The low level of turnout at many of the elections and the low level of support for all the main parties with Labour topping the polls with just 35% on the national calculation displays a big gap between what the public want and will support and what the parties are offering.
Councils spend huge sums of money. They have extensive powers over our roads, schools, social services, planning, trading standards, the public estate, sport and leisure. Many of them claim poverty and blame the government for their excesses and mistakes.
The more Councils claim to be incapable of marshalling their resources to serve us better, the less interest there is by many in voting or engaging with them. Instead of building a strong local democracy their incompetence and denials of responsibility encourage people if they do wish to engage to gravitate their complaints or opinions to government or Parliament.Many people assume their Council will continue to ignore their needs and wishes as it has so often in the past.
The Liberal Democrat Wokingham Council is a good  example of what is wrong. They spend money on consultations, only to ignore the results. They waste millions on road projects that make our roads worse, impede people living their lives and damage local businesses. They have amnesia about their decisions when people complain about what they are doing.
May 4, 2024
So the old adage…..’you will reap what you sow’….is clearly true!
May 4, 2024
Bear in mind that Conservative local government is rather better than Labour or Libdim when voting at the general election Sunak will do even worse. He and the party richly deserves to be buried John Major Style. But Labour who have the same big government, green crap, tax borrow and waste policies (but even worse) certainly do not deserve to win.
Nothing to lose by ditching Rishi Sunak, it will not help very much but far better than doing nothing as he is 180 degrees wrong on every policy he has:- net zero insanity, not stopping the boats, not growing the economy, blocking the roads, every larger government, the Windsor Accord, the road blocking, he got Covid totally wrong the net harm lockdowns & net harm vaccines he still claims/lies were âequivocally safeâ, the vast legal immigration, housing policy, very poor policing, criminal justice, a dire NHS, road blocking, the Winsor AccordâŠ
May 4, 2024
In the private sector, if you have a bad chairman or CEO he’s removed that same day ….no one says; lets leave him in post till the next AGM or the next quarter …..same as a football manager
May 4, 2024
@Lifelogic +1
Unfortunately CCHQ and now the Conservative Party at large have given up, better to give up go with a loser than fight against the weakest Labour Party they have had to stand against. I have said this before it was never going to move on all the while the collective responsibility of the BoJo cabinet is seen as the answer.
May 4, 2024
They will need to find a Conservative to replace him. I donât think the Parliamentary Party would recognize a Conservative if they were hit in the face with one. They have no idea of what Conservative politics are. So they might well go from bad to worse – again!
May 4, 2024
How true. The whole party needs wiping out and replacing with a proper Conservative Party that knows what Conservative policies are and that party are REFORM.
May 4, 2024
A stuffed teddy bear would be better. Sunak policies are all wrong and Labourâs are the same but even slightly worse.
How can anyone vote for such an unequivocal liar as Sunak and his appalling Chancellor and this mad socialist government? Lying endlessly over Covid vaccine safety, on his non existent tax cuts (actually Hunt is still increasing them significantly), on stopping the boats and the vast levels of legal immigration (not even trying to), on repaying the debt, on the dire and still declining NHS and on the need for the mad, counterproductive and vastly expensive rip off energy & net zero religionâŠ
Nick de Bois Talk Radio seems to want voting to be compulsory. Get lost mate. Perhaps make the vote worth something and people might vote. A worthless choice every five years for the Uni parties on a FPTP voting system when they nearly lie about what they will do is virtually worthless.
To the tens of thousands the cast iron liar Cameron promised us.
May 4, 2024
Correct
May 4, 2024
Even IF they managed to find a Conservative, the WEF/IMF/LibCONs and BofE would prevent them from implementing any Conservative policies.
They’d rather see the Party destroyed.
May 4, 2024
And the tepid Conservatives in the CCHQ and sat on the benches don’t have a clue as to what has gone wrong.
May 4, 2024
The London Mayor could easily have been won by the Tories had the Tories put up a half decent candidate even the pleasant nonentity Bailey came close last time. Kahn is despised by right thinking Londoners. But why on earth was it switched to first past the post? Which idiot minister allowed or encourages this change (which clearly denies a real democratic choice).
It is also clear that Sunak supports ULEZ and ULEZ expansion (another vast tax grab) as he chose not to kill it as he could easily have do so. But then Sunak loves tax increases (while lying that he is cutting them).
May 4, 2024
Such poor a candidate was Susan Hall that she would not have beaten the appalling Kahn even had they had a transferable vote system as they surely should have done if you want democracy. She did even worse than that (pleasant enough but a total nonentity) one Shaun Bailey now made “Baron Bailey of Paddington” by Boris. Why is Anne Widecombe not in the Lords and Farage? Yet we get Bailey, Sayeeda Warsi, Adonis, Blunket, Amos…
All hugely depressing for London where I lived for 28 years.
May 4, 2024
Wokingham Council are spending a large sum on a crossroads update project that was approved by their Conservative predecessors. Likewise with new roads for the SDLs around Wokingham also approved by the then Tory Council. They are implementing your party’s wishes, SJR.
Reply Conservatives did not approve the Crossroads scheme. We told the Lib Dem led Council not to do it but they eent ahead against tge wishes of the public.
May 4, 2024
@reply – the LibDims have infiltrated everywhere
May 4, 2024
I thought the plan was put forward in 2018, under the Conservatives. Apologies if in fact it’s less than two years old.
Reply Officers drew up plans, Conservatives in office decided they were a bad idea and did not approve them . Lib Dems thought they were a good idea, Conservatives argued against. Lib Dems against public opinion and against Conservative advice authorised them
May 5, 2024
Reply to reply. Havenât the Lib Dems just won Wokingham again? Seems people are not that bothered about whatever road project is being referred to.
Reply. No, they failed to win a majority and lost where they are wrecking the roads most obviously
May 4, 2024
Councillors in my area have shown me they are incapable of holding poorly performing council officers to account so consequently I have contempt for all of them. I have no interest or time to stand for the Council myself (I could not put up with the voters) and no candidate speaks for me.
May 4, 2024
I couldn’t stand it either. I’ve been to many council meetings, planning applications etc. and its mind numbing. Seems like most of what parliament does is the same from what I can see on the parliament channel on the telly. You need a special sort of intellect to handle it I guess, no doubt why so much is so wrong. I’m sure they vote one way or another just to get it over with.
May 4, 2024
I agree with what you are saying about local politics, but it is not confined to them, politics in Britain are rotting from the top to bottom. Money wasted at every turn from High speed rail because the eu wants it from one end of their realm to the other and the global warming scam for nasties of the world to get rich, to name just a couple of central wasted money schemes!
The people are resorting to their only meansâ boycott!
Local and central politicians are not all rotten but the few good are infected by the rotten apples!
May 4, 2024
Councils are often controlled by self-serving cliques. All the parties have them within local councils. Independents can be better where they manage to get elected.
You failed to mention the more recent problem of councils so bad that they are declared bankrupt. Croydon is but one example.
May 4, 2024
Independents don’t stand a chance here. You have to join either Labour or Conservative, serve some time, then go independent when you get known. The parties have it all sewn up between them, just like FPTP in Westminster which they of course love for that reason.
May 4, 2024
We need people standing as âTaxpayersâ again. It was common once, and successful. They were independent of party but bound to the community by the common bill we all get.
They need the power to sack the functionaries who refuse to accept instructions from the elected body.
May 4, 2024
Surely Croydon council officers are really good, Peter? I believe Wokingham Borough Council has hired a couple of them recently. WBC wouldn’t spend money on staff that are sub par, would it?
May 4, 2024
love the sarcasm.
May 4, 2024
We need the Australian system required to vote with abstain box
May 4, 2024
@Rodney Needs +1 bring it on, accept we call it ‘the-none-of-the-above’
May 4, 2024
Agreed, you could also make “none of the above” a virtual candidate, not sure what you would do if they win. đ€
Reply A negative and pointless vote. If you want better candidates then stand or join a political party and help select.
May 4, 2024
reply to reply ….but you use Abstain!
May 5, 2024
Not at all. Without a ânone of the aboveâ option, the only way we can show our disapproval is to abstain. If we all abstained, YOU might finally realise we are not satisfied with the options on offer and the voting system that makes it next to impossible to challenge the established parties. If everyone who dislikes the present Tory Party joined and tried to change things, it would make no difference. Look how little affect you have on current policy.
Reply If you dislike what the current parties offer then set ip a better one
May 4, 2024
+1 it would also encourage people to vote rather than spoil their ballot paper, it would engage people
May 4, 2024
Why? We know the % that abstained.
May 4, 2024
How do you know whether people had preferred to go to the beach, are sick, out of the country, couldnât care less, or whether they donât want any of the official candidates?
May 4, 2024
+1 that data is important
May 4, 2024
If they prioritise any of these over voting for their preferred candidate, they are abstaining.
May 5, 2024
You are saying that doing other things and wanting to vote albeit recording your opinon that no candidates are worth a vote are the same? Really? How odd.
May 4, 2024
It would be just another tax on people in fines or on their time.
Make it worth voting if you want them to vote. Currently it is almost worthless.
May 4, 2024
Steve Baker had a rather pathetic and dishonest defence of Sunak on GBNews Vote 2024.. Claiming he is stopping the boats, cutting taxes & he has dealt with inflation. Interest rates still far too high with no reductions at all yet
He has done none of this. He and the BoE caused the inflation with QE, taxes are still rising, over 700 illegal boat people yesterday and legal immigration out of control too at over 1 million gross PA. He got Covid all wrong the net harm lockdowns, net harm vaccines, vast government waste and now lies that the vaccines are âunequivocally safeâ. He has failed on the growing the economy, he had failed on the NHS, law and order and on repaying the debt.
May 4, 2024
I am glad he has cuts taxes but it does not seem to have filtered down to me as I am still paying tax on my Old Age Pension.
Perhaps it would help if he stopped sending ÂŁ3 billion to Ukraine?
May 4, 2024
And ÂŁ150,000 per individual sent to Rwanda (with no means of prohibiting their return).
May 4, 2024
Baker is a turncoat. He ditched his principles for a ministerial job.
May 4, 2024
Seems so.
May 4, 2024
hardly the first!
May 4, 2024
Thereâs a vid of Mr B pressing his panic button ( on his phone I think. Have they all got them?)
He was having an encounter that he appeared to find scary.
A newcomer criticising him I believe.
May 4, 2024
“lies that the vaccines are âunequivocally safeâ
and now we find out from a Freedom of Information request that starting 1st April 2021 the UK and USA have been experimenting with the H5N1 bird flu and suspiciously the US now has an outbreak of this same strain that has transferred to cows and cats so they have introduced new cattle movement restrictions. Our government has imposed draconian laws on the registration of a single chicken.
Control the food supply and you control the people.
May 4, 2024
The choice at the next election is clear â only the Conservatives have a plan
Whether itâs the economy, migration, welfare or the defence of our realm, Labour is nowhere to be seen
RISHI SUNAK in the Telegraph today.
Is this really the best you can do Sunak? The Labour plan is just as wrong headed as yours Sunak essentially the same as yours. With extra disasters added on like destruction of many good private schools with their VAT mugging and the mad counterproductive Non Dom agenda too, now a Tory policy too.
They have the same big state, open door immigration, tax borrow and waste, green crap pushing agenda as you do. Why to do you keep lying that the vaccines are safe (and are still jabbing them), that you are cutting immigration and that you have cut taxes? You must know these are all blatant lies unless you are unbelievably stupid or ignorant Sunak. Please go now.
May 4, 2024
@Lifelogic +1 With the state and the quality of the Labour Party, any junior inexperienced newbie ‘Conservative’ as leader would walk the next election. However, Sunak and the rest of the Johnson collective are at best ‘one nation’ socialists and don’t understand the disciplines of conservatism, the refuse to manage, the refuse to control their own expenditure they are only there for personal self-gratification and taxing the life out of society.
Sunak has single handedly destroyed the future of a lot of good conservatives, and the name of conservatism, while exporting UK Wealth and its creation that would allow the UK to rebound.
May 4, 2024
“they” refuse to manage, “they” refuse
May 4, 2024
Why has your government continued with the balkanisation of Britain electing local mayor’s. This was an EU dictat which is just an expensive nonesense.
These people as with the PCC do nothing to improve the lives of people only waste money
Reform had a good day at Blackpool so let’s hope this continues.
May 4, 2024
+1
May 4, 2024
The turnout in Wokingham council elections was generally a bit higher than usual, but the Conservatives lost three councillors. The question has to be why. I agree with the former Tory leader of Thurrock Council who explained the loss of that local authority saying: ‘The Conservative Party, the Government, need to give people a reason to vote Conservative.’ There were good reasons to do that locally, but nationally you have let your supporters down, and that’s what people notice.
May 4, 2024
@Clough
People wont vote Conservative when the leadership is a high tax, big spending Socialist Government. All control and punishment with no inclination to serve those that elected and pay them
May 4, 2024
We try to send a message to the national party at local election time, as we did when they held EU elections. We donât want to have to go nuclear, but these obdurate, self-congratulatory monsters in Parliament refuse to pick up the message. đ€Ż
May 4, 2024
‘WE’ do want to go nuclear, and if we had, several Governments ago, all would be well right now!
May 4, 2024
The Lib Dems took all three seats in my Ward which was not particulalry suprising – apart from anything else, we’ve had four or five times more Yellow Literature through our front door than Blue ones. One suspects the Lib Dems have more enthusiastic supporters here than the local Conservative Party can muster these days. Perhaps the local Tories are also disenchanted with Conservative Party HQ?
Also, whilst I am getting old (and therefore clearly don’t understand these things anymore) the three ‘would-be’ Tory Councilors in their promotional ‘bumf’ were all casually dressed but two of them also managed to look pretty scruffy. If you are going to ‘dress down’ then at least make sure you look smart, or voters may assume that you are not.
May 4, 2024
I’m unsure about your dress style point, IanT, but I doubt the Lib Dems have many more enthusiastic supporters locally than the Conservatives. I know for a fact that in last year’s elections they brought in about 80 ‘helpers’ from outside the borough to get their candidates elected. One I spoke to was from Kent. I think you’ll find also that mobilising the younger generation in Arborfield, Barkham and Shinfield has paid off for the Conservatives this time.
May 4, 2024
@Richard II & @IanT – they also appear to have a parallel funding mechanism, that is presented as disconnected to the local operations. How many campaign leaflets have you received in the last 6 months? The volume of canvassing has been in a magnitude higher than for any other party in the last 6 months.
Then of course it was Ed Davey the LibDem Leader in charge at the PO when our excellent Post Office Lady was falsely accused and lost her job – was that because she was also our local Conservative Councillor?
May 4, 2024
Sorry, the Conservatives lost *two* councillors.
May 4, 2024
Too many councillors regard the councils as their private fiefdoms. Just like MPs the wishes of their constituents come last until they want their votes when they make promises they have no intention of keeping.
May 4, 2024
@Brian Tomkinson +1 – so very frighteningly true
May 4, 2024
The Reform Party did well in the Blackpool South by-election, near to knocking Conservatives back into 3rd place. Reform put relatively little resource and effort and few candidates into the Council elections as they plan reserving their main push for the General Election. Nigel Farage’s next key move will be decisive in affecting where UK politics is led.
May 4, 2024
Our council spends OUR money on making life a total misery for people.
It builds cycle lanes, shuts off entire roads permanently, allows horrible great housing estates, devises ugly street furniture, mows the verges very noisily very early in the morning, covertly chops down trees, installs the most ghastly street lighting and on and onâŠ.
In actual fact if 40 years ago their plan had been to ruin the area beyond redemptionâŠ
They could not have done a better job!
May 4, 2024
The Conservative Party need to remove the Union Flag from their logo because they never do anything the British people want anymore.
May 4, 2024
However, I see Labour has recently added the Union flag to their campaign posters, which I find really hypocritical given that many of their supporters clearly have no loyalty to our flag at all. People should always remember what Labour sing so enthusiastically their annual conference.
“The people’s flag is deepest red, It shrouded oft our martyred dead and ere their limbs grew stiff and cold, Their hearts’ blood dyed its ev’ry fold. Then raise the scarlet standard high. Within its shade we’ll live and die, Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer, We’ll keep the red flag flying here”
Be honest with us Starmer and campaign under your true colours – the Red Flag!
May 4, 2024
I’d like to see a law that every school, civic & public building must fly the union flag ….and only the union flag
May 4, 2024
Agreed.
May 4, 2024
but how could they replace with George’s Cross? – that would cause ridicule.
May 4, 2024
Perhaps the main problem, as in most cases, is too many people with vastly differing views.
Local councils probably did work when we had cultural homogeneity.
Now even between generations there are huge differences of opinion.
Too many people with juxtaposed needs and wishes pulling in too many directions.
A Marxist education system does not help to create a unified society.
May 4, 2024
I read a very stern letter from Mr Gove to several councils ordering them to come up with local plans.
Presumably to increase housing by building on every possible green field.
Maybe councils donât actually have much autonomy?
Maybe all the decisions that blight our lives come directly from Westminster?
May 4, 2024
Cancel those “maybe’s”, EH, and you’ll have pretty much caught up with where things are.
May 4, 2024
Yes I can see that now but at one time I did actually believe that councils were autonomous.
What I canât get my head round though is the âCabinetâ local government system.
Never seem to know which party is in charge? And it appears to change!
May 4, 2024
The party needs less Oxbridge halfwits and more Lee Andersons
May 4, 2024
@DOM – if only!
May 4, 2024
Indeed so Dom.
The political establishments and elitists think they are in full knowledge and own a natural superiority. They have no understanding of Lee Anderson and people like him. They think the way he speaks and behaves proves he, and anyone like him and expressing similar views, is ignorant, and must be ejected from the select club.
May 4, 2024
damn right
May 4, 2024
Good Morning,
Perhaps you should look closer to home; your government’s nonsense Net Zero plans, or lack of them, are deemed ‘unlawful’. If this isn’t a ‘navel gazing’ waste of money on a national scale, I don’t know what is. What happens in Westminster is reflected in the Shires.
May 4, 2024
@DOM – if only!
May 4, 2024
@Peter Wood – it is the trickle down of mirroring the lead given to them by Sunak, promise everything then renege. Make draconian laws that no other nation has, then punish those that don’t comply – top-to bottom dictatorship
May 4, 2024
I found it interesting that apparently the judge agreed the plans were infeasible. It’s very hard to see how there could be feasible plans for net zero anyway. Surely the logical conclusion is that trying to implement something that is infeasible should be ultra virss and thus unenforceable, justifying setting aside the net zero target.
May 4, 2024
Calling into question the whole basis of the Net Zero policy? Heretic! This government doesn’t like critical thinking, it likes fashion politics and dogma, ideally, promoted by young Swedish girls. Well, looks like Shapps has been given the task to correct it, since he’s not very busy at Defence, so no doubt it’ll all be sorted out constructively…..
May 4, 2024
Wokingham Council about to introduce wheelie bins to replace a perfectly satisfactory polybag scheme-cost ÂŁ2 million and counting I believe. An environmental eyesore. Also they are randomising collection dates for the different waste cohorts from the straightforward collections now. Sounds like it’s going to be a mess, when the present scheme works well.
May 4, 2024
So whatâs the new approach?
The article seems to be about the old approach
May 4, 2024
I don’t blame local councils for spending nearly everything on their statutory duties, such as care home places for people who have spent all the money they ever had, that is, the little they had left when the governments they voted for taxed a massive chunk.
When the council did publish their annual budget, I saw how little of my council tax was spent on things that benefitted me.
May 4, 2024
It will be interesting to see what my local London Labour council says after the next election because their standard approach currently is to blame the Conservative government for all problems. When Starmer is PM that route wonât be open to them.
May 4, 2024
They will blame it on the legacy of Tory rule. Truth does not matter where propaganda is concerned. Two legs good, four legs bad.
May 4, 2024
Sir John
You highlight the need âfor none of the aboveâ, what we are offered as our representatives is pathetic for the most part most of them left their brains at their last religious (political) meeting. Are not signing up to serve they are disciples of a cults regardless of the outcomes.
National politics has degenerated to the same level, punish the people, indoctrinate the masses âour way of self-preservation self-gratification is what you the people are there to serveâ thatâs the creed this Conservative Government is pushing. From what we have heard it is also the intention of the incoming Labour Government â 2 pee’s in the same pod.
May 4, 2024
Wokingham planning department need to be reminded whom they serve, and where their priorities should be.
If Sir John attends the next wbc planning meeting, he will see the current dire state of affairs, and people having to deal with planning officials who are effectively fighting to protect dead hedges and doubling down on their mistakes to save face, hiding behind âtheir interpretationâ of national rules and regulations.
May 4, 2024
This election is the first time I have not voted – What’s the point – no matter who gets in it will be more of the same.
There is no choice in many areas – it’s either one of the big 3 or one of the big 3. Their policies vary only in how extreme they want to be.
None of the candidates were acceptable to me, and there is no point in voting, strategically or otherwise.
No doubt MSM will tell us what an amazing win it has been for Labour around the country, but with so few voting it is hardly an indorsement of the labour party – It is simply that unable to vote Tory any more, those that did vote sought an alternative in labour, as happens whenever the voters are tired of the Tories.
These elections would have been so different if we had just had that extra option of “NONE OF THE ABOVE” on the ballot card – with that we could have stopped the big labour wins, because it is highly likely that “NONE OF THE ABOVE” could have won in many areas.
May 4, 2024
@Bryan Harris
Exactly whatâs the point! Did the Labour vote increase in real numbers or did Conservatives that have been disenfranchised just stay away.
Come the GE the vote will not be for a good local Conservative but Sunak or Starmer, no other choice is on offer. So, you get to vote for high unaffordable spending and taxation â Socialism or unaffordable spending and taxation â Socialism.
In both camps the destruction of the UK is writ large, export jobs, export wealth, destroy the UK then call it net-zero as the laws only made by this Conservative Government – that the rest of the World has no part of and just ignores.
May 4, 2024
Sunak has paid with taxpayer money foreign companies operating in the UK to close down their primary purpose (manufacture high quality steel), to create unemployment, kill the industry and communities. Then forced the UK to into buying(importing) the self-same strategically necessary products at great expense, removing self-reliance and resilience, just so he can punish those still left in the UK wanting to survive. He has removed the technology and experience base that canât be replaced overnight.
It is probably why the Royal Navy now has to manufacture its warships in Spain and Poland, as the PM denies the UK the capability. Would Starmer be any different of course not.
The laughable one is that the so-called UKAS deal will see the French Government getting a bigger cut than they would have done just supplying Australiaâs original wish list. The Conservative Government allowed the sale of all the control, defence, electronics systems for these units to the French Government. Keeping us safe, self-reliant and resilient?
May 4, 2024
Wokingham was!
May 4, 2024
misplaced comment – apologies
May 4, 2024
The Marxist Ed Miliband has made a promise today to ensure more of the UKâs industry and enterprise will be pushed out of the UK, taking their money and wealth creation with them. He promises to do more to damage to the UK economy and its ability to earn and survive than Rish Sunak has already achieved. As with Sunak the object is to export the UKâs earning ability to his favourite countries elsewhere World and as with Sunak the task will be completed by punishing and charging the UK Citizen more than in any other Country in the World for not doing what has been ordered.
As with the loser Cameron how in all logical sense did Ed Miliband, find his way into politics let alone front-line politics.
You get to vote Socialism or Socialism at the GE there is not a millimetre between their views and actions
Then we get the PM saying “The choice at the next election is clear â only the Conservatives have a plan” What choice? what plan?
May 4, 2024
Agree
May 4, 2024
What is more, they do not tell us what they are doing. Example: how many potholes did they fix last month? The British population are starved of information. We have just re-elected our Police Commissioner. What does she do? How does our police force compare with others?
A more general problem. The private sector relies on customers buying goods or services. The more the better. The police are there to reduce crime. If they do good, the less police we need. Where is the motive? Same in the NHS. Same for Network Rail. Not sure about schools. How do we encourage the public sector to do less work? Don’t know.
May 4, 2024
Our police have no time nor money left ….they’ve spent it all buying EV police cars
May 4, 2024
Agree 100%, they blame the government when itâs their fault, itâs any easy cop out. You must start playing them at their own game or I can see a change in MP which will be a disaster. Over the last decade or so Wokingham has always appeared as one of the best places to live, who do they think made it that way, certainly not the Lib Dems. Over the next couple of years this constituency will go down hill rapidly, lots of people I know already go to Bracknell to shop as there is more choice and not much dearer to park. Please please up your game.
May 4, 2024
Mainstay stores leaving, boutique short stays arriving, parking reducing, wardens increasing, coffee shops spreading, independents driven out, signage increasing, GPs invisible, Post Office now banking……mini roundabouts leading to rabbit warrens, cycle paths squeezing roads.
Best place to live? Not Wokingham any more.
May 4, 2024
The biggest danger is the British Workers Party. The name is deceiving.
Please note its locations and its narrow motivated supporters and their belief. It is against ours and way of life and intends to grow fast where they are. They will get votes the way they operate.
It claims democracy but once it has control or sufficient influence anywhere democracy will be abandoned when their authoritarian power and beliefs will take over. Our beliefs will be outlawed and we will be excluded. They will demand their laws are superior.
Our naive present politicians and leaderships need to have the courage to admit the problem and stop pretending they are just another bunch of true democrats who will adapt to our way of life. They will never.
Our present leaders must protect our way of life against fundamental subversives.
Do not be cowardly and hide behind weak excuses.
May 4, 2024
“Our present leaders must protect our way of life against fundamental subversives.”
But they do the opposite by importing even more of these people who hate us and want to destroy our culture and way of life. I guess shortly they will follow Biden by offering sanctuary to the people of Gaza, they are already bringing in their casualties to be treated for free by our NHS.
May 4, 2024
Sir John
Woking was, but no longer a pleasant place to live. An efficient well-organized Council that always figured in the top 10 in the UK for best service and also being the least costly. The LibDims have destroyed that, road improvements that are not, street cleaning and maintenance that no loner exists. Does anyone anywhere know why California Cross needed to be changed? A bit of resurfacing may be! Does anyone know why massive changes and massive cost have been foisted on everyone of a vanity bin collection project. The cost alone has seen massive loans taken out on behalf of Wokingham residence that will not be paid off for years to come.
An endless list of follies that somehow haven’t been highlighted by the oppostion
May 4, 2024
Local government is required by law to provide most of their services, which are heavily regulated. Most of the funding comes from the central government via an opaque formula. At the same time, financial controls are weak, allowing them to speculate on things like property outside their primary remit. So:
* Make it clear what responsibilities the local remit is and what they provide on behalf of the central government.
* For the local remit, simplify regulations to allow councils to innovate and improve services.
* Funding transparency will allow voters to see their local services are financed fairly. Thus putting the responsibility for delivery directly on to local councillors.
May 4, 2024
It really is time the Conservative Party listened!
Sunak, and the One Nation Tory party, are not electable!
Do you really believe they can do the Reforms, necessary, in time?
Cutting the benefits of the disabled (Right or Wrong, but now)?
Destroying high paid jobs in Port Talbot (And, the excuses, wrong!)?
It’s the Tory Party that are responsible for the Inflation that has destroyed the Disposable Income of these People?
Some, are even trying to deny it (the Cost of Living crisis, is real)!
QE/QT driven Inflation/Deflation is real!
The only saving grace is the Labour are not that much of an alternative, but based on these results, they will win comfortably!
For the idiots within the Conservative Party establishment, not to remove him, is an insult to the Intelligence of the British People!
They want change; not more of this crap!
Do you realise; it’s you that is the ONLY real Tory shining a light (on the BoE)?
Cutting benefits, really?
For Now; Supply-side Reforms and De-regulation, and focused tax cuts (on Business Activity; Corp, VAT/VAT Thresholds, Fuel Duty, Business Rates,…)? Stop wasting time talking about cutting IHT, Income, or NI Taxes, it’s not possible, at this time!
Banking Reform?
If you want People (that are sleeping rough) back paying Tax again, Reform IR35/Tax structure of the self employed!
Within Wales, we still can’t get a Recovery or Startup loans? Why? It’s the One Nation Tory’s and their Devolution crap!
etc,…
I could rant on all day, but no one’s listening, are they?
May 4, 2024
It may have been a low turn out but the signs are there for real change in the direction of the Conservatives . Not lowering taxes , not stimulating business , allowing non -elected bodies in the decision process and ignoring the wisdom of the few back benchers who do have effective experience are all indicators of where things have gone wrong . The big question now is whether corrections will have influence before an election is called . In my long years I have never witnessed such a mess .
May 4, 2024
I agree that when a lower authority proves its inadequacy, we appeal to a higher authority (our MP). Is Parliament deliberately proving its inadequacy so that we demand the establishment of a yet higher authority? The EU or World Government, unknown, like AI so credited with all good things?
I see Remainers claiming that the rejection of the Tories is a call to reverse Brexit. So I was interested in this conference of several former US ambassadors who manned a panel at a Jamestown Foundation event in DC together with Peter Mattis, because it reminded me of what was planned by that âhigher authorityâ for the U.K.
âThe conference, called âRussiaâs Rupture and Western Policyâ, focused on the possibility (and desirability) of Russiaâs breakup. The eventâs web page featured a map of Russia divided into dozens of nations, each with its own flag.
Participants in Post-Russia forums, previously held in Europe, claim to represent separatist movements in bigger ethnic autonomies, such as Bashkortostan and Buryatia. Others identify themselves with Tolkien-styled imaginary states, such as âIngriaâ (area around St Petersburg) or âSmallandiaâ (Smolensk region). It is safe to say that none of them has any clout in their region and most are entirely unknown to its residents.â
May 4, 2024
The neocons have been doing this for decades!
The Bashkirs(Bulgar Turks),Buryats(Mongols) and Chechens have a long and proud martial history -they are well represented in the forces in Ukraine,fighting for Holy Russia,One and Indivisible.I saw an arresting photo last year(it did the rounds again a few weeks ago) of a Bashkir soldier in modern Russian infantry battledress,only his asiatic eyes visible,with a recurve bow outstretched and a quiver on his back.
The recurve bow is one of the greatest weapons in all military history-creator and destroyer of empires on the steppe-Parthian,Hun,Mongol,Avar,etc.As late as the Napoleonic wars,the Russian army had units of such asiatic warriors(usually attached to the Cossack formations;sometimes still wearing partial chain mail and tartar-style spiked metal helmets)-when they were sent into action usually during an enemy disorderly retreat or rout they could deliver rapid,accurate fire from horseback-impossible for a musket or carbine to match.The French called them Devils on horseback.
May 4, 2024
It is very clear that no ‘New approach’ is on offer from any of the three traditional parties. It seems to me that the only one of them with any desire for change from the status quo, and this is from its general membership, but only from a very small minority in its Parliamentary section, is the Conservative party. But any prospect of change and a New Approach will be killed if the Conservatives win the General Election under their current leadership: the essential first step is the removal of Sunak and Hunt, and the election of a Conservative leader in place of the current social democrat caucus. A Sunak victory would be a disaster for the Conservative party.
May 4, 2024
Well Sunak certainly seems to be doing his best to ensure this Socialist fake Conservative party is truly buried perhaps even for the rest of my lifetime.
This even against the even more appalling prospect of Starmerâs Labour.
May 4, 2024
This is the end for the Tories.
Abolition.
May 4, 2024
Long count at the London Mayor election. That way, I suppose, you can see who is ahead and by how much and there is time before the end of the count.
May 4, 2024
Time to find some lost ballot papers all voting for Labour I expect if the results aren’t going their way.
May 4, 2024
I can’t believe that Sunak hasn’t, as yet resigned
May 4, 2024
That requires a modicom of self-respect and integrity.
May 4, 2024
Should have written Delayed count. Postal votes mean you can’t see if real persons actually voted. Goodbye the Home Office, the Foreign Office, London and England.
May 4, 2024
One may ask: Why do people vote year in year out for the parties and people who are mismanaging local councils? The answer is usually that the majority votes for their own party, is largely unaffected by the mismanagement, and stands to gain some personal or financial advantage from them.
May 4, 2024
As Charles Moore avers in his recent article in the Telegraph, First Past the Post inevitably yields a binary choice for voters.
JR refers to a state of apathy and aversion amongst voters but this is with not so much what’s on offer but what has any chance of success.
People can be presented at elections by a range of people and platforms from the Lib Dems to Count Binface
and some even appear to have better policies than the Tories or Labour but in practice our politics is in stasis whilst the main parties’ policies gyrate alarmingly from the centres of gravity of their supporters’ opinions often coalescing with those of their main opposition rival.
The message of 35% is that our political system has failed. Without a reformed electoral system that allocates seats fairly on the basis of popular support not just at the national level but also down to that of the Council ward so that each individual knows that his vote counts and is not one of the two thirds of votes that have no effect on the electoral outcome, there is every justification for his disenchantment.
May 4, 2024
Our system of first-past-the-post producing the majority vote winner in government, yielding that party with control & power to complete their manifesto with historic philosophies of left, centre or right is satisfactory and proven âŠ..however the system only works when the people can clearly identify and believe the intensions of each party â the past decade has shown that the labour party doesnât represent the working class, the conservative doesnât represent the middle/upper class and that both houses of parliament represents international bodies âŠthe uni parties of Europe arenât working
May 4, 2024
You’ve just agreed that it’s neither proven nor satisfactory. Presumably, logic is not your strong point.
May 5, 2024
I said it worked a decade ago when the voters understood the parties policies ….not so today, please re-read my passage
May 6, 2024
Sorry you’ve just agreed with me again.
May 4, 2024
Until our WHOLE system of government is changed nothing will happen but change is coming. Nothing can stop what is coming, NOTHING and the ENORMITY of what is coming will shock the world.
May 4, 2024
Do let us know when you head for the hills or mountains.
May 4, 2024
No. None of this.
Mass immigration has finally destroyed your party. In various ways that I can think of.
May 4, 2024
Has sunak resigned yet?
Do let me know
May 4, 2024
….and who’s our chancellor and whats his plan ???
May 4, 2024
Sir John the result of the election for the London Major is troubling. May I observe that Japan is suffering an economic crisis similar to that to which Greece was subjected. Both, I believe as a direct result, face a demographic disaster.
Is the same thing happening to the English? We are all specifically targeted as the destruction of capital rumbles on unchallenged. Many young families I know canât afford their own children, as their taxes are prioritised for the boat people. Is the demographic disaster of native Britons being hidden by the influx of the boat people?
Even the dowager Duchess of Devonshire has left Woburn and England complaining that the country is unrecognisable.
May 4, 2024
It is not looking good is it.
Politics has totally failed.
I think civil war is the most likely outcome now. I am upset about it. But I don’t see any other way out of it.
It’s going to get a lot worse.
The only ways out are obvious, but none of our so called leaders are even remotely close to verbalising them,
May 5, 2024
“Politics has totally failed.”
Politicians have totally failed. Fixed that for you.
May 5, 2024
I see David Davis has come out in full on lying mode with his support of the Sunak smoking ban. “Smoking ban will save NHS and stop it âswallowing economyâ” –says David Davis.
I’ll invite readers to remember when we were last told by Tory liars that we had “two weeks to save the NHS”, and judge for themselves if Davis and his corrupt cronies are telling the truth this time.
If it were really a concern of Davis that the NHS is under strain, then adding 300,000 new patients every year, each year, none of whom have ever contributed one penny of taxes or National Insurance, probably isn’t helping the situation.