Comments on: October 25th?

By: Praguetory

Praguetory — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:16:48 +0000

I heard excellent reports of your QT appearance, too.

By: Stephen Wright

Stephen Wright — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:15:41 +0000

You really are the best communicator the Tories have and it was rather unkind of me to have suggested earlier that you’re crying in the wilderness.

Last week saw the nationalization of a British bank, yet recent polls seem to be saying that people approve of this frightful development.

I hope you get prime billing at Blackpool.

By: Ron West

Ron West — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:18:20 +0000

Thanks for your reply. If you were in charge, I’d trust you. But as you aren’t in charge…

What’s happening with Cameron’s promise about leaving the EPP, for example?

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(You may delete the following from the published version)

The sort of thing I’d favour is to pick 30 (or 40?) of the seats that you need to win to form a Government, but are very unlikely to be won on your own this time.

Offer UKIP to make an alliance over these seats such that a mutually acceptable joint candidate would stand, having a specific relaxation of the Tory whip on European issues to allow him/her to unreservedly propose UK Independence where appropriate. Many UKIP policies are standard Thatcherite ideas anyway. I imagine many of the existing Tory PPCs in those kind of seats would be more than happy to go along with that if it made them win.

In return for this effective offer of (say) 20 UKIP seats (instead of losing their deposits everywhere), they would throw all their resources into fighting those seats, withdraw all their other candidates and instruct their members to vote Tory elsewhere to get their virtual-MPs into the governing Party.

Of course, they would probably want to stand anyway against the top (negotiable - say 50?) most blatantly Europhile candidates regardless - well so be it.

If necessary, sweeten the offer by offering Farage a very winnable seat - what about Croydon Central if Pelling gets the chop, for example…? Labour have just gerrymandered thousands of prime Tory voters out of Croydon Central into Croydon South (which Richard Ottaway could still win without even bothering to get out of bed).

By: Man in a Shed

Man in a Shed — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:55:28 +0000

Oct 25 th is mid half term - a lot of families will be away on holiday. I wonder who benefits ?

By: Brian Tomkinson

Brian Tomkinson — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:56:17 +0000

Brown certainly gets an unjustified easy ride from the media. He is reported as having resolved problems which have not been properly dealt with and the litany of serious mistakes he made as Chancellor are dismissed from memory. There is a lot of sloppy and lazy journalism, quite happily propounding whatever propaganda is fed to it by Brown and co. without any objective critical analysis. On the other side, Cameron and the Conservatives appear comparatively silent and when reported there appears to be a far more critical presentation. The conclusion I reach is that the media has decided that Brown is a winner and Cameron a loser and they want to keep in with Brown so that they can be spoon fed with stories when, as they expect, he wins the next election.

By: Mike H

Mike H — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:43:12 +0000

It’s a shame that more isn’t being done to inform the wider public and counter Brown’s spin on the recent problems. He’s being allowed to get away with deceit and half-truths, apparently virtually unopposed.

In his interview with Andrew Marr this morning he effectively claimed that his tripartite banking supervision structures were, over recent days, responsible for averting a banking crisis. Of course, we know that they were, in part, the very cause of that near-crisis. But that message is not getting out to the wider public. Your appearance on Question Time was very welcome, but the attack against Labour, their flawed policies and their spin needs to be stronger and better orchestrated.

REPLY:I agree - I use what air time comes my way

By: Tony Makara

Tony Makara — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 12:06:43 +0000

I agree with this well put analysis. Labour were elected last time with only 22% of votes from those who were eligible to vote. So in reality 78% of the voting population did not want a Labour government. So in spite of the snapshot polls, which often depend on the question asked, there is no great level of support for Labour in the country. The Liberals look certain to be squeezed at the next general election. The British public will be faced with a straight choice ‘More of the same’ or ‘Change under a proactive Conservative government.

Gordon Brown has nothing new to offer to our people. Only the Conservative party has a broad-ranging programme for government that covers economic and social issues. My great fear is that if Gordon Brown wins a fourth term for Labour he will see that as a mandate to go ideological. The state will become even bigger and government interference in every aspect of life will intensify. The next election is about the future direction of the country, even about the liberty of the individual.

By: Gareth

Gareth — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 10:04:56 +0000

And never underestimate the anger at the destruction of Europe’s finest pensions system (not that that says much). Many of those who voted for new labour have seen the value of their pensions contributions seriously devalued. They will remember who started this national disgrace, step forward Mr Brown and be judged.

By: Ron West

Ron West — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:11:26 +0000

The Tories have GOT to stop treating UKIP like village idiots.

Most of them are clean and blameless ex-Tories (compare with the recent alleged activities of one of your most marginal MPs), who have been pushed out by the unrepresentative Europhile elite in your Party.

Reply: The Conservative party is pro a referendum on the Constitution, anti the Euro, anti powers to Brussels, pro repatriation of powers - at a certain point if you want these things you need to vote for them in a way likely to bring them about! A vote for UKIP HELPS THE FEDERALIST PARTIES.