Yesterday we marked 11/11/10 with a minute’s silence./ Some anarchists (rioting in London the day before) chose not to for ideological reasons./ With our Russian brothers, we beat Hitler. / It is time still to remember , whatever our views on Iraq, Afghanistan etc. / And it too is time for GLOBAL PEACE…

“Birmingham councillor Gareth Compton has been suspended from the Conservative Party after making a ridiculous and offensive comment on Twitter. Coun Compton made his remark after journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown appeared on Radio 5 and appeared to question whether Western politicians had the right to take the moral high ground over human rights abuses in other countries.
He said: “Can someone please stone Yasmin Alibhai-Brown to death? I shan’t tell Amnesty if you don’t. It would be a blessing, really.”

“This wasn’t enough to placate Conservative headquarters. I also understand the police are taking a complaint they received from Ms Alibhai-Brown seriously.”

Although I sometimes don’t agree with her, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is one of the most thoughtful, compassionate commentators out there and deserves freedom of speech to air her views.

The Twitter response was not free speech, but may be a crime (allegedly), as the Sky News story suggests.

And more recently, they’re still on form:

The Wilted Rose 2007-2010.

Alas, there is no further need for this blog . It is superfluous . Labour is rightly in opposition, where it belongs, and we shall leave it to tear itself apart which it no doubt is exceptionally capable of . Its cackhanded approach to the possible progressive coalition, which it sabotaged, demonstrated the terror to come within Labour. Goodbye.

Labour

Douglas Alexander has said that a coalition which includes the SNP would not be acceptable or tenable. Brown is resigning as Labour leader to enable succession of another leader as Prime Minister. Nick Clegg has negotiated, but it is not clear what the outcome of their discussions were.

It seems, ridiculously and perversely, that Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has blocked the Lab-LibDem Coalition. For what reason? With Labour and the LibDems both left-of-centre, a coalition between them would be incredibly sensible. Yes, they would be a disaster for Britain, but it is coherent. It would be a realignment of the left.

A progressive coalition would be hard to stomach, but it is at least ideologically combatible. Would it split the LibDems? Would it split Labour ? Yes, clearly, in both cases, but that would be worth this goal being achieved.

And yet, such a coalition would have no mandate in England where the Conservatives polled 9,911,062 (39.6%), Labour 7,037,229 (28.1%), the Lib Dems 6,067,303 (24.2%). In terms of seats, C 297, L 191 and LD 43, giving the Tories a big majority of 63 in England.

But now that Brown has resigned, it is the end of New Labour . The end of Labour for now.

Conservatives

David Cameron ‘modernised’ his party, which meant – like Blair – ceded some of its ideological ground and sought to appease the left. Notting Hill Cameronism is not what Conservative voters thought they were voting for, but they voted for it nonetheless – but that may be what they get – indeed, many voters did not vote because they could not stomach Cameronism.

Labour has 26 seats in Wales (on 36.2% of the vote), Conservatives 8 (on 26.1%), Plaid 3 (on 11.3%) and Lib Dems 3 (on 20.1%),while in Scotland Labour won 1,035,528 (42.1%) and 41 seats, Conservatives 412,855 (16.7%) but only 1 seat on just under half the votes in Scotland than Labour got, with the Lib Dems on 465,471 (18.9%) and 11 seats, and the SNP on 491,386 (19.9%) and 6 seats.

Across the UK, in fourth and fifth places respectively, UKIP polled 917,832 (thanks Mr Clarke) and the BNP 563,743 (thanks Labour for nothing) – predominantly in England – but no seats, which they would have got under Proportional Representation, as favoured  by the Liberal Democrats. Both UKIP and the BNP got more votes than SNP or Plaid but do not figure in any negotiations.

It is not clear that a Labour-LibDem coalition would stand in much favour in Scotland or Wales. In Northern Ireland, where I come from, I will not list the vote shares of the parties, but the DUP got 8 seats, Sinn Fein 5, SDLP 3, Independent 1, and Alliance 1, and the Conservatives and Unionists none.

How would such a coalition govern the non-devolved aspects of Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? Surely, a Con-LD coalition would encourage greater devolution – including the all-important tax-raising powers – for the ‘Celtic fringe’? This would stave off the secessionist talk in Scotland, and unrest in Wales and Ulster, especially after what the UKIP-vote-stoking Ken Clarke said that, “In the end you can always do a deal with an Ulsterman, but it’s not the way to run a modern, sophisticated society.”

Cameron could not win the unwinnable election, which says a lot about the modernisation project. Brown has lost the election, and yet (despite the phenomenal gains), Cameron did not win it either, and Clegg’s party lost seats.

Frankly, we did not stomp the streets to support our excellent Conservative candidates, to end up with a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. But that is what we have.

The alternative, a Labour-LibDem coalition, would be a disaster, but a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is as yet unproven. Perhaps on this occasion, if not on others, Mr Cameron should have listened to the advice of that great sage from the true heart of our Party Lord Tebbit on not to form a coalition with the LibDems as it would cost them the next General Election, and on avoiding becoming the victim of a winner-takes-all auction led by Mr Clegg.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8612825.stm

I’ve emerged from my purdah to give a hat tip to Political Betting (I’m not a punter, but it’s interesting to follow the opinion polls) for the following information> It’s from Angus Reid originally:

The former Comomies, the MSZP, Magyar Szocialiszt Partie, is being clobbered by the next PM, Viktor Orbán’s, wonderful Fidesz party, by 61 per cent to 22 per cent - that’s X3 the support and a 39 point lead.

The Socialists in Hungary are finished because of the mess they’ve made of the economy, jobs etc and because their awful former pm, Gyurcsány, (now it’s Gordon Bajnai, believe it or not!!!) admitted he lied and lied to win the previous election. Sounds a bit like Labour, and we all know they lie.

I only ask what is the wrong with the UK electorate, that the polls are so close? The Conservatives should be polling this much of a lead over Labour. Maybe it’s because much of the electorate remember years and years of State Socialism and their kids don’t wish to go back to the horror stories they’ve heard. In the UK, many electors seem not to realise that they’re standing on the edge of a precipice just as in 1979.

If only…

But, while John Redwood has highlighted the need to cut tax on enterprise (I would add to that the working people who need to be incentivised to keep working, or to survive financially in the current climate), Iain Martin has demonstrated how the Conservative leadership doesn’t seem to know what its policies are on tax and is in a ‘tangle’.

I’ve thought long and hard about how to respond to Cameron’s new year speech and statements such as “tax rises may be necessary” from the Abominable Yes-Man* himself, Ken Clarke. Such sentiments are simply an inauspicious start to the new year and it is not what many people like me have been campaigning for when we have been delivering Conservative leaflets.

Since I am not a Tory myself, but a unionist, (the word ‘Tory’ has Irish baggage related to brigands, outlaws and the like), I am befuddled by the fuzzy logic that leads Clarke and the Nothing Hill set to come to the conclusion that tax rises will somehow bring the economy back to its glory days.

But, after all, it was the Europhile wing of the Conservatives that caused Black Wednesday by forcing Maggie to enter the ERM at the wrong rate. It was Lord Lamont, however, who famously sang in the bath that we had extricated ourselves from decades of economic collapse under the ERM and eventually the ECU/Euro that followed.

Never mind the historical precedents about what happens when you listen to Clarke and his ilk, it seems that the leadershipis taking advice from experts such as wealthy bankers and Ken Clarke. They say that accountants would slash and burn, whilst also raising taxes on already hard-pressed electors.

Is that the manifesto that is going to be offered to the country? Surely it is a recipe for a Hung Parliament – and, as much as we would like to see certain MPs with fraudulent expenses hanged, it would not be good for the country.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance had already won the debate on taxes. But along comes a bunch of idiots advising the Conservatives and those lessons are forgotten.

Why prioritise inheritance tax cuts for the wealthy, whilst raising taxes for middle- and lower-income people? Has the 50p tax rate made it acceptable to raise taxes?

What about the Laffer Curve? What about the economic fact that lower taxes stimulate economic growth, entrepreneurship, innovation, job creation and so on?

I do not know why they think tax rises and the age of austerity is going to appeal to the voter who has a difficult time paying the mortgage, raising kids, maybe health worries etc, and that there is no hope? Just more money out of yer pocket to pay the increasing social security and welfare budget?

In these tough economic times, taxes should be slashed – not raised – the lessons of Crewe & Nantwich were that lower taxes appeals to the voter. It is morally and ethically right and it makes life better for everyone.

And, as for the “class war”, well let me just say this. Had David Davis or someone else from a working-class background been Tory leader, he would not have even contemplated raising taxes on working people, while reducing inheritance tax. That says a lot about the state of society, the class divide, and the “Tories.”

We need Labour out, that’s for certain, but the alternative Government needs to get its act together for the sake of our country. Sorry to be so harsh but this needs to be said, and I say this as a warm friend, although one who thinks that a dear ally has somewhat lost its way.

* Clarke is a Yes-Man in the sense of “Yes to Europe”. I could live with it if he was a No-Man.

I, like many, have various resolutions. Campaigning for a ban on fireworks, after the terror the new Year celebrations caused our terrier, would be one.

But campaigning against Labour would be another. Not that I’m inspired by the Nothing Hill hooray Henries with their support for private schooling and Foxhunting. But, despite Osborne’s economic illiteracy (read the Telegraph’s Simon Heffer, who has exposed Osborne), I think the Conservatives are a better option for this country.

After the election, I resolve to dedicating myself a lot more to supporting my various charities, such as the NSPCC, and PETA, as well as a little political campaigning. It’s time to do some good to help the community, the kids, and the animals. That would be a different start to a new decade.

We should all see what we can do to help others and not ourselves. Maybe we’d all be a lot happier then?

A lessons for politicians too, methinks.