It is good that Conservatives defend people’s right to choose the schools for their children, and support educational charities. It is progress that Conservatives back getting more of our own oil and gas out of the ground instead of importing more. It is welcome that the government will make it more difficult for Councils to pursue their anti driver agendas.
The Prime Minister’s five aims of cutting NHS waiting lists, lowering inflation, getting some growth, bring the deficit down and stopping the small boats are fine. Some of these will need new policies and initiatives to deliver them. What we need this week is more detail on how these important changes will be brought about. If the courts seek to block sensible migration reform then Parliament must be asked to legislate to redirect them.
The government needs to be on the side of the doers, the strivers, the self employed, the small businesses, the savers, the home buyers, the skilled workers as well as helping the drivers. We need to unleash more enterprise to expand our domestic capacity, replace some of those imports, generate more better paid jobs at home and collect more tax revenue from more activity.
To do this we need an early budget. Tax rules and rates that are driving people out of self employment need to be reversed. The VAT threshold that stops many a small business expanding for fear of the heavy compliance costs of VAT and the 20% extra imposition it entails should be raised. Energy is far too dear and is just getting dearer as OPEC stifles oil output and drives up the prices again. The taxes on it should be brought down as the oil price rises.
The government should lead an ownership revolution, making it easier and more worthwhile for people to venture their savings, to set up and grow businesses, to work for themselves, to buy their own home and to invest in their local community.
It should promote more domestic supply, to give us more choice, better value and to cut down on all that CO 2 long distance transport by ship and lorry imposes to bring in so many imports. Why not spend our agricultural grant money on promoting more food growing to cut the food miles, instead of using it to wild what were good farm fields? Why not bring down energy taxes so more energy using industries can stay here and grow here?
Conservatives need to be the low tax party, the enterprise party, the back Britain party.
October 3, 2023
Needs a massive reduction in legal immigration to deliver it.
October 3, 2023
No one voted for his five pledges, no one voted for Sunak, no one voted for Hunt’s high tax big state policy. When I say no one voted that means your party members or the nation. Only a few of your MPs thought they knew best. No one trusts your party any more, sadly you have no influence over the direction of your left wing party whatsoever. Your party is neither conservative nor u ironist. Your party and govt has betrayed the nation several times.
October 3, 2023
@Hope +1
October 3, 2023
@Hope. Why should anyone trust a Conservative Party, vote for them when there is such disdain for the electorate, the UK and the people?
October 3, 2023
Not just a reduction. In the long term interest of us native English, Scots, Welsh and Irish there has to be a total cessation of immigration followed by a mass deportation of the post-1997 arrivals. Let matters settle down for a generation when policies of integration and assimilation can be implemented then it could be re-started in a controlled and limited manner.
October 3, 2023
I+H
Absolutely agree.
October 3, 2023
Problem is native population won’t do the work ’cause our society has dumped traditional conservative values of family life / work ethic / responsibility towards others / patriotism / taking care of one’s health – body, mind and soul. There is no political or economic silver bullet to get these people back to work – and work hard etc including in their private lives which affects their public lives – except by trying to inspire these traditional Conservative values in people through the churches / education / arts / media. I blame Socialism / Woke culture and extreme greedy/selfish US-style individualism for all this.
October 3, 2023
Ed M,
Yes values have changed from the 1960s onwards.
‘Blame’ is another matter. ‘Woke’ is simply a manifestation, rather than a cause of the malaise.
Old-style socialism was mostly concerned with economic priorities – apart from a few degenerates like Leo Abse, John Stonehouse and Tom Driberg. Old-school socialists had often done hard manual work too.
US individualists are often quite moral types, unlike the sort we are familiar with in this country, who look after number one by any means available.
October 4, 2023
I don’t want the ‘Conservative’ values of people such as ‘US’ Donald Trump (who inherited his fortune, anyway, from Daddy – and so is basically just an investor of his daddy’s fortune but got a big chip on his shoulder that he never made his own fortune) but of ‘English’ Jane Austen (whom i love: the author, her books and the culture and civilisation and values she represents).
This is England – not USA.
October 4, 2023
This is the 21st century – not the early 1800s.
October 3, 2023
Good morning.
The very fact that after nearly 14 years in government you are having to write a list of things many here would see as a given is a damning incitement of your own party and umpteen PM, plus one little usurper.
Go back to you constituency and prepare for opposition.
October 3, 2023
Mark B. + 1
October 3, 2023
JRs party displays treacherous insanity on an almost daily basis is. Cameron betrayed his promise to the nation to leave EU, May acted in total contempt of her cabinet and nation and betrayed the nation not to leave the EU, Johnson given an 85 seat majority to act in our national interest and public mandate because Parliament conspired to refuse to implement Brexit under traitor May. Sunak imposed on the nation by the majority of remain MPs in JRs party to thwart Brexit and allow it in name only, giving away N.Ireland as an act of good will and locking the nation to the EU by his EU Windsor sell out. Hence last week the whole of the UK fined €34 million for not complying with EU rules by an EU court!!
JR expects us to believe what he has written today? I do not believe you or your party one not. Facts and records show your party to be dishonest on its promises and happy to betray our nation, industry and jobs to our enemies- enemies defined by your party and govt!
JR forgets the Marxist Sex and Relationship Act to brainwash children of tender years! This is furthered until the age of 21 years- disgusting from a party that alleges to be promote conservatism! Same for personal responsibility concerning welfare, illegal i migration- Javid closed the detention centres to put them up in four star hotels while everyone has their energy hi,Ed because JRs party Failed to implement an energy policy over 14 years and the one they opted for transfers jobs and industry to Hunt’s China to 8mport goods back here! Worse they increased EU inter connectors to lock UK to EU when EU has increased its purchase LNG from Russia by 35% over last two years while Sunak gives billions in weapons and aid to Ukraine! To make sure UK cannot escape EU tied fishing waters to energy!! Treacherous insanity.
October 3, 2023
My wife and I were discussing this at lunch time. Sir John, this is YOUR Government. You have been in office for 13.5 years. Why all the sudden row back on HS2, CO2, taxes and all the policies you have enacted over that time etc etc? We’ve all known what conservatism is and have for decades. Why don’t your leadership since Thatcher? Answer…………they are not CONSERVATIVES but lib dums/socialists in disguise. That’s why Cameron moved selections to central office so the local party only had a short list of Lib Dum/socialist candidates. You can’t hide mass immigration (10 million over 20 years imposed on us with non Equality laws to boot), 7 million on English health lists, no dentistry provision and a so called housing crisis as a consequence. Worst public services ever, all pretending to work from home. Pick up the phone and try to ring any of them and have a long wait. 5.6 million on welfare benefits supported by the 48% who make a positive tax contribution. Highest debts ever, highest taxes since WW2. Still little, to no action, on woke/pc selections and behaviours in all our health, public services and all other quangos and emergency services. Always minority and extreme causes first, English people last, particularly white English school boys!. Your party are the problem, not the solution.
October 3, 2023
+1 So perfectly put Timaction
October 4, 2023
Well said. I can’t think of a single conservative policy they’ve implemented over the past 13 years. It’s been continuity NuLabour throughout, with Green policies dumped on top despite the fact they only got one MP.
October 3, 2023
Mark, SJR is already in opposition!
October 3, 2023
Sir John,
All sensible stuff however, when these suggestions are presented to the public they may justifiably ask, why suddenly change now, you’ve been in power with a huge majority for thirteen years, why should we trust what any politician says to just get elected?
You are right, in such an unstable world, we do need to be self sufficient in terms of food production, power and energy supply, ship building, steel production and manufacturing in general, question is, do we really have the will amongst our leaders to achieve this?.
Sorry to sound so cynical.
October 3, 2023
@Cliff..Wokingham. +1
cynical? No, just the truth of the lies we have all be told by this Conservative Party. Its the Party at large that are causing all this destruction. Could any one ever believe them again?
It gets complicated when we have our local MP talking like a Conservative – in a Party that doesn’t believe in any of it.
October 3, 2023
Indeed all sensible stuff – but do I trust the present Government to deliver it? – ‘fraid I need to be convinced.
October 3, 2023
You very properly say “To do this we need an early budget” – the same as was overdue a year ago and that you were calling for then and earlier.
This government with its maladroit Chancellor and headed by the even more maladroit ex-Chancellor is not going to give Britain what it needs for there has been more than ample opportunity to do so if it wished before now.
October 3, 2023
“It is good that Conservatives defend people’s right to choose the schools for their children” well yes but they have to pay three times over if they want to go to a private school will be four times over with VAT soon if Gove or Starmer get their way.
Hunt as we have come to expect of PPE graduates is clearly economically illiterate. He says they are focused on inflation he says “Conference, when we halve inflation, that’s not a one percent income tax cut, it’s a 5% boost to incomes compared to if it stayed the same.” what complete and utter drivel.
His one “give away” was a 6% minimum wage rise which of course means about the same for higher paid workers too, This is him forcing employers to pay more or fire people (money of which about 46% come back to government in tax). Leaving companies with less to invest, destroying jobs as many make no sense at these higher rates, increasing inflation and yet another tax grab. But dressed up as a government give away.
I assume those MPs who signed the tax pledge will not vote this through without him increasing the thresholds for NI X 2 and income tax as otherwise it is another large tax grab.
I usually agree with most things David Starkey says but yesterday on Dewsbury GBNews he said “Tax reductions do not of themselves directly growth”. Well they do. With low tax rates lots of things start to make sense (like employing a nanny and going back to work), like investing further in your business, it encourage investors to come and invest in the UK – of course in encourages growth Starkey. True is is even better still if the government cut out their vast levels waste to pay for it, scrap net zero and have a bonfire of red tape too.
October 3, 2023
Then we have Claire Coutinho – in her confused 2023 Speech to Conservative Party Conference
“Over the last 30 years, we’ve cut our emissions by half.” Well not really Claire they mainly just exported (and often increased) them and the jobs with them & then also by false accounting in burning imported (young coal) wood rather than burning coal.
“Let’s never forget – Ed Miliband described the idea of the UK getting to 40% renewables as ‘pie in the sky’.”
Currently “renewables” are about 8% of UK energy use Claire. So what exactly is your point here? For once Ed was right.
“Carbon Capture will see 50,000 high-skilled British jobs in places like Teesside and the Humber.” Carbon Capture is A pointless waste of £ billions pushing up the price of energy hugely and wasting much of it in the capture of harmless plant food.
“In Germany, the climate sceptic AfD is now polling in second position in Europe’s largest economy.
In France, over a quarter of people think that climate change is a conspiracy.
In the Netherlands, the rise of a new net zero sceptic party stormed their local elections.
Meanwhile in the UK, only 7% of people think Net Zero is going to be good for them and their family in the near term.”
Good to see have many have seen through the C02 devil gas religion/scam. You point Clair is what exactly. If the government push this insanity too hard we will get booted out of office. But why are you pushing this lunacy at all dear?
“maintaining public support for net zero also means showing compassion.” No it means lots more BBC style lies and propaganda and keeping them ignorant of physics and logic. Those not supporting it are clearly right Claire.
October 3, 2023
Chris Skidmore and Ed Miliband are identikit eco zealots, so voting in Labour will make very little material difference to the ongoing Net Zero destruction. Just think, if Corbyn and McDonnell had been voted into office in 2019 things may have been considerably less bad!
October 3, 2023
Lifelogic +1
Is she just trying to convince herself, everyone else can see through the subterfuge being perpetrated by these frauds
October 3, 2023
+ 1
Do check out Ivor Cummins’ podcast on YouTube entitled “Net Zero … in a Nutshell” and the Milankovitch Cycles.
October 3, 2023
Net Zero and the Climate Change Act must go.
October 3, 2023
Lifelogic. You are up against some powerful lobbies saying opposite to you.
Business green ‘8 Aug 2023 — Latest polling reveals 70 per cent of the public support the government’s net zero goal, with just 18 per cent opposed.’
https://www.ukonward.com/reports/taking-the-temperature/
https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/uk-public-still-broadly-supports-most-net-zero-policies
One of the questions asked in the Ipsos questionnaire was ‘Higher taxes on red meat and dairy’ apparently 45-48% support so just who are Ipsos polling to ask these questions?
October 3, 2023
15 year old vegetarians?
October 3, 2023
Not confused LL. Good left wing agenda installed while during her education and at university. She would not have been centrally selected if she was a conservative. She is a left wing quota appointment designed by CCHQ.
JR and a few others are a throw back to history of the party and left to their own devices to bleat hoping a conservative electorate might think they are the mainstream of the party when in fact they are on the extreme fringe and ignored. Only Braverman survives, they tried ousting her a couple of times, I suspect that is because she is a lone voice and they are scared of repercussions from her ethnicity.
October 3, 2023
Sunak has done nothing to stop the Net Zero insanity; he’s just slightly delayed its enforcement.
Have a read of the following. That’s what a Conservative PM should be saying/doing.
https://dailysceptic.org/2023/10/03/its-time-for-the-government-to-admit-that-electric-cars-and-heat-pumps-are-simply-not-up-to-the-job/
I’m not voting for Net Zero.
October 3, 2023
Dear Lifelogic,
You make some excellent points. But let us be thankful for small mercies. Ms Coutinho said she would announce the Govenment’s “nuclear road map” this aurumn, which is only a little more than four years since Mrs May advanced our net zero commitment by 10 years through unopposed secondary legislation.
Moreover she said that the choice of Small Modular Reactor partner between Rolls-Royce and the others will be made “early next year”, which I think is earlier than previously imagined.
If all goes to schedule, this would give her a likely six months to implement the strategy. I guess it also means no more big reactors after Sizewell C.
October 3, 2023
Why are they going for the ‘green’ vote …they should be going for the ‘tory’ vote
October 3, 2023
Claire Coutinho read Maths & Philosophy at Oxford (alas not Maths/Physics/Engineering but surely she can work out that the UK’s man made CO2 is irrelevant in World terms given China, India, Russia, USA…, that the tech. being pushed in the UK to save CO2 (EVs, wind, solar, heat-pumps… do not really work to any sig. degree anyway (EVs and heat-pumps usually make it even worse).
Also that exporting CO2 production and jobs does nothing for world CO2 (not that a bit more CO2 is a serious problem anyway). The burning of imported wood at Drax causes more CO2 not less. The HS2 causes far more CO2 in construction than it will ever save.
October 3, 2023
You forget that Net Zero and Climate Change are the new religions in Politics, so common sense goes out of the window.
Brick wall, heading it, and headache spring to mind!
October 3, 2023
@Lifelogic +1
October 3, 2023
Worse LL, EU increased buying LNG from Russia over the last two years by 35% and the UK increased its inter connectors with the EU!! In an act of total stupidity sends billions of our taxes in weapons and aid to fight….Russia!! No wonder the Chinese supporting Hunt refuses to consider tax cuts, he is too busy wasting billions of our taxes on selling bonds at a loss, giving away billions to overseas aid like India (space programme) and China, billions to EU, awarding building of UK warships to Spain!
This party are treacherous as they are traitorous. If not perhaps JR could explain the actions of his party and govt over these issues.
October 3, 2023
Time to give it a rest. If you were on a well known radio station you would have been boinged off well before now for boring repetition.
October 3, 2023
Lifelogic
Party Loyalty, and The Party line often Dulls the brain, to a point where their own logical thoughts and arguments are abandoned by so many on all sides. !.
Why do they want/seek to be elected if they cannot be true to their own beliefs ?
October 3, 2023
How woke are the education charities though?
Parents need to know exactly what is being promoted in return for charitable largess.
Mind you, I suppose exactly the same could be said about tax money.
October 3, 2023
UKG needs to look closer at where our money is going and get a grip on the pushing of progressive ideology & what amounts to indoctrination of children & parents’ involvement & rights. Farage’s GB News programme last evening 02 October had an interesting segment ( Strap-line ‘Diversity scheme for schools gets children to ‘befriend’ migrants’ ) A charity claiming to be non-political but which appears to be obviously that, has reportedly been in receipt recently of £1.36m from UKG. A very good discussion between Nigel Farage, GBN’s investigative journalist Charlie Peters and Conservative MP Miriam Cates. The investigation looking at the many schools involved, under closer investigation shows up evidence of controversial actions & activities, expanded upon during the discussion. Interesting and alarming at the same time. Well worth looking up.
October 3, 2023
Agree 100%.
I am no lover of ghastly woke charities.
And have seen quite enough of their dodgy workings first hand.
I’ll try to find that interview/discussion. Thanks.
October 3, 2023
Claire Coutinho again:
“Energy that is home-grown, clean and cheap.” nothing “unclean” about vital for life C02 Claire it is plant, crop and tree food?
“And that energy independence is exactly what the Conservatives are delivering.
We don’t just have the world’s largest off-shore wind farm,
We have the second largest and the third.
And, yes, we have the world’s fourth and imminently the fifth largest too.
All built under our watch.”
Misusing vast tax payer subsidies and market rigging giving the UK some of the highest energy prices in the World. So well done. All this wind investment is delivering on average 2% of total UK energy needs and 8% of electricity. Except not really even this – as it demands back up that makes the gas plants less and grid less efficient. Wind is not even that low in CO2 if you account fully for all the manufacture, recycling and maint.
October 3, 2023
They’ve therefore almost certainly delivered the highest number of slaughtered sea-birds and raptors as well. But I doubt if they count the bodies.
October 3, 2023
Indeed.
October 3, 2023
But when the wind does not blow the wind machines do not provide energy whether you have ten of them or one hundred thousand of them!! Same principle for solar panels- this party is beyond help. Anyone who votes for it must have lost all their senses.
This party and govt can destroy perfectly good coal fired power stations, witnessed by Sharmer, and parts sold to Germany!! Buy goods from coal fired power stationed China, India and buy coal and gas from Russia!! Must not produce it here but must import and be reliant on our enemies good will to sell it to is! National interest, national security terms abandoned by JRs party and,govt.
October 4, 2023
+1
October 3, 2023
Offshore and highly vulnerable to sabotage by foreign forces.
October 3, 2023
@Lifelogic +1
Claire Coutinho is certainly keeping the French Government afloat with all our taxes as she advocates sending them to keep our lights on. The UK energy shortfall, lack of resilience and self reliance was known the day this Conservative Government took office nearly 14 years ago. What did the do, nothing, they just increased the taxes on it as if we would then use less.
October 3, 2023
LL :
Correct :
Renewbles and electrification are not “home grown” as we rely almost totally upon China for the supply of wind turbines, solar panels and the metals and minerals for the motors, generators, batteries and cabling. Probably also for the concrete and steel for wind turbines where offshore wind turbines use 1000 times more concrete and steel per unit of power than nuclear.
Renewables and electrification are not cheap. Nuclear, which is reliable, abundant and secure (no Chinese involvement required) is already cheaper than offshore wind and with SMRs will become even cheaper. Neither is electrification cheap, in fact it will bankrupt the country with the need for the massive building of national and local power lines plus the costs to change to evs and heat pumps and the impossible attempt to insulate our houses to the required standard for heat pumps to work.
The mining of the metals and minerals required for electrification (motors, generators, solar panels, batteries etc.) and their end of life disposal is extremely environmentally damaging and can hardly be called “clean”.
And, as you say, CO2, an odourless, colourless trace gas which supports all life on the planet, is NOT a pollutant. Neither does increasing levels increase the GHG effect because of IR saturation as shown by the work of Happer & Wijngaarden.
October 3, 2023
Accentuate the positive?
Meanwhile, a major donor is telling others to deny the Conservative party funds as it is too disconnected from its members.
Many feel things are beyond redemption and the next general election will mean a massive loss of Conservative seats.
October 3, 2023
@Peter +1
It is clearly a waste of donors money and a wast of our energy to keep believing their lies that this Conservative Party is Conservative. If as a Party they cant select people that are Conservative to act as our Government do we need them to exist?
October 3, 2023
Yes the splits perfectly evident between the parliamentary party, Conservative members, activists and 2019 voters. Totally out of touch. Apparently Liz Truss’s meeting yesterday received good support and response. Some say what we are seeing is a repositioning of the party. A competition for the Right.
October 3, 2023
Get the power to the members not these Libdim/Socialist MPs
October 3, 2023
It all sounds like the ideas, promises, motherhood and apple pie….
But what have we actually had these last 13 years?
October 3, 2023
JR: “The Conservative offer”
Are you deluded!?
Your party, has failed on every substantive promise it made at the last election, gone through three leaders – the current one, couldn’t get the mandate from the membership so he was slotted in after a coup d’ etat. Let’s have a look at the things the administration you did that we never asked for.
1. Shut down the country and confined the whole population to its home.
2. Laughed, sniggered and mocked people who took the administration’s strictures seriously. ( and charged them for it).
3. Persecuted with (un)lawfare, those businesses that desperately tried to keep their business going, with the willing consent of their customers – in my opinion amounting to tortious interference in freely entered contracts.
4. Ignored your own regulation showing complete contempt for the citizens of this country.
5. Involved the UK in an unnecessary war ( some might say provoked an unnecessary war between Russia and Ukraine ). Which is costing us billions of £
6. In 2020/21 expanded the money supply by 500% directly causing the inflation we’re experiencing today.
7. Deliberately caused a shortness in supply of gas and oil, which led to citizens having to choose between feeding themselves and heating their homes in the depths of winter.
8. Then expanded the money supply again to subsidise the energy bills, which will lead to more inflation in about six months now. ( there is usually a lag of 12 to 18 months from a bit of government fiscal insanity and seeing it reflected in the real economy )
9. Vilifying people who are already on the lowest salaries in the UK £25k+ because they’ve now financially felt the effects of the frankly, insane government policies of the last three years. Who are now asking for more money in their pay packets to make up for the destruction caused by the entirely government initiatives.
10. Basically, being abject liars, and (personal abuse left out Ed)scoundrels. Etc
11. Have you sorted out the Northern Ireland issue with respect to the European Union?
12. Some commenters here claim the administration you support has filled some of its policy commitments from the last manifesto. But it’s my opinion the laughably called Tory government has done so much damage to the country, its economy and people.
Frankly it amazes me that anyone has turned up at your parties grubby little shindig.
October 3, 2023
Much truth in this.
October 3, 2023
@APL +1 said so well, and so true
October 3, 2023
Why not say what you mean?
Seriously, though, a thoroughly deserved evisceration of this Tory ‘government’.
October 3, 2023
The Conservative ofter is we have had 13 years & got everything wrong, have delivered the highest taxes for 70+ years and we are dreadful – but vote for us as Labour, SNP, Libdims are even worse.
October 3, 2023
Lifelogic: “but vote for us as Labour, SNP, Libdims are even worse.”
At least, voting against the Tories, if Labour gets in we’ll know what to expect.
Nothing, the Tories have delivered what in my wildest nightmare what I expected from a Tory administration.
October 3, 2023
after what has been dished up all these years, we are still expected to worry about what might be worse?
The principle should be ‘if you keep making a pigs ear of it, then out the door you go’.
October 3, 2023
(personal abuse left out Ed)
Criticism of the Chancellors business strategy, actually.
October 3, 2023
But Starmer’s offer seems worse. The details of how he took over ‘his party’ have been documented by non-UK TV channels, e.g. Al Jazeera. The only offer that would interest me would be a new one from MPs from both main parties, maybe a few others … people who over time have been brave enough to dissent loudly from a seemingly inexorable, yet covert move towards top-down ‘world government’ by the planet’s largest companies. Globalisation accelerated in the early 1990s and Starmer still seems to be living in that deluded world.
October 3, 2023
JR says “Conservatives need to be the low tax party, the enterprise party, the back Britain party.”
Indeed, but for 13+ years they have been the tax. net zero, open door migration and regulate to death Party. in short the Bug*** Britain Party. They are now the dreadful but v. slightly better than Starmer SNP party.
October 3, 2023
BBP. Has a neat ring to it.
October 3, 2023
@Lifelogic +1
Tax and spend, spend. Grow the State and refuse to manage. Shut down the economey and refuse to live within means
October 3, 2023
Under 4 PMs over 14 years JR must have realised by now this is not what his party stands for at all. The facts and record prove this to be the case. They are totally untrustworthy on everything they say. Look what Sunak promised to try to get elected ie fracking, implement 2019 manifesto act with integrity!! Based on what Sunak promised/pledged against his actions…….. I drew the conclusion he lied. He even changed his manifesto that he stood to be elected on and was chancellor, to five random pledges that he has no mandate for! He wants everyone to study more maths when he demonstrated he is economically stupid and repeatedly failed to carry out due diligence (presumably taught to do so at Goldman Sachs) ie eat out to help out, hundreds of billions printed having no regard to inflation, giving away billions to our enemies, how much spent on Afghanistan int ems of money, loss of life and injury? Then his govt ran away! Worse it gave the Taliban £100 million and Elwood wants us to believe Taliban are good and changed!!
I will help his maths skills and give a plan to lower taxes- cut back wasteful public spending and giving away our taxes to our enemies.
October 3, 2023
Hi John
I seen a pig flying yesterday.
October 3, 2023
@George Sheard +1
October 3, 2023
Beat me to it George 🙂
October 3, 2023
You are saying the Conservatives are not Conservatives. The Conservatives have moved so far to the left that it opens up a permanent place for a 4th party. Which could lead to a permanent choice between a Lib-Lab and Con-Other coalition.
October 3, 2023
The only/memorable tax cut came from the Lib Dumbs in coalition, against members the Tory cabinet, by lifting the initial tax rate for the lowest paid. Never mind this has been destroyed by dragging millions of workers into higher tax bands ever since!! JRs party has also tried its best to stamp out self employment and entrepreneurship, this must not be allowed in the WEF global world. UK is expected to be poorer and transfer its wealth east.
October 3, 2023
Very true but not going to happen. With the two musketeers incharge it’s just babysitting to lose the next election.
Hunts speech was an arrogant display of self importance.
Time for a change.
October 3, 2023
@Ian+wragg +1
October 3, 2023
What about the promise during Boris Johnson’s government that no one will have to sell their home to pay for care? He referred to “catastrophic consequences” for people’s savings and I thought a cap of £86,000 had been agreed. Changes of leadership should not mean that promises by the Conservatives can be kicked into the long grass; otherwise, we won’t know where we stand.
October 3, 2023
I think you can safely say that was abandoned along with IHT proposals, weekly bin collections, freeze community charge, Brexit, cut immigration, balance structural deficit and pay down debt, take back control of our borders, money and laws. A lot of lies to be elected. Oh, the other party will be worse when records show that this not true ie taxation, spending compared to GDP, inflation, money printing, spending etc. Apparently Sunak thinks he is good at maths!!
October 3, 2023
He thinks we are all simpletons. If re-elected then he’s right!
October 3, 2023
Wokinghamite
Most if them do not know where they stand themselves on a day – day basis, let alone weeks, or months ahead, we are fortunate that our host is usually very clear.
I see the Local LibDems newspaper is once again trying to taint JRs character and work ethic in it’s latest publication. it’s desire to win the Wokingham seat at the next General election shows it has no limits to the lengths it will attempt.
October 3, 2023
Why legislate for less government?
Have fewer parliamentary days so that MPs can do more work for their communities
Have fewer Ministers and junior Ministers.
Decimate the Lords, make the chamber only open for debate to the first 200 arrivals.
Have that bonfire of the quangos
Define climate change and “gender” beliefs as religions.
Reduce the tax burden on PAYE serfs as well as self employed.
October 3, 2023
@Narrow Shoulders – All onservative Promises to get elected then ditched
October 3, 2023
That is what should happen John.
I will not hold my breath.
October 3, 2023
Tell me, what is the point of working hard, risking everything to set up a business, buying your own home or saving for you old age and families, when the government takes most of it in taxes? Better to spend everything whilst you can. This will only get worse now Sunak has agreed to level up the world with the WHO imposed mandatory dictates which will see our money being stolen for the benefit of the world elites. No wonder productivity has fallen and the self employed restrict their efforts to keep below the VAT threshold. We have become a communist country with little incentive to strive.
October 3, 2023
@Christine An effort to make you beholden to the State, so you can be controlled more
October 3, 2023
Ian B: “so you can be controlled more”
Agree, yet that seems to be what Redwood supports.
Like his party, he seems to have turned 180 degrees from his long established stance.
October 3, 2023
Like that lady Pools winner years ago ‘I’m going to spend, spend, spend’ – and she did, until flat broke.
Seems like the Government is following the mantra.
October 3, 2023
There are so many things identified as being in need owing to the present government being lax in so many ways for so long. A sensible government would have been more aware and made small adjustments before the present crises developed. There are too many people in government who remain idiotic or opposed to the good of our nation. Reform would be better than the carry on with the present grim shower that needs ousting.
October 3, 2023
Too little, too late, wasting four years only forced into action by the threat of electoral wipe out. I will be happy to see Starmer in to clear out the centrist dross that has let the Tory party and the country, down.
October 3, 2023
Put it this way, we are not nearly as scared of Starmer as we would be. At least by staying at home and not voting Conservative my vote will not be confused for an approval of Sunak-ism.
October 3, 2023
Sir John, regarding HS2, why not use private finance to part fund some of the infrastructure delivery, in return for discounted carriage fees? If a company wanted to use HS2 track for conveying freight, they could pay forward and get a 10 or 20 year discount on freight fees, track usage, or even tax deductions. It’s not clear why the government has to use tax payer money to fund it – especially if the service isn’t going to the northern cities as originally specified.
Similar with illegal migrants, change the law so migrants are not eligible for public services, non-emergency medical treatment or benefits. Provide military style barrack Accomodation, charge for food, laundry, transport, but offer work opportunities to fill gaps in the market. if the migrants cannot pay, they are deported to their country of origin, or wherever the home office deems their closest country of origin. Remove the right to allow families to join the migrants here.
Once the illegal migrants start paying tax, and make 5 or 7 years of continuous tax contributions, give them leave to remain in the country. If their family wants to immigrate to the U.K., use the legal route, if they try to use an illegal route, the family, and the current migrant with leave to remain are deported. And any serious criminal activity also results in deportation.
As an aside, anyone who tries to conflate illegal migration with legal migration, like our numpty high tax chancellor, needs to be publicly ridiculed and sanctioned.
October 3, 2023
“It’s not clear why the government has to use tax payer money to fund it” it is very clear as no one sensible who can add up would invest their own money in this insane project.
October 3, 2023
Aaron, do you think there are big organisations, Canadian pension funds etc. who would pay for HS2 to be built? If not why not? The government would have to agree to connect it up to HS1 so that foreign train companies can compete with the shower of British train companies we have, then perhaps foreign railway arms would on the cost. It would be an alternative on strike days I guess.
October 3, 2023
No private company would touch it with a barge pole. It was a dead duck before construction commenced.
October 3, 2023
In other words, leave the ECHR and repeal the HRA. And so we should. Because both make any such national reforms impossible.
October 3, 2023
I doubt if anyone outside the Manchester conference arena will pay attention to the “promises,” and aims of the Not-a-Conservative-Junta and (judging from the numbers attending the Liz Truss speech), not many of the conference delegates will either.
After 13 years of BluLabour, with left-wing policies unrelentingly shoved down our throats, no-one is going to believe a word they say.
Still, it was entertaining to see Nigel Farage putting in an appearance at the Liz Truss event. I wonder what he’s doing behind the scenes?
October 3, 2023
+1
October 3, 2023
@Donna +1
The energy situation existed 13 years ago, the costs therefore inflation busting price increases where brought to you by our 2 Chancellors raising taxes instead managing expenditure. A tax and spend Conservative Government of the highest incompetence, and what do they do, make another speech, make pronouncement and still refuse to manage.
October 3, 2023
Were there lots of people there? Or few people?
October 4, 2023
Lots, and queuing to get it.
October 3, 2023
Wangling for a safe Tory seat – as usual….
October 3, 2023
‘Safe’ has to be seriously rethought. Very few will be in that category.
October 3, 2023
There are so many things the Tories should be ‘doing’ to prove they really are conservatives, but the question is; are they?
The Tories have behaved like a greedy version of labour for the last 5 years – they have done nothing worthwhile for the future of Britain, far from it, so how can we believe any of the theatrics they play out at the conference?
Gove has spoken of tax cuts while still raising them. The PM’s 5 point plan is is not advancing anywhere.
It will take a lot more than promises to get the Tories elected, and no sane person wants the libdems or labour in power. Should voters see that the only real future is to elect an honest new party, I fear that even then treachery would continue, for the most likely result would be that the ruling elite could so easily proclaim a ‘State of Emergency’ and refuse to give up power!
October 3, 2023
Indeed but given FPTP no new party will gain any power.
October 3, 2023
But might become the deciders between 2 equals?
October 3, 2023
@Bryan Harris + Talking is the new doing. Although that should read old 13years of decline brought to you by the Worlds Left
October 3, 2023
Liam Halligan today “The Tories have a tax problem. The UK’s tax burden is on course to have risen more during this Parliament than any five-year period since the Second World War. Total tax revenues will have increased from 33pc of GDP in 2019 to 37pc next year, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. That’s more than £100bn per year in extra revenue – equivalent to an ANNUAL tax rise of almost £3,600 per household compared to when Boris Johnson won his 80-seat majority.”
Indeed public spending is higher still, yet public services like the dire NHS have declined hugely and are still doing. Vast government waste and misdirection, the insanity of net zero, the open door migration, the appalling bundling of Covid, the lock downs & huge net harm vaccines. Well done Cameron, May, Boris, Sunak – what a total waste of your largish majorities.
October 3, 2023
Your last sentence confirms what conservatives are not, a realisation that they are not Conservative. It is ironic that to find anything Conservative it is necessary to go off piste at your conference. The Chancellors fifteen minute offering was no change and all grey, abysmal and unlikely to encourage anyone to rush to the election booth saying yes lets have more of that.
Liz Truss has been the only highlight, but to achieve anything she would be better joining Reform. Your suggestions are much the same as all us contributors, but they will not be allowed the light of day at this conference. The only possibility for redemption is that Rishi is saving all the good bits for himself on Wednesday. I fear from now on it is fifty shades of grey, the colour not the book.
October 3, 2023
“The Conservative offer” How many more times can we expect the Conservative Leadership, to give speeches, announce reviews and do nothing – zilch, other crawl back into their little self congratulatory huddles and carry out the wishes of the Worlds extreme left.
The Conservative Party at the last election campaigned for a ‘Conservative’ Government, did they just lie?
Why is it so wrong that we the electorate expect our Government to ‘manage’, live within its means? Why is this Conservative Government is at odds with the People, the electorate, the Country, it just extols the belief in cancelling , banning and controlling but not the economy, growing and freedoms.
The Party Chairman believes in ‘discrimination’ to recruit candidate of his liking – not the best Candidate for the job – that sort of says it all. The Conservative Party (at least in Essex) believes that a candidate that doesn’t like the UK, doesn’t like a UK Government and is in favour of having Foreign Bureaucrats being the ones that should dictate to the UK People what is best for them at the soonest possible time. That surely is this all the Conservative Government can muster up, the teachings of Mao/Lenin/Marxs
In 13 years what has the Conservative Government given the UK People, other than decline and high taxes?
So all the speeches and reviews mean nothing against the historical evidence of spend, tax, spend tax and grow the State. – Who do these people work for?
October 3, 2023
Expanding domestic capacity also requires investment in human capital. This means training more Brits in the skills the country needs, not importing cheaply from overseas. the UK appears to have no strategy for doingthis. There is no cap on immigration, What incentives are there for propel to learn useful practical skills instead of going to university to obtain – I won’t say study – a relatively useless degree that is not in demand by industry and will not encourage investment, profitability or enterprise – even if demanded by the Government’s Woke ESG agenda. Scrap the ESG agenda.
I have written about stopping the boats many times. It requires only political will. International law provides for UK to turn the boats back in safe weather. In rough weather the boat driver should be charged with endangering human life at sea. Safe weather or not, why doesn’t the Government legislate to ensure anyone making or assisting unlawful entry is arrested, charged and, if guilty, imprisoned and fined (Art 5 of the ECHR, the lawful arrest or detention of a person to prevent his effecting an unauthorised entry into the country or of a person against whom action is being taken with a view to deportation or extradition.)? These people coming from France are not protected by the UN Convention.
The Tory leadership spins a good line because it knows what the public want. But there is little siugn it is serious about actually delivering. It has already virtually ceded Northern Ireland to the EU, since EU law and ECJ jusridiction are accepted in the Sunak Framework as permanent. This deal also requires the UK to remain closely aligned with the EU. It needs to act to ensure the integrity of the UK’s internal market. What is it planning in preparation for Assembly vopte on the NIP due in 2024. How is it going to restore the Stormont assembly? Will it ever stop conceding to the EU? Not while Sunak and Hunt are PM and Chancellor.
And where does the Tory party stand on defence? Will it join UK with the EU programmes like PESCO or a defence treaty of some kind, any and all of which will inevitably subordinate UK to EU policy and decision making.
October 3, 2023
Conference has turned into a series of factional meetings, mainly being held on the fringes. A Conservative conference shortly before the Leader is forced to go to the country should be a time to show unity and agreement on the major issues of the day. The topic of HS2 at a conference in Manchester is divisive, if it is scrapped or tinkered with, the party risks losing yet more voters in the North. The Tories have already lost the support of those voters who live in low traffic neighbourhoods with 20 mph zones; Sunak’s desperation to save money and give Hunt room for pre-election tax cuts has clearly backfired.
Yesterday attendance in the main auditorium was sparse, with many queuing to hear fringe speakers with extreme views on one side or other. I suspect that at a lot of delegates will return home early and not bother to listen to Sunak’s keynote speech
October 3, 2023
You are spot on, but what an indictment of the current government that you need to spell it out!
October 3, 2023
If Parliament really is supreme, why is it that Sunak didn’t allow the Home Secretary to put through simple legislation making it crystal clear to the Supreme Court that offshoring to Rwanda is legitimate ?
Was he frightened that his own MPs wouldn’t back him?
October 3, 2023
I have read the other comments on here. I follow Matt Goodwin closely. He knows public opinion better than anyone. Whilst Sir John and several others in the parliamentary party have sound policies and proposals, there are too many in the parliamentary party at senior level, including the cabinet, who do not merely not have sound policies but have utterly destructive policies. If the party cannot unite around proper common sense conservative policies across all areas of government it should split. The aim is but should not be to win the next general election by whatever headling grabbing policy announcements will win a few votes. That is shallow and leads to weak inefective government – what the Party has delivered for 13 years. The aim should be to offer the voters a set of conservative policies that will advance the national interest. The election is only a constraint. If losing is the result of having the best policies for the country, the party will make an effective opposition, prevent the worst of the likely damage from a Labour Government and be more likely to win next time after being proven right. If the Party continues to merely vote seek as it is doing it will make a weak opposition and greater damage will be done to the country and the voters will still be thinking ‘none of the above’ next time. If you win with good policies then the UK will derive maximum benefit but if you lose with good policies the UK will still benefit.
Conservative policies forst, winning second. those who don’t fully support conservative parties should leave the Party. The days of the broad church – so broad it is destructive – are long gone.
October 3, 2023
In some ways Labour provide an open goal. Few people want mass immigration, cultural obliteration, high taxes, poor public services – yet the Tory Party is scoring own goals every day. And the animals looked from Labour to Tory and couldn’t tell the difference.
October 4, 2023
Mike, a nice quote…Eric Blair (George Orwell) continues to have a finger on the pulse of the real world.
October 3, 2023
They also need to be the party of the abandonment of Net Zero, the repeal of the Climate Change Act, the repudiation of the WHO treaties and regulations, the rejection of the WEF and the ending of the Amereican proxy war in Ukraine.
October 3, 2023
I remember this !
“government will make it more difficult for Councils to pursue their anti driver agendas”,
what about Welsh Councils, Labour will do anything, and everything, too stop this being successful!
Devolution can’t work!
“to be on the side of the doers”, Can this include Planning Reform, covering all the UK, that means People can build their own Log Cabin, Self Build, or off the shelf Home? Especially useful for the House/home-less or Self Employed?
Gaining Capital to startup and growth is still a problem for the Self Employed, Contractors, Owner Drivers, and Family SME’s?
The amount of regulation single truck Owner Drivers has is a barrier! So are Deposits, Cash for trailer, Parking, DfT £8k, Stopping becoming a ‘Price Taker’ is a problem (No Competitions Regulation, especially Big Company’s – Tata Steel), Price of Fuel (Continental Drivers get subsided fuel and guaranteed Loads), but EU have a Customs Union, we will (?) have an Open Market – Something for a Competitions Regulator – something for negotiation, or something we can negotiate individually with Continental Company’s?
If this does come to fruition, it’s been a long time coming (Some of us have been waiting since 1997)? Going back to a Free Market, we MUST learn the lessons, and enshrine them into a Market Structure, and ensure it works for everyone, not just some with access to Capital. You do not START by cutting benefits, no matter what, you reform the social structure first, and then feed them onto it! So, it makes sense to them!!! Motive is not just money, it’s ‘self determination’, not State Dependency, with lots of Opportunity of what suits them, even education or skills training. You watch the People in the Conference; ‘Force them to do this, that, or the other’! All just Cheap Labour, with no way to overcome the “Cost of Living” or “Making work Pay”, implicitly relaying on immigration of Cheap Labour!
Competitions Regulator ensuring a Free, and Fair, internal market, and the British Interest is protected from external actors! Not relaying just on Politicians to recognise a threat, but multilayered protections!
Please note; However much of this, this Government implements, if it not done ASAP, then you are wasting People’s time!
There are times what a Conservative Government has to be radical!
Hope this helps,
BR
RDM
October 3, 2023
VAT thresholds Apr 2009 to Mar 2010 £68,000
VAT threshold Apr 2023 to Mar 2024 £85,000 (it has been frozen since 2018 under the Tories).
https://obr.uk/box/the-impact-of-the-frozen-vat-registration-threshold/
‘Given the administrative burden and pricing consequences of being subject to the VAT regime, the registration threshold also creates an incentive for firms to cap their annual turnover just below it. ‘
October 3, 2023
“Why not spend our agricultural grant money on promoting more food growing to cut the food miles, instead of using it to wild what were good farm fields?”
Growing our own food is going to be absolutely essential as the Net Zero Strategy, as laid out in the Government sponsored UK Fires “Absolute Zero” report, requires that all shipping and almost all flying will cease by 2050:
October 3, 2023
Richard Feynman said to ask ‘five whys’ to get to the root cause; to every answer ask another ‘Why?’
Many of today’s perverse incentives, rent-seeking, overspending, growing state intervention, decline in self-reliance, … ‘why’ back to a lack of sound money.
When did the state last grow smaller? All I can think of is the dropping of wireless and dog licences. How can the state ‘afford’ to grow ever bigger? By control of the money which inevitably makes it unsound.
October 3, 2023
Also, O’Leary is a patriot. He bases himself in Ireland. Pays his taxes in Ireland. Not like so many of the super rich in the UK who try their hardest to avoid this. Money before patriotism.
October 3, 2023
I join with the responses to support the views expressed by Sir John today . His sense of direction and priorities suit my judgement and I wish 10 Downing St. would follow . We urgently need support and inspiration to our industry and proper Government direct control of the economy ; independent bodies should not be the deciders . There have been recent threats by Labour of the introduction of VAT for private schools ; this would be an enormous mistake were it to be implemented and the Government should dispel any possibility of this happening . I do not foresee the Sunak / Hunt duo continuing ; Hunt is a ” cow-tower ” to Sunak and he should be replaced by our host to this site .
October 3, 2023
Most people I know went to public school, went to Edinburgh University (or Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter etc) and work in The City and I don’t know one of these Consevative voters who is inspired by The Tory Party. Mention the name of someone such as Liz Truss – and headslap. The leaders of The Tory Party live in a cocoon. Something radical needs to happen. And that can only happen by attracting higher quality Conservative MPs with proper business experience and leadership (including from the High Tech sector – not just The City).
October 3, 2023
I’d guess you were educated in a cocoon..
October 3, 2023
The five aims are just empty words to try to buy votes, Sunak hasn’t implemented any new policies to achieve any of them. Instead we get his bright ideas which don’t appear in the manifesto like banning smoking (based on the authoritarian left-wing New Zealand government policy) and single-use vapes (as if banning them will stop their sale and use !).
October 3, 2023
Listening to Michael Gove MP minister for levelling up & housing speech this morning ….your renowned words SirJ, came to mind with every narrative and sentence …WE DON’T BELIEVE YOU
According to Gove there’s nothing wrong, everything is fantastic, the tories are doing a brilliant job in government, …no substance, all platitudes, even the audience were finding it difficult to clap
October 3, 2023
Everything you say would be regarded as natural common sense by all Conservatives outside the Parliamentary Party. Now that it has occurred to Mr Sunak that showing signs of supporting them might increase his chances of being returned to office, he has started advancing the merits of some of them. But we need leaders who really believe in Conservative principles. There is little evidence that this applies to Mr Sunak, and plenty to make one confident that they play no part in the preferences of the Chancellor.
October 3, 2023
I’ve had a read of the cooments as usual.
We all know that no matter what abysmal failings we are faced with, no matter how much we and the country as a whole have been failed, no matter how many lies we have been told, no matter how much Conservative MPs are detached from ordinary people who they despise, no matter how much Sir John is deceived, he dusappointingly will remain loyal to the present disgusting party leaders. It’s only when they think they are losing votes do they pay attention on matters we care about.
As soon as the election is over if they win they will cheat us again the day after unless there is a wholesale change, and by this I mean hundreds of Ministers, MPs, advisors and hangers-on must go.
There are some speaking out at last but not enough support them. The detached elites and globalists still want rid of them.
Reply Stop fibbing about me. I stood against John Major when his ERM and Euro policies were wrong, and helped remove Mrs May when she let us down over Brexit.
October 3, 2023
“It is good that Conservatives defend people’s right to choose the schools for their children”
But the ‘right’ is illusory: people cannot choose a school, any more than they can ‘choose a Ferrari’. The state monopoly payment-free option is take-it-or-leave-it. The local school may be good, or just OK, or abysmal.
For private schools, the average cost per child is now £34,790 a year for boarders. Parents can ‘choose’ a private school if they are in the top 3% of earners – earning more than £104,000 per year, and even then they will struggle to afford the fees.
So what Conservative and Labour governments have done since the 1960s, is make it increasingly desirable – but at the same time utterly impossible – to choose a decent education for your child unless you belong to the top 2-3% of earners.
October 3, 2023
The private school near me charges ‘Reception and Year 1, £3,520 per term ; Junior School (Years 2-6), £3,820 per term ; Sixth Form & Senior School, £4,715 per term’ day fees. There are sibling discounts, bursaries and scholarships.
I chose a State school outside my home catchment area, I was very relieved that my children got their place because it was near to my work. I know a number of people that do this and there are about 15 catching the bus out of town each day nearby in one bus stop.
October 3, 2023
“Energy is far too dear and is just getting dearer as OPEC stifles oil output and drives up the prices again.”
Energy is expensive in the UK because of the insane and illogical drive for Net Zero, completely unnecessary as the science of Happer & Wijngaarden has demonstrated that rising levels of CO2 causes negligible increases in the GHG effect because of IR saturation, work which the IPCC has never refuted, simply ignored.
Just one of many examples is the spending of £20bn on CCUS to save 1% of our CO2 emissions which contribute just 1% of the global total.
And even if we should reduce our emissions of CO2, then the correct way forward is nuclear which is affordable (already cheaper than offshore wind), reliable, abundant and, unlike renewables, secure with no reliance on Chinese built infrastructure and the supply of metals and minerals.
I will not be voting for any party that supports Net Zero.
October 3, 2023
“Tax rules and rates that are driving people out of self employment need to be reversed.”
It has been recognised that taxation has been maxed out. So the new way to fleece the country will be charges and fines based upon “safety” and Net Zero.
“Safety” brings the ULEZ, congestion and reduced speed limit type charges and Net Zero will bring fines for insufficient insulation, buying ices and gas boilers etc.
For instance, although the Government has now allowed new ices to be bought until 2035 (to match the EU) the £15,000 per ice vehicle fines for failing to meet the ev quotas is still in place from next year, as is the £5000 fine for the of each gas boiler unless the heat pump quota has not been reached.
In effect we will be paying £15,000 extra for each car and £5000 for each gas boiler.
I will not be voting for any party that supports Net Zero.
October 3, 2023
By the time of the next election the effect of Gove’s attack on the private rental sector will be gathering speed, with many landlords having to sell up and tenants eventually losing their homes and finding no other accommodation or steep rent increases. The changes to tax allowances increased mortgages, licencing, probable EPC requirements when Labour gets in, CGT and IHT are killing the only investment left to guarantee a decent private pension.
In my case I am having to terminate 2 of my 4 bedroom tenancies with the maximum number of residents being 2 each. They already have double glazing, wall insulation, roof insulation top up, efficient boilers and some floor insulation but are EPC D. If I pass away the IHT will be 500k and my own house will have to be sold as I will not be able to vacate the 4 bedroom house worth 500k.
The changes so far have resulted in a return on capital value of 1.5%. My present income is around the national average and unlike a 6% building society account I am on call 7/7 and do most of my own repairs.
I am now serving Section 21 notices.
Meanwhile my diesel car has risen in value like for like from 10k to 15k in 2 years. Thankyou the green blue zealots. Richy will have to do more to save the car industry from the Chinese competition.
October 3, 2023
I sold both of ours in the last 18 months as a direct consequence of Government policy and taxation.
October 4, 2023
My BtL, which is no longer on the market for sale since Sunak/Hunt/Bailey killed the housing market, is double-glazed; has above the minimum level of loft insulation; cavity wall insulation and I installed all-electric heating via modern programmable electric radiators since the location is off-grid. It’s also an EPC D.
To get to an EPC C I need to rip out the modern electric radiators, which heat the place or room very effectively when/where they want it and install a heat pump which won’t, or (possibly) storage heaters which heat the whole place during the day when my tenants will be out at work and will be cooling by the time they get back home in the evening and are really only suitable for retirees – most of whom don’t want rented property. It’s madness!
If the housing market picks up post election and when the tenancy ends I’ll put it up for sale again.
October 3, 2023
Sunak vs Beth Rigby Sky interview today …not Prime Ministerial
October 3, 2023
“Conservatives need to be the low tax party, the enterprise party, the back Britain party”.
In short, ‘be true Conservatives and not the soclaist clones you have beome’.
October 3, 2023
Dear Sir John,
My subjective impression is that more things have been banned and more new criminal offences created since 2010 than by any other government since the 1940s, though it is a strongly contested field. Some stem from EU directives, some from Covid but a great many not.
To detect and prosecute all these new crimes as well as enforcing existing laws (eg on theft) and covering population increase, a huge rise in police numbers, courts and prison places/probation services would have been needed. None of this has happened.
Rumour has it that the Prime Minister wants to introduce another hard-to-enforce ban, spawning another black market and new opportunities for criminal gangs. Can this be true and would any freedom-loving party oppose it?
October 3, 2023
Just to add that the “offer” ended after the first sentence of the second paragraph (and the first paragraph was short).
The offer was then shown not to be even in motion, after 13-14 years in power, in saying: “Some of these will need new policies and initiatives to deliver them”.
The rest of the piece was the usual litany of “we should” and “we need” – which means that currently… “we’re not”. Or to be precise, the Conservative party is not, has not (and will not) do any of those things.
I suggest you start working on the basics – how do you get your party back? How do you get to where the MPs reflect the members’ views – the people’s views – and prevent the infiltration by Lib Dem types, often enforced as candidates by a central HQ over the wishes of the local association? Until you do that, your list of shoulds and needs will remain shoulds and needs.
As a concept design – a broad church of conservatives should never accommodate any view or person that is left of centre. There has to be a set of core values, or you’re just a dumping ground for all and sundry, prone to infiltration whenever you seem to be getting anywhere. What mechanisms are needed to ensure and enforce those core values?
October 3, 2023
Day two and it doesn’t sound or feel like a conference for tory party members ….more like Davos
October 3, 2023
Yes, indeed, and to make room for all this, we need to shrink the State and cut public expenditure to ensure that SMEs have the working capital they need. In view of the UK’s dire fiscal deficit and debt position, every package of tax cuts must be accompanied by an equal or greater package of public expenditure cuts.
Package 1 – Reduce corporation tax from 25% to 12.5% to match the Republic of Ireland rate. Reduce the CGT rate, allow losses to be set against gains and take inflation into account. This may be self financing due to Laffer curve effects but a potential offset is to reduce investment allowances and subsidies. The State isn’t good at picking winners.
Package 2 – Take anyone earning £20,000 pa or less out of income tax and personal NI altogether. Simultaneously, reduce the Universal Credit cap to £18,000 (£20,000 in London) and eliminate many of the 40 Government schemes to ‘help families’. Don’t just talk about getting people back to work; use carrot and stick to make it happen.
Package 3 – Shrink the public payroll. This is for the most part pure gain, although there will be redundancy payment costs:
– NHS Equality & Diversity Officers are ( unnecessary Ed) – get rid of the lot
– Ditto the entire staff of the Race Relations Commission
– Package 2 will facilitate reductions in Civil Service numbers
– Reduce the number of NHS Senior Managers from 50+% of the number of managers to 20% (it is Senior Managers who covered up (events Ed)in one maternity unit and gross negligence in another)
– Reduce the % of non-clinical staff in the NHS from the current 48%
– Reduce the number of policy making and vested interest bodies in the NHS
– Reduce the number of Quangos (from 500 to 300?)
– Pay doctors more but insist that they delegate some to their work & backlog to much cheaper nurses and pharmacies (slightly sub-standard care is better than no care at all)
Package 4 – Spend less on the retired elderly; it’s investing in yesterday. I know that the Conservative Party won’t like to do this but it’s necessary.
Package 5 – Increase the 40% tax threshold to £70,000. Reform Council Tax to make it a proper property tax. At the moment, band H ranges from 6 bedroom houses to palaces, with the upper middle classes losing out to the landed gentry. Shrink the Royal Family and force King Charles to economise.
Package 6 – Reduce the number and remuneration of Executives in all natural monopolies – Thames Water, Network Rail, HS2 Limited etc. No compensation for the CEOs of NatWest and Coutts who debanked Nigel Farage and others. And why hasn’t NatWest been totally privatised? Why does the State need to own shares?
Package 7 – Force the railway industry to make profits,
By the way, post WW2 economic history indicates that high growth happens when the State doesn’t rely on it happening.
October 3, 2023
“Tory party treasurer calls for higher taxes” at the Conservative Party conference.
The Tax, tax some more Party. The People of the UK shout get your house in order cut costs give us our Country back
October 4, 2023
This might be a slight tangent, but what kind of conservative (upper or lower case) bans smoking,
Job creation scheme for people smugglers to take up when the boats are stopped?
October 5, 2023
Vicki Price and JRM just agreed with you that selling bonds at a loss currently is daft.