Others have reminded us that Jeremy Corbyn is an admirer of the late Hugo Chavez, the author of Venezuela’s current economic and social misfortunes. Mr Corbyn praised his socialism and singled out for favourable comment the way Mr Chavez shared wealth and changed Venezuela’s society. He has been quieter about all this over the last couple of years, as Venezuela has slipped into deep recession, hyperinflation, and social disorder. There are no official economic numbers because they are too embarassing, but the IMF and others think GDP fell by more than 10% last year and continues to fall. Imports halved and supermarket shelves are often empty.
Mr Chavez nationalised a large number of businesses, including the all important oil industry. Venezuela used to be a relatively well off economy, based on huge oil reserves exploited by commercial companies and taxed by the state. As nationalisation tightened its grip on Venezuela’s oil they fell behind in paying contractors, in getting work done to expand and replace, and in pumping enough oil for Venezuela’s financial needs. This week they are in the news because a government which has run out of foreign exchange has had to sell deeply discounted bonds to Goldman Sachs to raise some dollars, bonds issued by the nationalised oil company backed by the very oil revenues that are needed for the future bills of the Venezuelan state. There are regular reports of massive food shortages with people going hungry. Now we are told of state violence on the streets against the opposition who seek a change of President and policy.
Mr Chavez gave large sums to the poor by borrowing and by taxing others more heavily. Today this generosity has been badly eroded by rapid inflation, and made worse by the physical scarcity of basic goods to carry on a normal life. Is this really the better way, the socialist dream, that Mr Corbyn recommends? Surely it should be a warning to us all. Nationalising might end up with bad malfunction, as with Venezuela’s crucial oil industry. Too much generosity with printed money may just destroy the many through hyperinflation. If people go hungry and are unable to change their government by normal democratic means you do not get an egalitarian paradise, but an authoritarian government trying to stop a civil war born of desperation.
Perhaps Mr Corbyn would like to revisit his enthusiasm for Mr Maduro, the heir to Mr Chavez, and tell us what he has now learned about socialist policies. They were as well intentioned as his, but they have miscarried mightily. Venezuela shows you cannot make the poor rich by making the rich poor. You end up making the whole society poorer, whilst the very rich and the large companies simply leave or stop investing.
Published and promoted by Fraser Mc Farland on behalf of John Redwood, both at 30 Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU
June 1, 2017
Mrs May refused to turn up to the leaders’ debate.
There is nothing more to say about who is, and who is not, showing leadership during this campaign.
June 1, 2017
The less we see of May and her lefty, high tax, red tape lunacies and her tedious & repetitive delivery the better the chances the Tories will have.
Corbyn and Sturgeon will win it for the Tories. Then hopefully the sensible wing of the Tories can rein in May’s loony, high taxing, wasteful, socialist, green crap pushing, more red tape, worker on boards, gender pay crap agenda. This as it clearly won’t work. The election after this one will be won by having policies that do work – far less government, less red tape and lower taxation.
June 1, 2017
Not by an even larger state sector, daft vanity projects, green crap energy and a bonkers prices and incomes policy!
June 1, 2017
@LL How’s this for bonkers thinking on the part of the EU. European countries are begging the EU not to put more carbon taxes on the price of energy as the steel industry will be decimated.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1IU0P6?sp=true
Isn’t it about time May did something about this? It could win her votes. After all, this is all part of the reason we voted OUT.
June 1, 2017
Tata steel Wales. May advocates building on Milibands Climate Change Act!
Why is May not fielding Boris Johnson? Where is Liam Fox, Andrea Leadsom, David Davis? No leavers allowed to voice Tory policy? How strange. Instead she puts the arch remainer nod dreadful Rudd!
No one in their right mind would put fox hunting, open cheque book for EU and social care, in its format, kick deficit into the long grass in their manifesto, unless they wanted to lose. One way or the other the Tory remainers will keep us in the EU. Let us remember there was no need for an election if Cameron kept his word or May hers! Out of the jaws of victory May snatched defeat.
June 1, 2017
Indeed, let us hope Trump sticks to his climate realist agenda and May can finally be persuaded to follow his realistic agenda.
Cheap energy (and exploiting the UK huge fracking resources) will give the UK a huge competitive advantage. Their is nothing preventing it but a daft bogus/distorted fake science religion.
June 1, 2017
Try telling May your point in your last paragraph! JR, please wake up. Your party’s manifesto is very left wing no nothing to do with conservatism. Krankie and Corbyn in charge of the U K because of a stupid campaign to help remainers get their way not to leave the EU! It will not end nicely.
Holland govt just went against their voters to support EU proposal to let Ukraine join EU freedom of movement. EU/Dutch Democracy what democracy when a govt acts against the people’s wishes!
June 2, 2017
No one in their right mind would put fox hunting, open cheque book for EU and social care, in its format, kick deficit into the long grass in their manifesto, unless they wanted to lose.
>
Exactly Hope. My thoughts match your.
June 1, 2017
A declaration of war on private property by Labour as Allister Heath points out today. Thank goodness they will surely not get in. May and Hammonds tax increases are quite bad enough.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/05/31/labours-brutal-garden-tax-would-confiscate-middle-englands-wealth/
June 1, 2017
Tax his land, tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.
Tax his chew, tax his smoke,
Teach him taxes are no joke.
Tax his car, tax his grass,
Tax the roads he must pass.
Tax his food, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his sodas, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.
Tax his bills, tax his gas,
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until heās good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
“Taxes drove me to my doom!”
And when heās gone, we wonāt relax,
Weāll still be after the inheritance tax.
June 1, 2017
I am reminded of the Sun’s front page in the Kinnock 92 election. The voters rejected him soundly (believing that John Major was Thatcherite as he was her chosen man). Unfortunately he was another pro EU socialist and economic illiterate and his ERM fiasco crashed round his ears sortly after.
Then the dire Kinnock got rammed down everyones throats anyway as an EU Commissioner.
With Corbyn it would be far, far worse. The flight of investment, talent, confidence and money from the country would be huge. Interest rates would rise rapidly. This all before Corbyne had even started on his bonkers magic money tree, rob the rich and piss it down the drain agenda.
May and Hammond’s rob the rich and piss it down the drain agenda is quite bad enough thanks.
June 1, 2017
You must mean Mrs Rudd.
June 1, 2017
Seconded.
June 1, 2017
It was a tv debacle, not a debate, some people behind the podiums couldn’t resist shouting down others as they were talking but expected to be able to talk without interruption like the Scottish man, watch it back. Mrs May and Nicola Sturgeon were correct not to take part in this uncontrolled bun fight and the Green’s didn’t have their two leaders (two leaders for one seat) on the podium they sent one, May sent Rudd and Sturgeon sent a man in her place.
June 1, 2017
The ‘debate’ was a sham & an ambush by the BBC, she was absolutely right not to turn up. the audience was packed with shrieking leftists – biased even by the standards of BBC programmes like Any Questions and Any Answers. The Conservatives should have boycotted the whole event. The fatuousness of the leftists’ virtue-signalling was extraordinary – people watching can be in no doubt Mrs May is the only conceivable candidate to be PM.
June 1, 2017
@Richard1,
I thought Paul Nuttal stood out as the only person prepared to tell the truth amid all the pc virtue signalers.
June 1, 2017
To be fair to him I agree he did make some sensible points in an exceptionally hostile environment. He pointed out that low corporation tax brings in more revenue than high corporation tax. The same point can be made on high personal taxes. It was extraordinary that his pointing out that the Manchester terrorist outrage was the result of radical islamist ideology was greeted with howls of derision from the ‘progressives’. The whole world knows this is the case. Denying it as the SNP’s pompous Angus Robertson did in sanctimonious tones, frustrates a solution to the problem. Nor does pointing out this obvious truth constitute ‘hate’ as far leftist Green Ms Lucas asserted.
June 1, 2017
Politics, especially on the left, (like advertising and religion) has little to do with the truth, reason, evidence or logic. It is far more about lies and promises to be broken a day or two after the election. This and augmenting the base emotions of envy spite or appealing to people’s greed for free money and a free lunch, bank holiday, cheap train or cheap social house all paid for by others.
May went rather wrong by thinking she could even promise tax increases and large pension cuts, plus a probate & dementia tax (even before the election). What a silly billy!
June 1, 2017
This is not America.
They face each other at the despatch box and one is showing leadership by running the country – not the one with the beard.
June 1, 2017
The others present demonstrated the shambles which would occur if we had another coalition!
June 1, 2017
A pity they didn’t have Arlene Foster there. How can the BBC justify having the bigoted, “…………. Mrs Lucas and Mrs Wood, and not the DUP leader or indeed anyone from N Ireland? Anyway, it backfired on the BBC because the coalition of chaos displayed itself in all its nastiness. Mrs Wood even managed to muscle in on an all-Asian platform the following evening, where again there was no-one from N Ireland!
June 2, 2017
I agree with you Rose, a coalition of chaos all shouting over one another to increase their personal status from Council leader. They sum up everything that was wrong with the EU, the UK could send 70 MEPs to the EU but they can quite easily be ignored, yet we get a Maltese leader telling us how things are going to play out for us or an unpopular Polish leader whose Country takes more out than they give telling us we’re going to be paying more and more, oh and we’ve joined the Ponzi Pension Pyramid for over-paid underused European politicians and workers now too. You just can’t make this up.
June 1, 2017
Rubbish.
Televised political debates are for entertainment purposes only and should be regarded as such.
June 1, 2017
Do you Len?
June 1, 2017
This could be the scenario in the UK eventually in the event of Labour/SNP win. The last comment on your last post John is what people should be afraid of. I wish Mrs May would just get it together and come up with some sound policies. She should be informing people of the extra money we will have to give the EU if we stay and drumming home the message about a coalition which could include the SNP with another independence referendum on the cards. Quite frankly we have all had enough of campaigning and politics to last a lifetime now. Most want this over with to enable us to get on with the job in hand.
June 1, 2017
Don’t mind campaigning and politics Southerner. I just wish we could hurry up and get out of the EU which we deceived into joining in the first place.
June 1, 2017
Watched the party political broadcast by the Labour Party last night also billed as the great leaders BBC debate, the audience couldn’t have been anymore left wing if it tried, no wonder Mrs May didn’t want to take part, then there’s the endless coverage the Labour Party is getting from the BBC , we can only hope that Mrs May pulls something out of the bag and win this election or we are doomed if we are left with a lab/lib/snp/green coalition, Brexit would not happen under it or could this be Mrs May goal
June 1, 2017
@Mick; If that debate turned into a PPB for the Labour Party there is only one person to blame for that, Mrs May and her non appearance! You can’t blame anyone else, least of all the BBC.
June 1, 2017
Mick
Based on the old clap-o-meter, Labour are in line for a landslide closely followed by the Greens.
June 1, 2017
Mick,
I don’t think the BBC (or the MSM broadcasters in general) has been as blatant this time. In 2015 there were regular slots for Milliband, and any discussion had 3 strong Labour voices vs one weak Conservative. They didn’t bother with the LibDems because they knew they’d do very badly after having been kind-of in office for 5 years, so the MSM backed the horse most likely to beat the blue one. It clearly didn’t work.
This time, though, they’ve been more subtle – constant attempts to get 18-24 year olds to vote, and lots of articles about how much difference it would make if more of that age group voted. Lots of focus on favour-currying policies from Lab and less popular policies from Con, and lots of focus on Corbyn whilst keeping his weakest cards – Abbott and McDonnell – out of the spotlight as much as possible.
Then of course there’s the total focus on YouGov polls which are always inaccurate, whilst ignoring Survation and ICM who seem to be closer to the mark if the last few years are anything to go by.
June 1, 2017
And no scrutiny of the Labour policies – for example the garden tax which is a devastating idea. Everyone should be made aware of the terrible damage it would do to our environment as well as to people’s independence.
June 1, 2017
@Mick; If you think the BBC, or any other broadcaster, is biased towards the Labour Party, or any other party, during the election period then make an official complaint, but you’ll need evidence, not just a wish-list rant.
June 1, 2017
Make an official complaint to whom Jerry? Ofcom? You’re ‘avin’ a larf.
June 2, 2017
@getaclue; No, the police. There are strict laws that govern broadcast bias during elections, in the same way as there are strict laws on party funding.
June 1, 2017
If the Conservatives win there needs to be an enquiry into the audience make-up in this ‘debate’, like the one going on in the US into Russian interference in the US election.
June 1, 2017
Audience make up – see today’s Daily Politics to see the man who vetted the audience – all above board.
June 1, 2017
Mick, A ridiculous argument as Mrs May could not have known in advance who the audience was going to be.
The lady is for turning, but not turning up.
Thanks to Amber Rudd to have stood in for a weak and shaky “leader”.
June 1, 2017
@hefner
On the contrary, this is the BBC, it was completely predictable.
June 1, 2017
I’m not sure about this hefner, I think May proved she won’t be swayed by the braying mob to turn up for a television show when she had already said she wouldn’t be attending and had allocated another high ranking Conservative to stand in. It was JC that changed his mind at the last minute.
June 1, 2017
hefner
I thought Amber Rudd did quite well in the circumstances, and I am not usually a fan of hers.
June 2, 2017
Indeed she was better than expected. But then she is usually a dreadful green crap, interventionist, socialist, just like her boss.
June 1, 2017
Who would have believed that the Labour Party headed by the likes of Corbyn, McDonnel, Abbot and Long Baily would be just 3 points behind the “strong & stable” Tories.
Looking at the policies, I cannot believe that ukip are lagging so badly, they’re campaigning on virtually everything Joe Public have been calling for on foreign aid, IHT, care for the elderly, armed forces, NHS, TV tax and immigration etc.
I think people are too lazy to take the time to read the manifestos.
June 1, 2017
@Bob. Quite right. If the Tories had adopted their manifesto they would be streets ahead by now. Instead of that they will probably lose or not get the majority they could have had a few weeks ago. That’s why so many of us think this has been constructed so that the British people don’t get what they voted for with Brexit. It wouldn’t be politically correct to let the people get one over on the establishment and the likes of Gina Miller would it? Whatever made us think we might actually win?
June 1, 2017
The Conservatives are losing this election. It is too late to ask pointed questions of Mr Corbyn, or to remind people that he is useless, dangerous, has no judgement and admires strange and bad people. He has traction. Mrs May has blown it.
If the election is lost, Brexit is lost. A Corbyn-led coalition including SNP and LD will grovel to rescind the A50 letter, whatever the cost, and blame the unspeakable fiasco on Brexiteers’ “lies” during and after the referendum.
Labour have pledged to borrow half a trillion pounds. They can have a big party with that and leave a truly enormous mess behind. An independent Scotland (and independence plus the Ā£ will be its price for co-operation) could buy itself years of bogus prosperity, then hand the bill to the English taxpayer when it falls apart.
Because immigrants vote Labour, we can expect the borders to be flung open and the taxpayer forced to fund the destruction of his own culture and society.
I should be glad to be reassured by those who judgement is better than mine that this is alarmist nonsense. If the tide did go out out on Brexit, freedom and Britain, though, it would be many long years before we saw it flood in again.
June 1, 2017
All the academic research on voting behaviour shows that “immigrants” do not participate much in elections. If they didn’t why did Labour lose Glasgow Central to the SNP in 2015 being a good example.
June 1, 2017
@eeyore; “If the election is lost, Brexit is lost.”
Nonsense, just your personal ideal Brexit. Although I do take your point about a Lab/LD/SNP coalition and A50, so perhaps at this late stage having lost the audience due to May’s incompetent manifesto attacking Mr Corbyn is not the best of policies for those who do want Brexit.
June 1, 2017
May will win despite her daft lefty approach. Or rather Corbyne and Sturgeon will hand victory to her. Even Cameron won a majority in 2015 (I got about 4.5 odds on that one). Far more UKIP supporters will now come back to the Tories than then, given that she is the only real chance of a real Brexit (not that I trust her much).
The wrong on everything Libdims are no where to be seen. No one sensible in England wants a Corbyn dog wagged by the SNP. The Tories will get a majority OK.
June 1, 2017
Do not forget that Brexit won by 52% to 48%. Brexit has even more support now that we can all see how wrong these pathetic lies & scares from government, charities, the BBC, Osborne, Carney, Cameron, the Libdims, Greens, Labour, SNP, the Plaid Cymru, Rudd and May have all proved to be.
Support in England was nearly 54:46 for leave and that is where the Tory seats lie. There is no way the Tories are likely to lose, despite May’s best lefty efforts. The Tories are the only way these people will get a real Brexit and the public know this very well indeed.
In England now it must be at least 60:40 for Bexit probably higher. The Tories will win and with an increased majority surely?
1:4 is surely a decent punt to take.
June 1, 2017
Even better odd now.
June 1, 2017
A terrible election campaign.Mrs May and Ms Rudd have done well however despite lack of national and local support by their Party online. Can’t even get a webpage to the level of a local housing estate cafe ( Truly).
Yet if our people vote for Corbyn they deserve what he will inflict on them. It is about time they took a proper interest and understanding of politics. They have several times daftly voted themselves out of jobs and prosperity. If they are to vote Labour then they should not vote for particular MPs in the Party who are worthless.
June 1, 2017
“Our people” being those who pay taxes. A minority of net tax-payers will vote for Corbyn.
A majority of the rest will.
June 1, 2017
I fear you’re right, Eeyore. Starting with calling it in the first place, the Conservative high-command have handled this election with breath-taking incompetence. Safe pair of hands to negotiate Brexit? They give every impression they couldn’t negotiate their way out of a paper bag. Like you, I should be delighted to be proved wrong.
June 1, 2017
Love to see you point to a single poll showing the Conservatives behind…
June 1, 2017
Ajay Gajree – you’re right and I was wrong. Two sleepless nights and a stiff dose of hay fever are my excuse – if there can be an excuse for defeatism. I beg to apologise to our kind and wise host who is bearing the heat of the battle on our behalf and doesn’t need to hear such stuff.
No no, the Conservatives will prevail. The people of Britain are decent and sensible. They know their own interest and they know right from wrong. They will not be taken in by a charlatan.
June 1, 2017
I’m a little surprised no-one(unless I’ve missed it)in the May camp has blamed the total shambles of the campaign on the……Russians!
June 1, 2017
Your part has had effective control of the country for seven years. Considering my household’s financial situation, I’m not willing to give you five more years.
Wages have eroded in real terms, the cost of everything has increased yet we keep being told that inflation is less than 2%. My children will be facing massive debts once they complete university and then will face a huge struggle to find homes when they graduate. We’ve just sold my parents home to pay their care home fees of Ā£2K/week. If I want to see a doctor I have to wait three weeks for an appointment. The roads are falling apart.
You’ve got a cheek. It’s awful now despite the amounts of tax I’m paying you.
June 1, 2017
Dave, Do you really think it will be better under Labour? I might feel like that for a while on borrowed money but the pigeons will come home to roost eventually and we will all end up paying. Remember the note left in the drawer when Brown left office – there’s no money left. Hard time since then and can only be made worse with the extra money the EU is expecting from us.
June 1, 2017
Yes too cheeks of the same bottom. The only difference being Mc Donnell is going to learn about the realities of life in the global bond market quicker than Hammond and the rest of us what life is like when the Bank of England owns must of HMGs debt.
JR you have got to be kidding with this comment “Too much generosity with printed money may just destroy the many through hyperinflation”. You voted to double the national debt and be honest the Conservatives have absolutely no intention of running a balanced budget either.
June 1, 2017
Agreed but if you the Tories are bad wait to see what an economic mess Corbyn and Sturgeon would create in very short order.
June 1, 2017
What’s your GP surgery called this needs following up by your MP, you must report this.
June 2, 2017
Dave, You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or services, and this is firmly written into the NHS Constitution.
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/complaints-and-feedback/Pages/nhs-complaints.aspx
This GP appointment time frame isn’t right and at least this is one NHS service you can switch from if you’re not happy with your surgery.
June 1, 2017
Yes , it’s a pity the Conservatives understandably can’t bear to discus their own record and have to resort to slurring Mr Corbyn .
I’m actually more disappointed by the Labour campaign . They have not mentioned radical changes which could really improve matters ; issue of a new Bradbury Pound , shifting taxation off wages onto land .
The country could be making a regular annual income from houses in London owned by absentee owners in China , Qatar , Russia etc and level the playing field so British owner occupiers are not at a disadvantage .
Opinion polls are intended to influence opinion , not measure it so I suspect Mrs May will win .
Not looking forward to another 5 years of HM Govt taking instructions from the International Banking sector and the claim that there is no alternative to austerity which is finally starting to show .
Attempts to “balance the books” will shrink the economy and when interest rates go up it will implode .
June 1, 2017
There is no need for a new Bradbury pound when the Chancellor can just arrange for more QE, which is in fact what has happened.
June 2, 2017
And that QE has produced inflation, as we said it would. These things usually take two years to come through. Same in USA and Germany do we hear? So nothing to do with Brexit.
June 1, 2017
Dave
I agree with many of the points you make, and it all certainly looks like we are falling apart, but is the solution, short or long term really to borrow and tax more, to allow ever more people to enter the country at will, which will dilute our services even more and put an even greater pressure on Housing, the NHS, Schools and our Social Services.
The simple fact is there are not enough so called “rich people” living in this country to soak up the burden with a higher tax contribution from them.
The tax burden will as usual fall on the majority, which I am afraid is the average citizen, as it has increasingly done over the last 20 years or more.
I believe the actual and effective tax rate now is already around the highest in recent history.
June 1, 2017
You think Labour will be better? check out whats going on in Venezuela.
June 1, 2017
Well, a Jeremy-driven Chavez-tyre economy as referred to by JR is hardly going to put all that right, is it?
As for the care home bit, a socialist would call you “greedy” for having the temerity to want to inherit stuff from your parents.
June 1, 2017
That’s your prerogative but to suggest that the remedy to your situation is a Corbyn Splurge which we’d all suffer for is absurd.
June 1, 2017
The Tory attack dog, and we all know who is orchestrating this, really is hitting an all time low now, must be in full panic mode! How about spending some time Mr Redwood doing what you do best, put some costings upon the manifesto you are standing on, that way your party might just remain in power come 9th June.
In the words of that Kenny Rogers hit song, just what is Mrs May going to do to redeem herself and make people stop thinking she should be wearing a yellow rosette – especially after last night. People might not like Corbyn but he takes the political (and personal) ruff with the smooth.
June 1, 2017
Indeed. Costing the Conservative manifesto should be the priority of anyone in the sensible Conservative top brass. Not sure this includes our Latin American history-loving host.
Reply It is costed and fits comfortably within the figures of the last Red Book.
June 1, 2017
Well there are a few costs indicated but that’s all, and no summary or discussion of funding. Presumably the government is hoping that the other parties’ manifestos will be viewed as not credible by voters.
June 1, 2017
@MPC; Because of the lack of any detailed costings the only manifesto being seen as “not credible” is Mrs May’s…
June 1, 2017
Jerry
Mr Corbyn knows he will never be Prime Minister. He can promise the world same as the SNP, the Greens, and Lib Dems.
June 1, 2017
Good morning
Sounds like the EU.
Churchill heaped praise on Stalin and Soviet Russia when it was politically fashionable to do so. And TM supported staying in the EU but now says NEED IT means BREXIT and, “No deal is better than a bad deal”, whilst signing us up to some of the most expensive energy ever. Courtesy of a French State owned company built with Chinese money. All because unelected EU officials deem fossil fuel dangerous.
Those who live in green houses should never throw stones.
June 1, 2017
My phone has been upgraded and has taken on mind of its bloody own. š
June 1, 2017
@Mark b; “Sounds like the EU.”
Sounds like ‘Food Bank UK’…
June 1, 2017
@ Mark B – Churchill was influenced less or not at all by political fashion surely and more by acquisition of an ally against Hitler.
In his 22, June 1941 radio address he said,“No one has been a more consistent opponent of Communism for the last twenty-five years. I will unsay no word I have spoken about it. But all this fades away before the spectacle which is now unfolding. “
And of course he famously said, “āIf Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.ā
June 1, 2017
Indeed. Corbyn’s and other labour leftists’ praise and admiration of chavez was always an absurdity but also revealing. Chavez and Maduro have simply done on a large scale what labour propose for the UK – and did with disastrous results in the decades after the war.
Mrs may was absolutely right not to attend last night’s BBC TV debate. It was a grim affair, an ambush by the BBC who had managed to concoct a virulently leftist audience which whoped hollered and applauded socialist drivel from the far left candidates and jeered amber rudd. The Conservatives should have just boycotted the whole event. Amidst all the the shouting and interrupting with vacuous virtue signaling platitudes, Corbyn was a diminished figure though. People can surely see he is not a credible candidate to be PM. Will anyone vote LibDem with silly sanctimonious Mr Farron? And why was Ruth Davidson not there for the Scottish Conservatives as the challenger to the SNP in Scotland given Plaid Cymru were? That would at least have balanced out the 5 leftists who ganged up on amber rudd. The BBC deserves payback for this – a subscription to replace the license fee? Mrs may should demand a balanced or silent audience for the next one on Friday or just pull out. Yesterday’s every was a democratic outrage in an election.
June 1, 2017
A subscription to replace the license fee, without a doubt. What does UKIP say?
June 2, 2017
Rudd is a lefty too, just not quite as much as the others. The debate should really have been Corbyn and May as that is the rather dire choice we have to make. It is however surely clear to all that Corbyn’s lunacy would be rather worse than May’s lunacy.
June 1, 2017
Venezuela is simply another, but later example of how the Socialism dream always eventually fails when the money runs out.
It always starts off well, but after a few years the cracks appear, and then those who have the money and ability to earn it, simply move away to somewhere else in order to retain it.
The problem that is now starting to arise in the World is that even so called democratic, so called developed, so called capitalist type countries are getting close to the limit of money Governments can extract from their people without actual confiscation of some of their wealth.
Once again its human nature is at work, something the politicians always seem to forget.
Has our huge foreign aid cash generosity (investment) over decades actually really helped many in the long term ?
June 1, 2017
@Alan
Has our huge foreign aid cash generosity (investment) over decades actually really helped many in the long term ?
I would say not much considering half of Africa wants to come here!! One day this country will wake up to the fact that maybe, just maybe we need an alternative government instead of the 3 stooges?? All we do is flip back and forwards between two main parties and it is getting us nowhere fast. What that alternative will be is up to the people of the UK but need one we do.
June 1, 2017
“Has our huge foreign aid cash generosity (investment) over decades actually really helped many in the long term ?”
Apart from feathering the nests of those who administer it, foreign aid helps increase the birth rate in those countries that already have an unsustainable population.
June 2, 2017
As people get richer they can afford to come to Europe. It costs quite a lot and they certainly look much better off than the people in the past who were malnourished and skimpily dressed. Those poor people never dreamed of coming to Europe.
June 1, 2017
@alan jutson; “Venezuela is simply another, but later example of how the Socialism dream always eventually fails when the money runs out.”
How can, even with the depressed oil market, a country with some of the largest oil reserves “run out of money”, Venezuela is another Cuba or Iran, suffering from political inspired sanctions.
June 1, 2017
Jerry
“run out of money”
Rest assured their Governments will borrow more and more against what oil is still in the ground, thus its future value is already devalued.
June 1, 2017
@alan jutson; They do not need to borrow money, they just need to (be able to) sell their crude oil…
June 2, 2017
The problems for Venezuela are that they cannot make enough profit at the current low prices per barrel.
June 3, 2017
@Edward2; How much crude oil does the USA buy from Venezuela?….
June 2, 2017
‘How can … a country with some of the largest oil reserves ārun out of moneyā
It may surprise you to know that turning a mineral resource into a product at a profit requires investment, experienced, intelligent people, and enough civil order for those people to give enough attention to do their work, rather than spending time trying to find edible food, potable water, a safe route to and from work, as well as access to a reasonable telecommunications and access to the high-tech goods required to complete projects at work.
Then there’s schooling for the children and a financial system that is able to indicate the economic health of nation and the wealth creating sector, to say nothing of being able to distinguish between government law enforcement and marauding, armed gangs.
Oh! Another need is a dependable supply of lavatory paper, which is in short supply there!
June 1, 2017
Capitalism does not work frightfully well in the majority of countries.The ones where Socialism was toyed about with had most terrible living onditions prior to the experiment, hence people thought they would try something different. They had no idea how bad Socialism would be. But British people are all literate apart from in some schools controlled by the SNP, so there is no excuse for people voting for the LabourParty. The history of Socialism in economics, politics, featured in novels about love and heartache, written byRussians in English and by Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, East Germans, Romanians, Bulgarians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cubans. does fill whole library shelves.
If Britsh intellectuals and we see them at Corbinista rallies in their thousands are just too dumb, too stupid to read…then they deserve the result.They deserve the suffering.The only people in the world who have been educated prior to Socialism and they still aim to commit social suicide. Idiot British!!!!!
June 1, 2017
Alan Jutson
The ‘dementia tax’ (not my phrase)
The Tories are right that we should pay for care. (Weighted on NI contributions over life)
Nowhere did they mention that the feckless should face the consequences of a lifetime of fecklessness.
When will the consequences of refusing to work be felt by those who refuse to work ?
As usual – spank the triers and get them to cover the costs of council semi-funded layabouts in the same care home.
This is un-Conservative.
If we’re going to be socialist at least cover the costs from central taxation and be up front about it. Don’t hit Mum with an estate depleting level of care home surcharge to keep Johnny Layabout in the lifestyle to which he is accustomed.
June 1, 2017
So called capitalist countries are reaching their limits because they have so many unproductive people – and import more people to do the work they should be doing… and those importees end up unproductive themselves after around 2 years, so I hear.
They look around and think “Hey. I’m being a mug here.”
How often have you seen the same face serving in your chain coffee shop for more than six months ?
June 1, 2017
Indeed we need a pressure group to push for the abolition of pointless & parasitic jobs. Near half are, both in the state sector and in the private sector (jobs forced on to them by absurd red tape much loved by T May)
June 2, 2017
When many ‘middle aged people’ go through a period of wondering why they work so they can pay taxes to pay for the feckless, they can work less knowing that they are likely to be able to return to their diligent ways.
However, the young, once they have missed the window of opportunity to gain knowledge, training and experience, will find catching up to be a lot harder.
That is the sad reality of following untested agenda.
June 1, 2017
@Anonymous. Be careful not to tar everyone with the same brush when talking about council people who cannot fund their own care. My mother is in funded care after working all her life and caring for a husband who was ill for most of his life but worked hard whenever he could. She is now not in a position to pay for her own care. Just because you live in a council house doesn’t mean you are a layabout.
June 1, 2017
Southerner, I don’t believe the main qualification for being a lay-about is living in a council house. Most people who live in a council house work for a living. No, there are other qualifications for that.
I wish your mother well.
June 1, 2017
Of course.
For this reason centralised taxation – not inflated care home fees.
June 1, 2017
I had the pleasure of teaching two young Venezuelans English. You are dead right.
What got them was the danger of car jacking.
June 1, 2017
@Mike Stallard; People have been killed and injured in the UK from car jacking and car theft. Thus by such logic we must already be a “Venezuela” as indeed the USA must be too…
June 1, 2017
FYI, Mike, from Martin Howe QC:
“6. No right to stay in the EEA unilaterally: Contrary to ill-founded suggestions which have been made by some commentators, the UK has no right to stay automatically in the EEA after exit from the EU. Continued EEA membership could be secured only by agreement of the EU itself, and of each EU member state and each EEA member state with ratification according to its own constitutional requirements. This rules out using EEA membership as a temporary refuge from exit from the EU, and would make it effectively impossible to negotiate and get ratified EEA membership on modified terms which would remove from it elements such as free movement of persons which are regarded as an important and integral part of single market membership in many member states.”
June 1, 2017
I said a week ago that this should be a line of attack, we now also have a proposed garden tax. Unfortunately much of your campaign has focussed on attacking Corbyn who comes across as an amiable joe making you look like bullies. Hammond, Johnson, Davis all seemed to have gone to ground and now realising that TM is not quite the vote winner you hoped for she is too scared to appear on TV with the other parties, again allowing that to be an election topic rather than the real agenda. I do not know what channels you have JR but you need to poke your campaign with a large stick and and get an all out attack going on these topics.
June 1, 2017
Fortunately the voters are not daft enough to vote for the magic money tree, Father Chistmas figure of Corbyn – wagged by a bonkers Sturgeon/SNP tail. This despite May’s best efforts to assist them by aping Miliband’s tomb stone with her bonkers, lefty, high tax lunacies.
The mere election of Corbyn would cause a huge flight of investment, tax receipts and good people from the UK. The reality is that increasing tax rates from the current position will raise less tax not more, for Corbyn to waste on his lunacies. Just as Gove and Corbyn’s VAT on school fees would cost the state money net and not pay for free lunches.
You can however get 1:4 on a Tory Majority (up considerably now due to May’s lefty loon manifesto and incompetence), so it is far from certain they think. No overall majority is 5 and a Labour majority at 18.
A 25% return on the Tories looks like a good bet to me. I think she will do better than most expect, no thanks to her and her duff manifesto team, but thanks to the dire alternative.
Post the election hopefully she can be turned away from her lefty, high tax, red tape pushing lunacies. Perhaps we can even get her to follow Trump and go for lower taxes, jobs, a smaller state, pull our of the Paris expensive energy agenda and go for huge deregulation.
That after all is what would clearly work.
June 1, 2017
We need a totally new model for the future, one that acknowledges all politics is religion and extremist by nature. This is imminent as the political class and MSN are the real terrorists and so are discrediting themselves and proving the root cause of the problem is human nature.
June 1, 2017
Yes the UK would be wise to decline socialism which might yet gain power by default. It might work in a monastery but not in a country.
What an unedifying election debate last night. Apparently the BBC subcontracted audience selection so they could deny responsibility for it’s obvious bias. Amber Rudd talked sense as did Paul Nuttal. Corbyn has many utopian thoughts, but no concept of their impact. The quartet of minor party players had little to offer but their narrow view of life divorced from reality. Mrs may did the sensible thing and stayed away, but she owes Amber Rudd for going in to bat on her behalf.
June 1, 2017
The fact that the polls are showing such a massive surge in support for Corbyn is truly alarming. Not the personal support for the man, but his impossibly generous financial pledges.
Is there no limit to the amount of money he seems to be able to conjure up from nowhere ?
It’s not so much a Magic Money Tree, more like a veritable forest.
Why should this be ? Surely after the Brown years, the electorate can’t believe that this could actually end well ?
It’s interesting that a lot of Corbyn’s supporters are those that won’t contribute to paying for it all. Students, offered an immediate bribe of Ā£40-Ā£50,000 are hardly likely to say no are they ? Never mind that the successful ones will end up paying far more in taxes than they ever saved on tuition fees.
As for the Conservative campaign, Mrs May can’t have been taking any notice of that expensive advice from Lynton Crosby. Going into an election with clear policies that were bound to upset her core vote while knowing that Corbyn would be exceedingly proliferate with other people’s money was always going to be a hard sell and completely unnecessary.
All she had to do was promise a commission to recommend policy on care for the elderly.
Then there is that vast group that the coalition and the last two purely Conservative PMs have taken out of income tax and those on benefit who don’t even pay council tax.
That lot are natural Corbyn supporters as they have no obvious vested interest in keeping expenditure under control.
Aggravated by a catastrophically poor Brexit negotiation, we all know that sooner or later Corbyn’s largess will end in recession and an even worse situation than 2008. We would probably see the Christine LaGarde in charge of our economy. McDonnell will not be the first Labour Chancellor forced to turn to the IMF for a bail out.
Mrs May might well win a bigger majority but can there be any doubt that it will be 50-75 seats smaller than it could have been had the campaign policy had been well designed ?
June 1, 2017
Yes, I hear today that Corbyn is now also putting a cap on train fares. Whatever next? Free holidays to the Caribbean??
June 1, 2017
Chris “Itās interesting that a lot of Corbynās supporters are those that wonāt contribute to paying for it all. Students, offered an immediate bribe of Ā£40-Ā£50,000 are hardly likely to say no are they ? Never mind that the successful ones will end up paying far more in taxes than they ever saved on tuition fees.”
Yes, but I fear more for all those students now age 21 – 30 who are paying the current 9% graduate tax, they will have more than half of their wage confiscated if they dare to do well.
June 1, 2017
When will this country ever learn that nothing is for free. Another election and it is the same old same old party lines and there is not one leader amongst them to have the courage to blow the whistle and call time out. Nobody talks about the real cost if we stay in the EU as we will be slowly bled dry to help poor countries with not a hope in hell of really standing on their own two feet without handouts.
This charade will come back to haunt us in the future and at this rate there will be a resurgence for parties like UKIP and the whole face of British politics will never be the same as it will be the people that demand real lasting change. How much longer can the political elect keep floundering from crisis to crisis.
The writing was clearly on the wall when Mother Teresa picked her cabinet and anyone with three fifths of common sense could see the gathering storm. A storm that has turned into a tornado that is going to see the party rolled aside for generations to come. She had the skills and the expertise sitting on her back benches and chose to ignore them as they were too much the old school. Socialism is in theory wonderful all the time someone else can pay for it, sadly this is down to the critical mass of those working and paying their taxes. The way Westminster governs us has got to be changed. It is badly broke and needs urgently fixing.
June 1, 2017
“and at this rate there will be a resurgence for parties like UKIP.”
Lord I hope so.
June 1, 2017
Corbyn the communist. Listening to part of the debate or should I say debacle last night, he really does believe in the magic money tree.
I don’t know about the opinion polls but my wife a staunch Labour supporter is voting Tory.
I think we have a lot of EU propaganda surfacing with the pollsters.
June 1, 2017
@Ian Wragg; Nonsense, Mr Corbyn is a Socialist, but if Corbyn is a Communist then your political opinions must be of the far right…
June 1, 2017
Nuances Jerry, Nuances. If he got half a chance he would nationalise the air we breath.
Corbyn hates Britain and will do his utmost to destroy us.
His sidekick is a self proclaimed communist who’s entry in Who’s Who says …..working to destroy capitalism…….
June 1, 2017
If it looks like a communist, swims like a communist and quacks like a communist, …
June 2, 2017
@Ian Wragg; Whilst you hate democracy!
@getaclue, That is just your far right opinion, after all as you say, if someone quacks like the far right, swims like a the far right the chances are they are the far right…
June 1, 2017
Theresa May is a socialist.
June 1, 2017
Venezuela presumably used some financial advisers recommended by the Greeks.
June 1, 2017
Your blog these days reminds me of a Labour Party leaflet – no mention of your glorious supreme leader.
Reply I support my leader, unlike many former Labour MPs and Mr C. This blog aims to do things you do not see daily on the tv.
June 1, 2017
@JR reply; This blog aims to do things you do not see daily on the tv.
OK then, some manifesto costings would be nice to see, can you oblige before 7am June 8th?…
Reply Done that. See Red Book.
June 1, 2017
@JR reply; Were is the “Red Book” on the Conservative website, it is not available along side the manifesto…
But isn’t the Red Book a HMT publication, for the last Budget, it is not a Conservative Party manifesto costings. There are pledges in the manifesto that were not part of Mr Hammond’s budget thus they are at present uncosted.
The Tory party is on course to loose this election, and one reason will be because they took the electorate as simpletons.
June 1, 2017
Labour’s manifesto sets aside Ā£250bn to nationalise utilities and transport, with no mention whatever of where it is to come from. That’s Ā£4,000 per head for every man, woman and child in the UK – including you, Jerry.
June 2, 2017
@eeyore; How do you as a private person pay off your mortgage, or other loans, how do companies, why shouldn’t UK PLC (Water division) do like wise?…
June 2, 2017
Because we will stop being customers and will get even worse service, we will no longer have any choice and there will be no constraint on how much blood they suck from the rest of us.
June 2, 2017
Jerry
Oh. My.Word
A private individual pays off a mortgage one month at a time over a 25 year period or until the debt plus interest is paid. Until that time the asset is owned by the mortgager .
If you think that the UK government can compulsorily purchase all the assets, plus infrastructure and staff by monthly payments you are deluded
June 2, 2017
@David Price; Nonsense, we will carry on being customers, as for choice, whilst many have little or no choice now.
June 3, 2017
@libertarian; Once again you miss quote and take out of context – intentionally. You are the deluded one Walter, you seem to think that these nationalised industries would not be charging for the product and thus there will never be any income. How does a private company repay the loan taken out when taking over another company, or building a new office block or factory.
June 1, 2017
” things you do not see daily on the tv” – I gather Mrs May had an “interesting” interview with the Plymouth Herald that did not make the TV.
Other things not on the TV – have you told the rich German Car drivers of Finchampstead how much extra spare parts for their beloved cars will cost once hard Brexit happens? This due to tariffs as you call them or taxes to the rest of us.
June 1, 2017
Take courage Mrs May is going to have an overall majority.
Whether she will return to No 10 with increased authority is more doubtful.
June 1, 2017
Well yes, one is a majority!
June 1, 2017
Hope that includes referendum results Jerry.
June 2, 2017
@Edward2; Indeed but only for the single binary question asked, not for the many associated questions that were not asked.
June 2, 2017
The question was straight forward.
Leave?
Yes or No
The process of leaving is up to our elected representatives to manage achieve.
June 3, 2017
@Edward2; Thanks for proving once again that you do not actually read my comments. š
How is your comment any different in meaning to what I said?
June 1, 2017
She will get an increased majority. No thanks at all to her and her bonkers socialism but thank to the Tories accepting Brexit and the dire prospect of a Corbyn and Sturgeon coalition.
June 1, 2017
It is a tragedy that a country with such vast oil reserves is in such a disastrous state.
Is it a surprise?
Is oil the curse of mankind?
On last night’s election debate I decided to watch against my better judgment and nearly turned off when the presenter said the audience had been carefully selected – usual BBC spin.
I would say 80%, from the heckling and clapping, were left wing. Mrs. May and her gurus got that right in not participating. What is the point of a hundred or two audience who just get in the way of a reasoned debate? The format is flawed if not politically dangerous. The BBC has long since strayed from inform, educate and entertain.
June 1, 2017
āWhen you are in the quiet of the polling boothā¦’
Amber Ruddās summing up following āthe BBC debateā reminded me of the Muppets.
This phrase sounds like John Redwoodās āCool Heads before heartsā but with TMās āCompassionate Conservativesā and living within our means (Sorry, theres no money Left Labour Legacies).
After this media rabble rousing, posturing and point scoring by Johnnie come late-lies who cannot add up Team Teresa has a wonderful opportunity to expose their Fantasy Future and āMagic Money Treeā as a mirage sans substance when you wake up facing the EU across the table on your own without any magic wand to hand.
June 1, 2017
Now we are reduced to Project Fear over Corbyn.
This election was meant to be about Brexit.
So why wasn’t it ???
June 1, 2017
Corbyn is not going to give up his Marxist, terrorist loving and unilateral nuclear disarmament ways. Nor are those who surround him and will make up the next cabinet if he becomes prime minister. If the polls are to believed he is in fact going to enter no 10 on June 9th as head of a progressive alliance. If he does then there is no doubt he will bankrupt the country and do many other equally as appalling things as well. The thought of unbridled governance by the loony left is to horrible to contemplate but that may well be what we are in for.
June 1, 2017
It’s not good enough JR. If Mrs May’s ‘team’ read this blog they would realise that attacking your own natural supporters is no way to win an election. How in the name of sanity did a Conservative government ever create the impression that they would penalise people for saving to buy their own home?. It wouldn’t be so bad if Mrs May wasn’t such a cold ,insincere and rather unlikeable character.
Shifting to the ‘centre’ always loses the Conservatives more votes than the votes they pick up (if any).
May should be riding high now if it wasn’t for her tin ear and broken political compass….have you and like minded colleague’s no say ?
June 1, 2017
I am almost unique. Really. Possibly the only one available to speak…or willing to speak.Very very few Britons can give a first-hand explanation of just why Corbynista Socialism is a no-no. That Mr Corbyn histrionically shouts “Theresa May come and debate with me” is pointless. Pointless because Corbynista Socialism has been proven not to work. There is no debate which can be had.
If Mr Corbyn were to say “Mrs May thinks water is wet, I can assure her and you it is not, it is dry, come and debate” You would say such a debate is pointless of course.
# And no, I aint telling you the nature of my uniqueness. š
June 2, 2017
Has anyone ask for it? Certainly not I.
June 1, 2017
Economic disaster with Labour would be a certainty ; the introduction of a Ā£10 minimum wage with open borders would attract every migrant from all over the world !.
The ,so-called ,”debate” last night was a shocking event admired by a very left wing audience ; how ComRes went about selecting the attendees would be an interesting exposure ; I suspect it was all BBC engineering . Amber Rudd would not have been my choice as a substitute for Theresa , and , as an example of one of the ” strong members of the P.M’s support team “, she came across badly .
I still believe in a Conservative win ; narrower than preferred , but , nevertheless a win . Theresa faces three major objectives post June 8th. , Brexit is at the front of the queue followed by the grooming and development of a successor and the major task of re-building the Conservative Party . She – and her colleagues , have been seriously damaged by a set of advisers during this campaign by pursuing a policy of wooing Labour voters ; she ought to have stuck to a proper Conservative manifesto demonstrating what ” strength ” really is . Offering a Labour style approach has jeopardised her position and she has now a mountain to climb .
It is now a real ” fingers crossed ” situation .
June 1, 2017
Bert
Labour voters do not like losing the house they have worked hard to pay for either.
Those traditional Labour voters who dislike Corbyn and perhaps were going to vote Conservative for the first time MAY well have decided it is now one step too far, as for many of them, like many Conservative voters, their house is their major asset.
June 1, 2017
Standard lefty retort to the failed socialism examples is that they were the wrong kind of socialism.
DEBATE – Tories must in future boycott all these TV debates, the audience bias is ever present and lefties are brilliant at playing populist applause generator soundbites that drive bovine crowds into a frenzy. Tory supporters are dignified and quiet and so the impression is always that the left panel members won the debate.
June 1, 2017
There’s no point in picking on ChĆ”vez alone as there have been too many others like him who have destroyed their countries economies. If we want to pick another example we might look no further than the number of African countries destroyed by leaders with megalomaniac tendencies. However there is little comparison between these third rate countries and European countries including Britain unless you want to talk about some of the old east European countries like Albania? and maybe even Greece.
What you’re at here JR is trying to scare people off Corbyn and the Labour party but it will be to no avail as Mrs M alone is doing all of labours work for them. Normally I wouldn’t vote for Labour but with the awful spectacular performance of the Tories at the moment I feel that I will now end up voting anything but conservative. Also I might add that Mrs M better watch out now because I see Michael Gove waiting in the wings- But ChĆ”vez Corbyn or Gove, at the end of the day it’ll make no difference to the kittle man and life will go on.
June 2, 2017
Venezuela was once very prosperous.
The political changes by Chavez were broadcast across the World, like never before; the West with it’s ‘capitalistic exploitation of the workers’ was ridiculed and basic laws (of Physics, Economics and Etiquette ) were forgotten or deemed evil. All this was received by the gullible with glee!
That is why Venezuela is a good example of political and economic failure.
Yes, there have been other examples, too many in fact, but Venezuela is one of the best! š
June 1, 2017
Why on earth would TM let us all know she would bring back fox hunting at this time? She is hardly a strategic genius is she.
June 1, 2017
Indeed about 83% against it. I am as it happens in favour, but what political lunacy for the silly lass. Let sleeping dogs lie, it goes not anyway dear. How can you join the Tories get to 60 and yet be such a daft socialist, with such a poor grasp of reality?
June 1, 2017
I’m just wondering if I can get some log cabin in Canada , well away from the Cannabis smoke of “progressives ” ( junkies ) of Trudeau The Pretty where I can receive my UK pension and lay low if Corbyn wins. I just cannot bear to see my country go down under his “leadership” and confirm to the world the United Kingdom is a “Colonial Power” gone down the sinkhole of history. Corbyn is like having a father who tells you you are no good and when you prove him wrong, dies, leaving you with bills up to your earholes. A complete Socialist or Liberal as they call such people in Canada and other countries best under British Rule
June 1, 2017
OT
As a 1955 born, good to see Express detailing UKs Ā£106bn pension shame.
One sentence in there says it all for me
” Had I known… I could have adjusted accordingly”
Same goes for a lot of these things, you can plan and provision if given enough warning.
I don’ t want looking after, just don’t want the stool kicked out from under me.
June 1, 2017
How long before all public services are charged against your estate?
First they came for dementia sufferers, because they couldn’t fight back…
June 1, 2017
Why aren’t the BBC being held accountable for this lack of warning? It was certainly discussed, I had many talks about it with colleagues and women I know. The Labour party were told by the EU they had to equalise pension ages between men and women they complied. They were the first government to discuss raising the pension age because of rapidly growing long living pensioners.
June 1, 2017
Now will start planning ahead for the garden tax
( must stop reading the Express)
Log cabins to reduce the ground area and house a team of carers ( rent free ) should I ever need them.
Already have a beefy in house security team of 4 courtesy of rent your rooms allowance.
Neither Jezza nor May will get my house.
June 1, 2017
Dear John – whether you publish this or not, I will leave to you. I am adding below a poem I wrote, before last year’s referendum. It appears in a beautifully illustrated book I’m about to publish. What I’m about to say, should be coming from our ‘Lords Spiritual’, but sadly, will not. However, I’m quite aware that there will be many who will mock what I’m going to say. But someone has to say it!!
Looking back over the past year since the referendum, there is absolutely no doubt that ‘what makes Britain special’ is to do with our SPIRITUAL heritage in the Gospel of Christ, and from thence, its original espousal of the return of the Jews to the land of Israel, under the Balfour Declaration (something Britain badly faltered on after WW2). In light of this, everything becomes clear.
Our Reformation history, which so impacted the world, has been whittled away to such an extent, that we are, as a much blessed nation, at the greatest of cross-roads. This election has enormous spiritual significance, and if proof were needed, just look at all that has happened over past months! There are contrary forces arrayed against us, and the spiritual dimension is obvious to those who have eyes to see, even this past few days.
For any who care to check out a couple of texts, I will cite the principle of Deuteronomy 28, but more specifically, in NT terms, 1 Timothy 2:1-6. I hope many will apply the latter, at this crucial hour.
Here is the poem. The response required is repentance, and a return to our SPIRITUAL ROOTS. I am hoping my book will contribute to this.
CLAPHAM JUNCTION
Itās all change at Clapham Junction,
With Lavender Hill in view;
My āold kit-bagā at the ready,
To alight at Waterloo!
Many go to and fro from here,
As they did in ages past;
Young men in uniform to fight,
The bravest to the last.
What made Britain special,
This Sceptred Isle so fair?
What made the Marian Martyrs burn,
Their light for Christ to bear?
Holy hearts that beat like pumps,
Pure water of life prepared:
Clouds of witnesses on high,
The Gospel to the world declared!
As the years have passed,
Itās not enough to rest on laurels green;
For the sap runs dry and the colour fades,
Where Truthās Lifeblood had been.
(Upon the approach of the EU Referendum, Spring 2016.)
June 1, 2017
Between Corbyn an McDonald Britain could easily be set down the same path. Perhaps they will be happy to have UK twinned with Venezuela.
The so called debate last night was dire but in the circumstances, Amber Rudd did well. As did Paul Nuttal. M/s Hussein was not up to the job.
June 1, 2017
Venezuela fate today is more to do with ( no farmland & farmers ) than anything else.
While hear in the UK you have venezuela on your doorstep in the form of scotland, which has just over 5 million people to englands 56 million people, that’s over 10 times more people than scotland.
Scotland is about the size of greece population, which has a debt of over 170 billion euros or pounds. Scotland debt is over 110 billion pounds, and was going up at 15 billions a year, but soon it will be 17 to 18 billion a year, so by the next election in 2022, it would of past greece debt total, and be on it way to 200 billion pounds. England is the only country in the world that supports three other countries in a union, and gives them billions a year for nothing, and backs up there debt ( why )because of GDP and a seat on the G7.
If you take in account of the scotland settlement, and the the debt scotland is running up, it come to about 28 billion pounds a year england is paying out for scotland a lone. Then you have wales and northern Ireland 10 billion pounds a year, and if they decide to stay in the EU another 10 billion a year, that’s 48 billion a year,’ which england gives away each year on top of the aid budget of 13 billion pounds a year, plus lots of other money for international institution and bodies, and that’s just part of it, on top of all that you have NHS the worlds health service, and free student places for oversea students, taking people in from syria, libya, iran and africa from the 70s and still going on with services shortage with housing shortage, because of no money. No other country gives away as much as england doses, and get nothing for it apart from a seat on the G7, but them days are coming to a close as scotland and the rest want more money from england, and a blank cheque for their debt.
June 1, 2017
@Ian. I do wonder why we give so generously to Scotland through the Barnett Formula when they are constantly telling us they can be independent. How long would they last without the extra money we give them? Why does England keep paying out so much when they get very little back? All those that vote SNP but vote no to independence are wanting the best of both worlds.
June 1, 2017
ian,
Forgive me but I feel you have fallen into the SNP mind-trap. We do not give Scotland anything. We ARE Scotland. We ARE Wales. We ARE Ulster. We ARE England. All together. DNA-wise and surname- wise it would take quite a brain to tease out the strands of our existence into “Nations” except as an intellectual and belated “fight the historical battle again.”
Some MPs and historians are overly fond of talking of “the Union” and harking back to historical events which joined Scotland and England. But that really is water under the bridge. If not, then we can expect Andy Burham the Mayor of Manchester to start talking about the Wars of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York in which we in Yorkshire gave the Lancashire lot what for and crushed them humiliatingly like an ant between our thumbnail and our first finger. All that is forgotten and we never think about it at all now.
June 1, 2017
Good post, if a little late in the day. What puzzles me (not that I have thought much about it) is how the Labour Venezuela project fits in with staying in the EU single market, or whatever. The EU is pretty well the working definition of neoliberalism (as far as the term makes any sense). It seems pretty certain that wholesale nationalisation, let alone confiscation, hardly conforms to their rules on state assistance! Or am I missing something?
June 1, 2017
Quote: Venezuela shows you cannot make the poor rich by making the rich poor.
Yes, well, so much for the logic of May’s Winter Fuel allowance grab then …
She should have had you, John, advising on the Manifesto. That would have avoided that massive vote loser of a policy.
P.S. Since May studied Geography at Oxford then perhaps she should have known that the N.E. of England is just as cold as in Scotland – where the Tories have promised to keep the Winter Fuel Payment. And it was the N.E. of England where May wanted to win in presently Labour supporting seats…
June 1, 2017
Yes – and when is someone going to confront corbyn with all of this – the media are doing a lousy job as they clearly want the same as labour: a third world country ravaged by insane socialism.
Time to put extreme pressure on the BBc to get this view point across!
June 1, 2017
Why has nobody asked why the ‘leaders’ debates on national television have included Plaid Cymru and the SNP who only have candidates in their own countries, and if this is OK why then were none of the NI parties involved?
And why not the Raving Looney Party who also has multiple candidates and therefore as much right to appear as UKIP or the Greens.
The sitting PM, of whatever party, cannot win in this type of programme so Mrs May was correct to decline.
June 1, 2017
The story so far draws on elements of drama but its uncanny tone, supernatural elements and campy, melodramatic portrayal of eccentric characters also draws on soap operas and the horror genre.
Welcome to the British General Election campaign of 2017.
June 1, 2017
Postal votes will unofficially or in deed officially sampled before 8th June 2017. In the next few days, we should watch the body language for changes. I guess, now, Mrs May is going to win. The strength of that projected win can be determined by Labour MPs and the width of the grin on the face of Boris.
Labour anti-Corbyn figures will be seen moire and more on TV. They will be staking a claim in a call for another Corbyn challenge.
Dearly Beloved, Let us pray!
Pray that the goodly Mr Corbyn, not lose all…. in electoral defeat at the Election. May he be able to grasp the straw of continuance as Party Leader along with Diane Abacus, John McDonnellovich, and Emily van Thornberry.
For ever and ever,
Apersons.
June 1, 2017
Venezuela is a continuing horror story but I would like our politicians to also study the economic performance of Georgia, formerly part of the USSR. I read in the annual report of the Georgia Healthcare Group that real GDP growth averaged 4.5% annually during 2007 to 2016. The Economic Liberty Act effective since January 2014 caps consolidated Government expenditures at 30% of GDP, fiscal deficit at 3% of GDP and public debt at 60% of GDP. Georgia has slashed the number of taxes from 21 in 2004 to just six. Furthermore since January 2017 corporate income tax is applicable only to distributed profits.
The Report also states that supportive government reforms and the engagement of private players in the sector have resulted in significant improvements in the overall standard of infrastructure and greatly boosted demand for quality healthcare services.
The hospital market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.3% between 2014 and 2017 and the ambulatory clinic market by 15.9% for the same period.
In 2016 the Georgian people overwhelmingly supported the incumbent Government.
June 1, 2017
The forecast growth rates mentioned should read for 2014 to 20018, not 2014 to 2018.
June 1, 2017
@ John Redwood
Firstly, Sir, can I state unequivocally that you are a good experienced man who has had experience of Parliament for 30 years and have spent some time in a ministerial position in Margaret Thatcher’s government. You know therefore, not only how the government can help an economy grow and reduce the National Debt as a proportion of GDP but also how it can appeal to the British Electorate whilst doing this: you will recall how Margaret Thatcher won elections on a platform of lower taxes, enabling people to buy and own the council houses they lived in and- despite the image that many have of her today- she did invest enormously in public services within just a few years of coming to power (and having sorted out the economy). This meant that she was popular with the many!
Huge amounts of extra money were made available despite high levels of public debt making it hard to borrow through a massive privatisation programme, which of course raised Ā£Ā£ billions. Margaret Thatcher, lest it be forgotten, put up public sector pay by 40% on the basis of a “Clegg Pay Review” in 1979. Margaret Thatcher managed to both cut taxes (stimulating growth and increasing revenues further) and greatly increase Public Spending. People were enthused to vote for her and knew she was on their side; they don’t feel the same about Theresa May, not after the shambles of the worst Conservative Campaign EVER. How do you turn an opinion poll lead of 20% into just 3% in the space of just one month?
I don’t know whether you have the means of contacting Theresa May directly but you REALLY NEED TO: You need to put the pressure on her to firstly get out there and ATTACK Jeremy Corbyn’s policies, the massive tax hikes, the Garden Tax Labour propose and to highlight the good policies that the Conservatives have announced. Voters need to see how our policies are costed, otherwise we will not be trusted because Labour and the Lib Dems will merely fill in the blanks for them- so MAKE THERESA MAY PLEDGE NOT TO GIVE THE EU A PENNY (EU Divorce Payment, that is) AND CUT GREEN SUBSIDIES IN HALF -in order to assuage the Voters that our policies are costed- and therefore believable. Do whatever you can, Sir, to make Theresa May and the Conservative Leadership PLEDGE not to give the EU a penny and to cut green subsidies because public funds should be put towards ensuring our Public Services are well-funded rather than subsidising people with solar panels or building more wind-farms.
There’s about six days’ campaigning left to make a difference. I entrust you to get down to Conservative Campaign Headquarters on Matthew Parker Street to BELLOW at those running the Campaign so that they up their game-Sharpish. Lynton Crosby needs to be FIRMLY IMPRESSED UPON to get the Campaign Team working hard- by kicking butts-Working day and night for the next seven days putting more leaflets through doors in the Marginals, persuading Voters on Internet Forums, for senior ministers to be on the BBC and ITV MUCH MORE- ATTACKING Labour’s policies, Exposing the Garden Tax they propose and REASSURING the Voters that our sums do add up so that they are receptive to our policies.
We don’t have time to lose, we need to contact the few millions in the Marginals several times so that the almost non-existent poll lead is changed to one which will give Theresa may the majority she needs.
Ian Pennell
June 2, 2017
Don’t know who Ian Pennell is but he get’s my vote.
You ought to email him.
June 2, 2017
Or Ian , you email him .
You sound like an ex mandarin to me.
Now’s not the time to be hesitant.
There you go boys, go for it.
June 1, 2017
I have just watched Neil’s interview with Farron and I infer that the poor besotted fool lives breathes and dies the EU and completely ignores those such as me who have little or no interest in a deal of any sort with it–What about the deal with the rest of the world that we are soon to strike?–Can hardly get worse than the non-existent deal we have now
June 1, 2017
Are people financially rich because they work all the time in fact ‘poor’ if they never have time to enjoy it and die young of stress? While by contrast is someone on the dole who sits at home smoking weed and playing computer games without a care in the world better off in ‘real’ terms?
June 1, 2017
What I am saying is wealth can only be judged in relation to an individuals time to enjoy it.
June 1, 2017
Saw today’s Poll for the London Evening Standard earlier- 50% of Londoner’s would vote for Jeremy Corbyn- FIFTY PERCENT! Conservatives on 33%- 17% BEHIND LABOUR.
THIS is in England Capital City six weeks after our Conservative Prime Minister called a snap General Election to get a comfortable Majority to help with Brexit negotiations!!!
WAKE UP Conservative-Leadership, were going to lose this Election to a Marxist, terrorist-sympathising and Anti-Semitic Labour-led Government. They would cheerfully implement the policies John Redwood has described above. We need to be Attacking Labour over it’s proposed Garden Tax and their other high-tax policies for the next seven days.
I might also add- Wake up London! Don’t let this man and his policies take you in.
someone ought to have a word with George Osborne, new Editor at the Evening Standard- could he not put some articles in warning it’s readership of the utter stupidity of voting for Jeremy Corbyn- and what it is likely to mean for them?? WE nee to try everything possible to stop Labour from making any further advances!
If the Conservatives end up actually losing Seats I, for one, will be calling for Theresa May’s head- her Campaign has managed to poison the minds of millions of Voters against the Tories!!
June 1, 2017
Are you describing why our health system is so bad?
If so just be honest about it, and break the taboo about questioning why its got no clothes on
June 2, 2017
I guess most of you are Tories on here … you, unbelievably, are going to lose an election that didn’t need to be called in the first place! Biggest political own goal in history.
June 2, 2017
Venezuela is a classic example of an oil rich country, being invaded by US Dollar corporations, aided by the CIA, that’s all. Hugo Chavez got conned into borrowing in US dollars and was required to pay it back in US Dollars. He should have stuck with his own currency and insisted that loans be priced in the currency that is barrels of crude oil.
Venezuela’s economic state today, is solely due to the US government’s puppet agencies and its embedded oil crazy Neo-Cons.
June 2, 2017
Thats a weird take on the mismanagement and overspending by the Government of Venezuela.
They over taxed, overspent, and wasted the money they raised.
June 4, 2017
he may add a few comments on what he thinks of management. Policies need to be worked out not brought down for the sake of opposition.