Clegg's NHS

Clegg thought the changes he asked for to the proposed Government reforms of the NHS were a victory for the LibDems. It seems though that some LibDems do not accept that he has nailed the problem they perceive on the competition front and want the bill amended further. For a party which supposedly has a liberal, free market history it is depressing to learn that they do not want more competition but less. Only  competition improves services and if the LibDems do not understand that then they should change their name to some title that does not include the 'liberal' word. Perhaps Socialist or something like that would be better. By not wanting more competition they clearly do not want a better outcome for patients and so it must be assumed they want the NHS run for the benefit of its employees just like any other government department. I do hope that this time the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley stands his ground. The NHS is in desperate need of reform and the watered down bill following Clegg's changes can only be the beginning with the rest to follow after the Conservatives win the next General Election on their own. Such a win is needed in order to ensure that the right changes are brought in not only to the NHS but also in other areas where the LibDems are acting as a brake on desperately needed reforms such as taxation including local taxation.

Miliband the Limp

If I were a Labour supporter I would be somewhat dismayed by Ed's opening salvo of the new political season. He is demanding a vote on the issue of reducing police numbers when we know that the police have overstaffed the back room and could easily reduce their numbers without affecting front line services. Why did Ed not instead attack on the economy and the need for growth or attack on jobs? Oh dear, I suppose he could not attack on either of these issues as (a) the other Ed's suggestion to cut less and over a longer period has pretty much been proven wrong and (b) the private sector has been creating jobs as Osborne said it would. Due to the last Labour government's decisions though something like 90% of such new jobs have gone to foreign workers. Why doesn't Miliband attack the minimum wage which of course stops employers taking on more staff in tough times? But of course he could not do anything sensible like that as the minimum wage was introduced by Labour. Why doesn't he at least demand the minimum wage level be reduced or even for certain categories of unemployed abandoned altogether? I suppose that would smack of pragmatism rather than ideology and might lead to shouts of u-turn if he were to make such a proposition and he would not want that. Has he no thoughts for how things might be improved that would put the government on the back foot? What about a radical shake up of taxation starting with the abolition of all the stealth taxes his party introduced whilst in office? That would open up an interesting debate.    

Immigration

The numbers born in the UK to mothers who themselves were not born here is astounding - 25% of all babies born here in 2010. By number we have suffered the greatest influx of immigrants into this country in our history and all this was a secret policy of the Blair government. Yet another disaster to lay at Saint Tony's door although the previous Tory government was also guilty by agreeing to a free intra EU jobs market. We have never been allowed a debate on this issue nor given a vote as to whether or not we are happy with the inevitable and significant resulting changes to our native customs, culture and laws. Already the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned that we will have to accept the introduction of certain aspects of Sharia law. The Archbishop is out of date, Sharia law is already being practised here whether in relation to loans from Islamic banks or in relation to family matters and there is even a move afoot to allow polygamous marriages in this country for muslims. When I grew up we were always told that when in Rome you should do as the Romans do. As far as I'm concerned if those from elsewhere want to live here then they should accept the same dictum. There would be much less inter religious, inter cultural and inter law strife if all immigrants were decent enough to remember this and act accordingly. Not for one minute am I suggesting that they should change their religion but to do as we do in all other respects. After all we allow them to enjoy all the benefits of our society and it is little to ask for as a quid pro quo. Should we though allow more immigration? I think we have had enough at least for now.

The Weather and other Ephemera

So the hurricane was not quite as bad as expected in New York and the weather here in London has, apart from one very short sharp shower, been like a nice autumnal day. Someone said in April when we were sweltering in the sun "this is our summer so make the most of it as it will rain all July and August". How right they were. It was worse in the cinema where yesterday I saw The Skin I Live In, a bizarre, some might say sick, Almodovar film which keeps your attention the whole way through and makes you laugh from time to time for its preposterousness. Today I saw the Guard which did not really grab me until towards the end with the last twenty minutes or so, if you are prepared to wait until then, well worth having bought a ticket for. Sounds Irish? Well it is an Irish film. Odd though that both before the film yesterday and today instead of showing the usual British Board of Film Censors' Certificate categorisation of the film we had the Irish equivalent. Have we contracted out our film censorship categorisation work to the Irish or was it simply a mistake? Manchester United beating Arsenal 8-2 was also worse than the advertised weather. What is happening down at the Gunners? Has Wenger lost it or is this just a blip? I don't really care as I am not a footie fan but I have no time for Manchester Untied and its deeply unpleasant boss and lead players like Rooney. At least England beat Ireland yesterday in a so called Rugby friendly.      

Whilst in the car yesterday I turned on the radio to listen to Radio 2. The time was about a quarter past midday and I listened to two women having a discussion about obesity as a result of some report on fatness that had just been made public. Jeremy Vine was adjudicating. We, the listeners, were given the names of the two women later and their jobs. Both were described as broadcasters and one of the women also did something else apparently. Despite the somewhat dull subject matter the discussion generated some heat but the most extraordinary thing that was said was by the woman who was described as only a broadcaster. This lady announced  something like "I know it sounds right wing but I think....". What is it about the BBC or indeed the media class that they think that anything right wing is something to be ashamed of and derided? It must be because of the relentless propaganda that tells us fascism and nazism are right wing and that Hitler was a worse dictator than Stalin or Mao or Pol Pot. Fascism and nazism are not right wing ideologies as they would have believed in democracy and free markets if they were. Instead they believed in nationalisation and total control from the centre just as did the communists. Those of the left have gulled most of us into believing that there was a difference between communists and nazis or fascists. This is a pernicious lie and has been propagated to deflect blame from the left onto the right for most of the butchers of this world. Funny isn't it that Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, Assad, Mugabe etc., etc. are all socialists. To redress this calumny the BBC must be broken up and proper competition in the broadcast media must be allowed. Only then shall we have real choice and respect for those of the right that is their due. People who believe in free markets, the freedom of the individual, democracy and the sanctity of mankind. In other words conservatives.

Dirigisme at its LibDem Best

If ever there was a good example of why we should not be in the EU it is the fact announced today that the Government has had to adopt the anti job directive to give employees working for employment agencies the same rights as employees working directly for British companies. This has happened despite no agreement being reached between the government, the CBI (representing employers) and the Unions. Under EU rules because there was no agreement the Unions had the last say and the directive has thus become law. This is literally unbelievable but true and just goes to show how slanted to the left is the whole EU project. The Unions, thank God, are a dying metabolism in this country but all they had to do on this occasion was to do nothing in order to get want they wanted. This piece of legislation welcomed by the LibDems will, it has been estimated, cost us £1.8 billion a year for no advantage to man or beast. Is it any wonder organisations like the British Chambers of Commerce are spitting blood and senior conservatives are furious. Which bloody idiot thought up this idea in the first place? It really is time that until we leave the EU that we know the names of the faceless eurocrats who dream up each new directive and other bits of red tape so that they can be at least made to answer justified questions on this kind of madness. Without democracy the EU is nothing but a nasty little fascist state, a state that continental countries love as it merely extends their dirigiste past. Dirigisme is not a British tradition for good reason so what the hell are we doing participating in the EU. We should never have believed those who told us that the last world war had killed the european dirigisme disease. How naive we were.  

Thoughts on the Libyan Revolution

For how long will the fighting go on? Have the rebels run Gaddafi to earth in a block of flats not far from the famous Rixos Hotel and did he get there by tunnel from his compound? Are the SAS really helping and how many other countries have Special Forces involved in trying to smoke out Gaddafi? All intriguing stuff as was the Sky News item about the Gaddafi regime hoarding of enough food for 4 million people and medical supplies for the whole Libyan population for a year. At least now the plea from a doctor struggling for oxygen and blood can be answered without having to await supplies from overseas. It is a curious war and reminds one of the fighting in days of yore when military campaigning would cease when he soldiers needed to return home to bring the harvest in. In Libya it is not the harvest but Ramadan which effectively dictates that fighting stops when night falls and does not begin again until the afternoon as the combatants need to rest after their fasting during the previous day's sunlight hours and the late night dining after the sun has gone down. Although the rebels seem to be totally indisciplined they none the less come across as very brave and it has to be said quite effective. What has happened to Gaddafi's soldiers who were trained by the SAS as part of Blair's sweeteners to bring the then rogue state back from the brink and nearer to the West? When will they join the fight? One can only hope they give up together with the rest of Gaddafi's still loyal troops in the next day or two.