Man in a Shed: Cornerstone

Friday, July 20, 2007

The edge of project Cameron

With the Southall bye-election result in ( Labour retaining the seat and the Lib Dems coming second ), despite a high publicity campaign, which to distant observers like myself seemed to suggest a stronger showing than materialised, its time for a bit of a rethink from the Cameron team.

Today's Telegraph describes Gordon Brown's emerging strategy as New-Realism (its a key article I recommend you read it). There is also criticism of the tactics deployed in the Southall campaign - with too much imposition from Central office.

David Cameron is showing signs of getting just a bit tetchy with some of his MP's, especially Cornerstone ( Iain Dale/Guido would refer to them as Tombstone - due to the socially conservative traits they disagree with - but again compare to the potential success of New Realism, Cornerstone at least has a strategy that chimes with the mood of the times.)

We have reached the edge of what the re-branding effort can achieve - and David Cameron needs to understand that. We now need an effective and insightful criticism of the government that is effectively communicated to the public. Everything has been soft focus so far, now is the time to sharpen up our criticism and explain to people the damage that Gordon Brown and his devotees are doing and intend to do to our country.

We need issues such as:

Now of course Gordon Brown is hoping to pin the old - veering to the right tag - followed by the usual lies that Labour roll out around election times ( like the famous the Tories are going to fire every nurse and doctor - do you remember Gordon Brown standing with Tony Blair by the poster supporting that - so much for Brown's integrity ).

So lets stop repositioning and start fighting for what we believe in and for our country.

Update - this could be more serious than I thought - see here.

Update - I should add flooding as an issue. Labour have ignored the warnings this year. Just as they have ignored the warning about tidal flooding in the Thames gateway. We must not let them get away with what in the case of the Thames gateway and London will amount to murder.

The pound in your pocket

"We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting government spending. I tell you in all candour that that option no longer exists." James Callaghan

“The trouble with theoretical economists is that they don't understand that when you have a deficit, you can only finance it by borrowing, and you've got to persuade people that it's worth lending money to you and that they'll get their money back... there's no way of escaping it.” Dennis Healey during the 1976 Stirling Crisis.

"Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens ... Lenin was certainly right. There is no subtler, no surer means of over-turning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose." John Maynard Keynes, 1920.

"To preserve [the people's] independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude." Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America,1801-1809.

Inflation is taxation without legislation .. Milton Friedman