Cameron’s speech, followed by terror plots…

                          

According to Sky News, nine men have been arrested at twelve addresses and other locations across Birmingham, suspected of plotting to kidnap a Muslim British soldier in his early 20s. His abduction would have mirrored that of the numerous Iraqi hostage takes such as that of Ken Bigley in 2004. After a six month surveillance operation West Midlands Police raided 12 addresses at 4:00 am this morning in the Kingstanding, Sparkhill, Washwood Heath and Erdington areas of Birmingham. While this signals a change in tactics, the aim remains to polarise communities.

Only Monday David Cameron was in Birmingham talking about the increasing polarisation of society. He citied the growth of extremism, the failure of Multiculturalism, uncontrolled immigration, a growing underclass, and a lack of education. I think his analysis of the factors that need addressing is about right, and events today tend to prove it. If successful the plot would have further divided the Muslim community from the rest of scoiety. Although the response of some Muslims to the plot has in itself highlighted the alienation of some in the Muslim community.  

Quoteblog…

               

“Politics gives guys so much power that they tend to behave badly around women. And I hope I never get into that.”

Bill Clinton

Conservative Conference set for Birmingham…

              

Finally, Birmingham has a Party Conference. The Birmingham Mail tells us that the Conservative Party is due to announce that the 2008 conference will be held in the second city. Providing the General Election is held in the spring of 2009, this could be the conference where Cameron tells his disciples to go to their constituencies and prepare for Government. There was some anger that Birmingham failed to land this years Labour conference, scooped instead by Manchester. This time the Council have stumped up £2 million in subsidies which it is reported turned out to be the winning part of the bid. Having said that, Birmingham seems to have lost out again to Manchester who won the super casino bid, leaving us with a ‘large’ casino. The Conservative conference is likely to be held in the ICC, pictured above.

Latest: NUS election turnout up…

                  

I was campaigning most of the yesterday in the NUS delegate elections, not for myself I hasten to add, but for a friend. As I predicted, every last vote counted, and we were pleading with students to cast their vote right up until the close of the polls at 7:30. I don’t know the results as yet. However, I do know that the turnout is significantly up from last year. According to predications circulating last night the turnout is twice last years, at around 800. I predicted yesterday that turnout would be pitifully low and 800 votes is still a pretty small proportion of the University. However as Tom Marley has commented, we have indeed experienced a higher turnout.

Daily Bite…

                                          

I was thinking about congestion, well in Birmingham at least. I don’t think that this is a big revelation, but it seems that traffic flow could be improved significantly by some simple changes in the behaviour of motorists and in the design of roads. For example, on the way into Birmingham City Centre there is a stretch of road where four lanes converge into two, which is bound to produce problems. There are busy A roads where one lane is blocked by parked cars, and where buses as a result jut out into the second lane blocking traffic further. There are traffic lights immediately after roundabouts and bus stops actually on them causing tail backs. If some of these causes of congestion were addressed then perhaps a London style congestion charge might be less necessary than it is at the moment.

Sketchblog…

The Times.

University NUS elections…

                                                

I would guess that many of you don’t know that the NUS elections are being held today. I don’t know this for a fact, but I bet I’ll be vindicated by another pitiful turnout. NUS elections don’t seem to be taken seriously by anyone beyond the Guild Community. I doubt very much that the students who vote are interested in the slightest but are just dragged along to vote for their friends. And yes, the turnout is so low that a candidates success can depend on no more than a handful of votes. It’s quite useless really. It seems there are two main reasons for this. One is that little effort seems to be put into publicising NUS elections, and the other is that students have no interest in the NUS. No interest in the sense that it is unclear how the NUS can have any impact on their own grievances. There is more interest in Guild elections, although not much more, again because it is unclear how the Guild can have an impact on student grievances. The current President of the Guild of Students, Gary Hughes, is criticised for not communicating directly with the students but rather concentrating too much on the bigger picture, a criticism that could cost him a second term.

Daily Bite…

             

John Reid set himself up nicely for a fall. The BBC political editor, Nick Robinson, says that he knew Reid would be in trouble ever since the beleaguered Home Secretary’s intervention in the Craig Sweeney case, where he attacked the judge for not being tough enough. Reid’s attempt to look tough on crime at the expense of judges, is now coming back to haunt him. On Friday, Crown Court Judge Richard Bray said that politicians should “wake up” to the fact that prisoners were reoffending “because judges can no longer pass deterrent sentences.” It seems what goes round comes round. As a commentator said during the week, it’s hard to see now how Reid was once dubbed as a possible contender for the leadership.

Jokeblog…

                    

Gordon Brown was invited to attend a Pensioner’s dinner in his constituency. He was told to prepare a 45 minute speech on pensions. He thought to himself that this was a bit lengthy, but he put together 45 minutes nevertheless. After delivering the speech the Chairman thanked Gordon, adding that ‘unfortunately we don’t have time for our other speakers now.’ Brown apologised and reminded the Chairman that he was asked to speak for 45 minutes. The Chairman said, no, we said 4 to 5 minutes.

They’ll lose it for Labour…

                                                        

Labour will miss Tony Blair. His greatest achievement was to make Labour electable, and at the same time the Conservatives unelectable. He led the Party to two massive election victories and a third, for the first time in it’s history. Blair himself is a sharp debater and an engaging speaker, as well as media savvy. Unfortunately for Labour, but far better for the Conservatives, he wont be there for much longer. This is unfortunate for Labour because Gordon Brown, their next leader, has none of the qualities that Blair possesses, and it’s fortunate for the Conservatives because our new leader does have those qualities.

Even better, I thought to myself, Ed Balls might be Brown’s successor at the Treasury. Ian Dale argues that while Balls might be able to explain neo-endogynous theory, he can’t communicate.

Whenever I have heard him on the media he is hesitant, almost mono-syllabic and at times incoherent. It says a lot about Gordon Brown if he is seriously thinking about promoting Balls into the Cabinet and giving him the Chancellorship.

You know they tell me that the odds are on a Conservative win at the next election. I might have to have a flutter.  

Daily Bite…

                                                                                   

In his pre-budget report the Chancellor doubled air passenger duty, increasing the cost of tickets by £10 per person. This is a modest increase and is unlikely to put people off flying. Brown must known this, and if he didn’t Michael Meacher certainly did. Now, Meacher really is passionate about the environment and he reckons that the increase would have to be more like £30 to dissuade people from flying. It then occurred to me that the recent rise in duties can’t be anything other than a tax-grab. Brown has increased the duty to just the right level, keeping numbers of air passengers up and thereby maximising revenue worth an extra billion quid a year. Clever.

Jokeblog…

          

A man goes up to a politician at a party and says, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ The politician replies, ‘But you can’t prove any of it.’

Last thoughts on Blair…

      

Something amused me in the letters page of the Evening Mail on Thursday night. The letter is titled ‘Tony the Toilet’, by a chap from Alum Rock…

I wonder if when he gives up the leadership of the Labour Party, Westminster politicians will want to build a marble statue of Tony Blair. If they do, why dont they take it on a nationwide tour? How about placing it for a night in every working men’s club in the land? That way the licensees could stand it in a urinal and allow their members to do over him what he did over them for a decade!”

We think he’s a Socialist…

And some are more equal than others…

            

This week saw the return of a traditional British convention. One at the very heart of our constitution whose influence has declined at the hands of an egotist for the past decade, Cabinet government. Despite living under a quasi-president for the past 10 years the cabinet is back. The stand that some of the senior members have taken against the Prime Minister,s proposals to appease the Catholic Church (yeah, them again) is welcomed.

It’s been a long time since anyone could make the case that the Prime Minister is simply primus inter pares, but this week perhaps saw the return to it. To be fair to Blair it’s a precedent started by his predecessors, particularly Mrs. Thatcher, but one feels he’s reveled in his dominance. As Walter Bagehot once said, the cabinet is the ‘buckle which fastens’. If so, things are looking distinctively loose for the Prime Minister.

Daily Bite…

           

Charles is the latest casualty of the environmental lobby. According to Sky News, the Prince has sparked controversy by flying to America to pick up an environmental citizen of the year award. The aptly named environmental campaign group ‘Plane Stupid’ accused the Prince of ‘green hypocrisy’. David Miliband, sensing an opportunity however misplaced to prove he is more green than David Cameron, suggested instead that the Prince should use video link to collect his award. In what I think was meant to be a joke Mililband asked, “or was it a particularly heavy award?”. Well, as Sky rightly points out the award ceremony is only one of another nine engagements the Prince is due to carry out in America. No doubt, he should fulfil these engagements over video phone too. Tony Blair also come under attack by nutty environmentalists a few weeks ago for not promising to give up flying for his holidays. This is getting a bit ridiculous.

Jokeblog…

            

Two accountants are in a bar when armed robbers burst in. The robbers line the customers up against the wall and proceed to take their wallets. The first accountant slips something in the second accountant’s hand and whispers, ‘Here’s that 50 quid I owe you.’

Cabinet faces down Church petition…

            

Personally I fail to understand the point of anti-discrimination laws if certain groups are allowed to carry on discriminating. This to me is the bottom line. I fully understand that Catholic adoption agencies might have an issue with accepting adoption requests from single sex couples, but in the end they are providing a public service and should be subject to the same discrimination laws as every other organisation. If the Church cannot provide a service without discriminating then it shouldn’t be providing the service at all. According to the BBC the Prime Minister now seems to be coming round. Alan Johnson, who has been vocal throughout the debate said yesterday, “I am convinced that I don’t see a case for exemption and I don’t think the Prime Minister does.”  Perhaps the PM read Andy Dunbar’s brilliant piece on this very website, or maybe not. Either way, it looks like the Cabinet are determined to face down the Church.

How Cameron does it…

        

      

When Peter Lilley visited us at the University we asked him what he thought of the Cameron revolution. He said that whereas Labour had to change their policies, like Clause Four for example, the Conservatives have the much harder task of changing their image. He sited opinion polls during the last election where voters were asked if they agreed with specific polices. The answer was yes, until they found out they belonged to the Conservatives. In retrospect this is quite remarkable, and shows just how repulsive our image must have been. 

So David Cameron has gone about transforming the Conservative brand. He has a bigger mountain to climb than Blair did in 1994, there is no Clause Four moment to be had. The closest thing the Conservatives have to a Clause Four is winding up the Party’s corner stoners. The more the old guard of the Party moan, like Norman Tebbit, the more it looks like Cameron is leading a real change. This is why I rub my hands when I read that Paul Dacre, the Editor of the Daily Mail, has said that the Conservatives cannot rely on his paper’s support at the election and that he is not entirely sure if the Party is indeed Conservative. As far as I’m concerned, good! The best thing Dacre and the right can do is shut up, but of course they can’t, which may well be what Cameron was banking on.

Jokeblog…

      

A politician is in bed asleep with his wife when there’s a massive storm and a bolt of lightning lights up the entire bedroom. The politician leaps up and shouts, ‘I’ll buy the negatives! I’ll buy all the negatives!’

TaxPayers’ Alliance comes to Birmingham…

              

By Blair Gibbs, TPA Regional Campaign Manager

The TaxPayers’ Alliance is gaining more support by the day and is expanding across the country, with plans for regional branches across the UK over the next year.

One of the main reasons we are launching regional campaigns is so that we are much better placed to break through the regional media (who rightly prefer local contacts for their stories) and to communicate more effectively with our growing band of supporters. We will also be in a much better position to spot wasteful spending, and to jump on local political issues as soon as they arise, holding all our local politicians, councils and regional quangos to account, just as much as Whitehall. We also realise that there is a limit to what a London office can do, and over the long term, the strength of the TPA campaign depends on mass membership and the organic growth of local groups – many of whom will come to operate autonomously and without central direction.

We are well into the planning of the West Midlands campaign, which before long will have a small office and a full-time staff member based in Birmingham to run the campaign locally day-to-day. While all the TPA’s regional campaigns share the same principles, each will be unique, with a focus on the issues that most concern the people and businesses of each region. We anticipate that fuel duty, congestion charging and business taxes, will be a strong priority in the West Midlands.

After our February launch (more details to follow…), we will be holding meetings, advertising the cause and organising direct mail efforts to spread our message. If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the West Midlands TPA, or would like to register as a volunteer to help the campaign on the ground as we grow (by delivering leaflets or helping to organise local meetings), email blair.gibbs@taxpayersalliance.com

How we left the Church behind…

      
I feel a bit sorry for the Catholic Church. I’m not a organized religion man myself, in fact I would call myself an agnostic. However the pace of societal change seems to have outstripped there dogmatic approach to the world. The current row over gay adoption is an example of this. They are effectively blackmailing the government to grant their adoption agencies exemption from new laws banning discrimination against same-sex couples. Whatever your view on this I think its safe to say that long gone are the days when the church wielded the sort of power to demand this. Yet it leads to a bigger issue of their Catholic rights and beliefs. One wonders how far the government would push the issue if the central beliefs of different religions were involved….

Jokeblog…

       

The Prime Minister has left the country on a tour of friendly countries. He’s expected home tomorrow.

Natural Tories

        

By PragueTory

Entrepeneurial Aspirations:

A 2005 survey of 14 – 19 year olds in FTE showed that an astonishing 53% wanted their own business with 82% saying they had the skills to manage their career. These findings show youthful ambition and self-confidence.

The Reality:

42.9% of 16 to 17 year olds in London are unemployed. The debts of new university graduates keep rising and are fast approaching average graduate starting salaries. Meanwhile, average UK house prices near £200k. Even an astrophysics degree won’t help you square that circle.

Action:

Unsurprisingly, young voters are the most likely to think they are paying too much tax. Hand-wringing doesn’t cut any ice. If you want to make a difference and help you and your peers achieve your dreams, Conservative values of lower taxes, less regulation and personal responsibility are the only show in town. I invite you to join us to make your voice heard.

Jokeblog…

    

Two political opponents are having an argument. ‘There are many ways of making money,’ says the first. ‘But there is only one honest way.’ ‘And what’s that?’ asks the second. The first replies, ‘I had a feeling you wouldn’t know.’

Gordon in a bind…

       

Gordon Brown made a very sloppy error on Friday. He showed off for the cameras holding the football that won England the 1966 World Cup. This was obviously an attempt to make the English warm to their Scottish Chancellor. Oh dear…

He was asked who he would support if Britain hosted the 2018 World Cup. He replied “the host”, adding that “of course, Scotland will do well”. What an atrocious gaff. No Scot would ever say this, unless of course he had plans to be Prime Minister.

My advice at this point would be to shut up, put the ball down and make a quick exit. But no, he kept digging, underlining his initial gaff. According to the BBC he later added, “My ideal scenario is that Scotland play England in the final and Scotland win.” This forced revision is no doubt more sincere, but it highlighted his initial insincerity. More than this he obviously feels that the real Gordon Brown has to pretend to be someone else to win the support of English voters.