A memory of the Royal Family in East Germany

Just reading about all the foreign media interest in the Royal Wedding.

The Royal Family is like Dave Listers (Red Dwarf) famous curry friend egg sandwich - it all seems wrong, but somehow it works.

It made me think of seeing as a boy the outside of the British Embassy in East Berlin, when communism was still a going concern.

What did the diplomatic staff put in their window to wind the commies up ? An explanation of how the Royal Family worked and how wonderful he Queen was of course. Guaranteed to have any keen communist chocking on his 5 year plan cornflakes ( or oat based gruel - frankly I don't even want to think about it )...

The Iranian media is wrong - the Royals are far cheaper than our politicians - just look how much "the son of the manse" cost us.

Imagine the self righteous politicians let lose with palaces, private jets etc.

Yes somehow you wonder about having a monarchy in the 21 century - until you think of the alternative.

A fine day

Clearly today belongs to the new Duke and Duchess of Cornwall Cambridge.

I've been a lot more indifferent than I've been in the past to the build up. Maybe its all those New Labour years taking their toll.

But nether the less the occasion hocks you then reels you in.

And it was a fantastic day, for a great occasion.

It surprising the emotions and connections it all bring to the fore.

For England

I had hoped to get a post in here on the future for England, but time pressures are closing in so let me wish you a great St George's day and I'll get back with something a bit more considered latter on.

Of interns and immigrants

It certainly looks like someone at CCHQ has just realised they have been taking the core vote for granted.

We've had the immigration dog whistle ( look I'm a Conservative - but its obvious what is going on here, especially as to do anything effective about it you'd need to a) Fire Vince Cable and the Lib Dems and b) be willing to actually stand up to the EU and European courts - and we all know this won't happen ).

Now David Cameron has made a virtue out of what may have been a necessary. ( Perhaps an unfriendly newspaper had the story about his getting an intern position for a neighbours child anyway ).

All this suggests to me that CCHQ may be waking up to the fact that all the talk of punishing the middle classes for their evil habit of not destroying their children's futures at the local comprehensive ( which they have already paid for ), but paying again out of taxed income to educate their children in an institution that still has some basic discipline in place, is losing the party large amounts of support.

Frankly I think they're a bit late. Maybe they've missed their moment altogether. I suspect many Conservatives will stay at home on May5th ( especially bad for the #No2AV crowd ) and yet more will vote UKIP in the privacy of the polling booth ( and if you do that why not #Yes2AV ).

Hence all the sudden rediscovering of Conservative principle we see reported in the media.

Well Conservatism isn't just for elections, its for government too, and David Cameron is running out of time and credit in which to show he understands this.

Where is the home for Thatcherites ?

There are two posts/articles recently that have made me ask this question:

1) "At an ideological fork in the road" by Chris Palmer over at Independence Home
This most compelling thing he said was that UKIP was a Conservative Liberal party, ( Conservative socially, Liberal economically ) whereas the Conservatives have become Liberal Conservatives ( a phase David Cameron has used. There plenty of socially liberal by old Tory Conservative economics behind that phrase. )

2) "Cameron is taking us back to the feudal" by the wonderful Janet Daley on the Telegraph.

We have tolerated triangulation and appeasement of weak minded selfish Lib Dems, maybe on the argument that the "national interest" came first. Save the UK from the debt disaster Labour created and continues to deny was a top priority.

But I have to be honest I find the toying with social engineering, the failure to face economic facts, and the weak weak line taken on Europe as very trying indeed.

Clearly this message has got through to CCHQ and the leadership as we all now have a dog whistle ringing in our ears over immigration. The problem is words are cheap - we know the EU won't allow any effective action to be taken. Its just for show - and most of us aren't fools.

Not sure this can go on for much longer... I've mentioned this to a few Conservative people and most of them agree.

There going to be trouble ahead because those of us who are still Thatcherites are running out of patience ....

Just for show

So now we start to learn the truth.

We've had all the headlines, the thrilling pictures of Typhoon aircraft tacking of on after burners, the first female Typhoon combat pilot.

No mention of the fact the only air to air kill has been a trainer aircraft that had just landed by the French.

We know the deployment has been expensive.

The RAF has reminded us how their cuts should be reversed.

But no one mentioned that all this tax payer cash burned has been wasted - until now ( see a list of the failings here ).

The whole exercise seems to have been more about internal UK politics than the job in hand.

OF course the RAF Tornado's have done a useful job, but only with the capacity they so embarrassingly lacked in the first gulf war when even more aged RAF Buccaneers had to be drafted in. ( So not only do we have the current disgrace - but its also an example of lessons not learned in the past from previous failures. )

Just what on earth is going on ? Some should be sacked as its tax payer's money that is being needlessly burned here and I for one would like to see heads roll.

Further: The Reg has an article showing how desperate the RAF was to carry out its show attack and that its target was probably a decommissioned tank anyway. The whole exersie carried out for purposes of UK politics.

Why is the EU campaigning in the UK ?

Just found the shown advert in my copy of the economist. Given that its our taxes that fund the euro monster I find this objectionable and rather worrying.

What business does the EU have in our politics ?

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The Right Hon Alan B'stard speaks

This little video is getting a full thuggish astroturfing by the Yes2AV crowd - whom it clear scares witless.

( And this from someone who has yet to make up his mind how to vote on AV ).

Well done that man

Councillor Royston Smith will have made his friends and family proud - along with the members of HMS Astute grateful.

The Conservative head of the council in Southampton was on a tour of the submarine when the incident happened. Details here and here.

Many wonder what they would do in such an event - Cllr Smith now knows he measures up. He disarmed the gunman - with the chief executive Alistair Neill jumping in also.

I wonder if Cllr Smith will be out canvassing today ? Anyway:

Well done Gentlemen.

It is of course deeply regrettable that this event is also to be remembered by the pain of loss for the man killed, his family and the man injured.

Nick Clegg, David Cameron & David Willets should shut up

At least on social mobility.

Why ?

In short because they have no relevant life experience and are too conflicted by the temptations of political triangulation.

The longer answer is given by Allison Pearson in a spirited article in yesterday's Telegraph. ( If you missed it have a look ). I was thinking of a post on the same lines, but this one hits all the right notes.

At the same time we have attempts to tell the Conservative faithful that Grammar schools aren't the answer ( see this over on the Spectator's coffee house ). Even my leftwing family friends understand Grammar schools are great - as they have their kids in one ! We know the real reason the govt won't allow selection in schools is because of political triangulation, and the need to try to keep the BBC onside.

This reaching for what we engineers call tail pipe solutions of just fixing the results is what the socialists do and why so many of us despise them.

Frankly I'm not feeling very warm towards Messrs Clegg, Cameron & Willetts on this.

Quote of yesterday

"The NHS does not ration by price or delay, it rations by relying on its patients to lose the will to live." - Simon Jenkins Evening Standard 5th April.

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So how large a share should the state take ?

Just wondering to myself how large a share of GDP the state should take ?

I think it was 35 or 37% some time before Gordon Brown got to work, but now its closing in on 50%.

What should our Target be ?

I ask as it seems to me there needs to be a counter to the self interested greed of the public sector unions and there wholy funded subsidiary the Labour party.

Are there any cases made online for what it should be ?

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