Monday 29 September 2008

New Labour is an Island of Madness in a Sea of Sanity

It's like emerging from a long and frightening illness. As the policies being discussed at the Conservative conference roll out in all their reasonableness - the defence of market capitalism; the ending of poor regulatory regimes and the return of risk assessment and control to the Bank of England; the freezing of council taxes in London and the ending of stealth taxes throughout the country; the dismantling and closing down of any data base on all the children in the United Kingdom; the provision for thousands of new schools fully responsive to parents and children's needs; the commitment to a complete reconsideration and restructuring of relations with the European Union; the restitution of the rule of law; and more, - it is accompanied by sensible and sane initiatives from Scotland's government.

In Scotland there has been over a year already of repair and replacement of half a century of destructive Labour rule that was topped by 10 years of Blair/Brownism. Brown's debt machine, the PFI, is being turned off and soundly based funding for public initiatives sought from sovereign wealth funds and internal investment. The reasonable question 'where is Scotland's sovereign wealth fund?' starkly demands an answer. Renewable energy resources are being put in place to negate the need for nuclear power stations while nuclear waste will not be buried out of sight and proper control, at least not in Scotland. Norway shows Scotland that people in small, clever countries, rich in human and natural resources, need not live on as benefit recipients from predatory neighbours.

At last some policies for the proper return of the armed forces from Blair/Brown's disastrous military adventurism are in place, with provision for more than reintegration into civilian life and civil society, but the highest value put upon the training and professionalism imparted to our soldiers by their years of service. The universities benefit too from teaching and training people already used to learning within the disciplines of science and technology.

A new administration is formed and ready to offer government in keeping with the pragmatic, non-ideological values of our society. It is time for the Prime Minister to step down and take his wife with him.

7 comments:

Old BE said...

Another excellent post, and really in line with my "take" on things. I think there is a zeitgeist out there.

hatfield girl said...

It all seemed so very normal, reading through the conference reports from yesterday, Blue. Particularly William Hague's remarks, and the thought that has gone into welcoming back our forces with solid and valuable thanks and opportunity for us and for them.

When do the Blair/Brown regime say anything ever about the troops in Basra or what they are doing, or how they are being treated? It will take a great deal to repair the damage done by Blair/Brown to the relations between the civil and the military powers. The military are one of the pillars of the foundations of the state, not a service sector for the use of the government of the day, the ideological denial of the importance of a force to defend our state has been deeply stupid and offensive.

Anonymous said...

Norway also shows Scotland that people in small clever countries with significant natural resources don't need the EU.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the renewable stuff being done in Scotland (basically, heavily-subsidised onshore windfarms) is anything other than window-dressing.

If we are going to keep the lights on we need to build new nuclear and coal stations as a matter of the greatest urgency. Nothing else will support the baseload dependably.

Broon has spent ten years dithering about this and it may now be too late.

Credit where it's due - John Hutton (the Business minister) does actually understand this.

hatfield girl said...

9.53
Wind farms are nothing more than tax farming of European Union grant systems. And brutally ugly, noisy and inefficient.

I wasn't referring to wind farms but to sea turbines and tidal flows. A wholly different technology and high levels of output. Coal, yes and as soon s possible. And an efficient, sufficient, power distribution network is of the highest priority .

Sackerson said...

You mean there's hope? How wonderful!

hatfield girl said...

You're in Brum, S. Go round theirs, to the conference, and let us know what you see and hear.

The poisonous, unrelenting grip on the news media has slackened for the moment after the disaster in Manchester and the cavorting in the US without an audience.

Immediately, we hear perfectly reasonable views being expressed by rational politicians who are , oh joy, miles ahead in the polls.

Just let us get at those polling booths.....