The events of recent weeks have shown that it is possible to be a Minister in office unable to see through changes of policy or enforcement of laws in ways the public and Ministers wish.
At the Home Office successive Ministers have made clear their wish to end people trafficking across the Channel. There has been a change of the law, yet still lawyers and legal processes conspire to delay final decisions on cases. People can claim to have been trafficked yet we do not seem able to return them to their home from whence they were trafficked. People claim they are asylum seekers yet they have come immediately from the safe country of France, and often came from another safe country before France. Two Home Secretaries have now been briefed against and complained about by civil servants. The Ministers have doubtless become frustrated at the lack of help to design a law which works or to enforce a law which was said to work. The idea is meant to be Ministers set out the aims of policy and provide the resources, whilst officials get on with implementing it in the best way.
At the Treasury Ministers are told they need to follow Bank and OBR orthodoxy. There has been a notable lack of self criticism or curiosity as to how the UK has an 11% inflation rate when Ministers have endorsed a constant target of 2% inflation and left the Bank free to set interest rates, interfere in bond markets and oversee the overall banking system to bring this about. Nor has there been much public exploration of why successive OBR forecasts have been tens of billions out in recent years, and how this can lead Ministers to accept wrong judgements based on bad data. Treasury Ministers need to be more sceptical of the advice they are getting as so far it has landed us with an unwelcome inflation and may soon land us in an unwanted recession.
November 19, 2022
Indeed. We also have the courts resisting very many sensible policies and interpreting the law, in often absurd and very damaging ways. The creation of the supreme court and the incorporation of the ECHR into UK law have done much damage. Yet more things to blame on the dreadful Tony Blair/Gordon Brown era.
Peter Hitchens on Talk Radio drew my attention to the excellent Policy Exchange Pamphlet Judging the Public Interest The rule of law vs. the rule of courts,
Richard Ekins and Christopher Forsyth.
November 19, 2022
Nonsense. We had a very good way to deal with this problem before Brexit – we co-operated with our friends and neighbours according to EU law. Now, after Brexit, we are all on our own. So you have “taken back control” – which means paying tens of millions to France to do (less well) what it used to do for free when we were in the EU. But you people know what you voted for, right?
November 19, 2022
Gary: you do know the Dublin agreement never worked properly, don’t you? We never managed to send anyone back to the EU, but it was probably the fault of our government rather than the EU. To hell with what the electorate want, eh? Democracy is a darned nuisance to the EU and its sycophants.
November 19, 2022
Shirley, we sent plenty back to the EU, but we can’t send any back now, not one. Were dinghies arriving on our beaches daily when we were in the EU? No they were not
November 19, 2022
You are the first person to claim ‘we sent plenty back to the EU’. All the complaints were that we were NOT sending anyone back. We now know why, don’t we. The CONS have no intention of getting rid of any immigrant, not even violent criminals!
November 19, 2022
Gary, how do you know âwe sent plenty back to the EUâ do you have a link to your source? This would clear things up.
November 19, 2022
Gary – we did not send âplentyâ back under the Dublin agreement. We sent back about 300-500 per year and we RECEIVED even more than that, so there was a net inflow !
Interesting you just made something up to support your own belief that being in the EU was somehow beneficial.
November 19, 2022
Correct! We had a good system through the EU. Now we have no system. Brexit has solved no problems, and has created s lot of new ones.
November 19, 2022
I seem to recall Iceland rejected offer to join EU and lowered taxes to get out of the economic mess. Years later much better off outside EU.
Hunt wants the socialist straight jacket of global organisations.
Trump is hated because he will not let world organisations dictate to him what US should do. He simply left Paris Agreement, he left WHO and called them out like the UN! Oh for a UK Donald Trump.
November 19, 2022
If France is our “friend” why is it working less well now than it did before Gary?
Could it be that Mr Macron doesn’t want it to? I think the channel problem is just another stick to hit us with (same as the NIP)
November 19, 2022
It’s working less well now than it before because we chose to leave the EU, so we cannot take advantage of the many ways EU members help each other out. But you knew what you were voting for, right? “More refugees arriving on dinghies” – remember that on the side of a bus?
November 19, 2022
Don’t be ridiculous. How can you vote for something that was never offered. If it had been, we would certainly have refused it, but it was imposed, not voted for.
November 19, 2022
No but I remember 350m extra per week for the NHS on the side of a bus when the actual number turned out to be an extra ÂŁ1200m per week since Brexit.
November 19, 2022
France and Italy helping each other out over illegal immigration! Pull the other one.
November 19, 2022
For 2018, migrationwatchuk.org has the details in âTransfer of asylum seekers from the UK under the Dublin systemâ.
I keep wondering. It usually takes me less than two minutes to find this type of information. Do I have to conclude that people daily asking obvious and relevant questions are nevertheless completely useless at running a search on the web?
November 19, 2022
Yes, and it took me two minutes to find this, Hefner:
‘Referring to the low numbers of people returned to other states under Dublin recently [prior to January 2020 – PP], the Minister made the point that “It is not as if we are losing something that has been hugely effective.” ‘
https://www.ein.org.uk/news/new-house-commons-library-briefing-paper-end-dublin-iii-regulation-uk#toc12
So if we are now experiencing massive numbers of arrivals, it clearly isn’t because a very effective filtering scheme was suddenly taken away from us.
November 19, 2022
Assuming everything you find is absolutely correct heffy.
November 20, 2022
7 years ago May, exactly like Braverman, signed an agreement with France. Since the numbers are at a historic high and giving them hundreds of millions at historic high as well. So it achieved nothing 7 years ago and here we are the Tories still wasting our taxes!! Wasters.
November 19, 2022
JR/LL,
Hunt has just hired former Labour minister Patricia Hewitt- Brown had the send to sack her, Sir Michael Barber, advisor to Blaire for 8 years, just hired as well. Reevesâ husband running economic policy unit in No.10, Raynerâs partner in OBR and full of Labour activists as Guido points out! Quangos infested with former Labour politicians or activists! Are there no Former Tory ministers that could help? Tories had 12.5 years to change, they CHOSE to increase Labour influence in all policy directions. The main theme from âRed Edâ on the climate scam which Hunt announced would be increased quicker!
Cameron could not beat Brown and got help from lying LibDumbs- at least they introduced tax cuts to get economy going! May could not beat Corbyn and needed help from DUP and ratted on them, as did Johnson.
Sunak sold his soul to become a figurehead PM with Hunt running the shit show for globalist remainers with a plan already made and ready to go, like Sunakâs campaign. Deliberate cultural and economic destruction. Sunak agreed to thousands more Indians for his trade deal at the same time lying to say he will reduce immigration! Hunt makes it clear he wants immigration and thinks this his main growth plan!
I think the problem is Tory party has no heart, soul, direction or conservative strategy! It is at best a tribute band for Labour.
I am having difficulty with the sentiment of the blog and continual rants about Labour!
November 19, 2022
+100. 2nd to last para really hits the nail on the head.
November 19, 2022
“Cameron could not beat Brown and got help from lying LibDumbs.”
But he could easily have beaten the sitting duck Gordon Brown by not ratting on his Cast Iron Promise on the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty before the election, by promising an full EU referendum on membership & by putting forward low tax & sensible real Conservative policies & by being pro Brexit rather than pretending to be, cutting all green crap and cancelling Brown’s embryo disaster of HS2. What a shame he did not do this he could have been a great leader rather than a lying disaster.
He claimed to be a low tax Conservative (and EU sceptic) at heart – but was clearly lying to the electorate as most leading politicians seem endlessly to do.
November 19, 2022
LL,
You make my case even stronger! He did not beat him nor could have done so because he did not believe in the things you claim.
Andrew Neil today says the biggest loser from Huntâs budget is Brexit. He just killed off any possible Brexit benefit! Competitive in tax, regs etc. His corporation tax higher than 20% EU, higher than Asia average etc etc. Hunt discussed with the IMF who thought it fair and balanced! He deliberately made UK uncompetitive against EU and world. Still no cut in EU laws and regs and still has EU level playing fields! Andrew Neil is right. What is JR and chums going to do?
When JR talks about ministers, he knows their heart is not in it or like Sunak does not experience or wherewithal to challenge and drive through the conservative plan. There is no conservative plan, that left with Thatcher decades ago. This lot of ministers are socialists.
November 19, 2022
Gary – They did not come across in gigantic, built-for-purpose rubber boats before.
This isn’t just a lack of co-operation or doing “less well” but an act of passive aggression by France. A beach assault, if you like.
Again… I blame the Tories for not being strong enough.
The whole party is in office but not in power. Each Tory MP is taking money under false pretences. They are now about to do the unthinkable and make workers’ pay have to chase 10% (tax free, of course) welfare increases.
No wonder the UK is such a magnet for young blokes – especially since cannabis has been legalised on the sly by the Tories.
I don’t know why you’re complaining, Gary. We are getting huge tax increases with virtually no sign of austerity – I smell a rat. How can we be so broke yet be giving money away ? The Tories are murdering Brexit on your behalf even though you’ll probably never vote for them.
This government is an actual threat to our civilisation.
November 19, 2022
Well, I did not vote actually as I live overseas. The moronic UK tax system virtually forces me to do this given my business interests. But any way had the UK remained in the evil, corrupt and anti-democratic EU we would have had to accept open door immigration including from Albania when they join. We also paid them a fortune. It certainly did not work well when the UK were in the EU. The problem is there is clearly no will in Parliament, Government, the law courts, the civil service or the police/border force to act so as to deter illegal migration. I am happy with controlled high skilled and quality immigration not so much with low skilled. criminal, benefit claiming and illegal immigration
November 19, 2022
Why are you bothered about UK immigration if you live overseas? Don’t tell me; you are living in the evil, corrupt and anti-democratic EU, yes?. If you are “UK non-resident” trying to dodge UK Capital Gains Tax, you will get a surprise when you come back to the UK.
November 19, 2022
I will not return to the UK and do not live in the EU. I am concerned as I have businesses, many employees and have many relatives and children who live in the UK and I want it to do well.
But I, like Nigel Farage, âdespise what the Conservatives have done to Britainâ. See his video on this.
November 19, 2022
So why is the EU flooded with refugees – threatened with even more from Ukraine and Turkey unless they pay up? Remember Merkel inviting in millions to Germany – then distributing them around the other countries?
The EU is collapsing Gary, the Euro on its last legs. So enjoy shouting about its âbenefitsâ while you can.
November 19, 2022
Baloney.
It is a fundamental principle of English law that Parliament is supreme, and so not Court can counter its will.
This is just yet more blame-mongering by Sir John and his thralls such as you.
November 19, 2022
But Judges interpret that law and do so within quite a range of possiblities. So some yobs can intimidate Ian Duncan Smith in the street and can get away with it becasue they were “protesting”. It certainly looked very threatening to me and I understand why IDS was upset.
November 19, 2022
NLH – Yet those courts’ findings DO reign supreme.
I blame the Tories for that, yes I do.
November 19, 2022
So, the barrack room lawyer has never heard of ‘Case law’ sometimes referred to as ‘Judge Law’ then. based upon judgements given, sometimes in opposition to the ‘will of parliament’.
Tells us all we need to know about his knowledge.
November 19, 2022
No judge can ever rule against the will of parliament, expressed in an act of parliament, and no judge ever has
November 19, 2022
But judges can interpret the law in a way that runs counter to the will of parliament. But you already know that.
November 19, 2022
Yes, and Parliament was pdq putting in legislation to keep us confined when the Covid scare was happening. Yet no such move to strengthen legislation to prevent illegal immigration for the past 12 years.
November 19, 2022
No Roy – they can interpret the common law so long as that does not breach precedent, but cannot vary Statute.
November 19, 2022
Parliamentary laws are drafted by civil servants, and the Civil Service is globalist, why I cannot fathom because they will certainly not survive once we are all gone.
November 19, 2022
Likewise with CONS MP’s. They won’t survive their demolition of the UK economy and its culture. I cannot understand how they hope to survive their alienation of their voters, unless they have a ‘fall back’ position that does not rely on being democratically elected.
November 19, 2022
Iâm afraid most recent MPs are party machine animals, selected by the party machine, beholden to the party machine. Their job is to represent The Government and the party machine in their constituencies.
One red wall Tory MP is so unattractive that one of my tenants, Tory voting, has banned the MP from his cafe. Nobody goes near the MPs office. How he expects to be re-elected I have no idea, I expect he thinks he will get a nice safe seat as a reward for his holding the mob at bay.
The only independent minds were selected freely by the selection committees of members – thatâs why they are all longstanding MPs but they are a minority now and effectively shunned by the party mouthpieces.
Iâm afraid this is existential for the Tory Party.
November 19, 2022
I’m sorry, Sir John, but I have NO sympathy with this complaint. The truth is that the government has all the power it needs, but ministers just refuse to act upon it. For instance, on the issue of illegal migrants who claim asylum to prevent their deportation, the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 amended the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 by introducing a new Section 80B, subsection (1) of which states: âThe Secretary of State may declare an asylum claim made by a person (a âclaimantâ) who has a connection to a safe third State inadmissibleâ. A new section 80C explains that this refers to migrants who passed through âa safe third Stateâ and could have made their asylum claim there.
So given that ALL the migrants coming to the UK have passed through safe EU states to get here, why is Suella Braverman not automatically and immediately rejecting EVERY asylum application??? WHY DOESN’T SUELLA DO THIS?
This would make these individuals immediately eligible for deportation. Sunak was too weak and stupid to insist that, as part of the financial bribe offered to France the other day, we be allowed to deport these illegal migrants back there, but there is NOTHING stopping us from deporting them to Rwanda, which has an agreement with us (which weâve paid for) to accept these people. Although the deportation to Rwanda of those seeking asylum is being reviewed by the Courts, given that these people will be FAILED asylum seekers their cases will be closed and there is NO restriction on us deporting them. So my second question is why is the government not IMMEDIATELY deporting ALL these failed asylum seekers to Rwanda the very next day after they have been picked up? Doing so would stop any more coming over and solve the Channel invasion overnight. WHY DOESN’T SUELLA DO THIS?
If you do not have the answers to these two questions then why donât you ask the Home Secretary? Surely you would like to understand what is going on?
November 19, 2022
No it would not. ECHR applies. This needs to be scrapped to gain control.
November 19, 2022
No, you are wrong. The UK does NOT have to abide by rulings of the ECtHR. After all, just think back to when the ECtHR ruled that the ban on prisoners voting was wrong. The UK government refused to comply. The standoff lasted for 12 years until the ECtHR accepted a very small compromise by the UK allowing a tiny number of those held on remand to vote. It’s not just the UK, either. ALL countries refuse to comply with ECtHR judgements that they are strongly opposed to. The point is that if a government has a backbone it can just tell the ECtHR to F Off. But we are not ruled by strong-willed patriots but by GLOBALIST TRAITORS. That’s the problem!!
November 19, 2022
AT,
No point being in it if you ignore it. That is why they keep saying rule based system where nations comply with law.
November 19, 2022
At, EU sell out agreement makes it clear if UK withdraws from ECHR EU can withdraw from agreement in 12 days.
November 19, 2022
This always a problem when a new head of a department takes over. They want to implement change but the long timed served members of staff resist against it as changes can expose their own weaknesses.
Weekly team briefs can help smooth the way but where the long timed served staff who always think they have seen it all before they can and do implement passive resistance. This can be address at the yearly Performace Review but if change is not forthcoming then it has to be a parting of the ways. In monolithic organisations there is much to be gained by operating 3 year employment contracts across the board..
November 19, 2022
Surely performance should be linked to the departments stated objectives in line with what the electors chose at the general election, then employees failure to meet them or contribute to those objectives should lead to disciplinary procedures for breach of contract, you donât need to sit around waiting for a year or three years. Security works both ways if the civil servants arenât doing what is expected of them.
Quarterly reviews could be done, 360 degree if the employee has anything to say about how they are managed this would also give them an opportunity to do it and for improvements to be achieved on both sides instead of this awful backstabbing and press briefing that goes on now.
November 19, 2022
Return crown servants, military and police to their former unique employment status where equality babble and woke employment rights do not apply. Discipline and Sacking them becomes much easier for errant behaviour. Tories have the answers but not conservative ideology, strategy or soul. Thatcher was last with conservative conviction.
Start with getting rid of Employment Consolidation Act 1998 and every statue from there influenced by EU or Labour.
November 19, 2022
I have repeatedly said that the ONLY solution is for the government to change the rules so that ministers can fire ANY civil servant they do not have confidence in – for WHATEVER reason – and also hire ANY person they want to ANY post in their department. In the US each new administration appoints new senior officials. It is blindingly obvious that only when the officials actively support the goals of the minister can the government actually accomplish anything and enact the will of the people who elected them. The ONLY way of ensuring democracy is by sacking those who stand in its way. But the government refuses to do this. THEY ARE WEAK AND STUPID. That is why I hold them in complete contempt.
November 19, 2022
Change the law. You have had the ability since 2019, thanks to an 80 seat majority, or do your CONS colleagues want mass immigration? The only thing I ever hear from CONS is that immigrants increase GDP. They may do, overall, but it is false economy as they cost far more than they contribute. It’s just a form of cheating, isn’t it, to try and make yourselves look good on the GDP front, but overall it is very damaging to the UK, in more ways than one, but what do the CONS care? Homeless, no NHS availability, crowded towns and roads, no school places, no NHS dentists, water and sewage not coping, etc. etc. etc. This is the result and people are VERY angry about it!
November 19, 2022
Well we have the Lords packed with pro EU, climate alarmist lefties, plus the civil service who are very similar (claiming bullying when simply asked to do their jobs half competently) as indeed are most Tory MPs. Plus once you do change a law the courts still often find ways to castrate or usurp the new laws.
Is a âdemocracyâ where you vote for politicians (who anyway try to do the opposite of what they promised) plus they have rather little power to do things anyway and only 5 years. Though do they seem to be quite good at doing various appalling things like the huge extended lock downs, test and trace, encouraging/aiding illegal migration, HS2, coercing the net harm vaccines into people, shutting schools, taxing people to death, devaluing the currency, killing free competition in health care, energy, transport, education, climate alarmism insanityâŠ
November 19, 2022
Cameron agreed to Clegg to pack Lords with Lib Dumbs! It was an obvious remainer dumping ground. Blame rests with Tories.
November 19, 2022
I think they’re called WEF policies. The current PM and Chancellor are loyal to this unelected club. I don’t know how more of the Cabinet are.
My guess is that most Starmer loyalists are loyal. It’s broadly in line with the observation that more Conservative MPs (percent) voted against ‘the pandemic police state’ than Labour MPs; the latter dissenters were from the ‘left’ of the party.
When did the rot set in, with the UK starting to cede fundamental powers to global bodies? The WHO and IMF seem to have begun as useful organisations but are now part of a quasi-world government which seems to want everyone to have mandatory digital ID … and mandatory medical treatment.
‘Brexit’ plus the latest G20 declaration amounts to going from the frying pan to the fire. At least the UK had a few powers to block EU directives; it will have none to block the WHO, i.e. except for leaving the WHO altogether.
November 19, 2022
Absolute nonsense, LL, the problem is NOT the Courts, or the Lords, or the Civil Service – THE PROBLEM IS NUMBER 10. With his 80 majority Boris could have quickly and easily resolved all the barriers to good and effective government. He could and should have done 3 things:
1. Appointed the 100 most politically ‘sound’ and dependable Conservative constituency chairmen to the Lords, thus reversing its filthy left-wing bias and ensuring his legislation would sail through;
2. Changed the law to (a) give ministers the power to sack any civil servant they cannot work with, and (b) give the Lord Chancellor the power to sack any judge he does not have confidence in;
3. Scrapped (or at least amended) all the legislation that restricts the government’s freedom to implement its agenda, such as the HRA, the Equalities Act, etc.
By doing just these 3 things the government would once more have total freedom of action. I do not feel sorry for the government – I hold it in contempt.
November 19, 2022
Tories could undo everything Blaire did and change Lords function and number. They talked about it and did nothing like number of MPs, BBC, immigration, Brexit, economy, taxation, cultural Marxism to 4 year old children!
November 19, 2022
I had a meeting with Nick Gibb, a long-standing friend from the Thatcher days, after Blair was defeated. He told me âthe best the Tories could do was deliver Blairism more efficiently than Labourâ that âthe restaurants and bars of London were hummingâ and he did not care that it was all on tick.
I realized that we had lost Conservatism, I had lost Nick and indeed when push came to shove he REFUSED TO VOTE FOR BREXIT. He âowedâ Cameron for passing the same sex marriage Act! Tragic. Parkinson would be devastated.
So in a nutshell, they did not want to reverse anything that Blair had done!
November 19, 2022
But Boris is a citizen-of-the-world globalist Remainer. It was the Tory Parliamentary Party that presented the membership with dreadful short-lists just as the party machines presents us we horrific shortlists for MPs. We the Members must demand the power to choose our candidates freely and to vote for any qualified person (MPs) for the leadership. 1 member 1 vote the one with a majority wins.
November 20, 2022
100 extra life peers would only have cancelled out the Liberals, not the Socialists or the remainiac Conservatives. Then there are the crossbenchers and co. And the Bishops.
2 and 3 he would never have got through Parliament. That 80 seat majority is a mirage. He couldn’t even get back N Ireland and the fish. Or properly cut Foreign Aid. Raab and the HS are having difficulty getting legislation through to enforce our borders, even after the lurid publicity. Whatever gets through with all the amendments won’t be worth having.
November 19, 2022
Liblabcon are all for mass immigration. They all support the UN treaties and follow WEF rules.
Westminster does not rule our country, unelected bodies make the ruled.
Vote Reform.
November 19, 2022
The change to the rules for investment by insurance companies, slipped through like the fuel duty rises, is all in accordance with the UN/WEF agendas. Your pension pot will now be used to invest in wind farms, solar and social housing. We will be happy in our rented homes, waiting for the wind to blow and heat them and power our workplace. Ministers will follow their orders.
November 19, 2022
Manage your own pension fund.I do!
November 19, 2022
+1Reform for me.
If Reform do not have a candidate vote for the party likely to wipe out the betraying traitorous Tory party.
Swing seats might need national help from everyone to oust a Tory.
November 19, 2022
Seems so, but reform has no chance of power. I am all for sensible & higher skilled immigration in sensible numbers.
November 19, 2022
LL
If enough people voted for Reform then they would be able to form a government, they need Nigel Farage to lead them
November 19, 2022
So he can lose yet again? How many times does he have to prove to you that he cannot even win a seat himself, even with the lionâs share of funding and the pick of all constituencies, before you stop flogging that particular dead horse?
November 19, 2022
But aren’t you missing the point, LL? Unless the Tories take Reform UK seriously, they will lose power. We either get a reformed Tory party with conservative policies that appeal to Reform UK voters, and then it can perhaps stay in office, or else we don’t. Then the Tory party loses office and hopefully dies, and is replaced by something better.
November 19, 2022
+1
November 19, 2022
Only a reformed Tory Party can keep Starmer SNP out given the system we have and this looks very unlikely. Sunak and Hunt are deluded, climate alarmist, money debasing, big state socialists who (together with the strong likelihood of Labour/SNP in two years) will kill economic growth and reduce tax receipts too.
November 19, 2022
Why when we have potentially highly skilled people we are too lazy to train? Working on our country and taking the living from British people is not acceptable. Highly skilled alien people are needed in their own countries. Stealing them all and calling them British is the ultimate racism!
November 19, 2022
Training and education can help a little but dim people remain dim, unreliable people unreliable and lazy people lazy in my experience – with just a few rare exceptions.
November 19, 2022
Shirley M
Haveyou ever thought that when they go on about GDP all they are doing is repeating what they have been told by advisors and the Sir Humphry’s of their world?
Just like the members and converts to the WEF, Agenda 20-30 sects. They are only saying and acting on the preachings of the high priest.
November 19, 2022
If ministers had the will to stop illegal immigration they would have done so long before this.
This has been going on for many, many years but now it’s the fault of the civil service? Passing the buck when you are in office does not work anymore. If people do not obey instructions then get rid of them. If they accuse you of wrongful sacking then stand up for yourselves and fight back. Grow a spine in short.
November 19, 2022
I donât believe ministers or MPs can actually sack civil servants.
If Iâm correct, then that is part of the state of impasseâŠ? Itâs a problem.
November 19, 2022
Sharon,
servants of the crown had unique employment status and it should be returned to what it was, as above. Equality, woke, EU,Labour govt employment acts need removing.
Although, do you think Patricia Hewittâs job was advertised! Same for Michael Barber, two good Blaire employees brought in by Hunt.
November 19, 2022
*1
November 19, 2022
I 100% agree.
November 19, 2022
Everyone has to accept that the world has moved on and Jobs for Life are very few and far in-between.
Efficiency, eradicating waste, external and internal customer performance, identifying new practices and processes should be the foundation of any company ,department or section. This can be easily underpinned by setting real meaningful targets and by the payment of a yearly bonus. It gives the opportunity to import in new ideas and encourages continual improvement through changes in personnel.
Leaner, meaner, working smarter not harder becomes second nature.
November 19, 2022
Turbo – fine with all that. No jobs for life, no conditions, no regular pay.
Alas, it does annoy me when Tories call this situation ‘modernisation’.
Nope. That situation existed in Egyptian times. It is ancient practice, not ‘modern’. A pension after short service is ‘modern’. A workplace canteen is ‘modern’, a workplace restaurant even more so, holiday pay is ‘modern’ … being able to take a well remunerated stint in The Jungle whilst still (allegedly) being able to serve your constituents and still being paid for your day job is ‘modern’.
(Any word on dyslexia charities by the way ?)
All these modern conditions and pay whilst being ineffective and for not doing the job you were elected to do… that’s ‘modern’.
How can a single Tory MP (now effectively obsolete) call for modernisation of other workers when they are such a pointless drain on the economy themselves ?
November 19, 2022
N L A
Love the way you presented that.
Nothing anyone can get upset with.
The only thing constant in life is change and death. Why is it the vast majority of politicians cannot embrace it?
November 19, 2022
Good morning.
It is almost has if we have never left the EU. First it was the EU that prevented Ministers from doing their jobs, now it is lawyers and Civil Spepants. Amazing isn’t it ?
/sarc
Let us deconstruct this.
Q: Who creates the laws of the land ?
A: Parliament.
Q: Who in parliament can propose legislation and agree to treaties etc. ?
A: The government (Executive) supported by MP’s (Legislature).
We cannot deport illegals because they are using the laws and international agreements that our government and parliament have signed up to.
Q: So what would be a good solution ?
A: Repeal all the laws and treaties relating to the matter.
For example:
We could enforce the laws regarding entering the UK illegally ? These laws would be :
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002
Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009
Immigration Act 2016
Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008
Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc. ) Act 2004
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002
Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997
And so on.
Currently a company called Serco is managing the processing of illegals in this country. Readers may be interested to know who are the people on these boards and their backgrounds.
November 19, 2022
Honestly John we are fed up with all the lame excuses. There isn’t much you can say anymore to paint your party in a good light. Perhaps it’s time to move to a different party with others that feel the same. Or has your party got no true Conservatives anymore?
November 19, 2022
Now you’re talking, Mark. Do tell us.
November 19, 2022
Sovereignty we were told was the aim of Brexit, this government has it. May stitched up a lot of this quickly enough, they should repeal it quickly. Truth is weâre not accepting this buck passing any longer. We can see your party avoiding its duty to Britain.
November 19, 2022
Mark B
Agreed, where there is a real will there is a way, the problem is politicians and lawyers do not think in simple terms, it always has to be over complicated, and that is where the error comes in.
The fact that the taxpayer funds and pays the lawyers to fight against Government policy/law is also a farce.
Anyone who has ever used a solicitor knows how complicated, lengthy and expensive they are, just to administer a simple document or complete basic tasks.
All the Government needs to do is change/simplify the law, and speed up the process.
No correct documentation, no entry, simples.
It’s not as if we do not know where they have immediately come from is it given the french escort them halfway, for us to pick them up !
November 19, 2022
Yep, a nice big earner and is doesn’t matter what sort of mess they make of their contracts they are always guaranteed a new contract, whilst others do not get a look in.
November 19, 2022
Mark,
You forgot ECHR. The EU sell out agreement makes clear if UK withdraws EU can cancel sell out agreement in 12 days. Hence why gutless Tory govt will not do it. It would mean actually leaving in total!
The horrors of the sell out was spelt out by Spectator, Lawyers for Britain, Bruge group etc. Tories still signed it!
November 19, 2022
If you can deconstruct why can’t they? Are they all morons or are they simply too lazy or frightened of stepping out of line .
John of course there are different types ; some play fair, others play dirty and manipulate to look sqeaky clean .I myself have been horrified at the weight of the law when it decides to change one thing to another at how complicit systems are and how willing everyone is to cover truths . There is always blame and greed but the reason i voted against labour was the start of the destruction of the NHS in the mid 90’s .The NHS was pissing money down the drain, the dire and corrupt managers were taking their places and selling staff out , the abundant Phds were sucking up to all the bigger firms and were totally incapable of organisation. The English capable staff were thrown out and overseas staff given priority. Someone hates the UK!
November 19, 2022
+1 Mark B
I am sure Winston Churchill must be turning in his grave. Amend that. Spinning.
November 19, 2022
Don’t overlook the ‘Modern’ Slavery Act 2015 which creates the basis for many claims against deportation rather than preventing people trafficking, its alleged purpose.
I assume with regard to Serco, Mark, you are referring to John Rishton who was CEO of Rolls-Royce, a man with no scientific qualifications, with a background in groceries. Running R-R is a difficult job because it has to do business all over the world where business practices vary, yet there are at the same time English-hating judges determined to use English law to try to bankrupt them by applying laws which they promoted which were designed for that purpose.
November 19, 2022
Actually, I was thinking of a former Tory MP. An MP whose Grandfather once said, “We will fight them on the beaches . . ”
Now we just put them in 4 Star Hotels.
November 19, 2022
I don’t think he has ever been a Tory MP although he does have extensive family connections with those that have; he is also an ex-member of the Bullingdon club which even JR himself failed to achieve, so he should not be underestimated.
November 19, 2022
+1
November 19, 2022
At the Home Office successive Ministers have made clear their wish to end people trafficking across the Channel. There has been a change of the law, yet still lawyers and legal processes conspire to delay final decisions on cases.
Remind me again what the Tory majority in Parliament is, you can make the law and rules to counter any laws which enables the illegals to use to stay in our country, just get it done this is becoming to be a big issue like Brexit was so get it sorted or your party is toast at the next General Election
November 19, 2022
Mick
Well said pal.
I personally think that the Dingy Invaders is a far greater problem to this country than Brexit.
November 19, 2022
An excellent post again Mark.
November 19, 2022
May I. 2016 made clear ECHR prevented her from deporting terrible criminals. Braverman made clear ECHR would have to be scrapped in her bid to become PM. They all know it but EU threaten to rip up sell out agreement. Therefore the UK will never have control of its borders while in ECHR.
Cameron, May, Johnson all pledged to get rid of ECHR to get elected, none did. All lamely claimed British Bill of Rights would make the necessary changes, no it will not it is used to appease the public until another story takes over.
November 19, 2022
JR What you write confirms what Iâve read. Christopher Booker wrote that under the EU, the civil services of the EU countries would work as one. Unless those servants are changed they will continue to work in the same way.
Likewise all the other institutions, Common Purpose graduates who have been trained to work for a common cause, not the institutionâs they are employed by. Likewise, the activistsâ organisations, who have been funded to destroy society from within.
Richard Tice said yesterday, we are like a boat running through the rapids, heading for the waterfall. Presently, we are still just able to be rescued, but if we fall over the precipice, theyâll be no way to save us.
November 19, 2022
Does the same not apply to politicians? What about all these âworld leadersâ spending more time with each other than in their homelands. They have formed a new group. Tebbit used to say that he fell into the same trap as an international pilot. But he had the wit to legalise that he was becoming estranged from his own people and packed it in.
November 19, 2022
Dear Sir John, you have confirmed that Parliament and the people no longer run this Country. Who actually decides what is done it not that clear either.
From the counter woke and counter globalist media it seems there is no longer a cap on imigation of any kind. Is this true Sir John ?
You are also suggesting that it is not Ministers fault because they are given bad advice. Perhaps the wrong people are chosen for political reasons rather than their skill to judge the advice they are given. Do they understand the subject they have responsibility for ?
More of the same no matter if Labour or Conservative. Just get into power and then forget about what the people vote for . Just make a name for yourself at G20, COPXX, NATO, UN etc. the people will pay, sometimes with their lives.
November 19, 2022
John can groan all he likes but he knows what the truth is, that his party is part of the problem. Indeed it is responsible for much of the damage we have seen since Brown was toppled. Cameron simply carried on with Labour’s ideology and many fools who vote Tory can’t even see that. There’s no hope when people continue to vote for Labour and the tories not realising what they have become
November 19, 2022
Theyâre oblivious to there own failings âŠself evident when they threw the red-wall voters to the wall and started a program of social engineering believing that they know best, itâs a slippery slope when you ignore the voters âŠthe voters voted for Liz but our MPs knew best
November 19, 2022
‘Ministers need to be more sceptical of the advice they are getting.’ Indeed they do, Sir John, and don’t we just know it, ever since two years ago your government allowed the direction of Covid policy to be determined by a four-times failure with his useless models. Then it continued to take advice from Whitty, Vallance and the SAGE committee – is anyone in government evaluating how good that advice was, in retrospect? Is anyone now thinking, we were wrongly advised, and those advisors must not be used again? I doubt it.
November 19, 2022
And now with excess deaths about 15% above what they should be none of the people you mention can be bothered to give us an explanation. Evidently, only now have Pfizer decided to investigate any link between their vaccine and cardiac problems. As a Cardiologist told me “There is no such thing as a completely safe vaccine. It is up to you to assess the comparative risks of having it and not having it”.
November 19, 2022
But nuts, bee-stings, all manner of substances can cause life threatening events – it just depends whether you react badly, or not. People faint looking at a person approaching them holding a needle, even asking for a plaster to stop bleeding.
November 20, 2022
Yes, MT, excess deaths happen all the time, don’t they? Er, wait a minute…
November 19, 2022
This government wants illegal immigration, the civil service should not be blamed. The Channel remains one of the worldâs busiest shipping lanes where once it would have been impossible to cross it in small boats. Under this government the migrants are escorted in. The government has deliberately ignored the advice from Australia about how to stop this by increasing the pull factors such as the giving of hotel accommodation. Every government announcement on this further encourages the crossings: the fanfare of Rwanda before changing the law. Result: boosting the people traffickersâ profits by encouraging demand to beat any offshoring. Both Patel and Braverman saying thereâs no silver bullet. Result: migrants across the world know the government doesnât really want to stop illegal entry and more and more of those living in their own countries or who have already moved to Europe, are now making their way here. So to say itâs the civil serviceâs fault, well to coin one of your phrases Mr Redwood – we donât believe you.
November 19, 2022
This country is no longer a Democracy: it’s a Quangocracy run by the left-wing bureaucrats who infest the Senior Civil Service and EVERY other public institution. They are imposing Socialism, which a majority refuse to vote for.
Government Ministers COULD do something about it if they wanted to. They could start scrapping Quangos; rein-in the Universities which are churning out left-wing drones by scrapping loans for Mickey Mouse degreees, and they could change the law.
They haven’t, because they don’t want to. The Civil Service and Quangocrats are doing what the “Conservative” Globalist-Socialists in power want them to do. They just need to pretend otherwise in order to retain the votes of people on the conservative-end of the spectrum.
Ignore what they say; watch what they do. This is, to all intents and purposes, a Corbyn/McDonnell Government.
November 19, 2022
Spot On
November 19, 2022
Absolutely right, Donna. I am an old man who throughout a long and productive working life have stood firmly by my belief in conservatism, with both a small and large ‘c’.
I joined the Reform Party yesterday…..
November 19, 2022
Martyn G
Snap!
So did I
November 19, 2022
Norris McWhirter was not a member of the Conservative Party when he died. Who would have believed it? Powell, who claimed that the party had left him rather than the reverse.
November 19, 2022
It is more advanced than that Donna.
From 4 year olds to university students all are being culturally brainwashed. This is not an accident. Same for demonstrations, same for public service indoctrination to make cultural changes much easier without resistance.
Blaire wanted more in university and this is a vehicle for cultural change made easy. From 4-21 years people are being conditioned. From LGBT, to climate scam, colonialist past, critical race theory, to EU and globalism. Deliberately Brainwashed. This is not an accident.
Tory govt introduced Educational and Sex Relationship Act. May introduced all the hate non crimes and changed direction of police to woke. Local authorities are pro EU, left wing, woke infested bureaucracies. Against election promises, Tories keep giving them more of our taxes!
November 19, 2022
This Autumn statement is a job destroyer. Why are we suffering mass immigration when jobs are going to disappear hand over fist? Businesses are already going to the wall and others are moving abroad.
Can we afford another few million on the dole? Can we afford this government? My answer is NO. A big fat NO.
November 19, 2022
Hunt was clear he sees immigration as,growth. Sunak just agreed, against Bravermanâs stance, to have thousands more Indian visas! He later said on TV he wanted to control/reduce. He is telling lies. His memory could not be that bad.
November 19, 2022
What happens when the UK runs out of willing hotels? Compulsory purchase? What happens when they are full? It is clear that the HR lawyers expect immigrants to have better accommodation than anything given to homeless Brits, so what next?
November 19, 2022
Leave the EHCR. Repeal the Human rights act. Replace it with a U.K. bill of rights and limit the legal aid paid to salivating lawyers per case to a level that discourages spurious elongation of claims. Until this happens their will never be a solution.
November 19, 2022
BW
How many politicians in both Houses have legal qualifications and training?
They don’t want all this legal shenanigans with a never ending supply of clients be taxied over to our shores to end. Come the day the sticky hits fan they will have plenty of clients to help subsidise their gold plated pensions.
November 19, 2022
There
November 19, 2022
+1
November 19, 2022
@BW; Except there are a (charitable) lawyers who would be willing to receive a reduced or no fee for such cases, so unless what you are really proposing is a reduction in civil rights, the ability to challenge issues via the courts (in effect replacing the ECHR, of which the UK was the first signatory to, with a UK bill of no rights), your suggestion changes nothing… The problem is being caused by the wrong polices, not a woke legal system.
November 19, 2022
I donât care when we signed up to the ECHR. It was written years ago and is no longer fit for purpose. As for a Bill of Rights, I never said â no rightsâ. However nothing wrong with adding a few words to suit your argument. 10 years and millions of pounds to deport a hate preacher is evidence that the ECHR and the HRA only serves to protect those that wish us harm. We are stupefied by that legislation. There is nothing wrong with a bill of rights which is linked to personal responsibility.
November 19, 2022
@BW; “[the ECHR] was written years ago and is no longer fit for purpose”
So?! By that logic should we also scrap the Magna Carta too, after all that was written even further back in history, given a USA style written constitution would be far more fit for purpose…
Stop trying to create a straw-man argument to deflect from your failed logic, what I said was; unless what you are really proposing is a […] UK bill of no rights your solution would change nothing, and I stand by that, because even if our involvement with the ECHR did end we would still have to abide by the various rules, laws and fundamental charters that goes with our membership of the UN.
November 19, 2022
@BW; 10 years and millions of pounds to deport a hate hate preacher is not evidence of a failed ECHR but 1/. a failed UK foreign policies and 2/. failed domestic laws. Other countries seem to deal with similar hate preachers within both the ECHR and their own domestic criminal justice system, as indeed the UK could have done. The deportation of that particular UK hate preacher became an (party) political issue, baited from within the right wing press, not one of criminal justice, hence why our once dancing PM highlighted her ‘successful’ involvement at her party conference, nothing other than deportation was ever going to be the end game, whatever time period, whatever the cost to the taxpayer.
November 19, 2022
It wasn’t t the misuse of the Magna Carta that kept the hate preacher here it was the misuse of the HRA and the EHCR. As always when an argument is lost refer to the Magna Carta. Thatâs what politicians and salivating lawyers do when not counting their Iâll gotten gains.
November 20, 2022
@BW; Err?! But it was the freedoms give in, and since, the Magna Carta that allowed those appeals. Yours is the thin end of the wedge, first stop migrants being able to appeal, then stop criminals, then stop taxpayers from appealing against sequestration orders for (supposed) unpaid back tax etc…
November 20, 2022
In Magna Carta the liberties were granted to the “Freemen of the realm”.
The illegal migrants are not “Freemen of the realm”
November 21, 2022
@dixie; “The illegal migrants are not âFreemen of the realmâ
Nor is the prisoner of the realm banged up on fictitious or vindictive charges!
Whatever happened to the All men are innocent until PROVEN beyond doubt to be guilty”?… Allowing appeals is the bedrock of both democracy and a fair criminal justice system, play with either at your own risk…
November 22, 2022
Some may well be legitimate asylum seekers, but that still doesn’t make them “freemen of the realm” … until perhaps they become citizens.
If you must vent spleen why not focus on those illegal migrants who are clearly not desparate asylum seekers fleeing war in France, clearly lying about their age and those who willingly assist them in the illegality.
November 19, 2022
We have our own ancient Bill of Rights. We need to revert to that. It was illegally sidelined – itâs a Constitutional statute.
November 20, 2022
@Lynn Atkinson; You do understand we are talking about the 1953 European Convention on Human Rights here, NOT the 2009 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union?
But if you are talking about the ECHR then your logic must also mean you want the UK to leave the UN too, after all that also sidelines the UK’s (unwritten) Constitutional statute. And as for illegality, unless you have evidence that Churchill, as PM, acted illegally…
November 19, 2022
It seems politicians, including ministers, aren’t up to the job.
November 19, 2022
Wanderer
There are a small group worthy of their position about 8% being generous.
As for the rest, none of them are worth a rub. Totally incompetent.
November 19, 2022
In the private sector you can have managers who can’t do their job. Either they are sacked, or their business fails.
Not so in the public sector, where the minister in charge has been elected and the department they run doesn’t work like a business and just gets more money when it fails.
When filling a post for a senior management position, you would look for someone with an MBA or suitable experience and track record. You don’t engage someone with a degree in political theory.
So a minister with a PPE degree isn’t effective managing a major public institution. Go figure.
November 19, 2022
Surely the minister doesn’t ‘manage’ the institution, Dave. S/he decides on policy. Or rather, in the case of this government, lets the civil servants and the media decide. We must not make the mistake of assuming that the Tories are in power in this country.
November 19, 2022
Too weak Ministers with no knowledge of a subject, or indeed much at all appointed for political reasons, challenging those that do, (Treasury) how does that work then?
I see little/no sign of any push back from across government resulting in the appalling levels of service and waste you have highlighted previously.
TINO. Tory in name only.
November 19, 2022
@Nigl; You might be correct, and indeed this govt is TINO, (just as the last govt was LINO) and it has been thus since when TINA ruled, politics increasingly dominated by either PPE grads or those who have never worked on the shop-floor or have never sat on the board a large company.
I would like to see a ban on anyone becoming an MP before the age of 40, and at whatever age, they must have first had a career outside of full time politics and the Westminster village, so no more party researchers being promoted to a safe seat as a reward/promotion; only those who have either a Trade Union shop-steward card (or above), trade apprenticeship papers, or IoD membership need apply! đ
November 19, 2022
Apparently the Chancellor has solved our economic woes though.
More migration is his answer. A lot more I think he said!
November 19, 2022
I wonder where they will live? When I see the government bribing luxury hotels to take in our uninvited ‘guests’ then it should be obvious to the government that we have NO spare accommodation! NONE! The destruction of the UK culture and economy continues unabated.
November 19, 2022
+many
We will be literally tipping off the edges of what once was our island and crashing into the sea.
There will be no lifeboat rescues for us!
November 19, 2022
@Shirley M; “it should be obvious to the government that we have NO spare accommodation! NONE!”
Indeed the UK is short of housing, unlike say 50 years ago, when the UK had to suddenly find homes for around 27k Ugandan Asians, whilst many were housed in army barracks short term all were then found houses, but the the UK was still building council houses back then, and property was still regarded as a home, not an investment…
Then of course there is the crazy policy that prevents these migrants from taking employment, and thus paying their own way (even as a means of proving their worth and thus earning their UK residency), despite some employers being willing to house them, as they did for pre Brexit/Pandemic EU migrants.
November 19, 2022
Itâs the best thing thats ever happened for the Brittania Hotel Group, many of their hotels were dipping and required refurbishment, instead of expensive referbs and close down periods to do rooms up they get paid a bomb 7 days per week 52 weeks per year and donât have to do much for it, unlike usual paying guests. It will be interesting to see if the owners are investing some of their big gains into room refurbishment programs or just keeping the dosh for themselves. Do these immigrants get their room cleaned? How often? Who cooks for them? If this could be done for uninvited, law breakers (arriving here without documents, passports, evidence to support their claims to asylum) why couldnât it be done to facilitate job movements for graduates to the Cities to help them get established?
November 19, 2022
Shirley, there are some good deals on offer for landlords in the North of England only, to rent to Serco for 5 years, for the illegals they need to house. Guaranteed rent, all repairs covered, all management free of charge. No security of tenure for the resident tenant either, as far as I can see. It’s better than owning a gilt, I’d think. Why would you bother letting to an established British family? That’s how they will fill the gap.
Note they are only dumping them in the North. Red wall voters, take note! The deals not available in the Home Counties.
November 19, 2022
Yes, Wandererer, they also pay fuel bills and no doubt all the other bills too, on a 5 YEAR contract, so we know nothing will be done for at least 5 years, and Brits can have the mould riddled houses, if they are lucky to get one at all. The legal immigrants get first dibs too.
The CONS have always treated the North badly. It started long ago, and nothing has changed. That’s why they have such a lot of Labour voters, but I can see the tide turning against all the main parties. Fingers crossed that all the main parties will get a bloody nose in the next GE. They have betrayed us too often.
November 20, 2022
Only dumping them in the North?
I suppose the immigrants currently shacked up in a Wokingham hotel near Winnersh don’t really exist then.
November 19, 2022
@Cuibono; Well if a country need workers, especially certain manual trades, and you do not have enough indigenous workers there are only two options, allow the economy to shrink and stagnate still further, or ask immigrants to (once again…) come and do the work the indigenous population either can’t or won’t do.
November 19, 2022
If a country needs workers of any descriptionâŠit trains them.
It does NOT send 50% of kids, regardless of intelligence level, to do useless arts degrees.
It also does not countenance c 5 mill being on benefits ( many of whom are on disability benefits suffering from âanxiety and depressionâ).
It also might not be a bad idea to make the workplace less of the nightmare successive govts have turned it intoâŠat least for indigenous workers!
November 19, 2022
@Cuibono; No one can train people who have never born, and our birth rate has been falling for decades compared to our economies needs; nor can you successfully train people to do jobs they simply do not want or care about, and no employer wants such people!
As I said, either accept migrant labour, as we did in the 1950s, or allow the economy to stagnate, unless you want laws that allows for the direction of labour, and even then that fails to deal with the issue of a low birth rate or motivation to do acceptable standard of work, such policies really would be the start of a slippery slope, last seen during the 1945-51 Labour govt…
November 19, 2022
There are more than two options Jerry, the industry invents new labour saving processes or invests in labour saving machinery or redesigns products to need less labour input to produce said product.
November 19, 2022
@P2; That begs three questions; 1/. is automation even possible, 2/. if it is, how long will it be between today and successful R&D into full production, 3/. given our shortage of labour, who is going to actually build all these new and wonderful AI or automated machines.
But back in the real world, unless UK Plc takes the bitter medicine and stops complaining, surely most companies will carry on doing what they have been for the last 20-30 years, off shore their production or procurement to countries were the workforce is plentiful and cheap?
November 19, 2022
1 yes
2 rapidly if cheap labour is no longer available
3 there are lots of companies who do very well from manufacturing such machinery
November 19, 2022
@P2; 1/. An assertion on your part;
2/. Cheaper (willing) labour is available, as was the case before Brexit, given certain Brexiteers argument against our membership and the ease at which eastern European migrants could work here in the UK, forcing wages down in doing so. Or was that just one more UKIP lie;
3/. I never said otherwise, hence my comment about off shore production & procurement
Even if other countries do design and build these AI or automated machines you predict, how is the UK going to afford to buy what will no doubt be expensive machines from other countries when our national bigoted shortsightedness prevents the UK from increasing our GDP, never mind earning the foreign currency reserves we will need?
November 19, 2022
Jerry
Introduce a sliding reduction scale
on benefits. For far too many they are better being at home in front of the tele and doing a bit cash in hand.
They are no better than the invaders taking full advantage of a broken abused welfare system.
November 19, 2022
Turbo thats why the government had to pay them an extra ÂŁ20 per week in lockdown, when youâd think theyâd be better off because there was nothing to go out and spend it on. They know they live in the black economy earning whilst claiming, they just turn a blind eye to it, they just need to check out EBay to see who is at it.
November 19, 2022
@turboterrier; Would you want to employ someone who doesn’t want to do the job and only comes to work to show they have clocked in and out?! Also even if we had full direction of labour you can only fill those jobs you have people for, our economy is larger than our workforce – and that likely includes many who are legitimately currently on disability benefits too.
November 19, 2022
I still believe that min pay jobs are only beneficial to the country if it takes a Brit off the dole. Bringing in immigrants to do low paid work is a drain (they will never contribute enough for their own state pension) and why should the taxpayer subsidise low paid immigrant workers for the profits of companies?
November 19, 2022
@Shirley M; Why should the taxpayer subsidies low paid workers at all, be they indigenous or migrant, for the profits of companies and shareholders – yours is not an argument about migrant labour, it’s an argument about how capitalism works!
Anyway, many of the jobs migrants were doing before Brexit/CV19 were not necessarily NMW jobs, many were skilled trades, or at least semi-skilled jobs paying above the NMW.
November 19, 2022
We have the workers but they are paid by the Government not to work. No small business can compete with the Government for âworkersâ.
November 20, 2022
@Lynn Atkinson; Nonsense. We have a shrinking working age population, and it has been shrinking since the last of the post war baby-boomer generation entered the workplace, and now that baby-boomer generation are in the process of leaving the workforce through sickness and retirement. There are only three groups who the govt pay not to work, Students, those with disabilities or sickness, and (in effect) illegal migrants, all others are expected to find work or be otherwise financially independent, the problems come when employers fail to create and pay for full time employment (at least 39 hours @ the NLW) and the state then has to pay working tax credits.
November 19, 2022
He’s an unelected fool. He mixes up GDP with GDP per capita. Then they talk of productivity. 3 million Hong Kong National invited here. To add to the millions of EU people, hundreds of thousands from Syria, Somalia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, then the estimated million illegal immigrants. ÂŁ4 billion a year on illegals alone. I wonder why there’s 7 million people on waiting lists in England. No school places for English children in the southeast near their homes. No NHS dentists in most of the Country unless you’re an illegal. I wonder how more immigration will work out for the English and their taxes. Who’d vote for the Tory’s betrayal ever again. Totally self centred, self, party before the Country. Just go. We can’t afford you and your net stupid.
November 19, 2022
@Timaction; “I wonder why thereâs 7 million people on waiting lists in England. No school places for English children in the southeast near their homes. No NHS dentists in most of the Country”
Well of course there will be many problems if central govt chose to fund tax cuts rather than invest in more NHS Doctors and Dentists, new capital projects, or just the proper repair of existing infrastructure, never mind paying existing staff half decent salaries to retain them within the NHS or teachers within the education sector etc. Many problems now being blamed on inward migration have existed for years, we are simply seeing the EFFECT amplified, not the cause, the latter having been totally ignored by some on the right until they realized how their past ideological failings could be used against their opponents and inward migration. Nothing like a bit of political opportunism…
November 19, 2022
It is interesting and concerning to see the operation of a nexus between civil servants opposed to govt measures and the leftist media. Unnamed civil servants accuse any Conservative minister making a serious attempt to attack a blob policy – Patel, Braverman, now Raab – of âbullyingâ. The item is immediately top billing on the BBC. In effect the minister is made guilty in the eyes of public opinion before any process. By the time some proper process (if there is one) has established the nonsense of the claim, the damage is done. JRM has pointed out the humbug of this from the left. The left caused a distinguished BBC journalist, and even a moderate Labour MP, to require police protection at the Labour Party conference. That is what âbullyingâ looks like.
On the second point you are of course right, it is preposterous that govt economic policy is determined by the forecasts produced by a quango, which are likely to be, and have been, as wrong as forecasts inevitably are, since the future is unknowable. The forecasts produced by the OBR quango are heavily influenced, not surprisingly, by the political opinions of its members. It is a real pity that the chance the free market side had to take control of policy was so royally screwed up by Truss and Kwarteng. I doubt there will be another chance.
November 19, 2022
Government Covid policy, which has ruined the economy and landed us with the largest debt in our history, was based on forecasts by Neil Ferguson – a man whose previous forecasts had a considerable history of catastrophising and then being proven completely wrong. The model he used for his Covid predictions was kept secret for a long time (to prevent scrutiny). When it was eventually released, it was found to be completely flawed …. proven to be a classic case of “garbage in = garbage out.”
You’d think a Government, which was well aware of Ferguson’s appalling record of prognostications would have, at the very least, been highly sceptical about his predictions for Covid-related mortality. But no …. it appears to have been accepted without question. And I, for one, suspect that’s because this wasn’t a pandemic ….. it was a PLAN-DEMIC …… to massively advance the planned Great Reset.
November 19, 2022
I think most of these experts have good intentions. Probably also prof Ferguson. But they can also be wrong. We need decisions to be taken by people whom we elect and can remove. The more outsourcing to experts the less democracy. And as we now see with lockdown, the worse the policy.
November 19, 2022
We English have a reputation for a ‘stiff upper lip’. Presumably, we have to accept that those who are not English
will not display this characteristic when presented with civil service obtuseness.
November 19, 2022
We elect people to govern with authority: to make decisions enforced with obedience.
November 19, 2022
Well the Ministers are in charge and if their employees won’t work for them as instructed then change the employees. They’re not performing their job satisfactorily so there is every opening to fire them. You have to start thinking private sector or Reform Party will do the job instead.
November 19, 2022
What use is an 80 seat majority, if not used to correct long-running problems, and to move against a trend becoming a big problem.
The successive governments have proved the Party stance on many things yet the electorate is told differently.
Answer: remove the Party from power.
November 19, 2022
I am actually finding this OBR rant a little disturbing.
The OBR is extremely well-qualified,
Just because they aren’t always right, you can’t just tear them down. Just because Truss made a horlicks fo things, it doesn’t mean the whole insistution of democracy is wrong. Churchill is not a bad leader because of Gallipolli. Heck … even Einstein got a lot of stuff wrong.
Strong institutions and expertise is what makes this country great. Show a bit of support, eh?
November 19, 2022
Ignoramus, what qualifications do they have? Which people in particular were responsible for the wildly inaccurate reports last year and what were their qualifications or experience? What reports have these same people created that were perfectly accurate within a 5% variable do you know?
November 19, 2022
Everything OBR-related seems to be in the public domain. See obr.uk
Youâll find their Publications, News, Data, âŠ, and under the In-Depth heading even a Brexit Analysis.
As for the staff, you can have a look at âWho we are: Budget Responsibility Committee, Permanent staff of the OBR, Oversight board, Advisory panelâ.
And if you are interested there is some vacancy for a Fiscal Analyst. Why donât you enter the competition?
November 19, 2022
Look hefner, if someone wants to tell us something as though it is a true fact they should be able to give us the true information without me having to go and fish for it. You are rude, I wasnât talking to you unless you are also posting as Ignoramus? Ignoramus said this as though they know who the people are and their qualifications. I donât think they are as smart as Ignoramus does because they made a serious error last year. So who put their names to last years estimates. If you donât know then donât get involved.
November 19, 2022
It would help if you were not every day asking multiple questions that mostly need a bit of research on the web. Whatâs the point of you asking questions if when given links that could help answer your questions you consider them useless.
The link I gave you had names and qualifications, and the reports they had written: canât you check whether these people might be responsible for these last reports you consider inaccurate?
And if they are responsible, what follow-up action are you going to take?
Maybe what you need is a PA to prepare one page summaries for you and possibly even some potential answers to your questions? đ
November 19, 2022
Iâm sorry but who are you blog police? I donât make statements with claims that canât be substantiated, I often provide sources and links and if asked I can give more details, when some people make statements as if they are known facts then why canât they just simply give me their facts theyâve researched to come to that conclusion.
YOU donât have to read my comments, please feel free to skip over them and ignore them unless Iâm addressing you directly.
November 19, 2022
The OBR are just one of many who are trying to predict the future.
Best to look at how accurate their predictions have been.
November 19, 2022
The only reason, Ignoramus, that there is a reaction against the OBR, is that they have been absurdly bigged up by the media as a means of preventing HMG from doing the right thing. Rather like so many other quangos and quangocrats the new establishment wants to rule us undemocratically. There is nothing wrong with a group of people making inaccurate forecasts – it happens all the time. What is wrong is that they are the only forecasters the Chancellor and Treasury are listening to. The responsible thing to do with forecasts, if they must be used of something like economic activity which can’t really be forecast, is to use a dozen or more different groups of forecasters.
November 19, 2022
Stop blaming others. It is obvious your party wants mass immigration to continue at the detriment of the British people. You put promises in your manifesto that you have no intention of honouring. You throw more money at France when we all know that if they accepted back all migrants who landed on our shores illegally the trade would stop overnight. You continue to fund the charities who are complicit in this illegal trade. You sign international treaties that facilitate more immigration. You allow Albanians to gain asylum when no other countries do. You provide luxury hotels for these people yet leave our own citizens sleeping rough. You are destroying our holiday seaside towns and putting hotel staff out of work. Your party brought in the modern slavery act being used to stay in our country. With an 80 seat majority you could change anything but choose not to.
Your party is a disgrace and deserves to be wiped out at the next general election.
November 19, 2022
+many Christine. I am getting rather frustrated by Sir John trying to pass the blame onto others instead of where it lies, and that is squarely with his undemocratic and anti-UK party … but party before country still applies, even with Sir John!
November 19, 2022
+1 sad but true.
Let us see how many Tory MPs vote against Huntâs Brexit destroying budget.
November 19, 2022
+1.true I’m afraid.
November 19, 2022
Still don’t see how raising BoE base rate will reduce imported inflation. What level of unemployment and base rate, do you think will be needed to bring inflation down from 11% to 2%?
November 19, 2022
there is no democracy in this country
its been obvious for a long while
we throw money at rubbish public services that just provide cushy jobs for left wing nutters
the same political class remains in power across all ruling elements of our society no matter what election results or proven mistakes happen
they all conspire to push the national debt ever higher so we have less choices
its all a farce
forget it john you are wasting your time
we need a big reset, if its not going to happen democratically then something else will happen
there are going to be riots anyways now that invaders are being allowed into our country to displace our own children from schools
i dont see any real possible positive outcome in the short to medium term
November 19, 2022
Iain,
Positive outcomes for me.
1. A rise in SME business growth and gdp ahead of inflation. This made much more difficult with NLW differential upgrades and potentially a massive increase in fuel duty. This hardly gives you confidence to invest and hire.
2. Zero bed blockers in NHS wards, the creation of new care wards which donât need medical grade employees to cook and care for people.
3. More beds per ward, more trainee nurses on the wards taken on at 16 years of age.
4. More school classrooms built in proportion to the number of homes built, by the builders.
5. Fix asylum claims and change the law to make it easier to bring these claims to conclusion quicker, stop appeal, after appeal and allowed to stay 7 years in the case of the Liverpool potential hospital bomber! If they canât provide evidence they were persecuted in their home countries then deport them back.
6. Improve technology to provide proper video conferencing with GPs and clinicians, one system, brought up to date, easy to operate on a smart phone.
Just for a start
November 19, 2022
ââ People claim they are asylum seekers yet they have come immediately from the safe country of Franceââ
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002
Asylum claims by persons with connection to safe third State (ie France)
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/41/section/80B
The law is there âŠ.why isnât it used ?
November 19, 2022
This is it. They have the laws and the powers, but will not use them. To me the blame lies squarely on the Tory government.
Enf of !
November 19, 2022
The civil service is now the main political force in the UK, just ahead of the BBC and similar media.
The government is well behind and is a puppet to the minority forces.
When elections become pointless, things can get dangerous.
November 19, 2022
Nail on the head! And the majority will get its way, by whatever means is available.
November 19, 2022
ï»ż”Imagine then a fleet or a ship in which there is a captain who is taller and stronger than any of the crew, but he is a little deaf and has a similar infirmity in sight, and his knowledge of navigation is not much better. The sailors are quarrelling with one another about the steering –every one is of opinion that he has a right to steer, though he has never learned the art of navigation and cannot tell who taught him or when he learned, and will further assert that it cannot be taught, and they are ready to cut in pieces any one who says the contrary. They throng about the captain, begging and praying him to commit the helm to them; and if at any time they do not prevail, but others are preferred to them, they kill the others or throw them overboard, and having first chained up the noble captain’s senses with drink or some narcotic drug, they mutiny and take possession of the ship and make free with the stores; thus, eating and drinking, they proceed on their voyage in such a manner as might be expected of them …”
[truncated for brevity, from Platoâs âShip of fools’ allegory c. 375 BC]
ï»żï»ż
… plus ça change …
November 19, 2022
Begining when we joined the EEC and accelerating up until we finally left the EU there has been a gradual leaching of power from elected representatives to unelected career bureaucrats. The established Brussels EU system has transposed itself to Westminster. Whatever the electorate vote for the controlling civil service remains embeded. If democracy is to return to the UK, the civil service in simple terms must be legally put back in its box. The UK civil service is power minus responsibility. The power must revert to the elected and ultimately those who elect them. I would add that there is much merit in aspects of the US system of electing judges and police chiefs because the electorate get what they vote for and the elected respond to the electorate’s demands. We in the UK govern with the drag of a permanent sea anchor. We find ourselves at war with our own legal system.
Our financial institutions, BOE, OBR, Treasury have to be re-programmed to the idea that they work for the UK, not the IMF , Brussels, the Fed or any other globalist organisation or individual. Their whole purpose is to enhance and support a successful UK economy. They are not part of any grand game that others in the World might choose to play.
Our current government is all too obviously after thursday playing a very different game than it was elected to play. Their motives are pure speculation, but for sure it is not what we elected them to do. Sort out the NIP and bring NI back into the UK. Remove all unwanted EU law and operating rules from the UK law book. Do whatever it takes to stop the current illegal immigrant invasion. Our government has presided over a soap opera of supposed intent with no action that, along with thursdays budget will hasten their demise if not extinction.
November 19, 2022
A very good summary but I’ve no idea how to fix the problem and I’m afraid our politicians don’t want to.
November 19, 2022
Sir John
It’s a real mess isn’t it.
I am intrigued: Does the minister tell the civil servant what to do or does the civil servant tell the minister what to do?
People can only use the courts to enforce laws which Parliament have enacted. The answer is therefore simple….. Change the law. The question is: Does the eighty majority actually want what you and the majority of the public seem to want? To me and many others on here, it appears they don’t.
I suspect The Conservative Party (sic) will need a bloody miracle to remain in power after the next election. As I have found listening to various phone in and text in radio shows, many of us normally loyal Conservative supporters will either abstain or vote for Reform.
Sir John, you have served Wokingham well but your party had let us down.
November 19, 2022
Indeed. Can you think or name anything conservative that the Tory’s have legislated or done? Then we all have to vote Reform and clear out the Westminster stables.
November 19, 2022
“The events of recent weeks have shown…” – and before that Mrs. Patel’s c. three years in office.
You tell us it is important to vote and I do not even register to do so (for reasons of privacy) but I am not missing out for what purpose is served by electing people who can do nothing?
November 19, 2022
Doom loop more like a revolution loop
November 19, 2022
We need to get out of the ECHR immediately and have a bill of rights formulated to have laws that are of benefit to our country.
November 19, 2022
This corrosive orthodoxy on the part of the Bank and Treasury, and the OBR, doesn’t just corrupt Chancellors into taxing and cutting when they shouldn’t, and into authorising the debauching of the currency, all of which do great harm to the country. It goes further, in that it manifests itself in influential left wing think tanks like the IFS and Resolution Foundation. These in turn are given prominent platforms by remainiac organs like the FT, Times, and BBC, to talk down the country into recession and give foreigners the idea this is no place to invest. It would appear that the IFS, alongside the Bank and the Treasury, and the Sunak tribe in Parliament, played its part in bringing down the Truss administration, by telling the world we would soon be borrowing ÂŁ200 billion.
November 19, 2022
First of all let’s forget about ‘these people’ coming from France and before that somewhere else and then the jurisdiction of EHCR – in fact all these people coming in small boats piling up on our south coast are coming from the sea – they are coming as distressed persons from the sea only that is as per the law of the sea they are first of all distressed persons, a lot of them landed by the RNLI and other agencies the same but all coming from the sea.
When we were part of the EU we had a say at the big table about the immigrants coming across Europe and how we might control the flow – but now no more – that time has passed – expecially now as we have also signalled our intent to leave the EHCR as well the EHCR which I might add originated with us – but in a different time in a more enlightened time.
Lastly don’t forget that it was our very own PM Blair together with George W Bush who knelt down in prayer together and came up with the brilliant idea to invade those middle Eastern countries and stir it all up and this started the chain reaction the consequences of which we are still living with and it has still not fizzled out – all of this was of our own making and now we have to deal with it but am afraid we do not have the calibre of people in place to manage.
November 19, 2022
The remainiac life peers are at it again, trying further to erode ministerial power by removing the prerogative of PMs to appoint peers. They say they want yet another faceless, unelected, unaccountable quango to do it instead. Presumably packed with the usual orthodoxies to make sure there would be no more Lady Hoeys or Lady Foxes.
November 19, 2022
Rose
It is quite simple tell the Lords that their numbers will be halved and no more life peers and that they stand for re-election every four years and retire at 75. They have a choice support the country or make love else where.
The answer lies with the politicians but they are too frit to do anything.
November 19, 2022
The faceless quango should just be the electorate, on a system like the EU parliament, you elect the party and they nominate peers in the order they want them to legislate in the HoL. Pick duffers and the party will rue the day.
Lords who never turn up for a year should lose their shawl and just be Hon Lords or some such gong that they think gives them the status they desire and is important in their circles.
November 19, 2022
Your two examples, the Home Office and the Treasury, also serve to illustrate the contrast between (a) a frustrated Minister whose instinct and desire is to do something about issues that deeply affront and harm the electorate at large, not just small c conservatives, and (b) a complacent, verging on treacherous Minister who gives every impression of wanting to pay mere lip service to the electorate at large while either doing others’ bidding or pursuing his own hidden agenda. If only the frustrated Minister would very publicly resign office and Party membership, join Reform and seek to do a Carswell – and take a significant number of like minded patriots with her down the same route.
November 19, 2022
Well if Minsters simply keep regurgitating the same failed polices time and time again, to keep the party activists happy, do not be surprised when the policies carry on failing time and time again or carry on being challenged time and time again in the courts!
The Home Office (like all govt depts) is limited by policy decisions made in Downing Street, the scope of the OBR and BoE are limited by their remits or polices made in Downing Street, when Downing Street policy changes then the all others can change… Stop trying to pass the buck, the problem is our govt and MPs on the govt benches, no one else.
November 19, 2022
On immigration, we were told only yesterday that if the government reduced net inward migration below 200,000, the OBR would reduce their growth forecast even further. This may or may not be the case, but is shows clearly that it is now the officials in the OBR who are dictating immigration policy, not the government.
As for forecasts, the dreadful record of the Bank of England, the Treasury and the OBR in coming up with forecasts are no basis for deciding whether the country should be driven headlong into a long recession which, like Germany and Italy, we are clearly already in.
Yet we are now very clearly prisoners of whatever the three institutions forecast. The markets will not cut any British government some slack. Whatever is handed down from on high by these three institutions now has to be slavishly followed by any government, otherwise, as the hapless Ms Truss found out, the markets will destroy you.
November 19, 2022
The only way to get out from under the influence of the BofE, Treasury and OBR is to reduce expenditure, and thus borrowing, to a minimum level. Unfortunately Hunt is doing precisely the opposite and the nightmare that would be a Labour/libDim/SNP coalition would be very much worse.
Perhaps we should encourage a United Ireland and Scottish independence ?
No longer subsidising both to the tune of ÂŁ35bn would eliminate the need for any tax rises at all and the transfer of a fair share of the national debt to both would drastically reduce our borrowing !
November 19, 2022
How did we get into this situation where the tail wags the dog?
Perhaps it is time to cut the civil service out of the loop to some degree – Certainly there needs to be more space between them and ministers — Could this be an area ripe for the private sector to come in and manage, acting as a buffer?
The bloated and expensive, self serving civil service should be trimmed back in any case, but any element of enterprise would surely help.
November 19, 2022
It’s one thing to establish policy but unless the execution follows up in exactly the way determined , everything is lost . Capability down the line is the responsibility of the policy makers as is the structure of the system. The method of supervision is just as important as the policy . The “top” has to be changed if necessary . Outside professional advice may be essential .
November 19, 2022
From the Telegraph
George Osborne saddles taxpayer with ÂŁ133bn bill as accounting trick backfires
Treasury is on the hook to cover losses on government debt held by the Bank of England
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/11/18/george-osborne-saddles-taxpayer-133bn-bill-accounting-trick/
You couldnât make it up George Osborne, his invention the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the Bank of England all in the same sentence. Another Black Hole this TINO has created and saddled the productive side of the Country with.
Gold-plated public sector pensions to cost taxpayers 150pc more
Cost of paying public sector pensions forecast to more than double over next three years, the OBR forgot to put that in their calculations
The point is the Government needs some urgent internal house keeping and proper Budgeting. The Taxpayer cannot keep being the dumping ground for their personal mistakes â like the rest of us they need to CUT their cloth accordingly. The Contradiction is they have announced expansion of the BLOB
November 19, 2022
The BLOB? What is that an acronym for?
November 19, 2022
It is not an acronym
Taken from the media, it refered to Boris at the time but is still ongoing.
The Blob thrives in a vacuum: Noâ10 has lost its grip, and many ministers are too weak, seeing themselves as the representatives of their department rather than of the people.
The elected, Tory Government isnât really in control of the machinery of state, the civil servants and quangos. The Prime Minister no longer seems to have the appetite, or the right advisers, to fight the war of attrition against the Blob.
The Government has rolled over
November 19, 2022
âA Minister in office is not always in powerâ That then begs the question why do we have MPâs a HoC, Parament, if the people are not able to hold the systems that control their life inside the UK to account.
I thought in a Democracy our laws, rules and regulations were created by our elected representatives. Who also were the only ones that could amend and repeal the same.
The OBR is a political construct that was never needed before Osborne and the Conservative, created by one man â so surely it could be got rid the same way.
The BofE as we now have it was created by Brown, just one man â so surely it could be got rid the same way.
The ECHR was an entity signed up to by Parliament that required our Parliament to remove all rights from the Human Race(Nothing is Permitted until awarded) , so as the law makers else were could define what was permitted. Previously everything was permitted unless Parliament took it away. That concept has no place in a Democracy. Parliament can remove it tomorrow.
In a nutshell Sir John, are we living in a Democracy or an autocratic dictatorship, Parliament has to stop pretending. MPâs, the Government should do their democratic duty or ship out, they are making themselves an expensive waste of space , while at the same time confirming they are part of the WEF Doctrine of the âGreat Resetâ
November 19, 2022
I think more and more people are waking up to the realisation that we live in a strange dictatorship, EU, WEF, USA, Media ÂŁbillionaires, Russian/Chinese dictators all have more overriding influence than the traditional persuasion of Majority MPs whipped, City economic view – and somewhere down the list the electorate of the UK.
Not a world I will miss when I depart this life as a patriot.
November 19, 2022
“The idea is meant to be Ministers set out the aims of policy and provide the resources, whilst officials get on with implementing it in the best way“
And when those officials refuse to do what they are paid for it will be because of the cancerous influence of Common Purpose – the “Charity” who used to have the motto “Leading Beyond Authority”. Funnily enough, they don’t publicise that claim these days…
November 19, 2022
Ministers? You mean government. Your leadership allows the EU, the WHO, the WEF, the IMF, the UN, and endless other world organisations to decide what it must do, and if we the people don’t like it, they don’t care.
They know there’s nothing we can do. Loyal MPs of both main parties dare not be too critical. Many claim they are honourable and principled but that accounts for nothing – they do as they are expected. Any who do act by say leaving the party are ‘murdered’ by their former friends and colleagues.
In the Tory party case, in government, we are being ruined and robbed. Will there be a revolt that is strong enough to get change? Of course not.
What will happen next? We will be re-attached to the EU, in a serf-like position. Before hand we will be subject to another Fear campaign.
November 19, 2022
@The Prangwizard + 1 Are we a Democracy or a foreign Dictatorship controlled colony? Do the People of the UK have any rights to make, amend or repeal laws rules and regulations that govern our daily lives.
November 19, 2022
Spot on, as usual
November 19, 2022
Surely it is up to a Minister whether he can be bothered to exercise the strength of will and character to be in power, as opposed to being a cypher of his officials? The fact that so many cannot be bothered is a reflection on the person who appointed them.
November 19, 2022
It is as many have thought for years. Neither our PM or his ministers are in charge. Worse, the electorate is defrauded but still has to pay for them through our ever increasing taxes.
The CON party needs to be obliterated and we must hope that there is proper conservative party to vote for.
November 19, 2022
Sir John
I genuinely feel sorry for you and the minority of hard working MPâs. You are not listened to, you have no proper say, every thing is dictated to you by unaccountable unelected primarily has-beenâs.
The really crippling bit is although it some of the more despicable things have been carried over from the Labour, it is those Red-Conservatives that have hijacked the party that are deliberately perpetuating the UKâs decline.
Who has been deceived the most the electorate or those that thought they had some relevance in the HoC.
November 19, 2022
The problem is that we are no longer a homogeneous nation where we all abide by the ancient rules. The Covil Service is packed with more than its share of âminority groupsâ who do not agree with our ancient ways and are turning them to something they prefer.
I was born in Africa. Living in the U.K. is now just like living in South Africa in the â70s. We have become a collapsing colony. And we did it to ourselves voluntarily.
November 19, 2022
+1 Lynn
I too am from S Africa. Today I heard from a cousin in Natal and she cannot decide which country has the worst government!
November 19, 2022
Oh the ANC and the potential ANC/EFF alliance is worse. Of course they donât have to run the gauntlet of the NHS! But it is always safest to be among your own people when times are dangerous, you cousin should come home!
November 19, 2022
I’ve just done the depressing job of submitting gas and electricity meter readings and updating my spreadsheet to see how much we are currently spending. I have recently started looking regularly at the national grid live site at https://grid.iamkate.com/
As I write this it shows a price of ÂŁ72.60 per mw/hr. I assume this is the price of producing the electricity. This is 7.26 pence per kw/hr. Yet my energy supplier charges me 28.4 pence per kw/hr (plus the outrageous 51.5 pence per day standing charge).
Being charged 4 times more than it costs to produce electricity seems like a rip-off to me. Is it? (Bearing in mind power stations, wind turbines etc. cost money to build and don’t last forever).
November 19, 2022
I suspect that there are Green levies and VAT to be paid. Plus a little profiteering. đ
November 19, 2022
The two examples John Redwood cites of being in office but not in power are fundamentally different.
In the case of the Home Office the constraint is unelected lawyers. Judges both in Britain and in Europe have been allowed to usurp the power of our elected Parliament. That is anti-democratic and should not be acceptable. I could argue against the ‘nice’ but fallacious concept of an independent (and unaccountable) judiciary at length but briefly Parliament should impose itself as the supreme Court and reserve to itself some decisions such as interpretations of laws and until the judiciary is properly sorted out immigration appeals to be taken directly by panels of Members of Parliament.
So far as finance is concerned, though I agree The Office of Budget Responsibility, created quite recently by George Osborne, is greatly overrated and probably should be abolished, governments must operate, albeit with some creativity, within reality. Just as King Canute despite being King could not hold back the sea, no government can override reality and in financial policies governments ought to do the best they can within the context of the realities of human nature and human behaviour. Indeed the strength of Conservatives is that they are generally more inclined to act within the parameters of reality than the fantasy obsessed Parties of the Left.
November 19, 2022
I suppose the number of illegal migrants, criminals and invaders being brought to the south coast is now equivalent to one large cruise ship a week, maybe more than that. As a nation, we cannot withstand that.
November 19, 2022
The government use the lawyers as an excuse not to stop these people coming to the uk they once blamed the EU but can’t anymore it’s always someone else fault and not the government’s why are we not
arresting the pilots who are steering the boat and how many people traffickers have been caught?
November 19, 2022
Why do you not change the law so that ministers can, if necessary, sack their top civil service team and replace it with a new one? You would only want to do it occasionally because of the cost and disruption. But it would introduce a level of jeopardy into the system, improving overall performance. The same should go for all quangos and arms-length government bodies. You already do something similar sending commissioners to councils when they mess up.
As you say, the government does nothing, even when they mess up inflation on a monumental scale like the Bank of England. A quote from the Chancellor in his budget speech:
âSo the Bank of England, which has done an outstanding job since its independence, now has my wholehearted support in its mission to defeat inflation and I today confirm we will not change its remit.â
Laughable. It is as if he thinks if he upsets them, they might cause a crisis in the bond markets which then gets blamed on him! It is obvious now where the power lies, but the government is too weak to do anything about it.
November 19, 2022
Taxpayers left in the dark over the largest state rescue since RBS.
Bulb’s collapse and takeover by Octopus could cost ÂŁ6.5bn, yet remains veiled in secrecy . It is also almost three times larger than the ÂŁ2.2bn predicted by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in March,
This reminds me of the tragedy that is Grenfell Tower, in the recent summing up of the very long court case it was identified that a product that was not approved by Building Regulations was at the root of the situation. It was cheaper than the ones approved and fit for purpose. The Taxpayer somehow finished up on the hook, but its not their problem, they didnât tell those that stood to gain extra profit to go cheap.. It goes further the Taxpayer is now expected to bail out other private and commercial landlords who also went the âcheap routeâ and used similar unapproved products. All those that made lots of money from the choice by and large get off scott-free.
Then you get Royal Mail, reckless management damage so many innocent lives, had people sent to prison. The Taxpayer on the hook and again those responsible get to walk unscathed.
The Taxpayer gets to be every ones go to source for money while those that profit are not accountable. The Government, they take taxpayer money throw it around and donât look for responsibility or outcome.
Behind this is Government supported by Parliament that see the people of the UK as the fodder for their fun.
November 19, 2022
On the other hand, some ministers try to go well beyond their powers. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has proposed closer economic ties with the EU. âI have great confidence that over the years ahead we will find, outside the Single Market, we are able to remove the vast majority of the trade barriers that exist between us and the EU.” I don’t know what gives him this confidence – he has overlooked all the haggling over Art. 50 and subsequent acts of malign intent emanating from the EU’s ‘leaders’ that showed in no uncertain terms its determination to stymie UK trade as far as possible and to refuse any agreement on financial and services industries, the ones that matter. The rest we have tariff free from the TCA.
Fruit, veg, dairy, meat and fish we can get from the UK and – these days – anywhere else in the world. Our trade imbalance with the EU is vast enough: it needs no increasing by enabling easier imports of what we can actually grow here, once the farming lobby stops obstructing automation, and modernises UK farming practices.
November 19, 2022
A trip down Memory Lane Sir John. As I recall, that phrase “in office but not in power” was used in the HoC by Norman Lamont after he was made the scapegoat for the chaotic demise of John Major’s plan to put sterling into the ERM for the wrong reason, at the wrong time and, as was obvious to many of us at the time, at the wrong rate.
Mr Major was touted as the personable heir to Mrs Thatcher but turned out to more of a front man for a Government run by Messrs Clark, Heseltine and Patten. It proved so misguided that most instinctively sympathetic Britons could hardly wait to cheer its demise in 1997.
Mr Sunak, sadly, already appears to be the thinking man’s John Major, guided by his own out-of-touch cohort of what Canadians used to call “Progressive Conservatives”. And most of today’s Conservative MPs will evidently have no more to do with any alternative than those of 1995.
November 19, 2022
It was John Major as Chancellor who took us into the ERM at the cost of 3 million unemployed. As PM he was indeed âin office but not in powerâ when Soros forced us out of the ERM, and Lamont sang in his bath. There was never a âright reasonâ, âright timeâ or a âright rateâ to surrender the ÂŁ and never will be.
Lamont also refused to sign the Maastricht Treaty so Francis Maud was wheeled in to the horror of his mother, a solid Brexiteer before the term had been coined.
Lamont had a good political career. Refused to do anything wrong. Clear conscience and will be saying âje ne regrette rienâ to the end of his days.
November 19, 2022
Francis Maude is an inconsequential as Doug Henderson – the men who signed Britain into oblivion! đĄ
November 19, 2022
In which case, what is the point of them?
November 19, 2022
Now that Sunak is our new PM wouldn’t you think he might go and get himself a grown-ups suit of clothes – to see him up there in Kiev dressed like in his first communion clothes trousers at half mast with all else that is going on is stupid looking.
November 19, 2022
Indeed, the body language, facial expressions and eyes of past and current PMs and ministers have looked like theyâre hostages reading from a prepared script written by their abductors.
November 20, 2022
Dear John, you need to teach your writers some elementary writing skills. “People can claim to have been trafficked yet we do not seem able to return to their home from whence they were trafficked. ” I assume that there is a “them” missing after “return”. Now go back and reread it and think about the reasons for that. People who have been trafficked may have perfectly legitimate reasons for wanting to leave the place they lived – “trafficked” does not mean “not a legitimate asylum seeker”. But then you are a member of a party that keeps telling us it is gong to fix the mistakes of the past, hoping we don’t notice that those mistakes were made, for the most part, by that same party in government, so perhaps logical thinking is not to be expected.
Reply I do not employ writers. I write this blog.
November 20, 2022
‘to leave the place WHERE they lived’ GONG – spelling checker?