Friday, July 17, 2009

This Labour government is now dangerously low on credibility, just when it most needs to be believed

Once when your prime minister told you something, especially when backed by figures or statements from our impartial civil and public services you'd believe him/her.

Those days we're doomed to end from May 1997 onwards.

New Labour - the party that won power through the dark arts of media manipulation, stories, media grids and its smear campaign ( remember sleaze ).

Labour held power though daring people to call them liars ( remember "I'm a pretty straight sort of guy" ) and meaningless, but focus group tested, catch phrases such as "education,education, education".

Then when that was no longer enough they bullied and coerced ( please note their first reaction is still to trash the reputation of the person saying something inconvenient rather than answer the point as is evidenced here ). They placed their people in as Speaker, head of the BBC, Chief constable of the Met etc etc.

But then that wasn't enough to hold back reality - so they started lying more openly. The most notorious being the WMD claims made by Blair with one particular press officers help at No 10. Blair hid behind the security services. He produced dossiers and told us in hushed terms that it was the best work of the security services, some internally tried to warn him and then the media - but one of their number has now died under suspicious circumstances. The man who organised the smear campaign against John Major's government could not stand supporting going to war on this basis. He resigned, and then not long afterwards died whilst walking on MOD land.

Labour's credibility at this point is requiring some very robust action. So they bullied the BBC and launched a witch hunt followed by the Hutton White wash ( so good that Alistair Campbell and Cherie Blair signed copies at Labour fund raisers ).

Labour promised that Helmand province would just be a policing operation. The coffins filled with our son's and daughters tell a different story.

Labour said Military commanders had what they needed and had asked for. They lied.

Labour down graded the ministry of defence by giving it a part time minister, then 4 others in short order. The current incumbent is ranked 21 out of 23 in the Cabinet.

Labour - and its disgraced leader Gordon Brown - said that helicopter numbers for the troops has increased to mislead the public into thinking that provision had improved when in reality troops had increased in the same proportion.

About a year and a half ago Gordon Brown told us how our economy was best placed in Europe for the coming "downturn" ( as the ever helpful to Labour BBC re-badged the recession ). That turned out to be rubbish. Indeed much of our problems were caused by Brown with his economy fueled by debt.

Education is now an embarrassing word for Labour - they have even abolished the word from ministerial titles as they only spend capital money on further ed colleges in their constituencies.

A few months ago Brown told us all how the UK amongst the best prepared in the world for a Flu pandemic.

Then the truth emerged that the NHS had no where near enough face masks ( countered with spin and lies about their effectiveness - you don't need them anyway we were told ) before ordering another massive batch for the NHS.

The government failed to react to the returning people from Mexico. Hence our outbreak is a few months ahead of most of the rest of the world ( we only lag behind Mexico and the US - where Quarantine really isn't an option ). Those few months may cost dearly as the wait for the first vaccine for the most vulnerable.

But we are told the NHS is ready - just unable to cope. ( Hidden away from public view ethics committees will be drawing up the rules of who dies and who lives by rationing access to the totally inadequate supply of ventilators for the most serious cases. ).

NHS Direct can't cope, GPs can't cope. No one knows who's getting Tamiflu and who isn't - though anyone who pops up on the radio gets shouted down by this government and its henchmen.

Now we are told deaths could range from 15k to 65 k most likely ( with the doomsday 750k still not ruled out ).

But do they have the credibility needed any more to carry this off ?

What is of course missing from the reassuring statements about seasonal flu killing so many each year is that this time it won't be Granny and Grandpa ( who have immune systems that can fight this flu ) but young Jimmy, Jane and Mum and Dad.

Even if the total deaths were the same as seasonal flu - they would be far more visible and impact a very different section of the population.

The government says today - Don't Panic. ( And its a responsible message at this time ).

But their history of lies, deceit, misdirection and spin make them very unlikely to be believed, and panic is a very real possibility ( and direct consequence of the lies, spin and deception that have been listen above and come from the dark heart of the New Labour project ).

How long before you hear of scuffles and unrest at Hospital A&E units ? Who is going to believe what they say as they try to calm worried parents and anxious families down ?

We have to trust to God and luck - because its all too clear the Labour government is not trust worthy or trusted by anyone.

[ This is of course why any patriotic Labour MP should vote for country not party and end this government. But they won't as many of them are second rate or morally compromised who put their life careers in politics with its offer of gold plated expenses and pensions way above the good of their fellow man. ]

3 comments:

James Higham said...

All this is true. Andrew Allison points out that the Armed Forces are now becoming known for scrounging and this last business of the helicopters is, I think, the last Straw.

Another post I have to quote from.

Unknown said...

Excellent post. The've managed to totally destroy confidence in our political system. We need to re-think the entire setup.

Someone (it may hve been you) recently suggested that we should have a separately elected Executive that MPs are then charged with holding to account. I like that idea. The current system whereby the Executive can dangle patronage before MPs in order to bribe them into acquiescence is no longer fit for purpose.

A separate English Parliament, a new Union Parliament and genuine powers being transferred to local government along with the power over fund-raising that will give them independence from Whitehall.

It's not difficult. It just needs the political will and an ability to look at what's best for the nation rather than at what's necessarily best for the MP as an individual.

Man in a Shed said...

@James Higham - honoured to be dragged into obscurity.

@Wildgoose - It may have been me. I'm certainly thinking on those lines. John Major and one other (Baker or Hurd) penned an article saying something similar a few months ago.

Now we have Lord Digby Jones saying the same thing and Jacqui Smith admitting she hadn't a clue how to be Home Sec.

I was thinking of doing a post on the subject but better get on with some work right now.

There is a deep problem with our political system right now and it centres upon the emergence of the "political class" who's only talent is public relations and deceiving the electorate. ( As you'll no doubt be thinking this comment cuts all the parties ).