Apr 30 2007
Freedom, fairness and tolerance
Jack Straw is one of the few Labour government members who believes in Parliament, and tries to play by the rules by bringing things to the House that ought to be debated there. I can believe that he does value the British virtues of freedom, fairness and tolerance himelf.
The problem is the government he serves clearly does not.
This government has done more than any other peace time government to damage and remove our freedoms - giving unprecedented powers to functionaries to come into our homes, spy on us at home and on the streets, lock people up without trial,??extort money from our pension funds and??through the Council Tax, and make so many more people dependent on benefits.
It has been far from fair, making the south pay so much more whilst visiting upon the south of England many things we do not want, starting with regional government and going through congestion to endless extra development without the infrastructure to make it work.
It has been far from tolerant, forcing a narrow and unpleasant political correctness on everyone, and making the law enforcement authorities take thought crimes more seriously than many anti social crimes like burglary, shop lifting and?? casual vandalism.
??So one cheer for Jack’s speech today. Could he now please get the Cabinet to adopt these British values, and start using them to sort out their policies and the way they run their overmighty rip off government? The way they run the government??for sure is not the British way.
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John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
IDS tells us that social mobility has all but collapsed for the poorest people in society. So I’m grateful I grew up under a Thatcher administration that cut taxes and allowed people to become skilled, productive, free and wealthy, rather than this lot that seem happy to foster a dependance culture. The poor want opportunity not benefits, and surely the first step here is to cut our crazy high marginal tax rates for the poor by increasing personal allowances significantly. This would make work pay, reduce unemployment and give people a stake in society. Endless welfare benefits by contrast can’t achieve this, so fund the tax cut by cutting welfare scams like say the working family tax credit (and eliminate the
Straw, has changed his tune. When he was Home Sec he spoke several times where he implied shame in our history. He was also deeply implicated in the lies that were told to justify the Iraq war. I think you are being far too charitable to him John.
Absolutely, John. It’s telling how far from genuine cabinet government we have come that, sadly, one of its members can think this and yet it is so out of kilter with the effect of government policy in so many areas.