Cynical Chatter From The Underworld

That is what New Labour has spent today on the Crewe and Nantwich by-election.

The money has gone on rectifying the complete cock-up of the 10p tax rate, in the hope that voters in Crew and Nantwich will turn out for New Labour. But this money won’t come from the governments coffers, those are empty. Just like the Labour party, which is up to its eyeballs in debt it can’t afford, the government can’t afford to give this money either, so it is going to borrow it instead, so the tax payer will have to pay it back at some point.

TANSTAAFL!*
What is more, the chancellor couldn’t even guarantee that the worst hit will be fully compensated. He is using the scattergun approach and aiming this at everyone earning under the higher tax rate, so rather than the 5.3 million being compensated fully, he is going to give 22 million people a hand out in the hope that the ones who need it get at least 50% of their money back.

Talk about being lax with the nations money, but New Labour only care about staying in power, which is why they will see £2.7 bn as a reasonable price to win a by election.

* TANSTAAFL - There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, the abbreviation was often used by Robert Heinlein in his science fiction novels, such as, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, which was the first place in which I saw it.

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Tags: Brown, Darling, Elections, New Labour, News, Opinion, Politicians, Politics, Tax // 2 Comments »

I’ve spent much of the day enjoying the sunny weather, I finally got off my arse and headed off to Roa Island and its boat club. The free bus pass is a wonderful idea and fifteen minutes after leaving the house I was at Roa Island.

In a break from my usual standard of luck I managed to be introduced to exactly the gentleman I needed to speak to straight away. I got the impression that the club would love to support disabled sailing in a greater way, but in common with many other organisations it lacks someone who can invest the neccessary time. He also thinks there is the potential to reduce fees for the disabled, as many, like myself, are on a fixed income.

Fortuitously, or not, the club has its AGM this week so it may be that my enquiries have come at the right time, I’m not going to speculate here on some of the topics of our conversation, but I’m feeling good about the conversation we had and hoping that something positive can come of it.

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Tags: Disability, Personal, Sailing // Add Comment »

No, Mr. Brown, you don’t.

On a salary of over £100,000 a year, with a car and driver funded by the electorate, your food, council tax and utility bills also funded by the electorate, and a gold plated pension to look forward to, after you have plundered the pensions of the public, how can you feel voters’ hurt?

From the BBC

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Tags: BBC, Brown, Local Elections, New Labour, News, Opinion, Politicians // 1 Comment »

Well, yes I am, why? I’m gloating after reading that the Conservative leader of the council, Bill Joughlin, has lost his seat in the local elections.

This is the man pushing so hard to knock down houses to make car parks, the man who said of the demolitions, “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.” A man who has no feelings for an old couple who have kept their late sons room as it was when he died, instead he made dismissive comments about their feelings and in my eyes was downright insulting.

Bill Joughlin has also supported an academy, one that will replace three other schools without even providing enough places for the current numbers of pupils, many of whom will have to travel to Walney. What a way to increase school run traffic throughout the town.

Two other Conservative councilors managed to retain their seats with majorities of only one vote each, it took three recounts to finalise the counts.

It might not be attractive, but yes, I’m gloating that Bill Joughlin lost his seat, it means that the local party might be less nasty and that they may be worth voting for again in the future.

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Tags: Conservative, Local Elections, NW Evening Mail, News, Opinion // Add Comment »

I’ve been watching a bit of TV news today and I have to say that the BBC are doing their best to put down Boris, and Sky aren’t far behind them.

I can’t think of the presenters name, but on BBC news 24 it would be hard for the presenter to be more hostile to Boris as he questions every aspect of Boris’ speech and ability
to run London. I’m still unsure why we saw so much of Polly Toynbee on Thursday night and Friday on the BBC, she has to be one of the biggest socialist/eco hypocrites going as Littlejohn pointed out on Question Time.

The sky reporter was little better doing her best to look for a gaffe in his speech.

It seems to me that Boris is being used as a smokescreen by the BBC, they are now ignoring the New Labour disaster at the polls by concentrating on Boris and questioning his abilities.

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Tags: BBC, Boris Johnson, News, Opinion, Sky News // 1 Comment »

So Ed Balls has commented that people think that food and fuel bills are going up. As usual we have a New Labour cretin talking balls, we don’t think our bills are going up, we know they are going up, and we can’t claim that money back on our expenses.

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Tags: Local Elections, New Labour, Opinion, Politics // Add Comment »

The results here in Barrow-in-Furness are easy to understand, while the Conservatives have remained constant on 16 seats, they have completely failed to make any gains from the 8 seats that Labour lost or the seat that the Lib Dems lost.

This lack of progress is most likely down to the slash and burn policy on housing and their ridiculous traffic management and retail regeneration plans, which have concentrated traffic into a small area that was never designed for it.

I’m just waiting for an update on the Barrow Central Ward blog, to find out if Norman Hill, the independent candidate, has won a seat. He was told that turnout was appalling, which is probably down to the core Labour vote staying at home and not the changing of polling station venues, the weather can’t be to blame as it was a lovely day.

Until arrogant fuckwits, like Bill Joughlin, can understand that hurting your constituents is not the way to win votes, I can’t see the Conservative position improving here in Barrow-in-Furness.

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Tags: Local Elections // Add Comment »

I’ve been watching the local election coverage overnight and it has been laughable, seeing the Labour and Lib Dem MPs making excuses. There is an annoying component as well.

The annoying component has been the Lib Dems, they have gone backwards, but because they have gone backwards at a slower rate than Labour they are trying to spin it that they are going forwards. I get annoyed because the BBC are happy to let them spin it in that way and even prop up those claims.

What has been laughable is the New Labour spin, talk of listening is just that that, talk. After 11 years they are still talking of improving education and the NHS, there is talk of re-nationalising the railways, and they still haven’t got a clue about the realities of life for their constituents.

New Labour is bankrupt, they have lied and spun their way into this position by failing the poorest people in society, they have broken manifesto pledges, and they have consistently failed to listen. Why should we expect them to change?

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Tags: Local Elections, Opinion, Politics // Add Comment »

I’m trying to decide who I should vote for this time. Last year I spoiled my vote because I couldn’t see any candidate who deserved my support.

This time I’m in a similar quandary because I will not vote for Labour, and the actions and statements of the Conservative leader over housing have put me off voting for them as long as he is in charge.

This leaves me a choice of an independent candidate, or two peoples party candidates. Having read through the blog of the independent candidate I’m seriously tempted to give him my vote. However the People’s Party candidates do nothing for me.

I have two votes but may only use one of them, it is a sad statement on politics in this country that I have difficulty finding candidates who deserve my vote.

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Tags: Local Elections, Politicians, Politics // 1 Comment »

So the treasury does have the money to compensate people who lost out on the withdrawal of the 10p tax rate according to the BBC.

I had an email two days ago asking why I complained about the cut of the 10p rate and then gave New Labour a hard time for not sticking to its guns. It is simple, I want to see the government do something and mean it, I want to see them set out their policies and be judged upon them. Instead we constantly see the government set out its policies and then amend them so that they upset no one, or they amend them to buy votes.

How are we supposed to know what this New Labour government is for if it never takes a solid stance on anything? Just look at Lord Hunt (it is about half way doewn the Page) and his prevarication on the CJB when it comes to extreme pornography. He is happy to accept the work done for the REA, but he won’t accept any other research that goes against his point of view, calling it ‘baloney’. Neither he or the government can, or will, give an exact definition of what should be covered, and they still want to make it illegal to have images of an act that is perfectly legal to carry out.

Look at hunting with dogs, what a dogs dinner of a bill, why is it so bad? It is bad because they ignored their own research when it didn’t fit with their intentions. The bill wasn’t about animal welfare at all, it was purely an exercise in class warfare.

So yes, I am going to attack New Labour from both sides, it isn’t hypocrisy to be unhappy with one measure and then slap them for backing down over it. I want to see what they really stand for, not how much they will do to appease anyone who fights back.

I want to see a government that will ignore election outcomes in the pursuit of a well defined goal. Thatcher did it, Major didn’t, Blair started off doing it, Brown hasn’t even tried.

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Tags: BBC, News, Opinion, Politicians, Politics // 1 Comment »

In The Sun today Trevor Kavanagh puts the boot into New Labour, he reminds his readers of the Kinnock speech in which he warned us “…not to be ordinary, I warn you not to be young, I warn you not to fall ill, and I warn you not to grow old.” Trev then outlines exactly how Labour have failed on each of those warnings themselves. He also outlines how much money they have wasted for littleor no gain.

If Trev is writing articles like this, which advises his readers to vote out Ken Livingstone and Labour councillors, then Labour are in trouble, it means that they have either lost the support of the Murdoch media empire, or they are being warned to toe the line in future. I’m not over keen on Trev, but he is a weathervane and, after recent articles in The Sun penned by the PM and Home Secretary, it is surprising to see such a vitriolic article published by him that effectively refutes their positions for The Sun.

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Tags: Local Elections, New Labour, News, The Sun // 2 Comments »

It’s widely reported that Alastair Darling is looking at ways to compensate those who will lose out as a result of the removal of the 10p rate of tax. This comes soon after Brown said that he would stand firm on this issue from the lawn of the White House.

If Brown truly had the courage that he has written about, and this measure was really so central to his last budget that it shouldn’t be rescinded, then Alastair Darling and Gordon Brown would ignore the growing backbench rebellion.

Unfortunately for New Labour this all comes at a time when both the London Mayoral and local elections are looming on the horizon. Brown is already so weak as leader that he can’t afford a massive loss of council seats, so rather than proving he has the courage of his convictions and pressing on, New Labour will look for a way to buy back the votes they think this measure may lose.

All this goes to show, is that Gordon Brown may be able to write about courage, but he has no experience of it himself.

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Tags: Brown, Darling, Elections, Local Elections, New Labour, News, Opinion, Policy, Politicians, Politics, Tax // 1 Comment »

The international leaders in the USA have failed to take any action at all on Zimbabwe other, than talking, but, talk is cheap.

Why does it take a bunch of dock workers in Durban to take action?

Sky has the story here, and our world leaders should be ashamed that they have done nothing but look on while wringing their hands. You can guarantee that if Zimbabwe had extensive reserves of oil, or any other natural resource, the USA would be in there now with Brown trying to drag the UK in too so they could impose democracy, just like in Iraq.

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Tags: News, Opinion, Sky News, Zimbabwe // Add Comment »

I’m really disappointed, I know I shouldn’t have have got my hopes up, but I thought that for once we would have a New Labour MP who would do the right thing and do what she was elected to do, represent her constituents interests and not her parties first.

Unfortunately Angela Smith has other priorities and she isn’t going to resign, obviously the interests of her party and career are more important than those of her constituents on low income who will lose out on the changes to the tax system.

New Labour, only in it for themselves.

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Tags: New Labour, Policy, Politicians // 3 Comments »

According to the the Daily Mail Labour MP Angela Smith is to resign from the government over plans to abolish the 10p tax rate, she is the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Treasury Minister Yvette Cooper.

This is going to be a blow for the government as it shows that at least one New Labour MP is prepared to put her constituents before the party.

The BBC has the story as well.

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Tags: BBC, Daily Mail, News, Politicians // Add Comment »