceofclimatechange.org
Multivariate Analysis Rejects the Theory of Human-caused Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Increase:
The Sea Surface Temperature Rules
https://scienceofclimatechange.org/wp-content/uploads/SCC-Ato-Multivariate-Analysis-Vol.4.2.pdf
Regards,
RDM
September 7, 2024
I had a look, very interesting read, nice to see some balance
September 6, 2024
“It was notable in the last eight years how the most talented and dedicated Brexiteers like David Jones, William Cash, Iain Duncan Smith, Mark Francois, Craig Macinkay, Marcus Fysh and others were not used in Ministerial roles to drive through the benefits we all saw from the freedoms.”
To this list we should add the name John Redwood.
None were used as ministers because the whole establishment machine was directed to do as little as possible to change our relationship with Brussels in the hope that a Labour government would take us back in. The surprise was that Boris and Sunak went along with it. JR-M was given a job but he was unable to make the progress he wanted, and we all saw how the Civil Service conspired to dispose of Suella, Priti, and others.
The CS now has what it wanted – an ineffective, low skilled Labour Government they can control. We will have to see how things develop, but looking at the Treasury and the Home Office, it hasn’t started well, has it ?
September 6, 2024
Brexit was an opportunity for politicians and government to excel at putting our country and people first without the millstone of the EU.
They did the opposite .. and wonder why they got the boot?
Unfortunately we couldn’t give other parts pf the government the boot.
Immigration is a big glaring issue but it was far from the only reason and the only problem.
And still the idiots talk but don’t listen.
September 6, 2024
The one essential any leader needs is of course followers but who other than a Lib Dem/ social democrat would a majority of the 122 electors loyally follow?
In any case, the immediate task, which if done well would start to rebuild public support, is to provide convincing and articulate opposition to the government.
For those reasons, my choice to replace Mr. Sunak as leader remains Emily Thornberry. Note she is more experienced in opposition than the announced candidates and is aided by a thorough knowledge of the governing party.
September 6, 2024
51 illegal economic /criminals arrived in the UK yesterday from the safe country of France
September 6, 2024
Your last paragraph says it all, but I suggest you should include yourself in the talent not used by the conservative government.
If we employ people smaller than ourselves, we become a government of pygmies,
If we employ people bigger than ourselves, we become a government of giants.
There in a nutshell is why the conservatives lost so badly in the GE.
September 6, 2024
I fear yet another stitch up by the Parliamentary Conservatives if Kemi makes it all the way through. Very telling that Suella Braveman is staying out of the fray. Reform is not going to go away and may well draw in true conservative brexiteers permanently.
September 6, 2024
Iām sorry, Sir John, that not only do I believe that none of the Conservative leadership hopefuls should become leader of the HMās Opposition, I donāt believe the Conservative Party itself should even have anywhere near the current numbers of MPs making them the official Opposition.
In 14 years they have created a topsy-turvy country where everything I value has been placed on its head and turned upside down. Net Zero is designed to de-industrialise and impoverish. Illegal immigrants coming from countries and with ideologies hostile to us have been encouraged to come and are now treated better than our (elderly) citizens. The police and judiciary are treating speech and āwrong-thinkā more seriously than physical crimes. The British āsticks and stonesā understanding has been replaced with the curbing of free speech. Diversity has replaced meritocracy. A once homogeneous country through massive immigration is on the path to becoming a multi-tribal failed state with different ācommunitiesā each with different languages, cultures, practices, customs, religions and ideologies – and also laws since the police now police each ācommunityā differently so as to be able to say they āpolice with consentā.
What a mess.
Oh, and Brexit was deliberately botched starting with Remainers PM May and Sir Oliver Robbins KCMG CB.
September 6, 2024
@Original Richard +1
The new acronym is being played out to its fullest extent ‘CINO’ conservative in name only. The one nation of WEF Socialists, the Broad Church of misplaced Liberal Democrats.
Not one is prepared to talk about wasted expenditure, controlling expenditure even, getting what we pay for, controlling the size of the State. They are drunk on Tax & Borrowing. Giving mates jobs in QUANGO’s. Denying ‘free speech’, democracy and so on. Yes it is obvious why they avoid these plagues on society and find they can’t attack Labour, they are just as culpable, that is the simple reason they had to go. Their desire for continuity, the continuations of the hell they unleashed on the UK is not how to show leadership and direction
The alternative doesn’t exist for the elctorate, the UK Conservatives have been disenfranchised, they didn’t turn to Labour(the 20% Club), the Liberal Democrats or even Reform, they stayed at home. These wannabe leaders are the same ones that caused the problem ‘all talk and no trousers’ as it is said in some quarters.
September 9, 2024
They should not have stayed at home but voted for the partyy that is the new home of conservatism: the Reform Party. Had they done so we might now at least have a conservative opposition in Parliament.
September 6, 2024
Here’s a little letter that I’ve just sent to our local newspaper:
“Scattered around the world there are now some 56 independent sovereign states which were once part of the British Empire.
Would James Aidan have the temerity to ask any of their citizens what they would miss if they returned to that subjugation?
(“What would you miss if we rejoined EU?”, today)
Even if he thought that the effects of national independence had been “wholly negative”, which is his warped view of Brexit.
After all we have the opinion of a President of the EU Commission that the EU is an “empire”, albeit a “non-imperial empire”.
Jose Manuel Barroso, speaking in 2007 before the Lisbon Treaty had sucked even more powers from the EU member states.
Perhaps Mr Aidan believes that the politicians we produce are so poor that we would actually do better ruled by foreigners?”
There is certainly something very wrong with our political system.
September 6, 2024
The outcome to Brexit is very disappointing. We were given our chance, and as I expected, we blew it!
For me, it was about our sovereignty as a nation that had stood for righteousness since the Reformation, and especially the fruits of the XVIth Century Martyrs and the Puritans. I know full well Sir John how kind you were to allow me a say such things from your platform from time to time.
In early 2015 before the election, I joined with a little group of praying Christians in the north of England, and we asked God for his mercy upon our nation this one more time. We reminded, and thanked him for how He had used this nation in the past for the spread of the Gospel worldwide, and her goodwill towards God’s elect people, the Jews. Despite her mistakes and faults, we could all see just how blest our country had been over recent centuries.
However, the Lord’s Prayer is not primarily about this Sceptred Isle, wonderfully blessed though it’s been: it’s about the coming of Christ’s Kingdom, as foretold in the prophetic scriptures in the Bible. Only if we wake up to this Gospel again as a nation (as we once did) shall we see restoration of former glories. It will be the same for the USA. God is very merciful and longsuffering; but He is not mocked.
May every individual citizen heed the message, which is to place their trust in the efficacy of what Christ did at Calvary. This is the only way to heaven, as many will testify.
September 6, 2024
At least least one of the surviving candidates, Thomas Tugendhat, is straight incompetent: he has just sent me an email askimg me to urge my MP to vote for him, without having bothered to discover tha my MP is now a Liberal Democrat.
September 6, 2024
I believe Conservative Party Members, including myself , who will be voting on the final two candidates in due course, should make it clear NOW that they will only vote for a candidate willing to endorse a strong BREXIT progress message, as per Sir Johns comments. It will be too late when there are only 2 left!
The Members at least cannot be blamed for the last leader election, where they strongly rejected the candidate who finally ended up Prime Minister!
If the Members choice had not been undermined by many MPs, the Bank of England, and the Remainer”blob”, I wonder where we would be now?
September 7, 2024
Don’t know how anyone can say Northern Ireland is damaged – I was there two months ago and as far as I could see business is rolling in it ‘rolling in clover’ – with a foot in both camps.
September 7, 2024
Are there any Conservative MPs who genuinely believe they can get the 4m who voted for Reform to come back to their party in 2029 ? If there are, they are misguided. In fact, the situation is probably much worse :
Several million who stuck with the party on 4th July, including me, have seen the writing on the wall and have no intention of voting for a Conservative Party led by any of the remaining leadership contenders. I have already gone further and joined Reform.
The electoral arithmetic means that Labour will inevitable win again in 2029, possibly with an even smaller share of the vote, unless there is a pact between the Conservatives and Reform, but I doubt whether the Conservatives will even entertain the idea. If Reform gets its act together over the next four years, and with Nigel Farage as leader and in the Commons, I think it will, I can see them gaining more seats than the Conservatives at the next election.
Perhaps some catastrophic by-election results might concentrate minds and result in a degree of cooperation.
I certainly hope so.
September 9, 2024
I am particularly disapppointed by the Tories’ failure to deregulate more after Brexit. The Tory Government was pre-occupied with a perforative spectacular bonfire of EU regulations without any thought as to which were really holding back industry or the effects of simply deleting them or the inter-relations between myriad regulations. It wasn’t a difficult task. I have conducted de-regulation exercises myself. It needs only 2-3 months to consult with industry to determine where the greatest gains from de-regulation can be made. Not all the barriers were caused by EU regulation, some were caused by British domestic regulation. De-regulation must be addressed as a whole not just by the source of regulation, and starting with effects and then attributing regulatory causes.
It sems to me watching Kemi Badenoch being questioned by the Parliamentary scrutiny committee that her approach would have been similar to mine, starting with identifying the problems, then asking whether regulatory change would solve them. The Tories had it back to front. It wasted time and achieved nothing. She failed to persuade her colleagues who were adamant that EU regulations must be put on the bonfire and only EU regulations, and damn the consequences. No wonder the Tories failed.
Reply Kemi rejected both the Duncan Smith detailed report commissioned by Boris and my own targeted list of most damaging and easiest to remove items hurting business.
September 9, 2024
“So history tells us the Conservatives back Brexit or they lose. It is curious that the only one of the 6 leadership hopefuls to have voted Leave, voted against the May sell outs and not supported the Windsor framework is removed first by the MPs.”
As Nigel Farage has said, the Tory Party never believed in Brexit. It cannot believe in Brexit because there is a vacuum at its core where there ought to be a conservative philosophy of government in the national interest. It didn’t know what to do with Brexit. It didn’t understand the value of independent sovereignty or how to exercise it. It didn’t know what to do with the country it found itself solely responsible for governing after decades of government by the EU of which Westminster was merely a regional office.
Brexit was only a means to an end. The Tories never understood the end, or had no concept of it or disagreed with it.