When Labour was thrown out of office in May 2010 they had just presided over a big recession and banking collapse. Unemployment was at 7.8% of the workforce. Inflation was 3%,above the 2% target. Real wages had fallen by nearly 1% over the past year. They mainly lost the election on the last few years of very bad economic performance.
When the Conservatives were thrown out of office at the beginning of July 2024 inflation was at the 2% target. Real wages had grown 2.2% over the previous year. Unemployment was at 4.2%. They lost office for a variety of reasons including their failure to carry out their promise to reduce migration and stop the small boats, and for the high inflation and higher taxes of 2022-3 which they blamed on Covid and the Ukraine war.
I will keep a record of these closing figures for what used to be called the Misery Index, Inflation plus unemployment, and for real wage changes. If Labour can improve on these figures I will give them due credit. If as I fear their policies produce a deterioration they will earn criticism.
The last government could have had a much better record on inflation and real wages over the full four and a half years if it had followed different advice on money policy and Covid lockdowns.
August 14, 2024
Good morning.
With respect Sir John, you forgot one set of figures – The deficit and the National Debt.
Let us also see how well, or in truth how badly, this government does on the above.
August 14, 2024
Agreed. Mark. Natiuonal debt is a key economic measure as it will slow future growth: Debt is futue spending bought forward.
Another key measure is GDP per capita, which has been falling in recent times.
August 14, 2024
@PeteB +1
The economy, having one is the answer. The UniParty talks that they always have, yet somehow the removal of money from the economy (taxes) is they only way they know how to express themselves
August 14, 2024
Which people are counted in GDP per capita? Are the 100,000 asylum seekers in those figures now just adults, adults, and children? Are students from abroad and their families in those figures?
August 14, 2024
Doesn’t matter on the definition as long as it is consistent over time. That said, the ONS have it defined somewhere.
August 14, 2024
Pete, it does matter if we have had an extra 500,000 people in a very short space of time, all arriving with very little and requiring a lot of support.
August 14, 2024
Mark B, judging by the first few weeks In office, it won’t be long before we have a run on sterling. Reeves keeps going on about a Ā£20 billion deficit and announces billions in spending daily.
I can’t wait for her first budget when she removes the tax free allowance on inheritance and introduces a lifetime gift tax.
We need to let them dig a hole big enough to bury themselves in.
I note that the Leicester Square stabber hasn’t been given summary justice like people saying hurty things on Facebook. No doubt time is needed to establish his poor mental state. A pattern is emerging
August 14, 2024
Yes we have a problem with people-who-should-not-be-here attacking people-who-should-be-here. There is a long and established pattern. We need a word for all the people who are not our problem and should-not-be-here. We have to deal with all the people we are related to who are problems, as you do in a family, because they are our problem
Thank God the little tourist in Leicester Sq survived, but itās not going to help attract tourists to London.
The Government needs to comprehend that we are not aggressive and unarmed. We are afraid of strong, armed men. You canāt legislate for people not to be afraid. Ask Jess Phillips who called the people to her Count because she was afraid of some of her constituents.
August 14, 2024
Ian,
I find it difficult to understand why so many jailed over social media comments when prominent Ministers like Rayner can call conservatives Scum and Lammy can call Trump a Nazi sympathising sociopath, clear hate speech, yet no action against them. Moreover, the Labour Party were held to be antisemitic by the ECHR, yet the front bench littered with MPs who were leading members of the antisemitic party at that time?
And we got to accept Two-Teir Keir saying the party changed! Yeah, right. Two Israeli people hounded out of Edinburgh comedian show because of antisemitic joke, yet nothing done about comedian or crowd! Where is the voice of Two-Teir Keir for swift forceful justice and his army of policeā¦ā¦ā¦..waiting.
August 15, 2024
@Hope – Two-Teir Keir says it all, with his definition on free speech about to be passed down on a Nation
August 14, 2024
Precisely my first thought.
Had the Conservatives produced a national surplus as large as our debt, we could no doubt afford to pay the unemployed a median +wage+ not to work, and reduce taxes to offset inflation, reducing this misery index to zero. I’d add annual increase in % per capita GDP debt to give a true misery index. So add 2.8% July 24 over July 23. Debt under Conservatives went from 64% to 95% of GDP since 2010 so around 50% increase.
Nothing to be proud of.
August 14, 2024
When John Major left office, UK public sector debt as a percentage of GDP was c36%. When Gordon Brown left office in 2010, it was c75%. Today is nearly 100% and the national debt is now >Ā£2.6 trillion and still rising…
August 14, 2024
@Mark B +1 – the real pain and misery that they inflicted on us and the next generation
August 14, 2024
Quite a lot of selective memory there, I think.
August 14, 2024
Investing.com said that UK wages rose by an annual 5.4% in the 3 months to June 2024, the ONS confirmed it yesterday.
I read that the deficit in 2010/11 was 8.7% around Ā£160 billion deficit
and that the deficit in 2023/24 was 4.2%; by 2019, it was reduced to Ā£40 billion, but by 2022, it rose to Ā£80 billion after the pandemic.
Is that true, John?
The net debt started rising in 2002, didn’t it, 6 years before the global financial crisis, the pandemic, the Ukraine war and energy problems?
August 14, 2024
The last government could have had a much better record on inflation and real wages over the full four and a half years if it had followed different advice on money policy and Covid.
Indeed and different advice on the net zero insanity, tax levels, low skilled immigration levels, the net harm vaccines, net harm lockdowns, benefit level that augment the feckless, crime, the dire NHS, the 75% duff university degree & soft loans, the woke lunacy, DEIā¦
August 14, 2024
If we believe the covid inquiry Hunt helped cause the loss of life and Govt. spending hundreds of billions of taxpayers money for his incompetence not to prepare the NHS for a pandemic! So they made him chancellor!!! A bit of a clue, Hunt was repeatedly rejected to be leader!
There should be a mechanism for politicians like Hunt who have shown gross incompetence to be banned from public office. In what business would it be allowed for a person to cause loss of life and wreck the finances, not to face sanctions or sack from that company, but to be put Chief Financial Officer!! Should we be surprised as chancellor he was a sh.. show? Prior to this the Tory quota selection gave us Javid and Sunak! Before this pro EU fanatic Hammond!
August 14, 2024
The biggest waste of money was the net harm lockdowns, the (criminal in my view) net harm Covid vaccines, test and trace, PPE fraudā¦ the pandemic preparation was rather trivial in comparison.
August 14, 2024
The planning for the pandemic suggested not to lock down a great shame they did not stick to this!
August 15, 2024
I’m baffled over the ‘low-wage growth’ claim.
The renamed minimum wage, now called the national living wage has increased by large %s for the past three years, pushing up pay differentials.
Age 21 and over Ā£11.44 Apr 24 up 9.7% from 23 up 12.3% age 21-23.
Age 23 and over Ā£10.42 Apr 23 up 9.6%
Age 23 and over Ā£9.50 Apr 22 up 6.6%
Before Apr 2021 the NLW was for those age 25 and over
August 14, 2024
Labour were, are and always will be a disaster. One only has to look at the worrying state of play not 6 weeks on from the precarious landslide.
As everyone knows however the Conservatives’ credibility was utterly shredded by the absolute failure to confront the illegal channel crossings over the lifetime of the Parliament. Hamstrung by the One Nation contingent progress was not possible. I’m almost 61 and have always voted Tory but no more – they have proven themselves unable to solve the big problems of this country and will even take until nearly Bonfire Night to come up with a new leader for their miserable residue, much like the mid term elongated leadership circus.
No more – time, circumstances and political parties have moved on. They threw it all away.
August 14, 2024
Worse, they had an 85 seat majority to deliver Brexit and change all Blaire woke rot. They Chose not to honour their promises and act in completely the opposite direction arrogantly thinking because Labour was the only other option they would return to office.
Now it is time to oust Labour who deliver politics of spite and envy. A vile party led by horrible people who have No interest in the British people, nation state, culture or way of life. They have immediately returned to Blaireās plan: EU, mass immigration, quietly introduce law and changes without parliament or public scrutiny.
August 14, 2024
I’m astounded that with Two-Tier-Keir visibly losing control and going into authoritarian free speech suppression “Erich Honecker mode,” the only opposition is coming from Elon Musk, various high-profile commentators like Matt Goodwin and Konstantin Kisin and the Reform Party.
The so-called Leader of the Not-a-Conservative-Party is completely absent and not one of the Leadership contenders has mentioned that this is the land of the Common Law, Magna Carta and policing by consent ….. not the DDR and Stasi. Still, we have at least got a very clear insight into the nasty little former Army Intelligence Officer, Tugendhat …. another wannabe authoritarian PM.
August 14, 2024
Indeed, I expected Labour to be appalling, even worse than the appalling tories. They are already been even worse than I expected. What sort of fool would have Rayner, Lammy, Ed Miliband in responsible jobs? Reeved too has made huge errors already though I suspect she is less dim than she appears. She must surely know the the war on Non Doms and VAT on school fees will cost far more than they raise. Plus do vast net harm to education and the economy.
August 14, 2024
“Magna Carta – did she die in vain?”
Tony Hancock
August 14, 2024
Indeed. We had a Tory the other day say “Stop rioting and we can talk about immigration.”
Gaslighting of the highest order.
August 15, 2024
I think the Magna Carta case holding an original copy of the Magna Carta getting smashed by two elderly ladies in May 2024 was prescient, it was the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law, only 4 of the 63 clauses are still valid today 1, 13, 39 and 40. We were told the ladies were arrested but have not yet been charged. Did they have to pay to replace the case? Criminal damage? These same ladies will undoubtedly want the boys that smashed Gregg’s window thrown in the clink. We now lock people up for ‘being the least involved person” at a protest, he did push a police riot shield and was “prolifically vocal’ as he tried to help someone on the ground (re Telegraph 13 Aug).
Another man who stole a priceless copy of the Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral to prove it was fake was jailed for four years in 2020, I can’t keep up with the fixed sentences and who should get what anymore.
August 14, 2024
Andrew, You forget as most do! They are not allowed to stop criminal migrant entry into Britain as it is a WEF plan! Their greed has destroyed our country and they are traitors.
What surprises me is they think we do not see through the years of lies.
August 14, 2024
JR the Tories nearly doubled the national debt and had nothing positive to show for it and lots of negatives – like many excess net harm Covid vaccine and lockdown deaths and a wrecked economy, highest taxes for 70 years, piss poor public servicesā¦
Wes Streeting says NHS ‘failures’ in case of Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane are ‘shocking’
and he is right but the NHS, Government, MHRA, PHE net harm vaccine negligence killed at least 50,000 times more peope Wes. So any comment on this? Any criminal manslaugher investigations yet?
Will anyone get fired or even admonished? Or will they all get new jobs and honours. Patrick Vallance, Van Tam, Chris Whitty, the MHRA, Hancock, the people now fiddling the stats. to try to hide it allā¦
August 14, 2024
Will anyone, even in the clear cut Valdo killings case even be mildly rebuked? Or will they just go on and the enjoy their gold plated pensions.
August 14, 2024
LL,
Your adding up fails you. Nearly doubled the national debt!
Oh,no. Ā£800 billion when Tories came to office, now nearly Ā£3 trillion!! In 2010 Tory party promised to balance structural deficit and pay down debt by 2015, 2017, 2019,2021 and then abandoned.
August 14, 2024
Indeed the official figures differ but yours are closer to reality. Yet on top of this Miliband wants to waste another few Ā£Trillion on the net zero lunacy.
August 14, 2024
I think we all know the answer to that. Still, the NHS Trust involved has carried out a review and declared that it has improved …. so that’s all right then. Move along ….
August 14, 2024
If labour really want to follow the insanity of net zero as pushed by the deluded Ed Miliband they will be heading for doubling government debt again – at least. Also for zero net benefit and mass economic damages to living standards.
August 14, 2024
well said , Sir!
August 14, 2024
āThey lost office for a variety of reasons including their failure to carry out their promise to reduce migration and stop the small boats, and for the high inflation and higher taxes of 2022-3 which they blamed on Covid and the Ukraine war.ā
Real causes were actually net harm lockdowns, net harm Covid vaccines, net zero lunacy, vast government waste all over the place. They did not even try to limit legal or illegal immigration! Total contempt for the electorate and tax payers. So now were have to suffer even worse.
August 14, 2024
First, thank you for speaking with clarity on GBNews last night.
At risk of sounding mealy mouthed I maintain that Labour won the last election by default. There was no great movement towards them. Give and take their vote share was the same as in 2019. Around 66% of the electorate did not vote for them and a large segment of that 66% did not vote at all. That feeling has not gone away in that about 36% of Conservative voters have no interest in who wins their protracted leadership contest. All lined up in suits, I am reminded to recall what you would call them in court, the accused.
We are on dangerous political ground. A large majority party in Parliament resting on low support electorally. A navel gazeing opposition in which the electorate has only passing interest. A Civil Service reeling under a loss of power , but intent on continuing to pull the strings in contradiction of it’s title. A proliferation of heretical beliefs such as woke and nett zero that continue to infect the decision making processes throughout our instiutions.
A situation open to revolution on one hand, or absolute clarity of thought and growing support among the electorate on the other. I look to a professional Reform to provide the latter, and look forward to harvest time in 2029. What has gone before for countless years does not work for anything other than narrow vested interests, least of all, the electorate.
August 14, 2024
“Around 66% of the electorate did not vote for them ”
No, they got 34% of the vote. They only got 20% of the whole electorate since so many didn’t bother to vote.
80% did not endorse Starmer/Labour.
August 14, 2024
But as Sir John says ‘we have a democracy’.
August 14, 2024
Good Morning,
What about a few more telling yardsticks: National Debt to GDP, Cost of National Debt to GDP, Trade deficit, Government income to expenditure deficit, Nett Migration, NHS expenditure to GDP, Civil Service cost to GDP, Defence spending to GDP. There are plenty more to look at to show how cost effective governments are.
No more cherry-picking, look at the whole picture.
August 14, 2024
Sir John,
Your last paragraph says it all. The Conservative Party had been going in the wrong direction for 14 years, it needs a complete reset, but there is no sign of those still left in the Party understanding that. The new leadership elections will show if the Conservative Party can restore faith in conservative values or just carry on in the wrong direction.
August 14, 2024
Well we know the 6 candidates. They were all part off the last failed administration and policies so they are……………irrelevant to conservative voters as they simply…………….aren’t conservative.
I even noted that Badenough caught out in Parliament debate pushing for more students and migrant workers.
So remind me who was responsible for the worst migration figures, refusal to stop the boats or leave the ECHR, highest taxes and spending, refusal to destroy Blairs woke selection and quangos or the Supreme Court? Yoo hoo Tory’s!! A dead Party that is now toast, they just haven’t worked it out yet!”!
August 14, 2024
The Conservatives vote stayed home because the Conservative party was not recognised as Conservative any longer.
Permitting identity politics, high taxation and ridiculous levels of legal and illegal immigration together with being unable to direct the civil service to act on government policy and allowing protesters of one mindset too much leeway to protest while curtailing protesters of other mindsets. Not pursuing the benefits of no longer being legislated over by the EU and Net zero then compounded the problem.
Labour will now pursue those same polices and hopefully the electorate will realise the folly of voting for the two main establishment parties and someone else will get a go.
August 14, 2024
The Conservatives lost simply because they failed on most policies they dream’t up and put forward.
A feeling of total incompetence, decay and delay with anything government proposed, ran or were even involved with.
The only thing that grew under the conservatives was the tax take, the national debt, immigration, the number of potholes, and the NHS waiting list, etc etc etc.
They got what they deserved for failure across the board.
Were Labour or the LobDems going to be any better ?
No, and most people knew that (hence the low vote for them) but we needed to show that 14 years of mainly failure, was simply not good enough.
We are now where we are, with a different set of politicians in charge who want even bigger State with more control over our lives and finances.
The future looks bleak for the UK, but perhaps something good will eventually rise from the ashes.
August 14, 2024
@Berkshire Alan +1
August 15, 2024
The only potholed road near me is one leading up to one of the large new housing estates. The increased traffic on a thin-layer road and all the heavy vehicles using that route during the build have caused the damage. They should have been forced to repair it before they completed the site, although the Council is collecting lots of lovely new rates from the housing on there, so if that wasn’t possible, the Council should have fixed it by now.
August 14, 2024
If we look back at Boris Johnson’s tenure, he was a bit unlucky. We had voted to leave the EU and he was going to see it through. But along came Covid. Yes most of us can now see the whole Pandemic thing was an exaggerated nonsense, leading to unnecessary lockdowns and massive financial costs. It however derailed much of the governments work.
The constant promises of all the Conservative PM’s to ‘stop the boats’ and get immigration down were an absolute failure.
The reluctance to tell the truth about ‘net zero’ and it’s costs continued to hang over the government.
Now we have a far-left Labour government doing all it can to punish the heritage population for wanting an end to excessive immigration. Using the destruction of freedom of speech as a sledgehammer.
What an absolute shambles governance of the laughingly name ‘United Kingdom’ has become.
August 14, 2024
Boris blew it. We all know that. He had the best opportunity and he blew it, making him the worst Tory PM – worse even than Major.
August 14, 2024
Lynne,
No, not quite. Major sacrificed his countryās economy, peopleās homes, businesses and jobs for his beloved EU. Treacherous May would also rank alongside vile Major, close behind them Snake Sunak and then Cameron. The awful Johnson was bad but not as bad these.
August 14, 2024
The rest knew what they had unleashed to run, poor Johnson was so befuddled listening to the last voice to make policy….he probably cannot accept any of the disaster was of his doing!
August 14, 2024
My take is that the party lost the 2024 election because of Sunak’s espousal of anti-net zero, pro-fossil fuel policies involving Ā£billions in subsidies paid directly to the energy companies – who have just announced more Ā£billions in record profits and an uplift in their dividends
Sunak and Reform actively campaigned against renewable energy. They were decisively rejected by the electorate. Conservative supporters either stayed at home or voted for the pro-net zero parties, who took a combined 486 seats or 74.8% of the vote.
Second-hand EV cars have never been so cheap. One of Mrs Gold’s granddaughters is expected to get to university this year. Impressed, I’ve bought her a three-year old 40kWh Nissan Leaf for less than Ā£5000, which offered extraordinary good value. She can charge it up on my solar panels for free when she comes to visit.
Reply You are well detached from conservative opinion. 24% voted Conservative and 14% voted Reform compared to 34% voting Labour. Many Conservatives stayed at home so turnout was low. If net zero policies are so good why do so few buy EVs and heat pumps?
August 14, 2024
Less than Ā£5000 to you, but the original owner lost Ā£20,000? in three years!!!
And you are suggesting this is the way to go?
Certainly Nut-Zero…
August 14, 2024
SG :
I wouldnāt be buying my granddaughters a cheap, low battery capacity ev to subject her to not only constant range anxiety but more importantly the danger from charging in empty car park locations late at night in order to get home. As well as the danger of an exploding battery.
August 14, 2024
‘Sakara’ Co2 is 0.045% of Earths atmosphere. The UK contributes <1% of that. So when you and Ed Milliband have finished crippling the country and have left the poor, old and ill to die of cold. You will have saved nothing. China will swallow any tiny Co2 savings made here in months or weeks.
August 14, 2024
Oh! dear! Mr Gold, what a silly waste of money, did you not ask yourselfā WHY is this car so cheapā
You are not as bright as you try to make out!
The battery is probably on its last legs from regular FAST charging and that will be Ā£40K to replace!
August 14, 2024
Did you read about the elderly couple who were encouraged by heat savings to insulate their loft with foam, helped with a government grant to install it, now can’t sell without removing it.
August 14, 2024
Why damp, fire risk? How much heat was saved rather less than the cost of fitting and removal I assume.
August 14, 2024
Can also set up dry rot in the timbers!
August 14, 2024
https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/aug/12/they-encouraged-us-to-insulate-our-home-now-its-unmortgageable
August 14, 2024
A neighbour had to have a complete new tiled roof, not possible to remove the insulation from the tiles and roof beams. Ouch! an alarming bill.
August 14, 2024
I nearly did this, my loft is insulated and the floor lined but I read about the spray foam, so glad my husband talked me out of it.
August 14, 2024
I can assure you that I didnāt vote Conservative for a number of reasons but one of them wasnāt that they were anti Net Zero. You fail to mention the Net Zero LibDem zealots who got fewer votes than Reform.
August 14, 2024
SG :
Only Reform campaigned against Net Zero. Subsidies are only paid for Net Zero projects and renewables which is odd because we are told that wind is now 9 times cheaper than gas. Even odder is that whilst the electricity day-ahead prices (viz reliable gas) are around Ā£60/MWhr the government is about to give CfD contracts for unreliable renewables of Ā£84/MWhr for solar, Ā£88/MWhr for onshore wind, Ā£100/MWhr for fixed offshore wind and, for floating offshore wind, recommended by the PM at his recent GB Energy speech in Scotland, Ā£242/MWhr. These prices for intermittent electricity are more expensive than reliable nuclear which is around Ā£50/MWhr for large nuclear such as Hinkley Point Cās EDF EPR technology when built in Finland and Ā£50-Ā£70/MWhr for RR SMRs.
August 14, 2024
I have found an energy supplier who foes NOT supply renewable energy. There is a discount. I advise you all, when renewing contracts to look for this option. Itās like a referendum.
August 15, 2024
So which supplier are you talking about?
August 15, 2024
āwhy do so few buy EVs and heat pumps?ā
Expensive to buy and to run, inconvenient, we have no low carbon electricity to run them off, less good than cheaper more convenient existing tech, they save little or no CO2 when fully accounted for & a bit more CO2 is a actually a net good.
Cars also heavier, cannot really tow, wear out tyres faster, more expensive to insure, depreciate more rapidly. Heat pumps also depreciate rapidly, heat up v. slowly so have to be left on often, need larger far rads to be efficient, need load of electricity in winter when we have little spare, need a vast grid expensionā¦
August 14, 2024
The Conservative Governments gave every impression that they were tin-eared to the advice which they didnt want to hear. With hindsight, I bet they wish they had listened to that advice, avoided the mistakes and would likely still be in power today.
August 14, 2024
Beside the obvious 3 or 4 major failings of the last Government, they also lost ‘the changing room’ – football expression for the squad doesn’t believe in the leadership/tactics/ selection. The electorate continued to be more and more frustrated with inactivity or wrong activity as the months went by. Finally we voted ‘with our feet’.
August 14, 2024
and unsurprisingly the tory party hasn’t changed one single policy since the election …crazy
August 15, 2024
Indeed the Con Socialist still 180 degrees out on virtually everything. Just the same as Labour but with a tiny touch on the breaks on net zero and without VAT on school fees. Socialist dope Gove even wanted those.
August 14, 2024
Once again the deterrent value of military strength has become apparent, when considering the current hostilities in the Middle East
Despite the Israeli MOSSAD conducting a highly successful campaign of assassinations against leaders of the forces allied against it – and multifarious threats of “punishment” against Israel from the chief Ayatollah, Hezbollah and the IRGC – nothing has happened.
Israel has warned that any direct attack from Iran will result in a “disproportionate” response. This has made her enemies think twice, while American reinforcements arrive to help defend her ally.
If only a ceasefire deal with HAMAS over Gaza could be reached, the world could breathe again
August 14, 2024
Victory was squandered by the Conservatives. The ground was set by Boris Johnsonās inept govt – doing the opposite of what he said he would on immigration and taxes, kow-towing to the blob on lockdowns and then with his stupid personal behaviour. Even as he left, the Conservatives, remarkably, had recovered to -5% in the polls. But the decision to choose Liz truss as leader and PM finished us off, with her staggering incompetence, lack of preparation and inability to articulate arguments and policy. Sunak was of course also a disappointment. The decision to call the election in the summer was obviously foolish as was the nothing-burger of a manifesto.
Labour so far has done nothing positive but on the other hand have performed to expectations – waste on public sector wages, new quangos, green crap and wokery. Probably growth and investment-destroying taxes to come. What a dismal position.
August 14, 2024
If our economy is so important to politicians and government why was there no apparent attempt to gear up economic growth off radical areas such as net zero energy and the covid situation. Instead the PPE geniuses and lawyers panic and splurge our money to foreign suppliers and governments.
Why no ramping up of actually making useful stuff that we could maybe export as well?
I was already disillusioned with Conservatives before those two economic crises because of the indifference to the decline of our manufacturing, if not actively helping it along, by a party of individualists pulling in too many different directions .. except the ones the were expressly voted in to do.
August 14, 2024
It’s GDP per capita that’s important. And that’s declined under both Labour and the Not-a-Conservative-Party.
GDP growth means nothing to ordinary people when their personal circumstances, including their income, disposable income and quality of life, are negatively impacted by the consequences of mass immigration so the Government (CON or Labour) can pretend they’ve increased GDP.
Then there are less quantifiable things to consider, loosely summed up as Personal Autonomy/Freedom:
1. Control over your own life (shattered during the Covid Tyranny)
2. The freedom to make personal decisions based on your personal circumstances (being destroyed by the Net Zero lunacy)
3. Free speech
4. The out-of-control surveillance of the entire population
5. The blatant multi-tier society we now live in, thanks to Cultural Marxism and the DEI (Didn’t Earn It) Agenda
August 14, 2024
If the Tories had said they wanted mass immigration, they would have garnered the support of all these protestors waving banners saying “Migrants Welcome”. They said otherwise though. They said they wanted to reduce migration to the tens of thousands, whilst simultaneously approving visas by the million.
I guess though that what did it for the Tories was the apprehension that in the public sector nothing worked – except for the cross-channel taxi service.
What I fail to understand is why enough people voted Labour to give them a massive majority. As if they are going to fix anything. Perhaps the civil service will allow them just a little bit of success.
August 14, 2024
Sir John
My impression was the last UniParty administration was thrown out of office for perpetually lying, then asking the people to accept more lies.
Did anyone expect this version of the UniParty to be any different, of course not – it just a leadership change and more of the same.
Sometimes the punishment just means other get suffer more than the perpetuators. Even now what used to call themselves the Conservative Party are gearing up to anoint more of the same with a continuity leader. They have yet to understand what a failure in thinking and ability they have brought on the Party and the Country. Maybe it is just destruction that the whole movement wishes on itself.
August 14, 2024
I am worried that any comment may breach ‘the rules’ and I will be arrested/jailed for wrong think.
So I have developed a list that I will always carry with me to prove my ideological purity:
1. Kier Starmer is the best PM we have ever had.
2. The police and judiciary are firm but fair and treat everyone the same ā¦…
3. Mass migration is the best thing since sliced bread.
4. There are an unknown number of genders.
5. Ed Milliband will deliver reliable and cheap energy.
6. Hope not Hate are not statue destroying virtue signalling, bought and paid for Marxist useful idiots.
7. Greta Thunberg is beyond reproach.
8. The EU are our friends.
9. Climate change is an existential threat that can be overcome by paying more tax.
10. I have never felt so safe, or so free.
August 14, 2024
The commentary today demonstrates again that our host now, as before the election, is unable to understand and believe that the critical views of his party and government have validity.
They all feel they are superior and know the best, the ‘common people’ are to be ignored as their views are based on ignorance and their subjects are not important.
The party remains elitist. It does not come from us and mix with us.
Reply What nonsense. I have set out often and simply why Conservatives lost so much support. You need to see that not everything went wrong, and some things are likely to get worse under the new government.
August 14, 2024
Reply to Reply.
Mr Redwood – Look at what gratefully you have let ‘k’ say. He is correct. But you just cannot ‘get it’.
k – I have had the same problem in prohibition of my comments.
August 14, 2024
I sat down on the morning of the election to make a note of a number of key economic indicators to show to my misguided friends when Labour leave office. Whilst I know that past performance is not a guide to future performance, I do not expect to be disappointed.
For me the last Conservative government was in fact an old fashioned Labour government pursuing tax and spend policies that would have sat very easily with Jim Callaghan and Dennis Healey. The first lockdown was an act of catastrophic stupidity and cowardice. The second lock down was unforgivable. By then we knew that Covid was not lethal. Hosing money willy nilly into the economy was always going to lead to inflation and the government was always going to get the blame for it, notwithstanding the widespread clamour for it.
Unless and until the Conservatives expressly revert to proper conservatism, advocating small state, self-reliance and a wholesale simplification and reform of our bloated tax system, and the public sector suckling on the teat, they will not deserve to get elected.
August 14, 2024
It’s a pity that prior to any General Election such statistics are not revealed by MSM. Sadly, even then we’d still have so many of the electorate voting for the person “who looks good on TV” or ‘he who promises the earth’ but provides nothing but dirt. Sadly the ‘dirt’ comes after the election has secured their position in Government, as is the case right now.
The pseudo-Tory Government of Sunak and his predecessor, needed punishing but the best result for OUR county would have been a hung Parliament, rather than the apocalypse of a massive Labour majority we have.
However, I shall not be surprised to see that Ladbrokes and William Hill are soon laying odds on the amount of damage that ‘two tier’ Starmer’s socialists can do to this country by 2029.
Given the new Labour policies already announced, It really is beginning to look like the 1970s all over again. But where is the new Mrs Thatcher to turn us around this time?
August 14, 2024
Sir John
These figures while they could be considered marginally interesting, they donāt reflect on the real balancing of the budget, how the UK is doing in the real World, how it is financing our future. At best all they do is make the members of the UniParty, in all its flavours, feel good on a personal level.
Until and when Government starts to manage its own spend and borrowing everything is without meaning. I am not thinking cuts backs here and there, which have nothing to do with anything other than āpersonalā ideology. I am thinking the size of the State, the growing State, the ever-increasing jobs for the boys that are squeezing the life out of us all that have to pay.
Someone needs to start to understand taxes and borrowings are not real earning Government or otherwise. The real true figures show we are all having to knock ourselves out and cut back in our own lives, so as to pay the ever-increasing taxes, borrowing and interest on that borrowing. The hidden figures of the UniParty.
August 14, 2024
Rational, if Defence spending, our actual safety and security, is based on a % of GDP then shouldnāt the same criteria be then applied to all Whitehall it departments its staffing and so on. The desire to live within in our means must be predicated on our earnings as a Nation.
Although, defence spending if Governments were honest would be what is necessary for the job before other criteria.
August 14, 2024
Labour can have no complaints about what it inherited. It is much better than what the Conservatives inherited in 2010, with one major exception. That is the scandalous growth in the National Debt, which clearly shows we have been living beyond our means for the last twenty years. Why have MPs not been shouting about this and demanding action, with the exception of our host? If they manage their personal finances the way they manage the national finances, they would be bankrupt in no time at all. Just as the UK will at some future point if MPs don’t insist we live within our income and pay back some of our debt.
The Conservatives were incompetent in their financial management throughout the 14 years in office, did nothing about Immigration and deserved to lose. They were a shambles and needed a complete change of direction.
Not one leadership candidate has suggested they ask members what they see the problems were!
August 14, 2024
Andrew Bailey at the BoE point’s out that almost half the alleged shortfall is because Reeves plans to give public sector workers inflation-busting pay rises of 6% costing an extra Ā£6b.
The Chancellor tells her supporters the winter fuel payment (saving Ā£1.4bn this year) has to go because of the Tories’ Ā£22bn black hole.
August 14, 2024
John, I don’t like going off-topic, and I’m not trying to divert this thread so I’m content if you don’t share it today, but this is important. I would like to thank you for the work you’ve done on this blog over many years now to moderate my posts. You have taught me what is permissible and may have stopped me and many online bloggers from getting into serious trouble now that we have a Labour Government. Over the years I’ve learnt to save the facts and quotes I refer to. Konstantin Kisin wrote just now, “Once they’re done outlawing hate speech, i.e. speech they hate, they’ll move on to outlawing hate facts, i.e. facts they hate.”
August 14, 2024
Invasion becomes a ‘special exercise’.
August 14, 2024
When the Conservatives lost the economic indicators (except debt) were moving in a positive direction so why did Sunak call an early election ? As an aside why isnāt he providing any opposition at all to Starmer ?
August 14, 2024
The Tories were awful. I think Labour will be worse.
Oh yeah. That little thing called MASS IMMIGRATION.
I did try to tell you time and again. For years this blog wouldn’t even entertain the idea of doing an above line post on it.
Your former party is literally loathed by its natural supporters for what it’s done.
August 14, 2024
So rather than welcoming and enticing the reform members & voters back into the conservative party ā¦the leadership contenders have decided to push them away
August 14, 2024
Could you explain how we are to recognise the ‘Conservative Party’, and identify their leading MPs we might support?
August 14, 2024
Nope ….and nope
August 15, 2024
@Mickey Taking – just another flavour of the UniParty, the more obscure wing. If any of the contenders find themselves as leader it will be what used to be called the Conservative Party saying everything is alright in the World, we must have continuity, the same continuity that caused them to loose the GE
August 14, 2024
“including their failure to carry out their promise to reduce migration and stop the small boats”
Correction:
Especially their failure to carry out their promise to reduce migration and stop the small boats
August 14, 2024
Reeves spending knows no bounds !
After awarding the Junior Doctors a huge wage rise with no corresponding productivity improvments to help fund it, we now have a similar surrender to the train drivers. 15% and no changes to working practices which everyone knows are dire in the extreme.
How much is the running total of her increased spending since 4th July ?
We surely cannot go on like this, but then Labour has always only been any good at one thing :
Spending other people’s money !