Well, Thats Another Fine Mess Cammy

It has been reported that the official elections watchdog has launched an inquiry into donations to the Conservative Party made by a company owned by wealthy party backer Lord Ashcroft. The Commission confirmed that it was mounting a formal investigation into donations made by Bearwood Corporate Services. Specifically, It is looking into a possible "failure to comply" with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act.

The Conservative party have naturally insisted that donations were "legal and permissible" but in reality that doesn't matter. The damage will have been done by the publicity. What makes me crazy with rage is the fact that Cameron and party cannot conduct their affairs in such a way that they cannot be compromised. They're not even in power yet. They have to be absolutely certain that they maintain the lead they have in the polls but they cannot do so if they sink to the depths that Labour has gone to.

For England's sake, keep your house in order please Mr. Cameron; no excuses!!!

Cam & Ozzy: Stan & Olly

As may be quite obvious, I am a bit of a Tory. I detest everything about the New Labour movement that there is to hate and I do so with a passion. Endless failure and scandal after scandal has marked the government since Blair first stepped into Downing Street and I will be glad to see back of them covered in tomatos or spoiled root veggies when they eventually go.

Their going however is now seeming to be potentially much further away than I was beginning to think and rejoice over. David and George, the fabulous bluo duo are actually doing worse in the polls at the moment than the architect of our financial woes, Gordon Brown and his Darling poodle. How can that be? How is it that everyone trusts Gordon? This is a man who has been in bed with the city as the recipient of good hard fiscal screwing on behalf of the British people since his rise to power with Blair. This is a man who has spent all the money he ever had and then got himself...well...actually us, into serious serious debt. How is it that David and his team can't capitalise properly on this situation and bury the New Labour Abomination once and for all?

I am beginning to think that there is nothing worth-while left in politics or in deed politicians any more if political capital can't be taken against a government who has managed its own and the country's finances and resources in such an appaling way. I can't help but think that perhaps David doesn't have what it takes and that perhaps he couldn't organise an anti-social alcohol fuelled rampage in Croydon, Romford or Wakefield city centre. I am beginning to think that there is a very strong chance that Labour might win a fourth term in office.....and that really really makes me mad!!! Bring on Boris the Giant Killer and lets have done it once and for all.

Broken Silence: Broken Economy

I have been away for a bit which has meant that I have neglected this site to an extent. However I don't think that I have been as negligent as some (in power and in finance) have recently been so I'm going to let myself off and er... what the hell, I'll give myself a sizable pay rise, bonus, fantastic perks and a holiday too!!!

Anyway, I have been going out of my mind with anger and rage recently about all this business to do with the economy and the stock markets. I have to say that I think that a great deal of the problem and the rising lack in confidence in the UK and world wide economy is a result of the constant 24hr jabbering of the media who appear to be in something of a feeding frenzy at the moment. However, irrespective of the media slathering at the prospect of planetary economic meltdown, governments actually seem to be panicking at the thought of recession and are running around like headless chickens trying to be seen to be "prudent" in solving the problem.

All governments including that of the UK who previously and apparently had no money are all bending over backwards to pump money into the banks to remedy the problem. This, I think is a fundamental mistake and should be avoided at all costs. Why? The money will disappear and it will not solve the problem. Regardless of any money old Gordon throws at this, we are going into recession and any attempt to stop the inevitable natural cycle of the economy can only be likened to attempts by King Canute to hold back the tides.

The fact is that the present government has for years, unnaturally prolonged the boom part of the cycle and in so doing have claimed economic mastery and genius. Gordon and Tony revelled in good figures like swine in swill for years and our current incumbent actually believes that he was and is a top economist. In his desperation to keep this reputation in tact he is in danger of pushing the UK into the worst and longest recession in history and instead of dealing with the problem logically and rationally he is addressing the problems from a popularity point of view.

Rather than looking at what caused the problem (and in truth a lot of the problems in our society) he appears to be set on reinforcing and restoring policies and practices that caused the problem in the first place. The problem is greed accompanied with a means. It's wrong to blame bankers for the problem because whilst they have undoubtedly been acting like wolves the whole time, it takes two to Tango and in fact it actually takes three. People without any financial security or appreciation have been exposed to cheap and readily accessible credit and have been allowed to borrow without full understanding of the risks and consequences. This has been encouraged by the banks absolutely and it seems encouraged too by the government who have allowed its people to live beyond their natural means and whose regulatory institution, the FSA has done nothing to fulfil their statutory mission. The fact is that all of the players involved have been blinded by greed and all are equally to blame.

This being so, if the banks are given cash to stimulate more borrowing then nobody will learn any lessons and the problem will crystallise in the future. The solution also goes against the laws of natural selection, capitalism and democracy. If banks have misbehaved then they should go to the wall. If people have irresponsibly over borrowed then they should also face the consequences and learn lessons. Government both central and the FSA should also be made to pay. Gordon and cronies will undoubtedly and finally face the firing squad over the next year and a half depending on how long they manage to stretch things out. The FSA in reality has failed, perhaps even worse than the Child Support Agency and should be scrapped, reinstating the statutory regulatory bodies that existed prior to its inception. We need to realise the extent of the mess that New Labour has left this country in and find a way to unpick the tangle that has been created. Not sure if Dave is the man to do it because he seems to be backing the government in some weird attempt to look as prudent as the PM perhaps (who got us into this mess in the first place).

All things said and done, we have to accept that the recession is coming. Like a snake sheds its skin to grow so too must the economy. What is vital is that we accept the loss of things dead in life. in order to go forward. If we don't then we will become constricted or worse become stagnant and infected. Nature must be allowed to take its course.

Strange Things Afoot With the Conservatives Methinks!!!

What on earth is going on with David Davis? I understand that he and the rest of his party might be a little upset with the outcome of the vote in parliament the other day, but why would anyone from the Conservative party resign over it. It would be understandably thatsomeone from the Labour party might consider stepping down if in disagreement but the Conservatives are in opposition. This logically means that they will oppose the governments stance and will be defeated on certain issues. If they resign, and risk by-election everytime they are defeated in the commons there is no chance they are ever going to gain any ground. Apart from everything else it almost seems a bit like Davis is throwing his dollies from the pram.

When I heard the news, I started thinking that this was a gesture by a politician who actually has morals and ethics; that he actually feels so strongly about this that he is prepared to give it all up for his beliefs. The longer I thought about it though, the more the nagging doubts and cynicism started to tug at me. David Davis is a man who has on two or three occasions so close to running the party that I can't help thinking that nothing he does is without careful planning and strategic political advantage. It didn't take me long to forget all possible altruistic possibilities (and there is only one) in favour for the possibility that this move can only be politically motivated. The problem I have is that for the life of me, I cannot figure out what the motive is!!!

The first idea was that he was simply doing it to prove that the conservatives were a party of conviction and that the positive vote was so bad that resignation was the only reasonable option. Then I realised that this was not right. The only reasonable option would be to stay put and campaign agaionst the government and defeat them at the next general election.

The second thought I had was that the conservatives wanted to force a by-election based on the vote in parliament which would give the people a chance to tell the government what they really thought about their terrorist and extended detention without charge policies. However any result would be negated by the fact that David Davis would presumably be campaigning for re-election in a safe conservative seat so there is no way that anyone could saliently argue that a win would be a knock at the government. They could be trying to keep up some kind of momentum in terms of beating Labour by-elections and thus try to force a general election but I don't think that Gordon is going anywhere near the polls until the last possible second and will not be pushed.

I wondered if Davis was looking for an opportunity to resign from the shaddow cabinet without making the party look divided and this provided him with the perfect opportunity. It is possible perhaps that Cameron wanted him out and rather than sack him, gave him an opportunity to go with dignity and without tearing the party to shreads.

Whatever the reason, I'm not sure I will ever find out. I cannot even wirk out who benefits and who suffers in this. One thing that seems to be emerging is that it hasn't done the conservatives any good. On the other hand, I'm not sure if it has done them any bad either. All that has happened is that I'm totally confused (doesn't take much to do that though!!!)

A Political Assassination in the Making

Political assassination is always an interesting thing to watch. I remembered seeing it happen to Thatcher and its effects made long lasting and deep, near fatal wounds on the conservative party. They never recovered even after Major won a general election after Thatcher's departure and it is only now, 18 years after her departure that they are beginning to look like a united party again. The obvious explanation for their sudden and long overdue cohesion is that they are doing well in the polls again. A renaissance is upon them although I think it is more likely as a result of a poor performing government than the brilliant leadership style and innovative ideas of Mr. David Cameron.

Labour has had a rough time lately and is doing what the conservatives did after too long in power; it is imploding. It's seeming invincibility is being crushed by it's own previous success. This was a government which was held together by an uneasy but iron partnership of Blair and Brown who despite all the media waffle about hatred and fighting between them, always backed each other unfalteringly on every occasion. It was in fact a very successful marriage. Now that Blair has left his political wife, the power of the marriage has vanished along with him.

With the power seemingly gone, together with any credibility it held for Gordon, those amongst the party who, drunk with power and full of ambition appear to be sharpening their knives for a bit of old fashioned political back-stabbing and assassination. I think that Lord Desai took the first gouge earlier this week, likening Gordon Brown's leadership style to porridge or haggis and even suggested a replacement, David Milliband. Suddenly, confronted with the prospect of becoming the next leader of his party, Milliband came out in the papers today undermining his leader in the process, calling for unity over the tax debacle and saying that it was important to admit mistakes when mistakes had been made. He obviously believes Lord Desai that he is going to inherit the earth and thinks he's up and ready for it. He also obviously believes that Gordon has made mistakes otherwise he wouldn't be suggesting apologies to the nation.

Gordon is obviously a different man to Blair and certainly much different to Thatcher but he is going to have to be as strong as both of them here if he wants to survive. It is too late to start apologising for things now and I don't believe that he would want to, after all where and when would it ever end. He has a bigger problem though because he has dissent within his ranks to deal with and if he fails to deal with it appropriately he will look feeble and more will follow. I think Milliband young, niaive and ambitious as he is, may have been duped into being offered as a sacrificial lamb here by other yet unseen shadows in the party. Brown really has little alternative than to sack Milliband or at least discipline him publically for his public criticism. If he does he will look like a brute but the vultures will be less keen to descend and feast upon his carcass for the time being. If he lets this go then his party will tear him apart. From the conservative point of view, it looks like things can only get better.