It's Show Time for the Politically Incompetent

According to Iain Martin in today’s Daily Telegraph “The Louise Mensch Show was always going to end in tears”.  While strictly speaking Mr Martin is correct I rather think this is a case of not seeing the wood for the trees.  Louise Mensch is just one instance among many of parliamentary candidates chosen or perhaps I should say appointed for the wrong reason.  Being young, female, attractive, a self-publicist, media savvy, ambitious are not in themselves bad things to be; but they don’t necessarily qualify you as a good MP.  If you want a profile of a good MP try some of the following attributes; public-spirited, a desire to put something back, someone who has experienced of life’s ups and downs, someone who has achieved something worthwhile, someone with a real connection to their constituency, someone who is chosen by their local party association.

Louise Mensch is just the latest in a string of sideshows that include the hapless Chloe Smith and the corrupt Baroness Warsi.  Interesting though these side shows are the real story is of parliamentary candidates appointed by central office for the wrong reasons.  That is not a sideshow but a Westminster blockbuster of a show that is going to end in tears and the curtain has only just gone up for the second act.

What is a Minister of Immigration for?

Yesterday immigration minister Damian Green announced that "It's time to stop just looking at numbers and for Britain to start being selective about who is allowed to enter the UK as an immigrant.".  Here are some of his proposals:

• 'We need to know not just that the right numbers of people are coming here, but that the right people are coming here. People who will benefit Britain, not just those who will benefit by Britain.’
• ‘Importing economic dependency on the State is unacceptable. Bringing people to this country who can play no role in the life of this country is equally unacceptable. ‘
• ‘Everyone who comes here must be selected to make a positive contribution. We have talked in the past about a Points Based System. In the future it will be more accurate to talk about a contribution-based system.'
• ‘Whether you come here to work, study, or get married, we as a country are entitled to check that you will add to the quality of life in Britain. ‘

I am sure Mr Green is acting with the best of intent, after all he can hardly hold a ministerial post, draw a ministerial salary and sit doing nothing.

These would have been cracking good suggestions twenty five to thirty years ago but for almost three decades we have had both an open door policy towards immigration and allowed the European Union to control immigration from within the EU.  As a result it is hard not ot conclude that these proposals are far too little, far too late.  This particular horse bolted many years ago.

To have any chance of being effective in today’s circumstances Mr Green would need to be proposing policies to take back powers to control our own borders from the European Union and for the forced repatriation of immigrants who abuse our hospitality.  Neither of these is ever going to happen or indeed even be proposed. It is therefore hard to escape the conclusion that the role of our immigration minister is simply to provide the public with an illusion of activity and progress, nothing more.

The longest journey starts with a single step

It would be churlish not to congratulate David Cameron for refusing to agree to yet another power grab by the European elite.  It may have been dressed up as another attempt to stabilise the euro but as they say; "there are no problems only opportunities".  This was an opportunity for the european elite to divest the UK of both sovereign powers to control our own currency and of a large amount of that currency.  It was an opportunity that we and in particular Mr Cameron could not afford to accept.

For having the courage to say no, we should offer our congratulations to David Cameron but even more so to all those rebel Conservative MPs who just a couple of weeks ago voted in favour of a referendum on our EU membership.  They more than anyone deserve our thanks for helping Mr Cameron discover that courage.

We should however be in no doubt that this is just one step on a journey which will take many years and much courage to complete.  On the question of Europe can I remind you that...

We are still members of that corrupt and undemocratic organisation known as the European Union, we still squander billions of pounds every year on policies and projects of dubious merit and lavish generous salaries and benefits on European bureaucrats, who so inefficiently implement them. 

The euro is still not stabilised and consequently still poses a huge risk to this country.  The other EU countries have agreed only to try and draft and sign up to a new treaty by March 2012.  I doubt the markets will give them that long.  Even if they get that far, I doubt if all 26 will end up signing the treaty.

The problems of Europe and the euro are still very much with us; but we have at long last taken a single step in the right direction.

Best Wishes,
Will

Another Pig to the Trough

May I introduce you to Anthea McIntyre, who has become the UK's latest MEP.  She was however not elected; she has been appointed by the Electoral Commission.  David Lidington a Foreign Office minister announced that after analysing the European elections results from 2009 the commission decided Miss McIntyre would have won if an election had taken place.   

The UK was awarded one of the eighteen extra seats created in the European Parliament as a result of the Lisbon treaty . 

Miss McIntyre - who has unsuccessfully stood for election  on a number of previous occasions - said she was thrilled  by the decision.  I'm sure she is since MEPs receive a salary of £84,000 plus other costs and expenses including a generous pension scheme which pushes the total cost to the taxpayer to more than £2 million a year per MEP.

When will hard pressed tax payers get a break?  Weighed down by those who abuse our generous welfare system.  Saddled with public servants who work fewer hours, earn more, retire earlier and receive more generous pensions than private sector employees.  Cheated by expense swindling politicians from local councillors to MPs and members of the House of Lords.  Fleeced by bankers who keep their gambling profits for themselves but expect tax payers to cover their losses.  The last thing UK tax payers need is yet another politician with their snout in the European trough.  Is there anybody at all who believes that Anthea McIntyre will make even the smallest scrap of difference to their quality of life.  It is rather like employing another sommelier for the first class dining room on the Titanic.

Lets hope the ship goes down soon.
Best Wishes
Will

Here's a Blairite sound bite for Cameron - Priorities, priorities, priorities

Mac in the Daily Mail is spot on with this one.



Has anyone told this "Conservative" "led" "government" that the tide has turned.

Best Wishes to all our service men and women
Will

Four Precious Days to unravel Twelve Years of Madness

Almost a year ago on 30th November 2010 I wrote

"I will be surprised if the euro still exists in it's current form in 2012 never mind 2013."

 While few would deny that it has been a tough year for the euro; it is still with us.  Will it make it into 2012?  I wouldn't bet on it and here's why.

The euro  is run by Germany; France dances around as if they are somehow important but basically Sarkozy is just a performing poodle, Merkel is the show girl, she calls the shots. 

Most of the past six months have been spent with world leaders notably China, USA - yes the UK as well - telling Angela Merkel to get a grip on the problem, by which they mean Germany must underwrite the debts of other euro zone countries.  Merkel meanwhile has been ignoring these pleas and relying on shovelling austerity medicine down the throats of Ireland, Italy, Greece and Portugal.  It's not been a pretty sight we have had bloodless coups in Italy and Greece which are now governed by unelected off shoots of the EU and we have had riots mainly in Greece but also in Italy, Spain and Portugal.  The really bad news is that the austerity medicine is not working Greece is just a couple of weeks away from default - it won't happen more taxpayers money will be thrown into the black hole - Portugal needs a second bailout and interest rates on Italian debt have nudged eight percent. 

It all change this week when the really powerful people told Merkel to get a grip on the situation.  The bond markets spoke when they failed to invest in German bonds to the tune of over €2 billion.  As a consequence interest rates on German bonds rose above UK gilts.  Merkel will not ignore these voices.

Merkel now knows austerity measures for the PIGS will not work on their own.  She must either gamble the economic prowess of Germany by underwriting the debts of all euro zone countries.  A decision that will be hugely unpopular in Germany and will certainly end her political career.  Alternatively Merkel can attempt to unravel the euro in a controlled manner; this is also a high risk option but she may well believe that at least the risks are shared with the other euro zone countries, not to mention most of the rest of the world.  That way everyone has a stake in a successful outcome.

Banks across Europe and many other countries around the world will close on Friday 23rd December and not reopen until Wednesday 28th December.  Four precious days to unravel twelve years of madness.

I'm sticking with my prediction.

Best Wishes

Will

Not Once in 32 years

Update to my earlier post; I have just found this graph on the Daily Mail web site. 

Over the years this adds up to a fair bit.
Best Wishes
Will