Quote of the Day

” The greatest problem the world faces today is intolerance, everyone is so intolerant of each other”

Diana, Princess of Wales

Doom and gloom

Today in the Guardian, Alistair Darling has done his best to undermine the Prime Minister’s long-awaited economic recovery plan. In an interview for the newspaper Darling’s assessment of the economic outlook was bleak. 

The economic times we are facing “are arguably the worst they’ve been in 60 years,” he says bluntly. “And I think it’s going to be more profound and long-lasting than people thought.” He added that people were “pissed off” with Labour’s handling of the economy. Rather than being ready with the answers, this suggests the government is impotent.

In fact the whole tone of the interview is bleak. The very fact that Darling has resorted to an interview like this, atypical for him, is indicative of his desperation to put distance between himself and Brown. 

Asked whether he expected Labour to hang onto its seat in the Fife by-election, Darling responds:

This coming 12 months will be the most difficult 12 months the Labour party has had in a generation, quite frankly. Both the general economic situation, and in terms of the politics. In the space of 10 months we’ve gone from a position where people generally felt we were doing OK to where we’re certainly not doing OK.

Update: Darling’s interview has hit. George Osborne asks: “who is telling the truth at the top of government?”

Dailybite… (Except Sundays)

 

Gordon Ramsey, the TV chef, released a treasonous tirade of abuse at the Queen yesterday. On the American prime-time show Jay Leno, Ramsey accused the Queen’s chefs of serving ‘pre-historic food’ at a Buckingham Palace dinner held for this year’s list of honors. 

On the prime-time chat show, Ramsey commented that “… the food was s***”. The canapes were also “just absolutely, shockingly s***.”

I don’t wish to be critical but quite why this deluded, publicity seeking, self-serving, self-indulgent, egotistical, vein, predictable, two-dimensional, loutish, C-List celebrity was given an OBE in the first place, is the only thing any of the Queen’s staff can be criticised for.

Quote of the Day

 ”Government is not the answer to the problem, government is the problem! “

 Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States

The World Is Not Enough

 

An unlikely outcome of Russian saber rattling is the increasing prominence of David Milliband, who has benefited almost exclusively from the media attention surrounding tension between the Soviet Union and the West. 

Following Miliband’s barely disguised attempt to establish himself as a contender for the Labour leadership, the media was rife with speculation about his fate when Gordzilla returned from holiday. The Spectator warned: 

Brown must either destroy him, isolate him or yield to him. But Miliband cannot pretend nothing has happened. He has started a war with the most ferocious street fighter in Westminster.

Alas, Miliband has not been destroyed or isolated, but left to benefit from the unravelling of foreign affairs. At the very least he is now too big to be demoted or removed easily. Brown should have reacted more quickly to his Minister’s earlier insubordination.

It will be interesting to see if Miliband’s media presence improves his public standing. If it does, Brown’s replacement looks that much more plausible.

Dan: I was wrong…

…It happens from time to time you know! As Matt has rightly indicated my prediction that John McCain would pick Mitt Romney as his running mate proved to be false. However despite my support for Romney I am actually incredibly encouraged by McCain’s choice of VP: Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, is regarded by many as the ‘American Thatcher’. That is precisely what America and the world needs in America’s Vice President right now. Someone with the grit, conviction and determination of Thatcher to set the country and its economy straight again. It is fair to say that McCain’s selection of Palin was a suprise, but a welcome one at that.

McCain has clearly shown that he too can put forward a programme for change and defy the odds. As Matt rightly said he has shown that he cannot be second guessed . All bets would have been on Romney but McCain defied them all. Instead he has picked someone who is younger than Obama, deeply Conservative mother of 5, evangelical, female, popular and relatively fresh faced meaning she isn’t tarred with the corruption of Washington echoing the message of change that has fuelled Obama’s campaign. Many will criticise McCain’s choice by claiming that McCains whole argument against Obama has been his lack of experience, by picking a younger and relatively inexperienced running mate McCain is opening himself up to charges of inconsistency.

However I diagree. Yes she isn’t as experienced as McCain, but she isn’t running for President. McCain is the main part of the ticket, McCain will be the one making and taking the decisions whereas she will be his eyes and his ears. She will provide him with balance. She will be the fresh face American politics craves without having to undermine the office of the President. Change is needed in Washington but as always I believe this change must be progressive. A McCain-Palin ticket offers the kind of progressive change that America sorely needs. Good on yer John.

Sarah Palin: Profile

• >Former Miss Alaska! (Image is everything!)
• >Oldest son off to Iraq, shows solidrity and understanding
• >Opposes same-sex marriage, but has sympathised with the concerns of gay community about discrimination and has implemented legislation ensuring equal benefits for same-sex couples
• >Popular governor of Alaska, 80-90% approval ratings
• >Deeply Religious – will appeal to evangelical voters
• > Carried on with pregnancy despite her child having Downs Syndrone, which will appeal to evangelical and religious right.
• >Deeply Conservative – member of NRA etc will reassure core vote skeptical of McCain
• >Seen as economically gutsy and efficient, Alaskan reforms
• >Gained nationwide attention as a gutsy maverick unafraid to speak truth after whistleblowing on ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders during her time on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. 

US Update

The McCain campaign has released a video congratulating Senator Obama on his nomination success which I believe is a true example of the decency and strength of character that McCain would bring to the White House. John McCain is a man of great grace and great conviction. Indeed within the last few minutes it has been announced that he has chosen Governor Sarah Palin, a relative unkown, as his running mate for the fall election.

This choice is a stroke of genius by McCain. Too many people, including our own Chairman, predicted quite understandibly that Mitt Romney would be the Arizona Senators choice, he was wrong, we were wrong. This goes to show one thing we should have already known: don’t second guess McCain. John has many tricks up his sleeve and I am sure we have yet to see his true worth. Selecting a woman means that McCain is highlighting that he has the ability to encroach on the ‘change’ camp as much as Obama. He has the experience whilst his younger more vibrant VP has the appeal.

If you ask me that makes a formidible team. Whatever the outcome of the election in November this will be a record breaking race. Should Obama succeed, America will have its first black President, should McCain succeed then the country would have its first woman Vice President. I personally feel that the tightness of the current polls makes this race increasingly impossible to predict. However if I were to take a gamble my money would be behind McCain. He is playing like a pro.

Why McCain should pick Romney…

Iain Dale recently posted a blog on why John McCain will pick Mitt Romney as his running mate for the coming Presidential Election. He states that he believes McCain will pick Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for 10 main reasons:

1. He is not a Senator
2. He is a governor and someone who has actually led something – Massachussets and the Winter Olympics
3. He knows the economics better than McCain and that’s what people are talking about.
4. He will be a good counter to Biden on the attack front.
5. He has deep ties to Michigan via his dad. No Michigan no McCain Presidency.
6. He is younger and energetic but not too young that it makes McCain look older than he is.
7. He will energise the Conservative base.
8. He is a proven money raiser.
9. He is an attack dog and can go after Obama leaving McCain to take the high road.
10. Romney knows how to use the internet

As Iain rightly suggests Romney on the surface at least fills all the gaps in the McCain resume and given the fact that he too has been vetted by the nomination process he is more than able to step in and fill the shoes of John McCain should nature get the better of him! However whilst I would hope Romney is a shoe in, McCain could well suprise us with someone else. There have been rumours he could select Texas Senator Kay Hutchinson or Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in order to appeal to the disgruntled Hillary fans which could work well. General David Petraeus is another name that has been thrown around which would be vital in presenting a strong foreign policy front. However I still believe that Romney is by far the stronger candidate and he will be the one McCain choses today.

Dailybite… (Your no nonsense daily blog)

   

John Sergeant is the surprise name to appear on the new series of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. As the line between serious journalists/politicians and the world of celebrity become more blurred, Dailybite asks, Is the World going mad!?

It’s clearly not enough for John (64) to retire after a career as a respected political journalist. Not able to resist the lime-light and presumably the money, Sergeant joins a stream of serious opinion formers seeking broader fame.  

Why is it not enough to be respected in your field of expertise anymore without leveling-down and becoming a target of ridicule on prime time television?

Quote of the Day….

“If you want to cut your own throat… don’t come to me for a bandage “

Baroness Thatcher, Former Conservative Prime Minister

Brown and out!

David Cameron has issued a challenge to Gordon Brown today: come out an campaign! He issued his ultimatum to the Prime Minister after pledging he will come out and campaign for the Conservatives in the Glenrothes bi-election. To think the leader of the Labour party actually going out and campaigning for his candidate…. in his neighbouring constituency no less! The Scottish seat of Glenrothes became vacant after the recent death of Labour’s John MacDougall a long time friend of Gordon Brown. The Conservative candidate is former student leader Maurice Golden who has been encouraged by Camerons claim that he ’will be campaigning and supporting Maurice on the streets of Glenrothes’. The bi-election in Glenrothes is one I shall be watching keenly because it could well spell the end of not just Gordon Brown but New Labour.

Labour must be relieved that Brown has escaped the summer relatively unscathed, but the fact remains that Labour are in deep doo doo. The Conservatives are consistently consolidating their lead across the country with some polls predicting leads of 25%, and even in Scotland which isn’t so welcoming to the Tories, the SNP are doing the job for them. As the Glasgow East bi-election shows no seat is safe for Labour. To lose Glenrothes, right on the doorstep of Browns Kirkcaldy constituency, would all but deal the death blow to Gordon Brown and his credibility. Discontent in the Labour ranks I am confident would quickly turn in to a full scale rebellion. It looks ever more likely that the Conservatives will romp home to victory in the next General Election, the question being raised by many is ‘by what margin ?’. Even if Labour were to go through the trauma of changing its leader, the polls are predicting it would not make a jot of difference.  

In all intents and purposes Brown has used up his inheritance. He has to make bold decisions and revamp his party if he is to remain Prime Minister. However given his current performance, when he left it to the leader of the opposition and his mutinous Foreign Secretary to take the lead on the Georgian crisis, I somehow doubt he is the man to save Labour. He has had an extraordinary bout of luck, inheriting a strong and vibrant economy from the Conservatives in 1997 and being able to take credit for ‘watching over’ the economic growth that was to follow. Now, when his job demands that he take tough decisions he is all out of ideas. Sadly for Labour I fear that it is more than the summer that is coming to an end.

Dailybite…

 

Libertarian Paternalism strikes again. You may have read our blog on Richard Thaler’s new political philosophy, posted Tuesday. Now Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary has ‘come out’ as a Libertarian Paternalist. 

People who are fat have no one to blame but themselves and are the only ones who can reverse their eating habits. In true Libertarian Paternalist spirit, the Conservatives are concerned about people who’ve had more than their fair share of Dailybites, but Lansley refuses to “lecture people”. Instead, persuasion and peer pressure will be used to create a low-fat environment and encourage obese individuals to become more slim-lined.

Quote of the day…

“Modern Compassionate Conservatism is right for our times, right for our party, and right for our country”

David Cameron, Leader of the Conservative Party

Hoisted…

Bank of England Independence and the ‘Golden Rule’ were once the coping stones of New Labour’s economic competence. A decade on, they’re still doing their job; resisting inflation and curbing public debt. Unfortunately for the government which laid them, these solid foundations have become immovable political obstacles. 

The Bank was given independence over interest rates in 1997 and an inflation target of 2.5%. This was designed to assure middle England of New Labour’s economic literacy. As is supposed to happen, the Bank has refused to cut interest rates as inflation overshoots target. This is politically unfortunate as the economy moves into negative growth and unemployment rises. It means that on the monetary front there is nothing the government can do to reflate the economy (or its poll ratings).

On the other hand there is the fiscal front. But here too the government has hoist itself. Again, to convince the country of New Labour’s financial prudence, Gordon Brown set a Golden Rule, or a borrowing limit of 40% of GDP across an economic cycle. This particular piece of economic trickery has left the government little room for tax cuts or public spending to stimulate growth. It is not that public debt is historically high, in fact it is about the same as it was in 1997. It is rather that the government risks under-cutting the basis of its economic credibility if it over-shoots its Golden Rule. 

The pinch of rising fuel prices and the credit-crunch is squeezing the government as much as the public.

Cold War II?

Over the last few years Russia has become increasingly hostile towards the west and increasingly provocative in their actions. As they emmerged from the ruins of Soviet Communism the Russian authorities realised that if they were ever going to compete with the West they had to emulate it. Thus the old ways were cast aside and a new era of Russian politics emmerged. Gone were the days of communism and in came popular capitalism which ensured Russias economic revival and renewed world standing.

Now Russia is on stronger ground and the ‘Cold War’ is getting that bit hotter. They have both the economic and the military power to play a game of cat and mouse with the West and most importantly they know it. Russia’s actions are increasingly irrational and provocative, whether it be poisoning people in London, threatening a nuclear strike on Poland or invading a helpless neighbour. The Russian motives for the invasion of South Ossetia are clear to me: they want regime change in Georgia and they want to cement their dominace in the region. The pro Western Saakashvili is completely unacceptable to Russia who, despite appearences, maintains its Cold War mentality that they still dominate the Eastern block.

Naturally each side has argued its own version of events in Georgia. The Georgians claim they are defending their interests whilst the Russian’s claim they are responding to Georgian agression. However it is the Georgian’s who are telling the truth. Georgia invaded South Ossetia, yes, so on the surface level they are the agressors, however their invasion was entirely in response to repeated provocative attacks by South Ossetian separatists controlled and funded by our dear friends in the Kremlin. This was a not a war Georgia wanted; but it was one Russia wanted.

The Russians relished the oppourtunity to flex their military muscles once again and once again fly in the face of Western opposition. No matter how much they attempt to justify their actions, the fact remains that their action stand in direct violation of the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of democracy, co-operation and security in Europe. They justify their actions as being in defence of their citizens in South Ossetia and argue that the citizens of that region have the right to self determination. Russia is right, every individual does have the right to self determination… but not where the Russians are concerned.

Their claims would be that bit more believable if it weren’t for that ever potent thorn in Russia’s side: Chechnya. Do they not have the right to self determination? Or rather do they only have the right to Russian determination? Russia does not have a leg to stand on playing the moral high card. The fact is Russia’s actions, their flouting of international law and their provocative actions of late all amount to one thing: a policy of regime change in Georgia. Just because they have signed a ceasefire does not mean that their intentions have changed. They want and will actively persue regime change in any country in their vicinity that does not turn to Moscow for guidance.

So what can we do? Obviously western military intervention in Georgia is out of the question, however the Russians actions cannot go un-punished. There are many other ways in which the west can punish them be they political, social or economic. An obvious and symbolic way of apllying some pressure on the Kremlin would be to make it clear to the them that their own prestige project, the Sochi Olympics, may have to be reconsidered should their actions continue to be provocative.

What we need now is strong leadership from Washington, London and the west at large. The Cold War was not won through quiet diplomacy it was achieved through long term and sustained economic and political pressure combined with strong leadership from Thatcher and Reagan. We need leaders of that like to stand up to Russia once again and make it crystal clear that this type of behaviour will never be accepted. However with Obama in the White House and Brown tentatively hanging on in Downing Street I am fearful that a new Cold War would be tipped entirely in the Russians favour.

Dailybite…

 

Margaret Thatcher is a living Twentieth Century icon. She lives a quiet and comfortable life behind the doors of her Belgravia home without intrusion. As has been public knowledge for many years, Thatcher’s formidable mind is not what it was and her public appearances have been cut to preserve her integrity, until now… 

Carol Thatcher has been busy flogging the details of her mother’s failing health to publishers. Serialised in the Mail on Sunday, we now know how the former PM gets confused in conversations, struggles to find words, and has to be reminded that her husband of fifty years is dead. Lovely, thanks Carol.

Democrats in Denver

Its that time of year again! The Democrats are meeting in Denver for their National Convention just days after Obama announced that Joe Biden was to be his running mate. I briefly watched the highlights of the first day of the convention which unsuprisingly attempted to present unity and hope but their cheers concealed a dark reality. Despite heartwarming speeches from the likes of Michelle Obama and Ted Kennedy, the reality is the Democrats are in trouble and those in the know are actually quite concerned.

The Democrats at large need to despense with that traditional Democrat quality: ignorance. They cannot ignore the fact that the polls are increasingly close at a time when the Democrats should be leagues ahead. They have a charismatic candidate, they follow a man regarded as one of the worst Presidents in history, they inherit an economy on the brink of recession, gas prcies at an all time high and an unpopular war lurking in the background. In short they have all the ingredients required in a recipe for sucess. Yet still they are unable to convince the American public and I believe this in part can be justified by one word: Clinton.

 Obama’s choice of VP is questionable and his dismisal of Hillary Clinton potentially fatal. By dismissing Hillary, Obama has flown in the face of popular opinion across all Americans who believed he should have taken Clinton and her supporters more seriously. His selection of Joe Biden, far from ensuring party unity, could well push disgruntled Hillary fans right in to McCain’s open arms. And the McCain camp know it. McCain has released several new ads over the weekend intended to rile up and appeal to the roughly 28% of Clinton backers who have told pollsters they are still undecided or plan to vote for McCain this fall. One titled “Passed Over” implies that his Democratic opponent didn’t choose Clinton to be his running mate because he couldn’t handle her “truth”-telling, while another features a “proud Hillary Clinton Democrat” declaring her intention to support McCain in the fall.

Similarly the McCain Camp must be commened for their performance over the past few weeks in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. They are punching the right places and one day could well deal the knock out blow. A few weeks and months ago Obama was romping home to the White House on an unprecedented wave of international and national good will. In truth he and many of his supporters were all but picking out the White House colour scheme. Today’s polls tell a very different story. Obama is now either neck and neck or behind McCain, particularly in the swing states. The wheels are coming off the Obama bandwagon, the people want substance not speeches. This election is far from over and this convention season could prove crucial.

Punchblog…

 

Libertarian Paternalism

 

This, so I’ve read, is the new buzz word on everyone’s lips. Basically, Libertarian Paternalists place their faith in ‘Nudging’ rather than compulsion. ‘Nudgers’ are paternalistic because they are compassionate, but libertarian because they don’t like government compulsion. It’s attractive to Conservatives and conducive with the Compassionate Conservatism of David Cameron. In fact Cameron plugged the chief exponent of this and a plethora of other new philosophies, Richard Thaler, in a speech last month.

Libertarian Paternalism draws on the human sensitivity to peer pressure and tendency to observe and follow the example set by senior societal figures. For instance, when Cameron publically castigated WH Smith for selling chocolate at reduced prices, a stunned WH Smith was forced to respond by pointing out its dry fruit option.

Drawing attention to the role of retailers in the health of the nation reverberated and may have affected the products shops market and the products customers buy. This is achieved without government compulsion. As Cameron said,

“Of course we cannot regulate in this regard but can point the finger, we can ask awkward questions and we can put some pressure on and I believe politicians and others should do so.”

This approach is key to Compassionate Conservatism, and indicates a shift in the role of politicians from law-makers to ‘Nudgers’. Often we call for a ‘change of culture’ to achieve a given improvement. Legislation is frequently inadequate to quite force such a change and this is where Libertarian Paternalism steps in.

Britishness

Tonight’s episode of Panarama focused on that most ambiguous of questions: what is Britishness and what does it mean to be British? What intrigued me most about this programme was just how much it made me question my own conceptions of Britishness and what it means to me to be British. When one attempts to define Britain the obvious national treasures would be reeled off and my first instincts were… ‘fish and chips!’, ‘the royal family!’, ‘polo!’, (to name just a few) however even these most ‘British’ of icons presented me with a dilema.

Well for a start potatoes, that most essential ingredient of our beloved national dish, were introduced to Britain in the 1570s from America, many hundreds of years after rice and pasta were first eaten here so why arent rice and pasta a national dish? The Royal Family?  yes inspirational, traditional and rabble rousing… but ultimately German, and polo? Indian. So you see, look back far enough and the ultimate symbols of Britain are in fact foreign. Therefore with the possibility of defining ‘Britishness’ through symbols quashed what else could it be?

Perhaps the best way to describe what it means to me to be British lies in that most immortal of lines ‘I think therefore I am’. Britishness is a state of mind. Whether the Royal family is of German descent or not is irrelevant considering the fact we still rally round them as one of the ultimate ’symbols’ of the nation. We still feel a lump in the back of our throats to see the Queen riding the King George III state coach down the Mall to the renditions of Land of Hope and Glory and Zadoch the Preist… German or not! The fact is Britishness is what we feel and not neccessarily what we are. As far as I am concerned love of ones country is inante and not imposed and perhaps the most wonderful thing about it is… it doesn’t have to make sense.

If Gordon Brown really wants to make people feel British the way to do it is to remind them why we should be proud to be British. Not with oaths or days off but through education and understanding. Take the flag back from the extremists like the BNP, fly it proudly from our public buildings. Stop teaching our children that the British Empire was exploitative and ‘nasty’ because frankly who would want to be assosciated with an exploitative system? Instead focus on the developments that the British Empire made in the world, the cities and towns we built, the education and health structures we developed and the traditions of democracy which became an inherant part of their independent national life. Don’t focus on the fact we exploited the slave trade but remind us of the fact that we were the ones ended it. In short: end the apology culture. Apologists don’t make good patriots.

The extremists tend to point to the breakdown of British patriotism and society to immigration, and to be fair this is in part true. It would be naieve for us to deny that mass immigration has changed the face of this country beyond recognition and created community tennsion however I believe it is the system that has failed us and not the individual immigrant. Immigration is largely beneficial to society but it must be kept in check and most crucially there must be conditions. When we accept, as we have been doing up to present, the premise that speaking the national language is an optional extra, we allow deep divisions to form within communities until some communities are detached completely. We must expect more from our immigrant communities and in turn we need to make our immigrant communities feel part of our community. We need to find ways of educating us on them and them on us only then can we hope to understand each other. After all, immigrants have the capacity and as much of a right to feel British as Joe Smith from Peckham.

Being British is about driving a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab to enjoy whilst sitting on Swedish furniture and watching American shows on a Japanese TV… oh and the most most British thing of all?… being suspicious of anything foreign. Britishness like individuals are a mass of contradictions, we are what we think we are and ultimately there is nothing wrong with that if it inspires that sense of community and collective bond that patriotism can. Gordon Brown hopes to force a renewed sense of national pride on us simply because his party has done wonders to undermine it, whether it be through policies of devolution or lax grips on immigration. As always he is persuing a top down solution whereas we Conservatives understand that this situation requires a bottom up solution.

Patriotism and true Britishness is not to be demanded or expected, to demand is to destroy, it has to be given freely and the only way to achieve that end is to inspire the uninspired through education and community. Make people want to be British don’t expect them to be.

Boris…

Race hots up…

 

The race for the position of Worst Prime Minister in British History is hotting up, as Gordon Brown tussles with Anthony Eden for first place. Currently, the rugged Scot appears to have the edge over the English Gentleman. The grocer’s daughter, Lady Thatcher, is miles behind, despite her sledge-hammer attempt to re-impose the infamous medieval poll tax. 

After hanging on to rock bottom in the opinion polls for a staggering six months, Brown is becoming such a miserable failure that even Eden’s international humiliation over Suez can’t thwart Brown of his rightful place in the pantheon of British PMs.

On a serious note, since my last blogging attempt, I have been captivated by the Shakespearian tragedy that is Gordon Brown. Having coveted the office of Prime Minister for much of his life, he is realising his limit. It happens to us all, but rarely under the merciless glare of the media spotlight and an audience if millions.

“I don’t think Anthony can do it”, Churchill is supposed to have said about his successor Eden. Tony Blair could have been just as prophetic about his own successor.

Team GB hit rock bottom!

No we’re not talking about the Olympics, that Team GB are doing rather well, but the other Team GB headed by bumbling Brown have hit a 30 year low in the polls. However its not just the polls I am interested in because there are far more indicators which make a Conservative victory at the next General Election an ever more realistic prospect. Even David Blunkett saw the light by suggesting as far back as June that he understood why people believed the Conservatives were offering a more attractive alternative and that Labour had ‘hit rock bottom’. Well unfortunately for David and for Gordon rock bottom is deeper than they first thought.

Since the time of Blunkett’s rock bottom remark Labour have completely lost economic confidence which means, for us, there is all to play for. When Britain crashed out of the ERM in 1992 the Tories lost their economic confidence for the long haul and subsequently lost the following election. New Labour’s Black Wednesday moment came with the prime minister’s unscrupulous shenanigans last year over whether to call that election. That situation subsequently forced Darling into a shamelessly political and hastily assembled pre-budget report, including copycat announcements on inheritance tax and non-doms, which voters naturally refused to be taken in by. This showed voters that Labour were just coasting their way through public life and had little concrete plans for the future.

Since Labours Black Wednesday the list of economic disasters has got longer, whether it be the botched nationalisation of Northern Rock, the 10p tax band and changes to capital-gains tax, the further damage of road-tax rises or the confusion over stamp duty, Gordon Brown and Alaistar Darling look increasingly like tweedle dum and tweedle dee when it comes to economics and voter confidence has hit rock bottom. Cameron on Osbourne on the other hand look cool and confident without offering any real solutions, therein lies the recipe for success. The two top tories regularly cling to the phrase ’share the proceeds of growth’ well if the latest figures are anything to go by there is going to be little to share and thus have little to offer which is why they need to play it as cool as they have been doing lately.

Cameron is right to hold back on policy for now, at least if the inheritance tax debarcle is anything to go by, however pretty soon he is going to have to come up with some concrete conditions for our economic revival because buzzwords and soundbites just wont cut it. Until then Cameron has to remind the country of what Labour has done wrong rather than present a coherent alternative. The temptation is to call for further policies and be irritated by Camerons seeming coyness in regard to economic policy however Labour know that by not presenting an alternative the country’s eye will be fixed on Labour at a time when they would rather it wasn’t. Labour  will do their damndest over the next few weeks and months to put the errors and confusion of the past year behind them, our aim must be not to let them.

Labour can at least be pleased about one thing which has been revealed today: with Gordon Brown safely out of the country their poll ratings are no better… but at least they’ve stopped getting worse.

London 2012 Update

Boris Johnson has introduced good old fashioned Conservative thrift in to the London Olympics with his latest comments on London’s plans for the 2012 games. He insists that British ingenuity and resourcefulness will make the London event equally as impressive as the one in China’s capital, which cost over £20bn. Currently the inflated budget for the London 2012 Olympics stands at £9.3bn which is under half that of the budget allocated by the Chinese authorities and Boris has vowed not to go a penny over.

Boris’ comments come at a time when the Olympic flag is to be handed over to the capital on Sunday as a symbol of the beginning of the countdown to London 2012. For anyone who watched the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing the spectacle was a sight to behold. However one can only hope that Britain’s opening ceremony is equally spectacular but that the difference between our Olympics and Beijing is that our show will hopefully reflect a reality and not a government imposed pantomime.

Running mate?