HAPPY NEW YEAR !

The Sun is over the yardarm, so,  it is time to crack open the Champagne/Port /wine/beer and wish readers a HAPPY NEW year and I pray that it will be a good one for all.  I am off now for a few glasses of red, so in my final post of 2009, I would like to say all the best to my readers, from Lavendon Hall this year! God bless !

Gentlemen do not take soup for luncheon : my thoughts on 2010

Herein are my “predictions”, hopes, fears and general musings on the year ahead. Some are serious, others tongue in cheek. I will let you decide which ones are which.

1. Labour will win by a tiny majority in the 2010 general election. David Davies will become Tory leader and take the party back to its traditional one-nation, conservative patriotic self.

2. There will be a sterling crisis on a scale not seen  since 1992. The FTSE 100 will also have its worst year ever and inflation will top 20%, as Brown cranks up the old Lady's priniting pressing to an ever more alarming degree  a la Zimbabwe/Weimar Republic (and denies hyper inflation worries as 'right wing propoganda') . However Brown's actions will usher in a new era of politics, Europe and in particular France and Germany do not help Britain during this crisis and it confirms in people’s minds that the UK is better off out of Europe, with this notion becoming a ‘respectable’ idea in the media and intelligentsia; the years 2010-2015 will be akin to the Major administration of 1992-1997, with labour going from one crisis to the next.

3. A new winter of discontent by public sector Trade Unions, who bring the country to a standstill. Royal Mail goes bankrupt.

4. The Liberals will become the fourth political party, when they agree to support labour on a majority of issues, loosing by-elections and dropping to 1% in the opinion polls. Clegg is forced out and is replaced by Vince Cable.

5. UKIP will become the third force in British politics and eventually merge with the Conservative party some time during the 2010-2015 Parliament.

6. Animals and trees will get the right to vote, under equality law. The first step will be to allow foxes the right to vote.

7. Imperial College to be re-branded to Ghandi College, as a politically correct response to a University founded to defend the British Empire. Harriet Harman calls this “a way of apologising to the rest of the world about the cruel and terrible British Empire”.

8. The Church of England will be swept by what people will later call “a new reformation”, in which Bible believing Bishops, Clergy and Laity rest control back from the liberal rot which is destroying the Church, the current occupant of the throne of Augustine, who is also a Druid, retires to contemplate the meaning of an egg mayonnaise sandwich and how this fits in with global warming and the theology of Numbers chapter 3 vs. 10. Meanwhile the new reformed Church gets on with her calling of evangelism, pastoral care and welfare, proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

9. On a personal note, I will become a millionaire (I start off  2010 as a trillionaire and let Brown tax me till the pips squeak).

10. And Finally; Gentlemen will still not take soup for luncheon.(I will be impressed if anyone can answer correctly, who said that, who he/she was and what year).

Carol of the day : Adeste Fideles [O come All Ye Faithful]

Happy Christmas to one and all! I hope you all have a good one.In terms of the number one carol, I  leave you all with a favourite of mine- O come all ye faithful/Ades­te Fi­de­les :

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

Refrain
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
Lo, He shuns not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;

Refrain

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;

Refrain

See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;

Refrain

Lo! star led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ Child bring our hearts’ oblations.

Refrain

Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly?

Refrain

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Carol Fest III: We Three Kings

I appreciate that the Church does have a separate festival for this, but I think that this is such a wonderful carol; it is worth posting on now. We have in this the Kings or Magi who bring to the baby Jesus three gifts - Gold, Incense and Myrrh. This represents Gold for the King of Kings; the Incense to worship God  of all and the Myrrh (an embalming oil or perfume) foreshadows the pain of the cross.

We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshipping God on high.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Carol Fest II : God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Yes it is certainly merry in Lavendon Hall right now and with good reason. We celebrate the birth of our saviour tonight,  and that does mean indeed that we can celebrate tidings of comfort  and joy. For that baby in a manger would grow up to become a man, who would teach, challenge and rebuke. And would save the world by dying on a cross and rising again. Whoever believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life. O tidings of comfort and joy indeed.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
to save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

"Fear not then," said the Angel,
"Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan's power and might."

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find.

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Carol fest I : The Holly and The Ivy

The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet saviour

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn.

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I'm now winding down for Christmas, so I will be blogging very little during the next two weeks , but I may surface from time to time. Anyhow, I have a long day ahead of me (Midnight Holy Communion tonight), so I had better make use of the time . It only leaves me to wish very one a very Merry Christmas and a Happy new year .And I  may post a few more of my favourite carols as the day goes on- any requests?

Why I do not think TV debates for the general election is the way forward

Pressed for time and I understand some readers feel I am verbose, but I have jotted down why I oppose this one, I would state clearly that I am not trying to make a party political point here:

1. This does not fit into our constitutional arrangement- Nick Robinson of the BBC talks lyrically about the UK being a democracy and this will be what every other country in the world (a sweeping statement I know) would expect. Wrong! The Queen appoints the Prime Minister from the largest party in Parliament or the one, which can command a majority. Thus no one actually votes for the Prime Minister, unless you actually live in that particular leaders area. So it makes little sense to talk about this being a democratic decision.

2. Fairness- why, prey tell, is it only the leaders of the three main parties being included in the debate? Why not the SNP, Plaid, UKIP, the BNP, the Greens and the Libertarians? It seems to be the fashion to want to exclude the SNP, for example, because they have no chance of winning a UK general election. But does anyone with a brain really think that the liberals are going to win the 326 seats required to win? So why are they being included and the others excluded? Also why on earth have separate Welsh and Scottish debates including the SNP and Plaid Cymru and NO separate English debates? This is a gross injustice to the English electorate.

3. Not the British way - I would be more responsive to these debates if I thought they would debate the issues of the day in a robust and honest fashion. But I can only see this descending into some form of beauty contest, at worst, or at best, being used to score cheap political points (e.g. Tory cuts vs. labour investment, the liberals trying to get on the anti-politics a plague on both their houses meme). No, we don't want to go down the US route of personality politics. Also because of point 2, the issue of Europe will not be debated- because all three parties broadly support the EU- why not give a counter viewpoint a la farge and UKIP?

I would like to conclude with the BBC’s Nick Robinson who says the debates will allow for a “chance to see and hear and judge those who would lead them and then to vote- err, well we have always have documents called manifestos, which the intelligent voter can read to decide how to vote. Or the intelligent reader might want to vote for their MP because her or she is a good ‘local candidate’. I really did wish the metropolitan elite could realise all the above, before pronouncing this as a natural or even a good extension of the general election campaign.

Carol of the week - In the Bleak Mid Winter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Words: Christina Rossetti 1872, Music Gustav T. Holst 1906


And why have a chosen this, one might ask? Well, it seems quite fitting with the current climate! But the real reason is that it happens to be a favourite of mine. The second verse in particular, sums up the mystery and magnificance of the gentle helpless babe in the manger who was our God and king, while the last verse reminds us that everyone is welcome to come to Jesus and we should be humbled by this amazing revelation. In all, I do find that this carol in particular sums up the Christian message of the glory of God and His forgiveness, hope and love.

I would welcome any other readers thoughts on this great carol, does anyone else have a favourite?

snow, snow and snow

Sorry for not posting much this morning, but the white stuff landed overnight, although it could have been worse (I'd say about a foot of snow) . The village does look beautiful , but I appreciate it can be the height of frustration if one is in a car or trying to comute by train today.  The driveway to Lavendon Hall is like a giant ice rink, so I have been trying to defrost it with some salt, but it is extremly cold out there. I would muse though, that a Russian colleague of the Duchess said to her in Moscow it is minus 20! Oh, us weak Brits eh? (but then we are not used to this type of weather, really). I'm monitoring the weather because the Duchess is in London at present and apparently there may be some further bad weather coming along.

Feel free to share you anecdotes or stories about this spell of weather in the thread below .

I'm being childish but........

.........where, pray tell, BBC is the 'heavy snow' that is predicted for my area of the UK? The BBC weather forcecast stated that at 3.00pm we were to have  a 'light snow shower', at 18.00pm were were to expect 'heavy snow', followed by some 'light snow' at 21.000hrs. Yet, whilst is is freezing here at Lavendon Hall, we have had zero snow.  Also the met office proclaims that there was an 80% chance of this happening...... looks like the other 20% got it right. Although, I reckon it might snow heavily during the night, but then it might be 'too cold to snow'......

Douglas Carswell Submits In or Out referendum Bill on EU in the House of Commons

There have already been other blog articles about this one, but I thought I would add my sixpence worth as well. This is a welcome move by one of the more independent minded Conservative MPs. Doubtless he will be punished by the leadership for even having the audacity to think for himself, but as I have always said Parliament does require mavericks and independence of spirit –from all sides of the House. As far as the issue itself is concerned, I really cannot grasp why Cameron didn’t simply implement this as policy, rather than going down the road that he did once Lisbon had been ratified. It would have made perfect sense to call for an in or out referendum, because both the mainstream euro sceptics and the smaller pro- European section could have united around a stance. And it would have outflanked UKIP. But never mind. At least there are still people in the Conservative party who are not simply drones of the leadership.

The other thought I have is that, whereas Euro sceptics are quite happy to put the issue of Europe to a vote, the Pro -EUers always seem to want to hide behind the fact we have by and large a Parliamentary system. True and whilst I do ‘trust the people’ on this matter, I think if a Conservative majority was so inclined they could simply implement a withdrawal from Europe using Parliament. Whilst I could see the Pro-EUers kicking up a fuss about this, the retort would be, well this is precisely how you have gotten us into the morass of the EU in the first place, so why not exit in a similar fashion. But either way, I would have full confidence in the British people, that they would regain their common sense in any referendum and vote yes to withdrawal from the EU.

On another matter- with all the talk of global warming and climate conferences, is it just I or is it absolutely freezing at the present? We have snow forecast for this afternoon over hear and tomorrow; it’s more like global cooling. Perhaps the global warming people need to change their tune? Or does that make me a climate change ‘denier’ (and what would the climate change ‘Spanish inquisition’ do?).

In praise of Frank Field MP

As readers will know socialist is not a dish served on this blog. However, I have to confess, that I have been reading the labour MP Frank Field's blog more and more. And I have to say that I am in agreement with a lot of what he has to say, especially about the economic situation of the UK.

One thing that this country needs is a strong Parliament and Mr Field is one of those Parliamentarians who is independent enough to disagree with his own party when he thinks it is wrong. Mr Field also offers well reasoned arguments for his policy positions and is prepared to discuss non- conventional solutions to the nation's problems; contrast this with the intellectual vacuity of  labour's official 'twitter tsar's' blog. He is an old-fashioned conviction politician, but some one who also knows how to work with MP's from other parties.

There was a Tory attempt to persuade Mr Field to cross the floor of the House. I can see why he would not be taken on the offer, because he has not changed, his party has, so why should he be forced to move out of the party which he decided to join many, many years ago? I would describe him not as 'old' labour, but as 'real' labour; the moderate party of the centre-left, which was perfectly capable of being patriotic and which owed more to Christian conviction than Marxist teaching; indeed Mr Field is a Christian and  a practising Anglican. How different the labour party is today; I do not believe that this requires any further explanation, as readers know what this party has now become already.

The article on Mr Field's blog, which I refer to, suggests a perfect storm of economic catastrophe if the deficit is not dealt with now; if a hung parliament is an outcome of the next election, it may mean a grand coalition of labour and conservative, to get the country through any economic catastrophe. I am sure that Mr Field would and should be given a place in the Cabinet, if that were to happen, because in politics, you sometimes do require people on the other side that you can do business with .

Evangelism does not have to be tub thumping......

On Friday, I was doing a brief 4-mile walk around the village and at the end part of my walk bumped into our Churchwarden, who was delivering some invitation cards for our Churches Christmas services. I agree to deliver a few around another part of the village and on Saturday I was happily posting these through people’s letterboxes. A few people were outside, either attending to their gardens or doing this and that. It was a good opportunity to talk about the Church and inviting them along. This might be considered to be ‘soft’ evangelism, but in my book, it is better to engage in evangelistic activity than not to engage in it at all. With prayer, we will get a good attendance at our Christmas services and God willing, interest in the gospel message of love, hope and redemption.

Hymn of the week- O Lord the Clouds Are Gathering !

O Lord, the clouds are gathering
The fire of judgement burns
How we have fallen!
O Lord, you stand appalled to see
Your laws of love so scorned
And lives so broken

Have mercy, Lord, (Men)
Have mercy, Lord, (Women)
Forgive us, Lord, (Men)
Forgive us, Lord (Women)
Restore us, Lord (All)
Revive your church again
Let justice flow (Men)
Let justice flow (Women)
Like rivers (Men)
Like rivers (Women)
And righteousness like a never failing stream (All)

O Lord, over the nations now
Where is the dove of peace?
Her wings are broken
O Lord, while precious children starve
The tools of war increase Their bread is stolen

Have mercy, Lord, (Men)
Have mercy, Lord, (Women)
Forgive us, Lord, (Men)
Forgive us, Lord (Women)
Restore us, Lord (All)
Revive your church again
Let justice flow (Men)
Let justice flow (Women)
Like rivers (Men)
Like rivers (Women)
And righteousness like a never failing stream (All)

O Lord, dark powers are poised to flood
Our streets with hate and fear
We must awaken!
O Lord, let love reclaim the lives
That sin would sweep away
And let your kingdom come

Have mercy, Lord, (Men)
Have mercy, Lord, (Women)
Forgive us, Lord, (Men)
Forgive us, Lord (Women)
Restore us, Lord (All)
Revive your church again
Let justice flow (Men)
Let justice flow (Women)
Like rivers (Men)
Like rivers (Women)
And righteousness like a never failing stream (All)

Yet, O Lord, your glorious cross shall tower
Triumphant in this land
Evil confounding
Through the fire your suffering church display
The glories of her Christ
Praises resounding!

Have mercy, Lord, (Men)
Have mercy, Lord, (Women)
Forgive us, Lord, (Men)
Forgive us, Lord (Women)
Restore us, Lord (All)
Revive your church again
Let justice flow (Men)
Let justice flow (Women)
Like rivers (Men)
Like rivers (Women)

And righteousness like a never failing stream (All)

Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1987 Make Way Music,
http://www.grahamkendrick.co.uk/

Is it time for a super tax on MPs and other musings?

Whilst we are all in a baying populist mood, what with taxing bankers for 50% of their ill-gotten gains, I have also thought we should slap on a super -tax onto our MP's. The expenses scandal was after all; second only to the banker's in the 'court of public opinion'. Especially as we heard yesterday there was one MP who allegedly tried to claim for a repair to his bell tower. OK so it might be unfair to target all MP's, what about the Cabinet and previous government ministers?

After all, it only seems right, given the economic state of the country, so I have included from the Treasury's pre-budget report, 'tractor stats ' at the end of the post.

Readers will note that the treasury expects a rapid increase in GDP after 2010, at a rate of 3-5% a year. Fantastic growth, what's going to happen after 2010 to make this occur? Apparently this is due to quantitative easing...

Note also that even with the deficit in half programme we are still going to rack up £789 billion of new debt. By 2015 our national debt will be £1,473 billion. These figures are based on extremely optimistic revenue projections, so that the exchequer will gain £196 billion in new revenue over 5 years (!) and spending is also set to increase by over £100 billion by 2015; although much of this is a reflection on the government paying down the debt plus interest as it is due and larger increases in social security (as it anticipates more unemployment until 2011).

Therefore,along with tax increases already announced,  there is going to be a real squeeze on the spending departments.

Anyway, back to halving the deficit; Darling claimed to be able to do this via savings, public sector pensions and pay freezes and some privatisations, these all amount to £32 billion. The national insurance will provide about £4billion a year (£20 billion or so over 5), so I wonder where the other £32 billion is going to come from? More taxes rises or cuts?

The Institute for fiscal studies believe that there is an implied £36 billion cut in departmental spending in the forecasts....

And these tax increases and spending cuts are required just to cut the rate at which we borrow into half and over 5 years and quite how we are going to be able to manage and pay back £1,473 billion of government debt is quite frightening, but it seems that  under labour's plan it will take a whole generation to pay off. Darling’s strategy is based upon the assumption that the government can actually sell at least £789 billion plus of debt ; given the gilt market reaction yesterday, we may have to close the gaps a lot sooner. Especially if the polls narrow and a hung Parliament beckons......

1. GDP 2008 to 2012

2008- £1,448 billion
2009- £1,400 billion
2010- £1,460 billion
2011- £1,539 billion
2012- £1,633 billion

2. Budget deficits 2009- 2015 (Net Borrowing requirement)
2009- £178 billion
2010- £176 billion
2011- £140billion
2012- £117 billion
2013- £96 billion
2014- £82 billion
Total : £789 billion

3.National debt 2008-2015
2009- £618 billion
2010- £799billion
2011- £986billion
2012- £1139 billion
2013- £1277billion
2014- £1379billion
2015-£1473 billion

4.All Tax recepits 2009-2015
2009- £498 billion
2010- £530billion
2011- £576billion
2012- £617 billion
2013- £656billion
2014- £694billion

5.Public Expenditure 2009-2015
2009- £675 billion
2010- £707billion
2011- £716billion
2012- £734billion
2013- £752billion
2014- £776billion

The politics of the Pre-budget report : labour's dividing lines and class war

Make no mistake readers, this pre-budget was the deepest and worse kind of political spin, deceit and general rot that we have become used to from this government.  It could have been  an opportunity forlabour to rise above party politics and act in the national interest.

Instead and I have to say this, with real regret, labour ducked the chance to put their country before party yesterday and instead used the occasion to indulge in what they believe will shore up their core vote, namely,trying to create dividing lines and secondly attempting to fool the public regarding their fantasy class war.

First let me tackle the dividing lines with an apt but ludicrous example of the political spin, which we had to endure yesterday from the mouth of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling:

“There is a growing international consensus, although unfortunately not in this House, that we must act now to protect people and to help pull our economies out of recession. For there is a choice. You can choose to walk away, let the recession take its course, adopting a sink or swim attitude, letting families go to wall.

This is the no action plan. Or you could, as I have decided, as have governments of every shade around the world, to support businesses and families, by increasing borrowing, which will also reduce the impact and length of the recession."

This section of Darling’s speech neatly sums up the spin of this government, they try and justify that vast and unaffordable increases in public expenditure because the economic crisis which has engulfed the world. This is utter, utter rubbish.

For a start the vast increases in the public purse result from, labour’s pre-planned increases on sectors such as health and education; the remainder of the deficit comes from the vast outlays of social security payments, now that there are almost 2,000,000 on the dole- £40 a week for an unemployed person with a family and a large mortgage is not going to prevent families ‘going to the wall’. For a second the ‘stimulus’ this government has undertaken has been pumped into banks and not to ‘Joe public’, some £850 billion of it. Third the stimulus, which the government specifically brought about, the cut in VAT, is being withdrawn. Fourth, the Bank of England’s stimulus, the infamous quantitative easing programme is going to be withdrawn by January. Fifth, Darling claimed he was pumping in £20 billion of stimulus via way of capital expenditure. This being money robbed from future budget plans, can hardly be called a new spend, it was just brought forward. The economic impact of this, in the short term, is therefore going to be minimal (as it takes time to organise contracts, start building, etc etc).

A similar attempt to create dividing lines can be seen in the national insurance rises; they have protected most of their own supporters (those on less than £20,000 a year) from this increase. Yet they are quite happy to tax the 11,000,000 people who earn above £20,000 a year from a 1% increase, as well as their employers. Why this tax? Because the tories had indicated they were going to reverse the increase. Dividing lines yes, good for the economy and the country? No. Will it reduce the deficit ? £4 billion a year against a deficit of £175 billion gives you the answer.

I would implore readers not to be taken in by the labour spin that says contracting the budget deficit too early would be harmful or that this expenditure is somehow stimulating the economy. It is not. It is just an opportunity for labour to continue with its wild spending binge, whilst it still can, so as to make it extremely difficult for an incoming Tory administration from making necessary steps to curb the excessive spending.

Turning now to the fantasy class war which labour is indulging in. The methods to do this are the idea that you can soak the rich is now popular. The way of doing this until now was the 50% super income tax for those who earn £150,000. Ouch. But as labour argue, this only affects a very small part of the population, so it is OK to give the so-called fat cats what for. Except that these are the people who are the most upwardly mobile people in the country, who can retreat to tax heavens such as Switzerland. Thus putting the burden onto the average working family.

The second party of labour’s fantasy class war can be seen in the banker’s bonuses tax row; a populist tax on the so-called greedy bankers; a 50% tax the income of which will pay for jobs for young people. The solution is wrong; how can the government force young people into jobs, create jobs and force companies to hire them? The reality is that  this is a populist gesture. It underminds the general rule that tax is paid by the general populance,  not a select group of people . Who will be declared an enemy of the state in the next crisis ?  It would have been more beneficial for the government to have made a jesture re the bank charges or to require them to state exactly how the nationalised banks are going to repay the money the government gave to them.

So politically this was an attempt at dividing lines and class warfare.  Labour have given up the centre ground, instead they are fighting a rearguard action for their core vote. They no longer care about  ruling in the national interest. They should make way for those that do, sooner rather than later. This pre-budget report is a strategic political disaster for labour and the country.  Economically it was a disaster as well, but that is a story for another post.

Reactions to the Pre-budget report

Watched the Chancellor's speech, made a few notes and am currently ploughing through the 216 page pre-budget report. Will put on  a more detailed post once I have all my thoughts together.

My initial thought is, they are still announcing new spending measures, without really saying how they will 'cut the deficit in half' (by 2015!). In total, even with Darling's figures we are going to run by a deficit of £800 billion over the next 5 years and this is on the basis of 3.5% growth (which for a mature economy like ours would be considered to be a 'boom'). How are they going to secure or ring fence education and health (2 of the biggest spending areas) whilst cutting this deficit and pay back £800 billion?

The legacy of dealing with this government's debt is going to be with us for a generation. I also can’t believe that Flanders, the BBC’s economics editor didn’t think the borrowing was too bad! That is the BBC for you I suppose (hence why the are under the ‘socialist’ section of my blog roll).

Also I thought Cameron was a bit lame at PMQ's . Osborne was better. Real attack mode stuff, which is what we want for morale purposes.

In the meantime, please feel free to leave your reactions.

Before the main event …..

Today’s main event will be the Chancellor’s pre-budget report. I will of course do an article on this once it is announced.

Much has been made about the potential for a banker’s tax on their bonuses, but this is a side issue. The markets are looking to see how serious and credible the Chancellor is on dealing with the mega debt Britain is building up. The government cannot afford to go ahead with a stimulus package. If they did it would provoke chaos in the markets and whilst many would say, who cares about that, we must remember that if the markets take fright then the cost of repaying that debt will shoot up. And that will mean more pain and misery for everyone else in the long term.

In fact there seems to be a myth that the markets are putting their judgement on hold, until after the election, as the City expects the Tories to do labour’s dirty work for them. This may have been the case when the Tories were streets ahead in the polls. However the City is not stupid and they read opinion polls as well, which at present are indicating a fragile conservative victory or a hung parliament. With this in mind, if the Chancellor starts some pre-election giveaway or fails to convince markets about a deficit reduction plan, then the markets could go into chaos.

The markets hate uncertainty and in this atmosphere I could well see the potential for a sterling or gilt crisis, in which the pound plummets and in which no-one will buy new UK government debt (or gilts); especially as there is a heck of a lot of misinformation out there (look at what the BBC’s business editor, did to the markets last year with his reporting of the financial crisis). There are signs of this already; at present the cost of insuring UK government debt is around the same as Portugal (whose national debt is 85% of GDP, we are forecast at 65%) and Moody’s has put the UK ‘on notice’ about her prized triple A credit rating. A serious government debt or Sterling crisis may happen sooner than people think, if Darling does not put country before party today.

I wish I could cheer up but.......

Depressed. Fed up. Could do with being cheered up.

A few years ago the Duchess and myself considered a life in Switzerland- beautiful country, nice people and a place to do business in. We decided against this proposition and elected to say and fight for England. But as I survey the wreak our once great country has become, I feel evermore depressed by what I see, it is a troubled time in which we live :

· We are waging a bloody war without the troops getting the full support of either the public or the government who has sent them there.

· Then there is the creation of the European Empire. We are no longer a sovereign state capable of making our own choices and decisions. This is not just about the odious Lisbon treaty, but in other areas in which Britain gave up even before that treaty was signed. One example is that in return for London being the European regulatory centre for Banking Alistair Darling had already signed away our insurance &pensions and derivative regulation to Frankfurt and Paris. This may not seem much, but believe me, when the next crisis comes it will do.

· Then there is this climate change conference. A chance for the world's elite to pontificate and hob knob with each other. Forget about the poor, needy, homeless, the victims of the financial crisis of the past 2 years.

· There was an article in this week’s Sunday Times about the fact that by 2015 we will not even be in the top 10 economic powers (we were 4th when this current regime took over, now we are 7th!). It would seem we are back to the bad old days of being content to manage our decline into a third world nation.

· Our education system is being dismantled. Intellectual rigour and a place at university based on merit are being replaced with the class war. Equality of outcome has become more important than the equality of opportunity. A prosperous nation requires good universities and good universities require intelligent and erudite people to study at them. They do not require people placed there via social engineering. And certainly universities do not need to facilitate Mickey mouse subjects. Any government, which attacks Universities as centres of learning, sows the seeds of  a nation's destruction.

· The general decline in morals and deceny in this country. Also the decline in the Church, specifically the established Church. Whilst there are many, many good people 'on the ground in both the clergy and layity our national Church leadership seems to go from crisis to crisis - be it on the subject of Rome's approach to parts of the Church of England or on the issue of gay Vicars. There is , I feel, very little emphasis by the current occupant of the throne of st Augustine on the Jesus who lived, died and rose again; it is as if the feeling is on one of managing the Church to eventual decline and non- existence.

· The lack of any really credible leadership by the conservative party.  Cameron has in effect abandoned the Euroskeptics within his own party, whereas he could have simply suggested an in or out vote. Now the Tories will be looking over their shoulder, to UKIP,  in every marginal .Where is our Churchill, our Disraeli, Baldwin, who can unite the nation and lead it during these troubling times?

· Finally tomorrow is the Pre-Budget report. Which will really be depressing- massive government borrowing, propped up by printing money, populist taxes on bankers, some as yet unknown tax or spend ‘giveaway’ to the general populace, whilst the country heads to bankruptcy and finally we will be squeezed till the pips squeak.

Sigh!
Perhaps we should have popped over to Switzerland after all?

Copenhagen , it's a circus , but thank God for the USA constiution

I am feeling rather jealous that I cannot be amongst the 15,000 world leaders, politicians, advisers, spin doctors, journalists or general hangers on, who will doubtless be settling into a three course banquet with luxurious wine and food, for a two week jolly jape  conference to save the world, at the Copenhagen climate change conference.

There have been the usual platitudes that this is the time to save the world, dire warnings if no agreement is reached etc. The green lobby is going full on to set the agenda. There is little thought about other pressing issues; world poverty, homelessness and economic turmoil. Naturally Gordon Brown has already solved all three. Naturally this is going to be his legacy before his defeat next year.

Yet there is a glimmer of hope and this is thanks to the English writers of the USA constitution. Any agreement /treaty has to get the approval of a two-thirds majority of the US Senate. I cannot see the support in that body. Thank God. The last time there was anything like this, i.e. pretentions to a world government, was at Versailles at the end of the first world war. We all know what happened after that treaty was put into force. And we all know that contemporaries forgot to read the constitution of the United States of America. But at least the 15,000 people involved in this conference will have  a good old knees up. And Copenhagen will get a tourist boost from all the hotels that have been booked up.

As for his Lordship, I will just have to content myself with a nice bottle of Chateau Lafite.

Hymn of the week- and can it be?

Aside from attending Church today, we have have had to do our Christmas shopping , so I now now quite tired and done in.  Therefore my posts are going to go back a bit, so my apologises for not writing much today. In respect to the hymn of the week I  was reminded of this hymn was I was strugging through the multiple crowds of the Milton Keynes shopping centre , as it was about this time of year many years ago when I was confirmed. And this hymn was sung at that ceremony. I think that this is the focus of most Church goers, not the political machinations of the US Anglican Church, who have yet again stuck two fingers up to the ABC with their extreme liberalism.

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own!

Charles Wesley, 1738. Music: Thomas Campbell, 1825

The Turnip Talibans will not like this ....

His Grace is currently researching the topic for Sunday's blog, until then, I though I would write about some local news. Now every month, through the letter box, we get a local free magazine called 'phonebox'. It is very interesting and is really about the local news in and around the 2 larger villages/towns Olney, Newport Pagnell and the surrounding villages (such as Lavendon).

The letters have previously centred  around whether or not to have a Tesco Metro (yes, Olney did get a Tesco Metro- but comments were along the lines of  total opposition to anything like a Tesco or that any major brand shop 'should at least be a Waitrose or Marks and Spencer' etc or whether or not a particular shop in the high street should be allowed to be coloured in purple).

I am sure that the January edition will provoke further letters  of fury from these Turnip Talibans, because of the front page of the December issue, as it has on its cover a young lady in lingerie . I have provided a link here. You are of course free to make your own minds up. Personally I can't see the harm. But I am sure some of the residents who had this magazine will be complaining in their mince pies even now.

Who is Top of the Toffs?

Right toff pickers, given that Labour want to make the next election into one about class warfare, I have decided to do a countdown on the most toff –tastic Tory Prime Ministers since 1900. I have awarded each Prime Minister a certain amount of points, based upon family background, education and career before politics. If the background is, say aristocracy, they have been awarded a maximum of 5 points, if the education is private, then they get full 5 points (if it is somewhere like Eton or Harrow). Likewise if the university is either Oxford or Cambridge, they will score well in the toff tastic score of 5 out of 5. If the background of our PM’s is, say an aristocrat they get 5 points, professional 4, dustbin man 1 etc.

So the top of the Toff ,  in descending order:

12. John Major (1990-1997) – 7/20 Son of a music hall entertainer, who got 3 ‘o’ levels and didn’t go to university. He rose up through the ranks of a merchant bank, before entering politics.

11. Margaret Thatcher (1979 to 1990)-12/20, daughter of a grocer, the first women PM of the UK went to Oxford and later became a chemist.

10. Edward Heath (1970-1974) – 12/20, son of a carpenter. Educated at a Grammar School, then Balliol College, Oxford. Before politics he was a journalist, civil servant and soldier.

Oh dear, so far the Tories are not doing well on the toff stakes…

9. Andrew Bonar Law (1922-1923)- 14/20, son of a Church of Scotland Minister (sound familiar?), Bonar Law, was educated at the University of Glasgow and educated at a private school in Scotland. He was a businessman before entering politics. Also, to my own knowledge, the first Prime Minister not to be actually born in Britain (New Brunswick, in what would become Canada).

8. Neville Chamberlain (1937-1940) – 15/20, son of Joseph Chamberlain, a great British statesman, who was a wealthy industrialist, businessman and politician. He was educated a rugby school and Mason Science College in Birmingham. Before entering politics he too was in business.

Oh dear, where are those Tory Toffs??

7. Harold Macmillan (1957-1963) - 15/20- Macmillan was the son of a businessman (publisher), who was educated at Eton, but did not complete his studies at Oxford, because of his disgust at the slaughter of WWI, before politics he was a soldier and a businessman.

6. Anthony Eden (1954-1957)– 15/20 Ah! Our first Prime Minister with an aristocratic background, Eden was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and was more or less into politics all of his life.

5. Winston Churchill (1940-1945, 1951-1954)- 16/20- Our second Prime Minister with an aristocratic background, but he did not have a title himself, the greatest Briton of all time was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst (but not Oxbridge). His career before (and during politics) was varied- journalist, soldier, writer, painter and all round British patroit.

4. Stanley Baldwin (1923-1924, 1924-1929, 1935-1937)- 17/20- Baldwin was not an aristocrat, but was the son of a wealthy businessman. Before entering politics, Baldwin ran the family business. Educated at Harrow and Trinity College Cambridge.

So where the devil are all our Tory aristocratic toffs??

3. Arthur Balfour (1902-1905)- 18/20- Balfour was from the aristocracy and related to the ancient Cecil family. He was educated at Eton and then Trinity College Cambridge. He was more or less involved in politics throughout his long life.

2.Alec Douglas Home (1963-1964) – 20/20 A real toff, who inherited a title and half of Scotland upon his father’s death. This aristo was educated at Eton and Christ Church Oxford

1. Lord Salisbury (1895-1902)- 20/20. Another toff, who was in the long line of Cecil’s, who had served the country since at least Elisabeth I’s time. This aristocrat was educated at Eton and Christ Church Oxford.

So,  the last 3 Conservative Prime Ministers have come from working class backgrounds and have risen to their position through hard work and determination; the 3 real tory toffs come from 1900, an era which is unrecognisable today. In fact you could argue that the last Conservative Prime Minister was the most working class of the lot.
 
 if Labour had its way today, Churchill, would not be considered for high office as he would be a 'tory toff''. 

As for labour.....

The most working class labour Prime Minister was Ramsay Mcdonald. Yet labour consider him to be a class traitor for forming a coalition with the Conservatives in the 1930s.
 
So  labour comrades don't even like it when a working class man is Prime Minister, oh dear.....
 
Labour's most electorally successful Prime Minister, Tony Blair was educated at a fee paying school and Oxford and was a lawyer before entering politics
 
hardly the background of  a working  class Comrade

So please chaps in the labour party , stop this silly class war strategy before it even gets off the ground- it is pointless and  you should be thinking of the real issues - jobs, crime, europe, the economy, etc,  etc.

Labour's strategy for the general election

Nick Robinson had an interesting post a few days ago, on why Gordon Brown was at last smiling. It would seem from reading his piece and reviewing blogs of various parties, that the left have agreed a strategy for the next election. And no it is not going to be a positive one.

Here is my summary on what the  labour strategy is:

1. Afghanistan – this war is deeply unpopular with our extreme left wing and the public are tiring of British casualties; we are loosing support on this issue, so we shall let military strategy according to political calculations. We will set a timetable for the troops to come home (even though this might not be militarily possible). This will placate the left (and we hope) stop this as an issue in voters minds.

2. Clear dividing lines – we can bribe people before the election with throwaway promises which will have to be withdrawn after the election is over, because we really know that the country cannot afford this, the deficit is being paid for by printing money, but that will not last soon. Let us say we will tax the rich (i.e. the Tories) until the ‘pips squeak’ as it is a recession and we can get away with this type of witch-hunt. Let’s portray the Tories as the party of the rich and challenge them to reverse the tax cuts. And also not tell voters that the rich always have ways of moving their cash to where the HM revenue cannot get at it , perfectly legally. It will be the PAYE income tax payers who will really foot the bill.

3. Class Warfare -Let us attack the Tories as out of date toffs and see how many multi millionaires they have in their ranks. We are jealous of wealth creation and rich people. Even though we sucked up to them in the Blair era. That was when they gave us donations. Let us also forget that 18% of labour MP's also went to fee paying schools ; that 64% went to University and 16% Oxbridge. Let us also not mention that in the party of the so-called working classes, only 10% of labour MP's have a 'manual' background. That 40% are from the white collar professions, 7% from a business background and 17% political organisers or professional politicians. We will hope no-one mentions this and that we can get the genie back into the bottle, once we release our class warfare attack dogs.

To my mind this reinforces my feeling that labour are not intent upon attempting to win an election. Labour’s strategy, it would appear, is to try and get their ‘core vote’ out and force a hung parliament, perhaps in some desire to form a coalition with the liberals or just because they vehemently do not want a Tory government. At the same time they seem hell –bent on pursuing party politics over the Afghanistan war, committing the country to unaffordable spending and finally to attempt to shore up the core vote by initiating a class war election.

Will this work? Perhaps. Labour does not need to be even neck and neck to create a hung parliament. They only need to reduce the Tory poll to around 36% of the vote. So they need to shift about 4% from current polls. So if they continue with this political strategy it could yet work. But don’t bet on labour being in power with the liberals. But that is another story.

Politics and the commerical world collide

A banking story today.

The RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland or to English readers the National Westminster Bank) board has threatened to resign if Alistair Darling (Chancellor of the Exchequer) vetoes their proposed £2,000 million bonus pot for the bankers. Clearly this is an emotive issue for taxpayers; they see banks on the verge of collapse last year and then these said banks being given billions in state aid, only to see the banks as the ones making the most money in this recession (which in their view they created), whilst every one else suffers, the bankers still get their multi million bonuses (even though the average wage is about £20,000 and banks like the RBS would not exist if it was not for the Treasury using the bloke who pays tax on his £20k a year to bail them out).

This does on the face of it appear to be an unfair proposition. The RBS counter that they require paying out these bonuses because they have to bring the RBS back to profitability, so that the government can unwind its share holdings at either the same amount they put in or at a profit. If they do not pay the bonuses, so the argument goes, their best (i.e. the ones who make the most money) staff will leave to rivals such as Goldman, Morgan Stanley, and Barclays etc.

My own conclusion is that the government is caught between two fires. On the one hand it has to nod in the direct of the 'court of public opinion' and the anger over the bonus situation and on the other, the government was pledged not to politically interfere with the operations or running of the bank (Stephen Hester's pre-condition).

So will the government break this promise and start to make political decisions rather than commercial ones? (Which is in essence the core of the argument between the two sides). Given that we are close to an election, to my mind it is inconceivable that Darling would not hesitate to make political capital out of this. But in the long term that will be bad for RBS and the government may never be able to sell it back to the market.

The alternative could be that the government stopped pretending there is any difference between the 70% ownership and full nationalisation; if there were not then we would not be having this discussion now (the government could not veto anything) and simply treat this like a nationalised industry. Then the government could use RBS to pump money into the economy (as the Chinese have done) and get the economy back on track. That is what, I would have thought, is a fair left of centre view. But the problem is that this current government is a giant third way fudge, it is reluctant to 100% nationalise for fear of being like old labour. It is too late for that and if they had integrity to their own socialist beliefs that is what they would do now.

What is the conservative answer I hear you say? Well if it were left to me I would simply but all of the RBS loan book into a separate government owned vehicle and split what's left into various parts and sell them on (e.g. the insurance division, the English bank Nat West, their global offices) and start again with fresh capital (i.e. cash). It would not be pretty and we could potentially realise large losses, but my response would be that we are cutting our losses before the RBS has to start tapping the £300 billion government asset protection scheme. We would avoid the Japanese experience of 'Zombie banks'.

Lord Lavendon's covenant with Great Britain for 2010

I [You Name] Paul M. Lavendene , 10th Duke of Lavendon, do Solemly swear by Almighty God to be a true and faithful Servant of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II , Her Heirs and successors , according to law. I [we] shall to my uttermost bear Faith and Allegiance to the Queen's Majesty; and will assist and defend all civil and temporal Jurisdictions, Pre-eminences, and Authorities, granted to Her Majesty and annexed to the Crown by Acts of Parliament, or otherwise, against all Foreign Princes, Persons, Prelates, States, or Potentates. And generally in all things I [we] will do as a faithful and true Servant ought to do to Her Majesty.

As Conservative members of and candidate for election to the High Court of Parliament and as subjects seeking to address the wrongs of the British people, I[we] propose not just to change Parliament’s policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the subjects of this realm and their elected Represtatives and Lords.That is why, in this era of official evasion, posturing, spin and deceit, we [I] offer instead a detailed agenda for national salvation and renewal, a written commitment with no fine print.

This year’s election offers the change, after 13 years of labour party control, to bring to Parliament a new majority that will transform the way Parliament works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, too politically correct and too flush with the public’s money. It can be the beginning of a Parliament that respects the values of Christ's Church and shares the faith in the family.

Like the founder of One Nation Conservatism, Benjamin Disraeli we are“conservatives to preserve all that is good in our constitution, Radicals to remove all that is bad. We seek to preserve property and to respect order and we equally decry the appeal to the passions of the many or the prejudices of the few”. We aim to make this country proud again and to be a free people who govern themselves.

On the first day of the new sitting of Parliament, the new conservative majority will immediately propose the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the British people in their government, subject to free full and open debate,  and aim to implement within the first 100 days of the new Parliament’s sitting :

First: The British Sovereignty Restoration Bill – Which will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act and confirm that the British Parliament is Sovereign in our realm. The bill will provide ministers of the crown with the necessary authority to withdraw from the European Union, the tyranny of the European Court of Justice and or Human rights. The bill will allow Ministers of the Crown to put before Parliament proposals to join the North American Free Trade Area and to open negotiations with the Russian Federation for a guaranteed supply of energy. Furthermore the bill will allow Ministers to open negotiations with our Commonwealth Kith and Kin, for a Commonwealth Free Trade Area.

Second: The ‘Home Rule All Round’ Bill- will devolve most domestic affairs to English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Parliaments. The Westminster Parliament to maintain powers of Defence, Foreign policy, energy, security and transport. The House of Lords will re-admit the hereditary Peers. The English Parliament shall consist of a House of Representatives, from each traditional county, based upon the population of each county. There will be an upper chamber consisting of 2 members from each county. The English regions are to be abolished and powers transferred to democratically elected English Counties. English counties are to be transformed back to historic boundaries. Each English county shall directly elect for a maximum two-year term a governor, who has be accountable to each county assembly. The bill will also allow provisions for directly elected mayors in each major town and city, subject to the will and desire of such towns and cities.

Third: Introduce a fiscally responsible budget – including, the threshold for paying income tax shall be raised to £18,000 per year. Inheritance tax to be abolished. The 50% tax rate is to be abolished and replaced with a flat rate of 30% per year. VAT will increase to 20% per year. Each government department will be rigorously audited by a respected accounting firm, to seek out and abolish waste, corruption and unnecessary quangos. The budget will aim to reduce the deficit accordingly, to stop national bankruptcy.

Fourth: The ‘we work for you’ Parliamentary reform Bill. This will allow electors to ‘recall’ their MP for re-election mid term, subject to a 33% petition in said constituency. Increase in MP’s salaries to be fixed in line with inflation. Expenses claims to be brought into line with other public and private bodies. It shall be mandatory for MP’s to publish their expenses on a month-by-month basis. The second home allowance is to be abolished. Instead MP’s whose constituencies are outside of London shall be permitted, if they so choose, to live in government owned flats and pay rent as appropriate. Abolition of any remuneration for the House of Lords.

Fifth: Defence of the Realm- Provide our Armed forces with the means and method of crushing Her Majesty’s foes in Afghanistan or wherever there is a threat to British interests abroad.

Thereafter within the first year of the new Parliament, we shall bring to Parliament the following bills, each to be given to full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote:

1. The Taking back our streets bill- introduction of the death penalty for murder. Measures for Police to give hooligans a ‘clip round the ear’ without fear of prosecution; to crack down upon ruffians and gangs in cities. To make sure that there are no longer ‘no go’ areas for members of the public or police. Furthermore the bill will provide for more rigorous immigration rules. The Asylum system is to be overhauled, if an asylum seeker has got to Britain via another country, Britain shall immediately transfer them back to this country. The human rights act shall be amended accordingly.

2. The marriage and family restoration bill – which will recognise the importance of marriage and the family  in society and promote this by way of appropriate tax benefits.

3. The job creation and wage enhancement bill- will provide cash for employers and small businesses to take on apprentices and provide measures for a stimulus job creation package. Minimum wage to increase to £7.00 per hour

4. The pension fairness bill- abolishing income and capital gains tax on pension pots.

5. The education and university bill- will provide for the privatisation of Universities or allow them to access private sector cash more easily. Access regulator to be abolished.

6. The freedom of speech Bill- to enshrine freedom of speech into law and to provide for the abolition of any aspects of other laws which conflicts with freedom of speech.

7. The homes fit for heroes bill- will allow for auditors to review and if necessary make changes to make sure that armed services accomodation are fit for human habitation. The act will also create a veteran’s department, to make sure injured or retired members of the armed forces are adequately  cared and looked after.

8. The banking reform bill- will reform the current structure and set up of banks. Investment banking to be split from retail banking. The bill will also allow for the creation of new private and public sector banks.

9. The hunting bill- will restore the right of patriotic Britons to fox hunt.

10. The patriotic bill- will make it compulsory for all new immigrants to swear an oath of loyalty to the Queen and country. School assemblies are to include this oath.

Respecting the judgement of our fellow subjects I [we] seek their mandate for reform, we hereby pledge our names to this covenant with the British people.

So help me [us] God

The Lady Warsi confronts extremism

Both Cramner and the Daily Mail, have interesting takes on the news that Muslim extremists attacked Lady Warsi with eggs and verbal abuse. Apparently these ruffians said to the Lady Warsi that she was not a Muslim because she did not look like one. His Lordship can only conclude that this means these rouges think that all Muslim women should be dressed in black towels, so all you can see is their eyes. Utter rot. This is Britain, not Saudi Arabia.

There is apparently a U Tube video of the incident doing the rounds of the Lady confronting these hooligans. All I could see and hear was the baying mob, ready to shout down anything, which was said to them. I appreciate that some people do not have much time for Warsi, but to my mind she is rising up to the challenge no end; it must surely take a lot of courage to stand in front of these people and disagree with them.

Yachtsmen freed – Thank God !

Thank God. An answer to our prayers. The Islamic fundamentalist regime of Iran has released the British Yachting team, following their illegal arrest in international waters. And so they should have done. The Iran terror state is using any trick in the book to divert attention from her nuclear ambitions and the fact that the majority of Iranians want to live under a different regime, at peace with the rest of the world. But this fundamentalist regime has other ideas. They are quite content to accused anyone of spying on them.

I am also minded to think that in the old days of the Pax Britannica, we would not have had this situation. During the time of the British peace of the 19th century, a mere sight of a British Royal Navy ship would be enough for cowardly regimes to quiver with fear. We need look no further than the example (on the right of my blog) of Lord Palmerston's 'Civis Romanus Sum' speech as proof of this fact.

The thin blue line, which at one stage equalled the fleet size of the next 2 navies combined, meant that piracy, hindering British citizens abroad was prevented and the international rule of law, were upheld. Today, we have a resurgence of piracy and rouge states that do not hold to or agree with international law. It is time for Britain to rebuild her fleet, so that "a British subject, in whatever land he may be, shall feel confident that the watchful eye and the strong arm of England, will protect him against injustice and wrong. "

Is it time for 'home rule all round'?

I have been asked to write an article on this one, by an avid reader of my blog. I have to admit it was not my first choice, but after doing some research it has got me going.

The SNP government in Edinburgh is acting upon a manifesto commitment to hold a referendum on Scottish independence by next year. You can see the details here. In addition an official report has concluded the Scottish Parliament should get some more powers, basically devolution with knobs on, information on that here. Regrettably the other main Scottish parties have rejected the SNP plans. This is a mistake; the SNP were elected on a manifesto commitment and they should be allowed to carry this out. I do not see a great tide of affection in Scotland for independence, but they should have their say nonetheless.

My personal view is that the current status quo is, frankly, typical new labour third way fudge, which cannot last. I say this because of the old West Lothian question, which is given its name from a House of Commons debate in which the labour MP, Tam Dalyell said:

“For how long will English constituencies and English Honourable members tolerate … at least 119 Honourable Members from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, exercising an important, and probably often decisive, effect on English politics while they themselves have no say in the same matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?”

Enoch Powell (who was by then an Ulster Unionist) said in reply:

“We have finally grasped what the Honourable Member for West Lothian is getting at. Let us call it the West Lothian question."

Now this is exactly what is happening under our current system. Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast are spending money like there is no tomorrow, upon such things as elderly welfare provisions (something which the UK government will NOT do for England) and the abolition of student tuition fees. There are doubtless many other examples. This begs the question, why should non English MP’s have the ability to legislation on English matters? How can Brown, as a Scottish MP, have the gall to impose tuition fees, for example, on England, when his own constituents do not have to pay? Clearly this situation is unacceptable fudge.

The responses by the government have been to devolve more powers to English regions. The popularity of English regions is close to zero in England. This is because they are artificial creations of Whitehall; I think people identify with their village, town or city and then county more so than some thought up regions, which are so diverse as to make it absurd (what exactly do Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire have in common??). Whilst this is an aside, defeat in referendum for English assemblies, has not stopped the government from basically transferring quite a few powers to regional assemblies- they are Quangos and not elected. But since when has new labour ever listened to the will of the people?

Another, more radical step, is for England to have her own Parliament again. So basically a federal UK. The liberals support this and from doing my own research it would appear the Arch- Imperialist Chamberlain family as far back as the 1890s proposed the idea of ‘home rule all round’. Perhaps this is the way to go, we have a UK Parliament, which deals with defence, national security and foreign policy, with the remaining powers devolved to Parliaments of the countries of the UK. I would also add that the English Parliament should sit at the old Capital, Winchester and that the English regions be abolished. Their power should be transferred to the old counties of England. Thus local power to local people.

Discuss.

Update @ 12.40pm- naturally we need to be rid of being in the EU, before we can sort out our own internal difficulties. The EU and its powers are just another minefield legacy of this Socialist regime and it is that which we need to deal with first.