Once you are in government with a big majority and a mandate for change you are responsible. The electorate knew what they didnât like about the former Conservative government and sent it packing. They did so by half the 2019 Conservative vote abstaining or voting Reform. Labour now has to prove it can govern better. It has to earn the huge majority first past the post delivers when one of the two main parties sees its support collapse.
So far we have an Opposition with a majority. How is the economy we ask? Broken they say. Will you make it better? No, it will get worse.
How is the NHS we ask? Broken they say. Can you fix it? It is going to take years they reply. The plans of how to do it are still secret.
How will you get growth we ask? By delivering huge amounts of investment in wind and solar power they say. How will you do that and afford that? The Secretary of  State sends an urgent letter to National Grid demanding a plan to get to net zero and asking how much it will cost. Listening to Labour in the election they had worked all that out in 14 years in Opposition.
How will you stop illegal migration we ask. By appointing a new Border Commander and working with the French authorities they reply. We do not need an offshore processing centre or destination for illegals they assert. The last government had tried both those options. Why have numbers been going up over the first three months of the so called new policy?
How will you deliver the promised ÂŁ300 off home energy bills we ask? Domestic energy is about to go up 10%. Firms putting in new renewables or running back up gas power stations will need to make profits from higher prices. The government seems to be dropping the ÂŁ300 pledge.
How will you clean up politics as promised we ask. We will bring in a rule against donors buying us all expensive new wardrobes of clothes after they have given us an initial makeover they reply.  We will say Unions giving us loads of money  has no bearing on our employment law changes, they chirrup.
Itâs time Labour behaved like a government. You defend what the government is  doing or you set out a detailed working plan of how to fix problems. You are proud of what the country is doing and highlight success, not look for everything bad to run down. If something needs improving then fix it.
September 22, 2024
Indeed they keep saying they want growth but all their policies (other than relaxing planning) are hugely anti-growth. Labour are the same as Sunak’s Con-Socialists but even worse.
Matt Ridley today in the Telegraph is surely right.
Donât fall for the Chinese wet market theory for Covid
Contrary to reports, the evidence still points to a lab leak being the most likely cause of the pandemic
Needless to say the BBC reported it in their unquestioning mode they one the unscientific dopes use for anything pro Net Zero or for the war on CO2 plant, tree and crop food!
September 22, 2024
David Starkey’s new video “From Public Service to Self-Service” is worth watching.
September 22, 2024
The rule of the Blob, by the Blob and for the Blob.
September 22, 2024
LL
What they mean by ‘growth’ is not what you and I would think. They mean growth in the STATE !!!
September 22, 2024
Talking the country down is not good for growth, net zero alone will kill growth, ever more state sector and taxes likewise.
September 22, 2024
Nigel Farage and Reform have betrayed Brexit
John Major, while still wrong on illegal migration, is right in his critique of the politician and his party
âReform, in taking over 90 seats away from the Conservatives but without gaining a single shred of influence in Parliament, has betrayed Brexit and handed Starmer a substantial majorityâ
Bill Cash today.
I think the fake Tories, after failing to even âtry to deliverk on their last four manifestoâs, did that mate. How could the serial betrayers expect to be trusted again? Plus they were wrong on virtually everything through Covid Vaccines, corruption and Lockdowns and on net zero which is economic suicide.
Sir Bill the âwe are dire but not quite as dire as Labourâ was the pathetic Sunak offer. He could have won as the country was crying out for sensible real Conservative Policies but the foolish Sunak threw the towel in with his Socialism light, net zero lunacy, failure to even try to control immigration and the dire Windsor Accord.
September 22, 2024
Farage needs to steal many more tory and labour seats during the coming bye elections and the next general election. The uniparty right to government has to be smashed if we’re to escape this downward spiral
The tory leadership debacle demonstrates the sheer incompetence of the party and makes them more irrelevant each day.
Well done Nige for a cracking conference.
September 22, 2024
Lifelogic, you are 100% correct. Cash, as ever, wants to blame anyone except himself and his fellow Tory Brexiters for the betrayal. Were Reform and Nigel Farage in charge of Brexit? No, that was the Conservative government. They had years to do it right, they didnât do it at all. The host of this site seems to think we Reform voters areâon loanâ from the Conservatives and will obediently go back to voting Conservative in future. NO! I – and everyone I met at the amazing Reform conference last week, see our number one priority as the total destruction of the treacherous Tories and their replacement by a genuine right wing party led by Nigel. It canât happen soon enough
Reply Tell us your view, do not misrepresent mine. I have never said Conservative votes are on loan. The truth is all the time Conservative and Reform split the anti Labour/ left wing vote Labour can get elected with a very low vote. Time will tell whether either Conservative or Reform can unite the anti socialist vote, or whether the two can do a deal.
September 22, 2024
Are you saying that? Or John Major? Or Bill Cash.
Regardless of who said it, it is nonsense. May and Johnson betrayed Brexit. Johnson had a huge majority but threw it away. Reform gaining 4 million votes (for a start) will frighten not Labour and the Tories. Labour will be very aware that if Reform gain a couple of million more votes from the Tories, and a couple of million of their Red Wall voters, they will lose the next election. So they will have to think very carefully about further betraying of Brexit.
September 22, 2024
will frighten both Labour and the Tories. Pesky phone!
September 22, 2024
Clear to see they have absolutely no ideas how to do anything. Starmer’s approval rating is plummeting rapidly and less than 3 months from the election things are starting to pan out as expected. This is a Government that looks very uncomfortable in power with it’s majority delivered by Reform – and they know it.
September 22, 2024
All they have to do is sit tight. The Tory’s are a neutered opposition. The LibDems agree with much on what Labour will want, and Reform are seen as little more than a rabble to be shouted down at every opportunity.
After 4 years, if they are still down in the polls, they will get rid of Two Tier Keir and replace him with some other Wooden Top. Much like they did with Blair.
September 22, 2024
This is not a government we have now. They are a lot of free loaders who will scrounge everything their dirty little fingers can get hold of and then move onto well paid jobs when they are thrown out onto the muck pile. Seen it all before with Tories and jobs for the boys after moving out of politics. We do not have the committed people we once did. The Frank Field’s have long gone never to return. What a shame for a beautiful country which my parents both served in the 2nd World War to preserve and I have also followed them into security to safeguard the country.
September 22, 2024
Linda
There was NEVER a golden age. We have always suffered with grifters.
September 22, 2024
Don’t worry, they have no plan for national recovery, just a string of tribal feuds they are compelled in their minds to settle. As a government of a majority of MPs derived from a minority of votes they confirm that FPTP does not answer national needs. For absolute confirmation, Reforms 4 m+ votes= 5 MPs and Lib/Dems 3m+ votes = 70+ MPs.
Anyway fret not, Labour are busy digging the hole of self internment. Meanwhile the Lib/Dems will continue dancing round the maypole while a rump conservative party will continue to argue among themselves as to who and what they are. Meanwhile Reform with Wellingtonian foresight are inspired and busy preparing the battle ground. It is merely a matter of the electorate realising that Reform are the only game in town who have the determination to answer their needs. I hope that Nigel and his team realise that solutions go way beyond an outright election win. HMS UK is in dire need of a complete reset. There are examples a plenty out there for them to follow, and few of us are in doubt as to the necessity.
September 22, 2024
Agreed
September 22, 2024
Agricola
Nigel and his team have a great example of how to deal with the left in Javier Milei of Argentina who has dealt with the rotten left and told the WEF where to go in short order. I do have reservations and will never forget how Nigel caved in to the Consocialists in 2019!
September 22, 2024
No so much âan opposition toâ just an even worse âcontinuation ofâ the Con-Socialist policies delivered by Cameron, May, Boris and Suank which were a serial betrayal of four manifestos.
September 22, 2024
It is time we had a parliament that acted like a parliament, working for the UK not factional marginal vested interest of a few zealots. It is not Labour, the are just ramping up the stupidness of the previous administration. The Conservatives had to go as they had become WEF Socialist deciples before serving even contemplating serving the Country, now the are running around headless believing that continuity of re-establishing those that failed collectively in office is even an option.
Starmer and crew are only marginally more despicable, the will do untold damage to society and the economy. But let’s not forget it was Mrs May that gave them thier order, and those that followed ensured we had a Uni party Government
September 22, 2024
Indeed not only did the Con-Socialists fail to deliver on their promises in four manifestos but they did not even attempt or try to do so.
September 22, 2024
IanB +1
September 22, 2024
On the evidence available, Labour is unfit for office.
September 22, 2024
The simple solution to the clothes issue is to put your hands up, say I made a big mistake and I have paid the person back in full out of my own earned income.
Will it happen ?
No, because they have no moral code.
I would suggest whoever is in charge of MPs expenses should make the rules absolutely clear, and to follow HMRC rules set down that everyone else has to abide by, to the letter.
Guarantee more suspect expenses, gifts, presents are in the pipeline which have yet to come to light.
September 22, 2024
Good morning.
With respect, Sir John, it is a bit much to criticise the Labour government in this regard when your own party, which was in office for 14 years, did only one thing, and that was to make things worse.
This Labour government is clearly setting standards low and using the opportunity to blame the Toryâs for everything that is wrong. This will of course work because it is true. However ! This will only work for a short period of time.
Back in 1997 the then New Labour government came into office on the back of a similar set of circumstances. An unpopular Tory Party, a poor economic record and lack of trust. The only major difference between then and now is, that the UK economy then was recovering thanks to Tory policies which New Labour continued with for its first term in office. The other major difference between now and back then is, New Labour had a plan combined with purpose. It also had some smart and charismatic people. It was media and people savvy. The current Labour lot and really the bottom of the barrel in those terms but they are no less ideologically driven.
Do not expect good government from this lot. They do not care how bad things get and what happens at the next GE. They are for the here and now and be damned.
Reply Labour inherited the fastest growth in the G7 this year, inflation at 2% and a falling deficit.
September 22, 2024
Meanwhile the real opposition to Liblabcon are having their conference. Their leader says they need to get organised at local level, with “regional managers and regional organisers”. I agree, but the trouble is, they had regional managers three years ago, who couldn’t organise anything properly. I see no sign in my area of Reform UK doing the things they should be doing by now if winning lots of council seats in 2025 is really their target. This means that if the new Conservative leader can set out a programme for government that people want, the Tories can make a comeback. Despite its failings, the party has an organisational structure that Reform UK is still merely talking about. It is up to the Conservatives to take what may be their last chance to regain credibility as a genuine right-of-centre party. Should Reform eventually get properly organised, that chance will have gone.
September 22, 2024
I don’t think the government knows how to govern. They only have ideologies and no practical solutions. Some have described them as no better than a sixth form debating society.
Plus, I still believe there are bad actors behind the scenes – with UN, WEF polices being pushed through that are harmful to a successful democracy.
September 22, 2024
I believe Labour will have little success to be able to attribute to themselves in 2029. I don’t believe their woolly thinking will fix any of the problems we face today. In fact I believe economically they will actually be a hindrance and they will pay the price for that at the ballot box in the future.
The Conservative party is actually is such a fortuitous position right now. It has a daft government in office letting the country down; it still has an ocean of potential support in the country (if it just appeals to it!) and it has the opportunity now to engage in first-class policy making and to be able to present a world-class manifesto to the British people in 2029.
My choice of leader is resolved now to Robert Jenrick and I believe if we employ the policies he is suggesting we can win big at the next GE but more importantly than that we will fix the problems which are burdening our country.
September 22, 2024
I wish people would stop saying things like that. Yes, they have a big majority of MPs, but only ONE PERSON IN FIVE voted for them. They were voted in by a trivial percentage of voters – this can surely not be described as a âmandate for changeâ.
September 22, 2024
I wonder how many people on here are actively working to set up their local Reform Party organisation – so that effective local campaigning can begin. Itâs how the Lib Dems won the constituency I am in.