Tag Archive for 'Nick Clegg'

George Osborne; The Economic Enforcer

June 23, 2010 | Category: Business, Politics and Society

For too many years, the Labour Government under the guidance of Gordon Brown ran the British economy at a deficit, using borrowed money to create jobs in the public sector as part of the the largest programme of gerrymandering ever undertaken;

Today, our new Chancellor, George Osborne, took the initiative and introduced the toughest Budget for nearly a century. He has rightly been dubbed ‘The Enforcer’ by the British press.

George Osborne delivers his first Budget

George Osborne delivers his first Budget flanked by Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander

Like many, I will be analysing the impact of the budget on my finances and those of my family, but what has struck me most so far is the image above…

A Conservative Chancellor delivering a budget consisting of many things that the Liberal Democrats opposed flanked by the two most senior Liberal Democrats; priceless!

Who said that there is never anything exciting in politics?! I wonder how they felt and how their party will react to their leadership supporting policies that they campaigned against just weeks ago.

Believe it or not, the Prime Minister was sitting behind George Osborne, curiously out of shot – perhaps conveniently?

I commend George Osborne and this brave budget. Well done, George – no longer ‘Boy George’ I think!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .
0 Comments

Britain’s new government hits the ground running!

May 13, 2010 | Category: Politics and Society

It really is an incredible day for British politics, as the new Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister demonstrate genuine chemistry and respect for each other in their first press conference.

David Cameron & Nick Clegg - Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

Britain's new Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister sharing a joke in Downing Street

The way in which the potential stumbling blocks in a Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition have been ironed-out is impressive, and whilst I’m sure that the relationship will be difficult, there is no doubt that these two dynamic leaders are committed to putting Britain back on track and dealing with problems left by a wasteful and misguided Labour administration.

The focus on enhancing civil liberties and once again making an Englishman’s home his castle is most welcome indeed.

Already, we have a clear indication of their priorities as the new Government has already agreed to:

• A Great Repeal Bill, which will scrap ID cards, enhance civil liberties, reduce the ability of state officials to enter homes and cut regulation;

• £6 billion of public spending cuts to take effect in the current financial year, as a start on a concerted drive to cut the deficit;

• Major reform of the banks, perhaps amounting to “breaking them up”;

• Moves over time towards raising the starting threshold for income tax to £10,000 a year, paid for by changes to non-business Capital Gains Tax;

• A pupil premium, moving funding for disadvantaged children towards average spending on pupils in private schools;

• A cap on immigration from outside the EU;

• A referendum on the Alternative Voting electoral system;

• Legislation to require that Parliaments last a fixed term of five years;

• Trident replacement to go ahead, but subject to a value for money test;

• No further transfers of power to the EU, and no entry to the Euro; and

• Tax recognition of marriage, but LDs to have the right to abstain on votes on this (which means it will still get through the Commons).

Although Old Labour will soon resurface to start complaining about the plans, no right thinking person in the UK should object to this initial programme and I hope that even the more tribal observers will put aside their party loyalties and embrace this important agenda in the interests of our country.

David Cameron already has the makings of a fine leader!

David Cameron under the watchful eye of Winston Churchill

David Cameron, Prime Minister

Tags: , , , , .
0 Comments

It’s one of the most important weeks in the history of Britain…

May 4, 2010 | Category: Politics and Society

Britain faces one of the most important weeks in its history as millions of voters up and down the country go to the polls to vote for their local and national representatives – choosing their Local Council and the next Government.

British election time - the voters must be decide!

A man reviewing his election choices in post-war Britain

After 13 years of a wasteful Labour government that has lost control of both our economy and our borders whilst ensuring that the gap between rich and poor is greater than at any time in the post-war period, the British people have an opportunity to elect a new, dynamic and compassionate team with the energy and vision to return this once great country to its former glory.

The Labour Party, under Gordon Brown, are a tired, broken and much diminished politic force that inherited the strongest economy in Europe and – three parliaments later – have created one of the weakest and most debt-ridden in the world.

However, it is not just economic growth that has stalled under Labour; our society has become weaker as the rise in anti-social behaviour has been matched by an unprecedented erosion of civil liberties as the increasingly-totalitarian government seeks to control more aspects of people’s lives:

Whether it was Labour’s desire to detain people without charge for 32 days, the planned introduction of unnecessary ID cards or the draconian usage of DNA recording of innocent civilians, this government has shown complete disregard for people’s rights – and that they are no longer fit to govern.

In recent times, the people’s faith in politicians has been shaken by the Expenses Scandal, and there were fears of voter apathy and low turnout, but the introduction of televised Leaders’ Debates seems to have reignited the electorate’s interest in politics and the Election – and to have elevated the Liberal Democrats to the top table of politics.

Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron in the first British Leaders' Debate

Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron in the first British Leaders' Debate


Although this does represent an opportunity for change, it also represents a real risk to our democracy and stability; we cannot afford the months of uncertainty that a hung parliament or a minority government could lead to – we need a strong team with a mandate to make tough decisions and to take action on our nation’s problems.

If many people choose to support the Liberals, we run the risk of Labour being the largest party in a hung-parliament on the smallest share of the vote – even a 28% share of the vote nationally could make Labour the largest party.

In this situation, whilst it would be the right of Gordon Brown to attempt to form a government with the support of the Liberals, this would be incredibly bad for democracy and call into question the validity of the First Past the Post system in a three-party system.

This is a risk that Britain simply cannot take.

Our country needs a new direction and that requires a new Government under strong leadership, and David Cameron is the best person to lead our nation through this period of great economic uncertainty and to rebuild our broken society – he has the intellect, the energy and the team to make it happen.

David Cameron & Samantha Cameron with the Conservative Party

David & Samantha Cameron with the Conservative Team

There is only one way for us to be certain of achieving this; vote Conservative on May 6th or risk five more years of the same under Labour.

Tags: , , , , , , , .
0 Comments