“Keep this card and see that we keep our promises” says my copy of Labour’s pledge card from the start of the government.I did :
“Get 250,000 under 25 year olds off benefit and into work
Set tough rules for government spending and borrowing;ensure low inflation;strengthen the economy”
We all look forward to those. Any chance any time soon?
January 8, 2010
Just as with all Labour’s promises, it’s probably going to be down to the Tories to deliver; why doesn’t Brown step down and give you and your colleagues a chance to get things right now?
January 8, 2010
Looking out of my window, could we have a pledge of how they are going to deal with Global Cooling? According to one geophysical theory a past rapid cooling took the world from a warm period to an ice age within six months. So that could be just in time for the May Day celebrations.
January 8, 2010
According to the BBC it's only the UK that isn't warming – which is probably right since we're the only saps being bled dry in the name of the global warming religion.
However after months where every flood or heavy rainfall has been identified by the ecoloonies as proof of global warming as soon as a cold snap comes "you can't judge climate on single incidents, you have to look over a xx year period" – they really are something else with their brass neck.
January 8, 2010
To be fair on the BBC, they did say that you have to look at the longer term trend – say 30 years. However, there are non-anthropogenic factors that influence climate. There are two contradictory influences that are perhaps playing a role.
1. El Nino is active this year. Hence the Met Office's prediction that it will be the warmest ever.
2. It has long been known that the more sunspots, the higher the temperatures. In the last year there have been more sun-spot free days for a century. 1815 was particularly cold after a much longer sunspot-free period.
There is a problem with admitting to these natural influences on climate. The Global Warming alarmists have tried very hard to suppress evidence that there were significant warm periods in the early Medieval and Roman times. If the wide-ranging evidence of warm periods at these times is correct, then then last century's warming is most likely have influenced by natural factors.
January 8, 2010
"According to the BBC it’s only the UK that isn’t warming"
They are wrong.
Most of the northern hemisphere is experiencing a very cold spell. China is having a nightmare also.
Did any of these climate models predict this?
The AGW proponents will say no, because this is weather not climate.
However, as you say, every flood is now caused by global warming. I suppose it has nothing to do with the crazy planning applications and building of houses on flood planes?
Also, the fact that an area has had the worst flooding for 80 years says to me, exactly that: these events happen all the time and are random. If we had the 1953 storm surge of the North Sea today that would be seen as proof of global warming.
January 9, 2010
It's the CO2 warming the arctic circle, then the warm air is pushing the jet stream south. They have an answer for everything.
January 10, 2010
Too bad they didn't think of that when the kept promising "warmer, wetter, winters" I guess the 'jet stream' answer is neither alliterative nor rhyming and so not worthy of being a policy.
January 10, 2010
Which is also why Arctic Sea ice cover is rapidly increasing, I suppose…
January 8, 2010
Any chance of displaying the full text of that card John I'm sure some bloggers would have tremendous fun with it!
January 8, 2010
As long as your party carry on with their bully boy, dictatorship style of ruling I AM NOT INTERESTED in any other so called pledges your party have to say, your party have shown children and people that is ok to discriminate against people who choose to do something that you dont want them to do "smoke tobacco" so what is stopping ordinary people to start discriminating against other people who look different, dress different or live different from you? NOTHING, your party is not in any possition to make any comments to the public on how to tackle discrimination or equal treatment of people, YOUR PARTY CAN GO TO HELL.
January 8, 2010
I have compiled a list to capture the mood in the Labour Party
Pathology – Policies
Epitaph – Manifesto
Corpse – Gordon Brown
Zombies – Ministers
Ghosts – ex-Ministers
Graveside – Labour Back Benches
Undertakers – Voters
Coffin – Ballot Box
Death Certificate – Ballot Paper
Wake – Election Night Special
Mourners – BBC Politicial Editors
Beneficiaries- Conservative Party
January 8, 2010
We are all just counting the days to the general election, which, I am betting, will be at the latest possible date. Interesting to see that inflation is rearing its head in the December Producer Prices report from the Office for National Statistics. The output price index for home sales of manufactured products rose 3.5 per cent in the year to December, compared with a rise of
2.9 per cent in the year to November. The input price index for materials and fuels purchased by manufacturing industry rose 6.9 per cent in the year to December. Not surprisingly, the biggest single contributing factor was the rise in oil prices, but the problem with rising oil prices is that it feeds into all other prices over time. The devaluation of Sterling contributes to the higher oil price and to the rising prices of any imported goods. If we were facing another four or five years of a Labour government I dread to think of the state we would be in. I just hope that a new Conservative government can turn things around.
January 8, 2010
I've got a sneaky suspicion that Gordon will go for a March election.
I know it goes against Gordon's nature to make a decision but, I feel he will go for an early election.
I say this because I think he fears having to produce a budget before the election.
If they have another budget as timid and evasive as the PBR the markets may go crazy and he will get a lot of negative press.
I hope he does. I can't stand the thought of this going on until May 6th.
January 8, 2010
Does the card actually say that the Labour government will achieve this, or will Mr Brown be able to claim credit for a technical achievement when the next non-Labour government succeeds?
January 9, 2010
Having saved the world, how can you possibly question the powers of McBruin?
January 8, 2010
JR, how about publishing a final report for the Blair/Brown government contrasting their original promises with the outcome nearly thirteen years on?
I understand that the Conservative party needs to portray a positive image of hope for the future but it can do no harm to hold the government's feet to the fire and to circulate the truth about their actual record.
I have no idea how much has been raised in taxation, how much has been spent and how much has been borrowed since 1997. I would suspect that the cumulative totals would be devastating if they were known.
I would agree that, at the periphery, Labour has had some success but at what cost? The government's supporters have tended to emphasise social reform such as Human Rights and equality legislation which is relatively cheap to introduce but whose success cannot be objectively quantified.
However if a sum of£x,xxx,xxx,xxx,xxx has been raised since 1997 from fuel duties why not let the country know it? There can be no arguement about such a figure if it is derived from the ONS.
The electorate can draw their own conclusions! I am sure that class warrior Prescott will be able to explain why all the Tory Toffs prevented him from completing his plans for an integrated transport system.
January 8, 2010
I'm sure we can rely on Tory HQ to keep the score on those pledges… it would actually be quite interesting.
January 8, 2010
Pledges can be tricky things. Lisbon for starters?
January 8, 2010
Allow me to repeat: everyone knows that our Gordon, for all his genius, is not cut out to be Prime Minister. In the Telegraph today, a lot of fun was had with his incompetent ministers by Jeff Randall.
We also know that Our Tony, for all his charm, did let go one or two porkies. He cheated us because he said he was what we know now that he was not.
We are disillusioned.
So we assume, if we are not careful, that the Cameron team are as incompetent and, yes, greedy.
Our huge question as voteers is this: Is Mr Cameron and his team Edward Heath? Or is he a very urbane Mrs Thatcher?
The danger, of course, is that the country is racing – yes, racing -towards defaulting on its obligations.
And nobody seems to have noticed.
January 10, 2010
As long as our debt is in sterling and we operate a fiat currency, a sovereign default will be avoided by QE. This will devalue the pound and cause inflation (both enormous hidden taxes), so a de facto default. Of course if this goes on to long, we end up with Zim dollars.
January 8, 2010
This is an excellent piece Mr Redwood. It shows that Labour does not keep its promises in any objective sense. The problem is that New Labourites are in an alternative universe. The reality is not the reality that most of us try to cling to. Instead it is what a group of specialists perceive that the majority will perceive as being the positive thing for a political party to be doing. They will say anything that means retaining image and power, and say nothing about taking responsibility. They are juvenile delinquents, without the bad language. They even have their own "street" talk.
January 8, 2010
Labour's infighting as highlighted by Simon Heffer's latest post "We can't actually hate Labour more" shows that their only concern is themselves and perhaps the party. The needs of the country are totally ignored.
With their complete refusal to take any steps to bring the deficit under control I believe the Cabinet are trading whilst insolvent and as with any Board of Directors have to cease trading and call a General Election.
If Parliament does not have the power to achieve this then surely Her Majesty does and should step in to save us all before the IMF makes us bankrupt.
Can you use your influence please?
January 9, 2010
Any chance of a picture of the aforementioned card? Could make good poster material 🙂
January 9, 2010
Ok, Update on the UK “Coup” attempt:-
Seems that the British government (Not Brown) got word that the Bond market are about to pull the rug on the UK. It seems that the BOE is almost out of ammo ref “mangering” the Guilts.
Darling said he was not going any further down Gordon’s “Scorched earth policy”…………Gordon told him to piss off & do his job……………..hence the “Coup”. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/ar…
Now we have allsorts of MEGA CUTS stories coming out………….trying to chill the Bond markets………….i think too little/too late…………….
Mike
January 9, 2010
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Directions for use:
1. Sheikh well before using? Hold container upright and spray immigrants directly into England from about eight inches away.
2. Wipe memory immediately with soft, clean cloth.
January 9, 2010
Mark
I rather like this comment, bought a real smile to my face on a cold day.
All we want now is for the electorate to polish Gordon off.
January 9, 2010
Looks like the "Pack" is gathering:- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/6953…
Mike