Jokeblog…

     

Two ladies go for their regular lunch outing. ‘And make sure I get a clean glass’, says one lady to the waiter, ‘the one I had last week was dirty’.
A few minutes later the waiter returns, sets out the food and says, ‘And which one of you ordered the clean glass?’

Rule…. Britannia? Irania? Time to look after ‘our boys’…

     

“Unacceptable”, “wrong”, and “unjustified” – These are the words that have been murmured by Tony Blair, Margaret Beckett, and Gordon Brown among others in recent days following the abduction of fifteen Royal Navy personnel by Iranian forces on the 23rd March. Allow me to describe these events more accurately: the Iranian action was one of deliberate and calculated aggression against HM Armed Forces, and an act of war against the integrity of the United Kingdom. Period. The reaction of our government (and that of the general public) has not nearly been adequate enough.

Now, whilst I must stress (in the strongest terms) that I am not advocating that we attack Iran, it is interesting to compare the response of Israel’s IDF to the abduction of two of its soldiers last summer, with the reaction of our own armed forces to the present situation. However, I am saying (also in strong terms) that the Royal Navy/MoD failed to provide the protection to its servicemen and women that they both demand, and deserve. The Iranian vessels should have been pursued, challenged diplomatically in the first instance, and then threatened with the use of force should they not have complied. I simply disagree with those who argue that this would have been irresponsible, and that it would have resulted in major conflict. Rather, I believe, given the reluctance of the Iranian regime to provide the ‘smoking gun’ to the international community to intervene in its nuclear affairs, a minor skirmish would have resulted, at most. Further, what this would have achieved is the complete dismantling of the apparent myth that the British military can somehow be attacked with impunity, and without fear of retribution.

This is what should have happened. Alas, it did not. Therefore, the only reasonable option for the moment is continued and strengthening diplomatic pressure on Tehran. Our Armed Forces, and our government, should not allow themselves to be reduced to such childlike games of ‘Gulf tag’.

How Brown destroyed pensions…

         

Seeing old people break down in tears isn’t nice. But then again I’d be pretty tearful, if the pension I’d been paying into for thirty years went missing. This, of course, is what has happened to many recently retired people. I’ve always said this is tantamount to theft, and Gordon Brown shouldn’t be allowed to escape blame.

In 1997, the then new man at the Treasury, announced that he would scrap tax relief on dividends paid into pension funds. Experts estimate that this has depleted the pension fund by something like £100 billion over the last 10 years. That by the way, is not a typo.

And now, The Times tells us that Gordon Brown was warned of these consequencies in advance. Papers released under new freedom of information laws reveal that the Chancellor…

…was warned that [the policy] would cost pension providers £4 billion a year, that pension benefits would be reduced, that local authority schemes would need to be topped up, leading to higher public spending, and that the value of existing pension funds could fall immediately by £50 billion. He was also warned that shares could drop by between 6 per cent and 20 per cent.

In fact, not only did Brown ignore officials, he also ignored warnings from within the government. One of the confidential policy documents states: “We agree that abolishing pension tax credits would make a big hole in pension scheme finances.”

So we can now accuse the Chancellor not just of destroying one of the most affluent pension funds in the world, but of setting about it deliberately.

We must back Mac!

   

This is a football post, but I do promise to link it with politics later. I think that the Football Association should definitely back Steve McClaren, we now have an English manager which I think is a very positive thing. Furthermore, McClaren has barely had any time to stamp his mark on the job, he needs time and he needs our support. He is a highly intelligent manager, don’t forget when he first moved to Manchester United within 6months they won the treble, and went from strength to strength. In addition, when he was manager at Middlesbrough, it took him time to get the side playing the way he wanted and eventually after a few years, he led them to a Uefa Cup Final. Furthermore, Sven had a great start he won his first five games, and within a year beat Germany 5-1 in 2001, look where we ended up five years later, and three successive failures at quarter final stages. This demonstrates that quick results mean nothing, I have no doubt that McClaren in time will get it right, but for now he needs our backing and not barracking!

Supporters of the national team are a bit like some of the grass roots Conservative supporters are desperate for results quickly, except with the grass roots it is all about policies. Same with the media. These things require time, effort and planning, at first a lot of people said Cameron would need to come out with hard policies to keep the original ‘bump’ in the polls going. With us having a continual lead at the moment at an average of eight points in the polls he has been proved right. In some ways, he could not arguably have timed it better, there is this idea that Brown will seem more substantial than Cameron when he becomes Prime Minister. However, as soon as this happens probably in June, Brown will have his oxygen for a while, but in time the policies group will report and this will allow Cameron then to come out and bring his own substance to the arena, to combat that of Browns. If we already had a detailed set of policies which some were calling for a year ago, we would have nothing fresh to combat Brown against, or he would have just nicked all of our good ideas anyway.

This is why the people at the top of their professions, should be given time to get things right, if there was an underlying problem with the Conservative party, as there now is with the England team, there is no quick fix it, if there was it would undoubtedly fail in the long term as it did with Sven. People should show their loyalty to the party as well as the nation, as the people in charge know what they are doing, of course opinions should be advocated as that what makes politics and football so great as their is different views. However, they should still back their side in terms of giving it the best platform to go on and succeed.

Communication’s allowance

     

Today MPs are set to vote themselves and another expense’s allowance, it is described as a ‘communications allowance’ which Jack Straw, Leader of The House said, “The purpose of this allowance is to contribute to better public understanding of what this Parliament is about and what it does”. It is going to be a staggering £10,000 per annum! It is quite frankly an unbelievable sum.

As Tony Wright a Labour MP said, it is going to be spent on ‘shameless self promotion’. The reason Labour want to bring it in, argued by many is that it allows MPs in marginal seats £10,000 pounds a year to promote themselves to their constituents, this is a huge advantage against parliamentary candidates standing against them.

In an age now of the internet, where blogs like this are run for next to nothing, why do MPs need all this money? When they could use lots of new forms of communications such as myspace and even text messaging. For example, Iain Dale who is not even an MP yet registers over 10,000 hits a day on his website. I know that the elderly cannot use the technology as easily, but instead of giving them all this money to churn out huge numbers of leaflets, they should be encouraged to use new cheap forms of communications, as they are far more likely to engage young voters, the most apathetic voters of any age.

Perhaps, it backs up my first post a few days ago though, that Jack Straw is like the current Chancellor, and is extremely good at bringing at using stealth whether this be for taxes or allowances.

Gordon gives a little more away…

      

It is official if anyone was in any doubt, Gordon Brown will run for the Labour leadership when Blair steps down. Don’t say we don’t give you exclusives! Jack Straw announced it in an email sent to all Labour MPs, also declaring that he will run Brown’s campaign.

Hardly a shock, although it perhaps begins to reveal some of the make up of Brown’s future cabinet. The next chancellor is widely debated, with there seeming to be no clear front runner, Ed Balls is undoubtedly seen as talented and is one of Brown’s closest allies. However, he has only been an MP for a short period of time. The next candidate is Alistair Darling, again close to Brown and perceived as talented. However, how will the country react to having two Scots in the top two positions, particularly when the West Lothian Question will be being debated more.

So perhaps that leads the way for Straw, he is certainly experienced after all he ran Blair’s leadership campaign in 1994. He may be seen by Brown as far more experienced that the other candidates, it is unlikely to upset the Blairites too much. For Straw, it would also mean that in his political career he would have been Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and Chancellor, quite a remarkable achievement, the only person to have been all three and Prime Minister was James Callaghan. Furthermore, it could be seen as the ideal appointment by Brown to appease all sides and have a safe pair of hands running the economy, which it will need after ten years of the same figure, Brown knows he will not want someone radically changing the work he has done. However, if he were to win the next election that is perhaps when we could see Darling or Balls.

Edgbaston Constituency Dinner

   

Thursday evening saw the great and the good of the local Conservative Party meet for the Edgbaston Constituency’s annual dinner. The guest speaker was Stephen Dorrell MP and former Minister, with other guests including Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham Council, and Deidre Alden, Edgbaston Parliamentary candidate. Ten of us from the CF went along including the new committee. I even won the raffle, which is a first. Though on reflection I should have taken the House of Commons Scotch I think, rather than the wine. Anyhow, a good time was had by all… here are a few snaps…

Well, one snap. Dan O’Doherty is in there, so too is Sophie Hollender, Charlotte Edwards and Ryan Castle. Mike Whitby and Stephen Dorrell are the chaps behind, respectively.

Jokeblog…

      

Tom and Dick are on a golf course. ‘That’s a funny-looking golf ball you’ve got there,’ says Tom.
‘It’s the lastest thing,’ replies Dick. ‘It’s fantastic, a completely unlosable golf ball. If it goes in the bushes, it lights up. If it lands in the water, a flag pops up. If you lose it at night, it emits a bleeping sound till you track it down.’
‘That’s amazing,’ says Tom. ‘Where did you get it?’
‘I found it,’ replies Dick.

A Love Letter…

         

This letter has been brought to our attension:

Dear Prudence,

Its eleven years since our partnership become public. The number of times you have appeared in the Commons is irrelevant. The fact is, dear Prudence, is that everyone from the far north of that most beautiful, idyllic, majestic land of my birth and home of my forefathers, Scotland, to the furthest south of this place, knows of my dependence on you for careful financial management, never taking economic risks for political gain, and fo an even handed approach to the economy; what I give with one hand I take an even amount with the other. That’s just a joke dear Prudence, a vain attempt to make light of what I must say.

You see dear Prudence, it has reached the stage where our relationship must end. You have served me well and, I believe, I have served you too. You have entered the lexicon of the great and the good vocabulary, forever for us to be associated together.

But now in this, my final address to the Commons and the Nation, Prudence dearest will have to be left alone. I know you must wonder, what you have done wrong. I cannot face the answer to that, as I realise the depth of this betrayal. But, dear Prudence, remember: When my ambition, no our ambition, is realised, in just a few short months, when that dreadful little man next door has gone, you shall return. You will be vindicated. Never again, will a Chancellor have to prostrate himself before his peers and the Nation in a vain attempt to gain popularity without you at his, and indeed my, side.

Be patient, dear Prudence, for I understand how painful this vicious tax cut must be for you, but when we return together the country will tremble under our joint onslaught.

So, dear Prudence, remember, you always will be, and always have been at my side.

Gordon.

Our lord who art in… the second chamber

                             

On Monday the Church of England issued a letter urging the bishops who sit in the House of Lords to vote against the Sexual Orientations Regulations. They hope that if all 26 of the lords attend and vote they will be able to defeat this Bill (well delay it). The Church would prefer too see an exception in this bill aimed at irradiating discrimination for religious institutions. This would allow them to continue to discriminate. Though, what is the point of an anti-discrimination law if you allow caveats? The elected commons has seen the ill logic in allowing an exemption and voted not to include one. That said, I have no problem with the expression of religious views, but it is when the church tries to make it’s own opinion everyone else’s by enshrining it in legislation that it becomes a problem. We have a very bizarre mix of church and state in this country and perhaps it is time, as Lord Carey has suggested, that the church be disestablished. Conflicts like this emphasise that Religion and politics do not mix.

Aside, the homosexual question seems to be crippling the Christian institution in the west. The ordination of a gay bishop has driven the Church into a schism and even to contemplate a radical shift towards Rome. The Church, threatening mass closures of adoption agencies and schools, further reflects the institution’s obsession with our genitals, even to the point where they are willing to deprive society with services for the most needy. The Church, of both denominations, should be concerned with the enduring Christian values such as charity and caring for the sick, as a way of re-engaging with a lost public. They should do this without feeling so insecure that they need to impose their bigotry on everyone else.

This latest conflict shows that it may indeed be time to disestablish the Church, perhaps by House of Lord’s reform first thus removing the 26 bishops.

Budget Day…

     

Brown’s Five Year Plan, sorry, Budget

It must be something in the spring air. After 99 individual tax increases, a dramatic twist at the end of Gordon Brown’s final budget revealed a cut in the basic rate of income tax from 22 to 20p. It was accompanied by a crescendo of cheers from Labour MPs, waving their order papers at a stunned Tory front bench. This is a delicious political move. It’s a cut that the Conservatives would never get away with, at least if Labour had anything to do with it. In addition, the Chancellor also pledged to increase the higher rate threshold to from 40 to £43,000, although this is offset by abolishing the lower rate of 10% and the associated changes in national insurance contributions. Overall though, income tax will be simpler a year from now than it is at the moment.

Aside from simplification, another area where the Chancellor has accepted what the Conservatives have been saying for while, is on Corporation tax. The Chancellor has promised a cut of 2p in the rate of corporate tax, although it’s not quite the 3p George Osborne would have liked. And talk about giving with one hand and taking with the other, taxes on small companies will increase from 20p to 22p in 2009.

Overall, the Iron Chancellor’s last budget is far from boring, not that his previous budgets offer much in the way of competition. As one City analyst put it, with over 50 alterations there’s an awful lot in there. However, overall, it works out neutral. It means that the exchequer will give away about half a billion pounds extra over the coming year, but will gain a bit more back over the next three years.

Finally, as the Chancellor kept repeating, he has kept to his “golden rule”. Though this met with jeers from the Tory benches, as it was only the Chancellor’s handy work with the definition of the economic cycle, to include Conservative figures, that has allowed him to meet it.

Jokeblog…

         

A man walks into a bar and asks for six whiskies. He lines them up in a row and knocks back the first, thrid and fifth glasses. He then gets up to leave.
The barman asks the bloke, ‘Don’t you want the rest? You’ve only drunk three of your whiskies.’
The bloke replies, ‘No best not, my doctor said I should only have the odd drink.’

A Very French Connection

          

It’s easy to become absorbed in the romanticism of the French national character. Frenchmen, are brought up to believe that theirs is the birthplace of modern civilisation; of the original rights of man, of liberty and equality. These quixotic values, inherited from France’s revolutionary past, affords the French a special place in world history. The glorious revolution of 1789 is the showpiece, and finds its most visible expression in the French flag. The colours of the City of Paris, red and blue, flank the royal white; a symbolic representation of the defeat of the ancient regime and the victory of the masses.

And so here begins the French people’s long love affair with themselves. Aside from their history, they indulge themselves with an appreciation of fine food and drink; they have earned for themselves a reputation as the most fashionable and attractive people in the world; and of course Paris and Parisians are recognised as the world’s most romantic city and people.

England, though it would never admit it, quite fancies France, and stares at it admiringly. We copy their food, though we tend to draw the line at snails, and are heavily influenced by the continental way of life. France on the other hand is forever bewildered by England, and how it ever managed to achieve parity with themselves as a world power. Two nations couldn’t be more different, yet at the same time be quite as fixated with one another. But while us Brits learn cultural lessons from our glamorous neighbour, the French are about to learn economic lessons from us.

The French are well known for their contempt of Anglo-Saxon market economy. Whereas the English still see the market through the eyes of Smith; as a spontaneous interaction of individuals propelling us to even greater wealth, the French are disgusted. They view the market as wild and rugged and something that needs to be tamed. Their contempt for it is reflected in the very architecture of Paris. The commercial district of the capital is kept at arms length from its historic heart, neatly shoved to one side. London, in stark contrast, is a patchwork, with evidence of both its commercial past and present scattered all over the place. In London steel and glass contrasts with gothic spires and classical pillars. It’s hard to imagine such a rude commercial interruption being permitted in Paris.

I’m not saying that the French need to loosen their urban planning laws, but there is a growing realisation that the French economy has become too bogged down by tax, red tape and bureaucracy to keep the French in the manner to which they have become accustomed. And so they look across the channel with interest, and realise that in order to create more wealth so that they can continue to indulge themselves, they might have to play the market. It therefore wouldn’t surprise me if the centre right Nicolas Sarkozy, is elected French President in April. Though, don’t expect a major break from the past. I fully expect the French to take their time with reform, perhaps over a croissant, and allow in just enough of the market to keep the romance alive.

Daily Bite…

         

Sometimes, I feel sorry for this man. It seems that he’s being slowly backed into corner, portrayed as a shy, obsessive creature. Lord Turnball, former head of the civil service does what he can to embed the stereotype. Turnball has accused the Chancellor of operating with ‘Stalinist ruthlessness’. According to the former head of the civil service, Brown is insulting to the conventions of the civil service, imposing his polices on them and seeing no need for discussion. He added: “You can choose whether you are impressed or depressed by that, but you cannot help admire the sheer Stalinist ruthlessness of it all.”

Though I often feel sorry for this helpless sole, constant character reports like this are beginning to stick. The more they do, the more Cameron will continue to lead him in the polls.

Quoteblog…

     

“From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter – someday I intend reading it.”

Groucho Marx

Simpler, Lower Taxes

         

Simpler, lower taxes. This is the kind of stuff that revives economies. Look no further than Ireland. The ’Celtic Tiger’ has a corporation tax rate of 12.5% and has enjoyed 15 years of strong growth. Pressure has since mounted on Northern Ireland, in particular, to match the corporation tax rate of their business friendly neighbour. Northern Ireland’s corporation tax is the same as the rest of the UK’s, 30%. Although slightly lower than it was, only last October the Chairman of the CBI, Richard Lampert, warned the Government that the UK’s high corporation tax was having an affect on the economy’s competitiveness and discouraging companies from investing in the UK. “Either companies will generate more revenue outside the UK or Corporation tax has to come down”, was the CBI’s stark warning.

It’s therefore terrific news that the Conservatives have signalled they will cut corporation tax. Reuters tells us that George Osborne will cut the rate from 30 to 27 pence. And what is more, the £4.5bn cost will be covered by scrapping complex tax reliefs for firms. It is reported that such a move would create an extra 160,000 jobs and is likely to pay for itself through increased tax revenue. Gordon Brown has been reluctant to promise further tax cuts for business, so this stands to win Osborne crucial support from the City.

Janet Daley ushers in new political economy…

            

I never thought Janet Daley would usher in a new period of political economy, but yesterday she did, at least in my mind. She proceeds…

Let’s give credit where it’s due. Gordon Brown has achieved something truly magnificent in his 10 years as Chancellor… He has single-handedly ended the great post-war economic argument. We now know the answer to the question that has dominated British politics for a generation: can you solve the problems in the public services by spending more (and more) money on them?

The definitive answer is no. The last ten years has seen the tax burden increase by 7p in the pound, yet the public are far from convinced there has been a proportional improvement in services. And now that it is unlikely any further spending will deliver tangible improvements, there’s only one thing New Labour can do: turn to previous Tory policies.

Yesterday Tony Blair unveiled a ten year blue-print for public service reform, setting out how his successor could create a “truly personalised” public sector where individual needs are tailored to. None of this is ground breaking stuff, in fact it’s mostly recycled third-term Thactherite policy, some of which the incumbent Government actually repealed.

However it strikes me that neither Blair or New Labour, have ever fully grasped what creates real choice. It’s all very well arguing for a system responsive to demand, but trying to guess from Downing Street what demand is likely to be, and then providing a set number of options and calling it ‘choice’, misses the whole point. The point is that by freeing up the public sector and allowing money to follow the consumer, the end result is more choice and ultimately the more personalised system Blair wants to see. It’s a bottom up concept that removes Government from the system. But this concept at least, is one that’s alien to New Labour.

Tony Blair and New Labour’s problem here is that they’re still stuck in the same tax and spend, target setting mindset, which now renders them incapabale of carrying out the reforms needed. And so New Labour has served its purpose, proving that spending alone is not enough. I almost feel sorry for them, in the sense that having spent record sums on public services, they never could grasp how to make the money work for both the public and themselves.

Daily Bite…

I was waiting for this. Polls since the end of 2005 have put the Conservatives ahead of Labour by between zero and five points, with Labour polling in the low to mid thirties and the Tories polling in the mid to high thirties. As the graph below shows, this margin has remained pretty much constant since the end of the 2005/early 2006 when the two parties in effect switched positions. For the Conservatives this has been a mixed success. While they were consistently polling higher than Labour, they were failing to open up a wider gap. Criticism followed that Cameron’s sketchiness, if that, when it come to policy was holding the Tories back, and that while Labour were losing support the Conservatives were failing to pick it up. However, and this is what I was waiting for, recent polls are showing a consistent increase in the Conservative lead. As you can see from the graph , since the beginning of 2007 there has been a widening between the two parties, with the Tories achieving 40 points more frequently including three since the 18^th of February, two of which produced 11 point leads. While individual polls shouldn’t be overplayed, a trend seems to be emerging.

Jokeblog…

         

A man is staggering home drunk late at night when he is stopped by a policeman.
‘What are you doing out here at this time of night?’ asks the officer.
‘I’m going to a lecture.’ replies the man.
‘And who’s going to give a lecture at this hour?’ asks the policeman.
‘My Wife,’ replies the man.

Life and Love… David Cameron is right to stress the family

     

What is life? What value does life hold? What is it to end life? These are the questions – as panoramic and timeless as they are – I have found myself contemplating in recent weeks, particularly in response to the recent jump in juvenile knife crime (especially in the London area). Indeed, two more youths have so tragically and painfully lost their lives in recent days (including yet another since Ryan Castle’s recent post)…

Why? Why? Clearly we do not know the circumstances surrounding each of these deaths, but we can be sure that the victims were not worthy of such fatal judgements. Of course, by ‘victims’ I refer to more than just the recipient of the actual violation, but to a whole number of other people: the mother; the father; the brother and the sister; the girlfriend or boyfriend; the friend; the best friend; the teacher; the shop-owner; and also, the lonely individual in the future who now won’t meet the person to whom they were supposed to fall in love with… Perhaps also a thought for the aggressor(s), who will lose their liberty, lose any potential they had in life, indeed, they will lose their own life. It seems then, that every person loses. So, why? Who knows.

I shall resist trying to answer the aforementioned questions. Suffice to say, life is something worth holding on to, something worth celebrating, and so not to be extinguished. I must attempt to conclude constructively, and so I refer you to the unfailing words of Mother Teresa: “Spread love everywhere you go…”she said, before going on, “…first of all in your own house.” 

The Police and other tools may well be the most suited to being “tough on crime…” But, if we are to be “tough on the causes of crime” (I praise Tony Blair’s recognition of the problem here, but not so much his subsequent record on it), then we simply must listen to these blessed words. David Cameron is abundantly right to stress the importance of staying together, to focus on the family, and on the relationships (and huge benefits) that lie therein. After all, as I have suggested, the beneficiaries of such a reaffirmation would not just be one or two here and there; but society would benefit. God knows precious lives may be saved as well.

Brown: The Vote Loser

    

Matthew Parris tells us that one of his not very political friends agreed, for £75, to take part in a forum on young mothers, jointly organised by the Fawcett Society and the Equal Opportunities Commission. The special guest was one Gordon Brown. Here’s what Parris has to say about his friend’s response:

My friend, who had not been unsympathetic to Mr Brown, had until then only seen him on TV. She said he was a dreadful disappointment. In fact she was shocked by how bad he was. A forced smile, a prescripted announcement, for which this visit and these women were really just the media frame, and an apparent inability (or disinclination) to listen to or engage with what any of them were saying, answer their questions or show openness to their ideas and testimony left her feeling cheated and angry.

Parris goes on to make the assumption that Labour will therefore lose the forthcoming general election. As Brown is a cautious man he wont risk an early election, even if he stands to gain from a Brown Bounce. He is more likely to hang on until at least 2009 perhaps longer if he senses he might lose. This will allow more time for the sort of impression of Brown given above, to spread to more of the electorate.

As Chancellor, Brown has not been in the limelight anywhere near as much as his Prime Minister, and so his inability to engage has been less obvious than it will inevitably be once he becomes Prime Minister. Personally, at the very least, I think Labour will struggle to obtain a working majority at the next election, possibly only through coalition with the Lib Dems. Labour MPs must surely be asking if Gordon Brown is the man who can deliver them a fourth election; all the polls suggest he’ll struggle, and if the impression above is anything to go by, he definately will.

Sunday Feature…

       

William Golding’s dystopian novel lord of the flies imagines what would happen when children are left without adult supervision. The boys on the Island descend into a murderous gang culture.  One of the most shocking scenes in the book is the group murder of Simon, accompanying this frenzied orgy of violence is the chant of the other boys “cut his throat spill his blood”. Does this sound familiar?

Fiction become fact this week in London with the abhorrent murder of Kodjo Yenga under the savage shrieks of some girls chanting “kill him, kill him”. He is the sixth teenager to be killed in as many weeks.There are many similarities with the children committing these awful crimes and the boys in the nightmare novel.

Many young males now grow up without a male authority figure in the home, there is no one to try and emulate and embody their values and no one they respect enough to be effectively disciplined by. The now toothless discipline in schools mean that authority cannot be enforced there either. This means there is no effective adult influence in these boys’ lives, no one to instil the civilised values that society takes for granted. This is when the gang leaders, who appear to hold power influence, fill that void.

I am not excusing the behaviour of these brutal killers but highlighting our utter failure to educate and discipline children. The fear these gangs create and the police and communities failure to stand up to it often means that more boys join gangs for the protection as they are so scared that if they are not in one they will be the victims of a gang.

Drastic action needs to be taken now by the government, police and the communities involved. Communities need to say no to gangs with the full support of the police. More black males need to be involved in their community to show how to gain respect and power in normal channels, drastic rehabilitation programs are needed in prisons too, so that on release they do not enter back into the gang culture. Perhaps this could be done through a military style boot camp system combined with education programs so that discipline is instilled and a viable alternative to gang culture is provided upon release.

The cold-blooded murder of this teenager has shocked a city and country, the jeers of encouragement from those girls sends a shiver down the spine of every life respecting human. The solution to this utterly barbaric behaviour is not an easy one; but it is a solution we all need to seek and help to get. This isn’t a ghetto problem; Kodjo was murdered in affluent west London. It’s problem that affects all society.

Daily Bite…

    

I blogged yesterday that watchful eyes had noticed that Cameron had changed his hair parting from the right to left. Observers come up with all sorts of reasons, including that a left hand parting is more feminine and therefore aimed at attracting women voters. There were so many possible reasons that I’ve lost hair just thinking about it. However, David Cameron’s spokesman has cleared it up. Apparently he was taking his children to the barbers and decided to have a trim himself. The barber suggested that his parting was on the wrong side so he changed it. The haircut was done in a North Kensington barbers and cost £10. So there you are…

Jokeblog…

      

A couple send their dim son to a special tutor to help him catch up on his schoolwork. After a month they ask for a progress report.
‘He’s getting straight As,’ says the tutor.
‘That’s fantastic,’ says the parent.
‘Yes, they’re great,’ says the tutor. ‘But his Bs are still a bit wonky.’

A dead end?

It’s just occurred to me. I understand that part of the idea behind talking more about the environment is to show voters the Conservatives are changing. By talking about issues people don’t expect us to talk about like Health, Education and of course the Environment, we show a different image and win round swing voters. Simple. But this week Cameron come up against the tricky bit. Having made a great deal of the environment he’s now having to develop policies to show he means it. And the truth is, while the electorate on the whole agree that climate change is happening and agrees that human C02 emissions are causing it, they are less agreeable when it comes to paying tax penalties for their consumption. And so, as the polls suggest, Cameron’s proposal to increase tax on air travel didn’t go down too well.

The Guardian tells us that in a poll conducted by ICM, 48% of those polled said that neither party had the answers to climate change, while 46% of those polled trusted neither Brown or Cameron to deliver improvements. I suspect this result is due to two main reasons; the first is that while taxes on consumption are frequently proposed, incentives are less forthcoming; and the second reason is simply that people have become used to a certain level of convenience which they are reluctant to pay more for. And so politicians who talk virtuously about the environment are taking a big risk, that voters are as worried about the state of the environment as they are.