How government messes everythign up: Part 92

This is worth a read over at The Economist ( sorry can't determine if its behind their pay wall I hope it isn't ).

The article explains how government interference in Apprenticeships has made it virtually impossible for small companies to offer them in the UK.

This is perhaps as much the civil services fault as the last Labour government.

It just shows how government when trying to help often ends up destroying.

As Ronald Reagan used to say the most feared words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm hearhere to help".

Theft from the future, and breach of trust with the past - Pensions

There was an interesting 5 minutes on radio 5 live this morning, as the low provision of many people for their pensions was discussed. ( By many people I of course mean private sector people who are also carrying the burden for the people with pensions - public sector people ).

Scripture and the differences in the Lords prayer between the churches of Scotland and England were even mentioned. ( Just showing how the weak Church of England has totally failed to engage with the whole issue of debt- beyond the simplistic left wing view of just writing it off for third world dictatorships. )

Someone phoned in to explain how every pension pot they had invested in had lost money - I have to say that's my and my families experience also. ( Although the tax relief on the pensions may have offset that - but all that really amounts to is a subsidy of the pensions industry, not pensioners. )

A long time ago I explained to a colleague about why you need to be careful about pensions. I explained the example of Argentina 'borrowing' private sector pensions to pay its public sector wage bill. The problem with pension is you've put your money into government controlled parcels.

This has already started in Europe, and the Irish have just started a 'temporary' tax on pensions. We can all remember Gordon Brown's stealth tax on pensions to pay for Labour's re-election campaigns ( ie to help with his irresponsible running of a structural deficit with an unreformed public sector just to keep the egos of as few washed up socialists provided for by tax payers money ).

Its worth reading about what our government may do over on the Adam Smith Institute blog here. ( There are also the links which I've used in this post there. )

There is a wider political issue here- a massive breach of trust is being carried out to help resolve the banking and sovereign debt crisis. The assumptions of a successful capitalist economy and democracy are being called into question by stealthy subversion.

This could be the biggest wave of the crisis yet to break.

I don't think the politicians have realised how angry people will be when they realise what has been going on.

And before Labour types get all Fabian on me, remember it was Labour that ruined pensions. Brown & Darling were not just very close to Fred the Shred at RBS, but also the whole Scottish insurance and pension industry that support Edinburgh. Labour changes taxes and regulations in ways that made their city backers and friends very happy.

A post worth reading

Since the demise of Iain Dale there has perhaps been a lack of interaction amonsgt bloggers, and a reduction in the tendency to cross post or flag up other people's posts.

As I hardly ever did that, I can hardly complain.

But I do intend to start doing it.

So let me recommend this post by Sand Monkey in relation to the tensions in Egypt right now. I have no way of being able to verify what he says, but much of it has the sound of truth about it from things I've heard from other sources.

I might not be the enthusiastic secularist Sand Monkey is ( in the UK is secularism that is oppressive, rather than a dominant religion ), but the points are worth reading a reflecting on.

The post is Offensive ( the title - not in my view the contents ).

Well worth a read - and its such a different take from the offical line you get via the BBC etc.

England this Easter ( a little late)

Having St George's day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday has on this occasion reminding me of the link between being English and my Christianity.

The flag of England is after all a St George's cross.

The quiet sense of being English can almost be cut from the air on that warm Sunday after walking out from Church as many in the congregation head of to their family engagements for that day, in my case being invited round to a friends for a Sunday lunch and the pleasure of watching all our kids play with each other running round the garden and as an extra treat as our hosts have just acquired a young puppy.

Understanding about who we are used to be unspoken. Mainly as the root of our identity in a reformed protestant religion that did not seek to make windows into men's souls was accepted by all.

Some people were different - Catholics, Jewish even other eccentric views like atheists - but the common culture was broadly accepted by all. We had learned of the wars caused by religious intolerance and also those caused by a lack of firmness about religious institutions. England was settled with a common law, common identity and established Church, which tolerated other views and Churches.

England was settled in its Christian culture and identity. Indeed so subliminal was our identity that it hardly needed to be named or addressed - with British and Britain being used interchangeably.

But this is no more.

Two of our main political leaders are atheists, a very strange and un-English religion (oh yes it is a religion) that relies on negative faith.

I fear this years English Easter has really been an Indian Summer of England

The progressives dominated media and political parties, and they hate the England that was on show this Easter. Only things like the AV referendum suggest that the patient isn't ready to have the cultural lobotomy that the progressive elite is, with its radical blood lust, so desperate to carry out.

As an example of England's vivisection by the progressives and their "human rights cult" see Cranmer's post of Catholic Care running into the buffer of our new bigoted orthodoxy.

Perhaps one of the few rays of hope is that some on the Labour side seem to have realised how unpopular this all is, with their Blue Labour ideas. However I can't get excited as I fairly sure its just a cover to get elected, when the jackboots of the Fabians will again march into Whitehall.

Say No to the ecofascist plan to destroy England

The madness of our political classes adherence to the climate change agenda is getting close to the point where its going to destroy our economy and then our country.

Sign this petition against the insanity here

Blue Labour - another Damascene conversion with no flash of light

Here we go again....

Labour are unpopular. They have a 'structural deficit' in their supporter base and the AV referendum has made it clear to them that this is a problem.

Think of how unpopular and hated (politically - no doubt she's a fine person & a fun to be with ) Harriet Harman is for her progressive agenda.

Well the boys and girls in Labour have a new reality to introduce their flock to - Blue Labour. Turns out the country's conservative after all, and guess what ? So will Labour be.

#RedEd Miliband who only a few weeks ago was giving speeches about the progressive majority in the UK, now thinks the 180degr opposite and its forwarding a pdf file E-Books ( yes that's right- really trendy stuff - shows how hip and with it he is ) on Blue Labour. ( Somehow the University of Middelsex provided financial support for this exercise - which makes the mind boggle at what about word processing requires a University to prostitute itself and corrupt its impartiality that way ? )

But what's missing here is the road to Damascus conversion. You know the point when the leader of the Labour party realises in a flashing burst of light that he's been wrong all along and must now repent and get on with the opposite.

It was missing with Tony Blair and New Labour ( though Blair did at least thoughtfully try to invent a moment when he met Mondeo Man ), none of which explains the CND joining Labour party member who was in the Labour party through its most neolithic headbangingly stupid phase of the 1970's and 1980's.

And its missing for Ed Miliband ( like his loyalty to his brother, the name on his son's birth certificate and his failure to marry the mother of his children ).

The public are again going to be asked to suspend disbelief as we are told that Two legs bad, Four legs good really always excluded Pigs.

Its by the absence of this part of the journey - the convincing conversion - that we know its just Labour doing anything for votes. When they get back in they will carry on with their anti-family, anti-Male, anti-Business, hatred of marriage type policies that their middle class progressive leftie leadership really believe in. But for now they are willing to humour their bigoted woman and any other voters in exchange for a cross on a ballot paper.

Don't be fooled again.

Men and women should listen to each other a little more

There are two sets of messages being sent in the media which are being ignored.

1) What you wear might put you at risk of provoking an unwanted response. ( Canadian policeman to female students ).

2) Rape is very serious and you're not to judge the impact of such crimes. ( Any female leader writer in today's papers responding to Ken Clarke's comments on R5 yesterday- eg whoever did thought for the day on #R4Today ).

What do these two points have in common ? Each sex is trying to pass on a message to the other that is being roundly ignored, wilfully so in at least one of the cases.

We know that the human imperative to reproduce creates very strong urges, emotions and occupies a large amount of peoples thoughts. Any failure of higher level control ( ie civilised behaviour ) can have very unpleasant results.

Really we should listen to each other and hear what is being said instead of deliberately taking offence and seeing something as an opportunity to advance our agendas.

Gesture politics

The Coalition has just put through two actions that I would have rounded on with avengeance if they had been carried out by the last Labour government.

So I'll savage this one instead:

1) The Carbon limits suicide note
Never mind the lazy short hand we have all adopted about talking about the element Carbon as shorthand for green house gases. The Coalition has just decided to go with Huhne and Letwin's destroy the economy option of laying down and dying- or at least promising to do so at some time in not so far off future, but beyond the life time of their political careers naturally. ( Come to think of it many things may be beyond Huhne career life time, but I digress .. )

2) Declaratory legislation
Instead of action and progress we get legislation promises. The environment will be looked after - sometime in the future, soldiers will be decently treated - sometime in the future, and overseas aide will be kept high - binding the future.
This is the worse type of use of the law. It will be great for the cult of human rights lawyers and their fat fees and egos to feed off, but its undermining our society. Its a new form of national debt of promises - where today's politicians get the credit, but leave the pain for tomorrow. It is also a subsitute for action.
I always find the more someone promises things the less reliable they are. Your word shoudl be you bond, not legislation.
Jill Kirby does a good job of arguing against this than I can here.

Not good, not good at all.

The Rally Against Debt

Just back from the Rally Against Debt in the old palace yard opposite Parliament. Here are a few pics from my not so great camera phone ....



All went well - turn out was respectable. I'm told 300 was mentioned on the radio, but frankly I didn't count. The key thing is perhaps who attended rather than numbers as its spreading the message that we can't keep stealing from our children's futures that needs to get through, and for that to happen motivated people need to spread the message.

The problem with the national debt is that its a slow boiling frog issue. Because the increase is gradual its hard to get the public to properly engage with the issue. This leaves the playing field open to the special interest groups, special pleaders and apocalyptic socialists who actively seek the crisis we are heading towards.

So what can be done ?

Further

BBC "Rally held to back cuts to reduce UK deficit"
Guardian "Pro-cuts activists to rally against debt"
Cranmer "The Rally Against Debt cannot morally be opposed"
Guido "We Rallied Against Debt"
Brian Micklethwaite - pictures of the protest signs.
Matthew Sinclair: The Rally Against Debt was a huge success
Other views
Tim Montgomerie: Why doesn't the Right march?

Update: Petitions in circulation has 400-500 signatures. The BBC reported 350 there. No a mistake they make on left wing demos. Maybe right of centre people are partially invisible to BBC eyes.

The rally against debt

With a fair wind I should be there at the rally on Saturday - with Euro bailouts to bankrupt countries and taxpayers being held liable so that our politicians can borrow more money to bribe us for our votes - so should you be also.

Facebook details
Taxpayer Alliance instructions

Who will stop us being bleed to tax death by the EU bailouts?

Read Timo Soini: Why I Don't Support Europe's Bailouts - WSJ.com, and then ask yourself why this isn't more of an issue in England also.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

The rediscovered conservative majority

The hangover is really starting to kick in for the left, as I suggested it might.

The Lib Dems have had a real temper tantrum at losing and having their dreamed of voting adjustment to favour them taken away.

Their council and regional government performance was dire. But the true thumping came from the AV referendum where they have lost in the most convincing manner possible.

Some are even starting to blame the AV referendum for getting out all the Tories to vote. ( Its never the Lib Dems fault you see. )

But the real long term damage is to those in Labour, the Guardian & BBC who believe in the progressive majority. In their trendy leftie London postcodes they fool themselves into thinking everyone agrees with them. They are denial of those who have a different view is fascist in its intensity - they are just written from their delusional existence.

But here's the thing - the UK's not progressive at all. Its conservative.

By that I don't mean right of centre, though much more of it is than those who sleep in Islington believe, but that it dislikes change, believes in families and respect and dislikes the progressive revolution that has been forced on them. ( So that will include at least half of those who normally vote Labour ).

This is the forgotten majority, who have just kicked the Guardinistas where it hurts. ( The Guardianistas will unfortunately not conclude that they are wrong but , like the EU, avoid ever asking the country again. )

The opportunity is now there for the Conservative party to make use of this conservative majority. Notice that many conservtaive pople turned out to vote when they thought it was important, so lets stop tilting at progressive windmills to tickle the BBC's world view and start a more robust espousal of conservative views and values.

That might mean its time to go for a general election to dump the back biting, double dealing, ill discipled and all round unpleasant Lib Dems.

Economics 101

H/T to Daniel Hannan

Woking election results

I'm especially pleased for Hillary Addison who has fought a long and at times lonely battle in East Goldsworth for the Conservatives over many years.

The Lib Dems are no longer the Alternative Vote

In some ways the tactical mistakes of the Lib Dems, having decided to go into Coalition, could be put down to experience - the lack of it.

The Lib Dem pitch, even before Lib Dems existed, was an alternative.

An alternative to what ? Their answer has been "what have you got?" ( with apologies to James Dean ).

This tactic has been part of their strategy of building up support from opposition.

The problem is they haven't adjusted to being in power.

They have instead continued to behave like the alternative opposition. Reform of the NHS ( needed lets not forget to save peoples lives - lives that will be lost if nothing is done due to rising govt debt and health inflation combined with falling productivity in our soviet era NHS ) ? The Lib Dems are there to say no to the things that might really help. Removing Labour ema bribe ? The Lib Dems insist on the sort of social engineering that only the Labour party really believes in - but helps them posture on TV. Reforming public services to make them more affordable and effective and help people ? The Lib Dems are stamping their little feet to say no - as after all most of their supporters and members have a selfish interest in this issue. ( Individuals on the left become fabulously wealthy in 'public service' and yet mention the word profit and the Guardianista sky falls in. )

They haven't been helped by their lack of discipline. The really damaging attacks on Nick Clegg were only possible after Lib Dem ministers and MPs prostituted themselves to go along with Ed Milibands anyone but Clegg #AV strategy.

What they have lacked is conviction and guts.

They could have campaigned on the things they achieved - for example lifting low paid people out of income tax. But instead the subliminal message has been were there to stop the evil Tories from being too beastly. If you spend your time badmouthing your partner then soon people stop listening to you and start forming an opinion about your character, and its not a good one.

The electorate don't respect this sort of behaviour.

Each time we have Paddy Ashdown, Vince Cable - or most damaging of all Chris Huhne on TV bad mouthing the Conservatives Lib Dem support drops, as the public judge them on character and find them lacking.

There are ideas from the Lib Dems that are worth listening to. There are arguments they could win in the Coalition - even by persuading us Conservatives that they are right ( a strong contrast to the presidential sofa cabinet style of the Labour years that wrecked the country ). But their demand for pounds of flesh and stopping "right wing (ie kitten murdering evil) ideas" is going to earn them nothing other than contempt from all sides.

The Lib Dems need to grow up - and they can start by not throwing all their toys out of the coalition pram over the next few days.

The start today of Paddy Ashdown doing what he does best does not suggest they are capable of this.

Update: Some advice for the Lib Dems from Iain Dale

Tried to vote Yes, but could only vote No

I'be just been to the polling station. I walked in planning on voting Yes2AV, which might surprise you.

But my pencil hovered over the Yes box but my mind was filled with thoughts of the Lib Dems, The Rowntree trust, the Electoral reform society, and the likes of Chris Huhne and how much they want that result.

And you know what ? My heart wouldn't let me do it. The X went No.

My head argues about political parties taking their support for granted, but I just can't line up with the Lib Dems after their recent, and let's face it past, behaviour.

So that is that, as a soon to be rich man once said.

Which way did you vote ?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Just possibly #RedEd might have a bit of a hangover on Friday also

We all know the script - Nick Clegg is going to get a kicking tomorrow.

Yes somehow, somewhere ( please let it not be Woking ) the Lib Dems will win something and Clegg will be down there like a shot to be surrounded by the LibDems Parrot of Freedom placards to declare victory and say he's really here to talk about the great Lib Dem performance in Warmington-on-Sea.

In the mean time the game of Lib Dem back stabbing will get into full flow.

But someone else may have a tiny whiny hangover on Friday also. Mr Ed Miliband stands to get thumped in Scotland and needs spectacular results elsewhere to compensate for the anticipated loss of the Yes 2 Lib Dems being in govt forever referendum.

We haven't heard much about Labour or the expectations from the MSM. Perhaps that's because things aren't going so well ...

... if that's the case then Mr Cameron may go to the country very soon...

AV too easy for you ? Try this for a sense of perspective

Dark Matters from PHD Comics on Vimeo.

( No fairy cake involved )

H/T to Jorge Cham and his excellent comic

PS If you're John Humphry's you might want to skip this one ...

True terror ? If you asked Osma Bin Laden he could now tell you.

The Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom. ( see Proverbs 1 v7 )

Osama "the mass murdered of the innocent" Bin Laden will now stand judgement, unjustified, with the weight of his enormous sins against him before the terror of God's judgement.

Since he has not taken up the offer of the sacrifice of our saviour Jesus Christ to pay for those sins, and we must assume continued to deny his existence as the son of God who died to save us from our sins, things will not go well for him.

Though perhaps we should not gloat as we can only avoid his fate through grace.

PS My congratulations to the US on getting their man and enforcing justice. He was also the murder of one of my old school friends and 14 of my work colleagues and whose war lead directly to the death of another school friend.