Time for Labour Party supporters to wake up and smell the coffee

 I left the Labour Party in 2009 after 30 years of membership. I joined young at the Burnt Oak Labour club during the 1979 election, when Jim Callaghan was visited during his campaign against Margaret Thatcher. There were many reasons that I left. The last straw was when Home Secretary Alan Johnson was on the news celebrating the closure of the Sangatte Refugee camp in France by French riot police. As he spoke, Sky news showed women and children being violently assaulted. That was the polar opposite of what I believed Labour stood for. Nothing that has happened since has made me regret my decision. 

Yesterday, at PMQ's Sir Keir Starmer defended the role of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador, after it was revealed that Mandelson sent fawning letters to convicted paedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelsons defence is that he believe Epsteins lawyers. Mandelson is many things, but he is not stupid and he is verses in the ways of the world. Why would a man who has spent his life acquiring influence want to be close to a man with a powerful circle of friend, that he has serious dirt on? Starmer is not stupid either. I had believed Starmer to be a decent person, maybe a decent person out of his depth as PM, having seen him in post for a year. I simply cannot believe that anymore. I am not going to speculate as to why Mandelson has been given such a plum job and supported in the role. Or why he seemingly has had lead a charmed life ever since he first emerged as a mover and shaker in the Labour party. All I can say is the facts are that he fawned over a man who used paedophile sex as a means to achieve wealth and power. Whatever Mandelson may or may not have done, he clearly lacks the judgement to be a representative of the British state. And the stark truth is that if Sir Keir Starmer cannot see that, he clearly is not fit to be PM. 

What horrifies me is that the upper echelons of the Labour Party seem rotten to the core. Last week Angela Rayner was sacked for tax dodging. The party has responded to the rise of Reform by lurching to the Right. Is it beyond the wit of Starmer to realise that this is a folly? What the majority of British people want is services that work. We don't want sewage pumped into rivers, so bosses of water companies can make huge profits. We want our kids to be able to afford their own homes, but hundreds of thousands of properties sit empty because the owners make more cash from their investment with them empty. We currently have a Mayor of London, who berates TFL for not sorting out the tube strike, forgetting that he's the chairman of TFL. To me this is typical of Khan, he simply refuses to take responsibility for the problems that are his own making. He doesn't seem interested in supporting the people who make London prosperous, ie the business owners. His view is that such people are wealthy and don't need any help. But he neglects to realise the effects that the pandemic had. Creative industries have been especially clobbered. The reason people come to London is because of our culture. We have no beaches or mountains. This is simply never even acknowledged by Khan. Without economic prosperity, Khan will never deliver for the poorer people. I am starting to suspect that this actually suits Khan and Labour. 

In 1997 when Blair got elected, no one was happier than me. I stayed up to 6am celebrating, then went to the pub at work all day. Until 9/11 it seemed that Labour really was the answer. Then we saw Blair lying to Parliament and it became clear that Labour was more on the side of the big, vested interests than the ordinary people. By the time I quite the party in 2009, it was clear to me that the people at the top of the Labour party were the biggest hypocrites imaginable. There are honourable, decent MP's, but they are being weeded out. So few of them now are people from working backgrounds. 

Labour only really have one redeeming feature right now. They are not as bad as Reform. To me, it beggars belief that people can't see Nigel Farage for what he is. The man is a complete charlatan. The party has no real policies to deal with the UK's problems. Even their main story, small boats, they have no real policies, other than a vague wish to stop people coming here. If it really was that simple, the Tories would have done it.

The UK is in a  horrible place politically. We won't have an election for four years, unless Starmer is convinced he'll win. Although the polls suggest this is unlikely at the moment, as soon as Farage's affairs are subject to the same scrutiny as Angela Rayner, I believe that will disappear. 

What is the answer? I don't know, but ordinary Labour members and supporters need to make their voices heard. So do the Trades Unions that fund Labour. If I was Starmer, I'd do the following five things immediately

1. Sack Mandelson.

2. Nationalise polluting water companies and make ending of sewage dumping a priority.

3. Instruct the Home Secretary to put the human rights of victims, both past and future above those of criminals and write this into law.

4. Tell the French that if they do not take proper action against people smugglers, we will stop paying them money. People crossing the channel in boats is good for no one.

5. Pass a law requiring all elected MP's to publish their tax affairs. We pay them, we deserve to know that they are above board. We can draw whatever conclusions we like about MP's who don't support this. 

It's really not that difficult

Spotlight on Hendon Constituency - Shocking revelation from local Conservative big wig

I met one of our local Conservative bigwigs for a chat about the forthcoming election. Whilst they were more than happy for me to blog this, they did so on the basis of strict anonymity. We had a nice cup of tea and a chat, and they gave me a very interesting, if very disturbing insight into what is going on in the minds of sensible Tories up and down the country. They started by saying "I'm sure all of my colleagues will guess who briefed you, but I'll just deny it". One thing I've learned over the last sixteen years of writing this blog is that the Torys will give you stories in the way that Labour never do. Labour are far more controlled in their interaction with local bloggers. 

So what did they have to say? Well first of all, they told me that the Tories have no hope at all of retaining Hendon. They said that whilst this was mostly down to the national mood, there are three local factors that have scuppered them completely.

1. Incumbent Matthew Offord  has stepped down. Despite having a reputation of not being too busy on the casework, Offord has built a strong personal following amongst several local religious communities, that his views on same sex marriage etc appeal to. They have been very staunch in support of these communities in regional issues that are prime concerns of members of these faith groups. They have bolstered Offords vote a previous elections, taking him from having London's most marginal seat, to having a previously unassailable looking majority. With Offord gone, his replacement Ameet Jogia has been trying to butter up these groups, but seemingly this has not been quite as successful as Offord and many are not really sure where they stand. 

2. Offords replacement Ameet Jogia was not a Barnet councillor previously and was unknown to most people in the constituency. His leaflets painting him as "The Local Candidate" have baffled many, who's response has been "If you are local, why have I never heard of you and why were you a councillor in Harrow?". 

3. Ameet Jogia has been working for No 10, and is close to Rishi Sunak. As Sunak's star has fallen, the expected stardust that was supposed to have rubbed off on Jogia when he was selected has disappeared. The expected visits from Rishi to massed crowds have not materialised 

When I last spoke to my Tory friend, just after the election was called, they were baffled by the timing but still planning to "do their bit". Apparently this has changed and they are not the only Tory who has  decided to stay in and watch the Footy rather than knock on doors (that's a figure of speech BTW). 

We got on to discussing the state of the Conservative party. This is when I got a shocking insight into how local Tories really feel. "Rishi Sunak is destroying the party and the election can't come soon enough" They added "Many of our local supporters are either not voting, voting Reform or even voting Labour". We are not talking about random members of the general public, we are talking about committed Conservative supporters. I asked for a percentage. The response? "Maybe 5% are switching to Labour, 10% to reform and another 15% are simply not bothering to vote" We are talking about people who turn out rain or shine. I suspect many may change their mind on the day as does my confidant, but if you are losing 30% of your absolute core vote, then you really are in trouble. 

What has caused this? There are three main reasons.

1) Many think that the party has simply lost the plot and needs to regroup in opposition. Of the non voters, many are ashamed to say they won't vote, believing in the democratic process, but cannot support another party and cannot support Sunak's Tories. 

2) The betting scandal and the snub to veterans persuaded many wavering Tories that the party has lost the plot and is no longer representing Conservative values.

3) The candidate is appalling. Even staunch Tories such as Brian Coleman have criticised his campaign. Coleman put the boot in recently on Twitter of Jogia's promise to try and abolish ULEZ. Coleman correctly pointed out that this is not in an MP's remit and the matter was decided conclusively at the Mayoral Election. 

Then we got around to my confidant's own vote.  Their position was that they were finding it very hard to commit to voting for Jogia and supporting Sunak. Sunak has nearly destroyed the party. The Parliamentary party looks set to become a rump of MP's in ultra safe seats. Many of these have been around for years, which will prevent any real prospects of the party addressing the issues besetting it and becoming relevant again. Would they be voting Reform? No chance. Like me, they see Farage's support for Putin and saying the way Putin had consolidated power was admirable was simply beyond the pale for someone who was supposed to lead a democratic party. A Lib Dem was a wasted vote in Hendon, in their opinion. The only real reason to vote Tory was to try and keep Reform in their box and keep the Tories as the only choice to beat Labour. If Reform starts to come second in seats, then they may well threaten the Tories position as the party of the Centre Right in the UK. The doorstep conversations on the doorstep with formerly loyal Tories is emphasising this. If Reform comes second in more than a dozen or so seats, this election may well be the beginning of an extinction even for the Tories. 

Now we get to the real dilemma for decent Tories. Do they move to the right to try and win back Reform waverers or do they move to the centre to head off the Yellow peril from the Lib Dems. This decision will be taken after the election, by whoever replaces Sunak. They will be able to see just how dangerous (or not) Reform and The Lib Dems are. 

We got on to the betting scandal. Who would they be betting on, if they were to do such a thing. Their prediction. Labour to get a 4-5000 majority in Hendon, which is nearly 10,000 shifting from Tories to Labour. They predict this will be on a much lower turnout than in 2019. I asked for some sort of evidence to back this up. "Have you seen any evidence of Conservatives doing any real work to win in Hendon". The answer is no. I've had a few rather shoddy leaflets though the door. That is about it.

And my friend, that is just about it. The election no one wants has eight days left. The odds at Paddy Power are as follows:-

Most Seats 

Labour 1/200

Reform UK  66/1

Conservative 80/1

Liberal Democrat 200/1

Greens 500/1

Although this may just mean that Reform supporters gamble more than Tories or Lib Dems, it does rather back up what my friend seemed to be saying. Labour are 1/16 to win at Hendon at BET365

If you vote for Kier Starmer's Labour Party you are just a Tory who is too embarrassed to admit it

In just over a weeks time, Sir Kier Starmer will have been the Leader of Labour for a year. A year down the line, you would think we'd know what Starmer stood for. The truth is that I haven't got a clue. I fully understand that in a time of national crisis, the leader of the opposition has to support HM government on issues related to the public health response. But this does not mean writing Boris Johnson a blank cheque. At times it seems to me that Starmer is more right wing than half of the Tory Party. Starmer is an excellent barrister and wipes the floor with Boris every week, but this is simply theatre. The nation doesn't care. We want to see real opposition, real alternative policies and real debate. 

What the nation wants is an opposition that holds the government to account. Four years on from the Grenfell fire, we still have people living in death trap flats, covered in flammable panels. NHS workers are offered a 1% pay rise after the worst year in the history of the NHS, with more deaths in the service than ever before, where many have been pushed to the brink. Sarah Everard's awful murder has exposed just how mysoginistic our society is, but I don't even know whether Sir Kier supported the vigil or not? He said the policing was wrong,but Cressida Dick should stay. That is not leadership, it is sitting on the fence and being weak. The way massive contracts were handed out in the covid response to the mates of Boris and the Tories is a national scandal that has cost us billions. Having committed to maintaining the army, Boris announced huge cuts. Covid exposed the fact that the government had no proper planning in place for such a crisis. The Tories mercilessly taunted Labour for allowing the 2008 global financial melt down to occur, but why are the Labour leadership so quiet about the fact that we have the worst record of any major country for preventing deaths?

Covid has also exposed digital poverty, an issue Corbyn raised to much myrth in the right wing press. Within six months  he was proven right, as many children from less well off families had virtually no education for a year. Our railways are propped up by grants, ensuring that private operators profits are maintained. The rich with second homes can go on holiday, but a nurse who fancies a week in Benidorm is stuck in her flat. Half a billion pounds was wasted on 'Eat Out to Help Out' which launched the second covid wave, whilst many freelancers (often Tory supporting) have been hung out to dry.

With my heritage, I cannot forget what Boris has done to Northern Ireland over Brexit. There is a very real risk of a return of the secretarian violence that we thought the Good Friday agreement had ended. I cannot believe that Labour has been so quiet on the impact of Brexit on a major province of the UK. Such acquiesence is criminal in my opinion.

Even more worrying has been the support for authoritarian legislation, that is completely unneccesary. By and large the British people are extraordinarily compliant with the law. Starmer should be using all of his skills as a barrister and former attourney general to destroy the weak and spurious arguments of Priti Patel. Given that this should be a walk in the park for him, we can only assume that he genuinely agrees with her. 

Boris has now given us a roadmap out of lockdown. Sir Kier Starmer should now be hammering him. Whilst we are all still in the moment, the Labour party should be nailing Boris and his Tories to the wall. He isn't. There are mayoral and local elections coming up. I have much respect for many grassroots people in the Labour Party, but the bottom line is that under Kier Starmer, the party is simply a shadow of the Tories. As far as I am concerned, the only person who could vote for Starmer's party in all good conscience is a Tory who is fed up with Boris and wants to send him a message. If you are a Labour supporter, you are voting for a hollowed out husk of a party, one that seems to be hell bent on existing only to give those who support Tory policies, but are too embarrassed to say it, a home.

Why are Labour so scared to rock the boat, to call out what is clearly wrong? I have no idea at all, but they are failing one very level to hold this government to account. As far as  I am concerned, if you vote for the Labour Party under Starmer, you are voting Tory by Proxy. I know that many people do not want to hear this. I know many will say "He's only saying that as he's the Lib Dem candidate in the Edgware by Election in May". Anyone who has read this blog from the start will know that I don't pull my punches, I am only stating what is blindingly obvious and many Labour activists are privately muttering. The thing is they will still campaign for Labour, still cast their votes and still do what they are told. I have no doubt Sadiq Khan will win big in London and that Labour will use this to bolster Starmers policy. And I have no doubt that if Labour stick with the Starmerite strategy as a result, the Tories will win win the next election and Labour will once again be scratching their heads as to why. 

The bottom line is that Labour will never be better at being the Tories than the Tories are. Labour does well when it provides proper policies and proper opposition. Whilst I am not a Blairite, I had total admiration for the machine Blair put together, that never gave John Major a minutes peace and made sure every cock up was exposed and not allowed to be swept under the carpet. All I see with Starmer is   stuffed suit who thinks that duffing Boris up at PMQ's will be enough. A vote is a precious commodity. It seems to me that the two main parties both have people at the top who are simply trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the British public. I think we all know who Boris is and why he does it, but do any of us really know who the true Sir Kier Starmer is? After a year of his leadership, I am none the wiser. 

The White Van Man problem - Thatcher Vs Thornberry

There are two pictures on the left. What can I surmise from them? Lets consider the image on the right first. What can we conclude without drawing any stereotypes? Well we can conclude that there is a house occupied by someone who has a job and likes football. The picture was taken a day after an England match, so the owner is likely to care about there national football. There is also a smaller flag with an emblem for West Ham United. This means that the owner supports a team that has a tradition of playing stylish football without winning too many pots.

In othere words, the owner is not a glory hunter or a fair weather friend for the team. You may say "How do you know they have a job?" Well you don't generally have a white van if you don't. The property looks to me like countless hundreds of thousands of other houses that have sprung up on estates all over the country over the last 50 years. At a guess, it's a three bedroom house. Having established the facts, now lets consider the image on the left. This is Labour MP Emily Thornberry (AKA Lady Nugee). What do we know about Emily?  Well until I started writing this blog, I knew the square root of F All. However like all good bloggers I've done my research (actually I just had a look at Wikipedia). It seems she's a barrister by trade. No problem there, my sister is a barrister.

It also reveals that she has an active interest in Social housing. Wikipedia states

Social housing campaign

During the course of a campaign run by Thornberry on the subject of social housing, the Islington Tribune, a local newspaper, discovered that her husband had bought ex-social housing stock for over half a million pounds and receives rental income from the property. It also emerged that the new residents are Labour Party activists.^[48] Some related claims in the article regarding Emily Thornberry's involvement in the matter were later retracted by the paper.^[49]

  So Ms Thornberry doesn't really mind people who living in ex Council houses, if they are Labour activists and pay her rent. What is 100% clear though is that Ms Thornberry is a bit of a snob. She clearly thinks that driving a white van, living in a terraced house and supporting your club and country are things to be derided and laughed at. But it gets worse. Ed Milliband was asked what he thought when he saw the image and he responded "respect". This to me is almost as bad as Thornberrys initial tweet. It is bad enough for Thornberry to take the mickey out of the image on her twitter feed but Miliband is just so patronising. So you may ask what was my first thought when I saw the image? I thought "Is that a West Ham emblem on the flag?"

When I stood for council in Mill Hill in 2010, I knocked on loads of doors in Mill Hill with England flags and white vans outside. What sort of reception did I get? A couple the door and told me to "F Off". One guy told me he was a BNP voter and to go away. The vast majority however were friendly and keen to let me know what issues they wanted resolving. Issues with school admissions, the Council not finishing work off, issues with care for elderly relatives were among the more common themes. In short, the concerns were exactly the same as anyone else.

If we consider the "white van man" stereotype for a second, a guy who has a job, drinks, smokes, bets and does a lot of driving, maybe the likes of Thornberry should be a little bit slower to look down their nose. As far as I can see, this is the man who will be paying a far greater proportion of his earnings in tax than anyone else. He gets up, does a days graft. Pays a fortune in fuel duty, cigarrette tax, alcohol tax and betting tax. Unlike the residents of £2million + mansions, he sits in the demographic that pays the highest amount of their earnings in Council tax. Due to the drinking and smoking, he's far more likely to drop dead and not be a burden on the welfare stated when he gets old. But most of all, it is the white van men who make the country work. They actually produce or deliver something. The Emily Thornberrys, Ed Milibands and rest of the political elite don't get their hands dirty. The real white van man problem is that the politcal class despise them and give them no credit at all for keeping the country on its feet.

England is a truly strange country in that I don't know another country in the world where the political elite are so allergic to our national flag. Even Alex Salmond unfurled the Saltire at Wimbledon. Can anyone imagine David Cameron draping himself in a falg of St George at a football match, or even buying some Union Jack Underpants to give Sam a cheap thrill? US presidents invariably wear badges with the stars and stripes, but the English ruling class see the flag as "something for the plebs".  What disturbs me most about this situation is that patriotism has almost become a dirty word in the UK. I am an English Patriot, as I would willingly take up arms and fight to preserve our country in the face of a threat. I'd be prepared to lay down my life if it came to it, to protect my wife, family, friends and neighbours. My father and my grandfather served in the forces in two world wars and I am immensely proud of their contribution. My patriotism is not one that wants to close the doors to the outside world, or send people home because they have a different accent. My patriotism is one that wants to see London, England and the United Kingdom be the best place in the world for all its citizens to live in. It goes further than that though. Having built the greatest nation on Earth, I think we should help other nations to reach the standards of freedom, democracy, prosperity and security we take for granted.

The reason we have net immigration is because there is inequality in the world. Until that is addressed, there will be immigration. People say "That is ridiculous, there will always be inequality". This isn't true. For centuries Ireland has seen net migration. Young people were forced to leave by lack of work and opportunities. When did this stop? When the economic situation improved.

As I was putting this article together, I thought back to the heydey of Thatcher. For all her sins, she was not someone who looked down her nose at "white van man". Yesterday was 24 years since the Tories deposed her, despite her never losing an election for them (unlike the present incumbent who has never actually won one). Thatchers secret of success with many "White Van Men" was that she realised that they were aspirational. They don't want handouts, they want the chance to work, earn money, have a house and enjoy life. Thatcher won elections because she connected with a whole section of society that had been completely out of bounds to the Tories before. Unless Labour takes swift action to address the snobbery of the Emily Thornberry Islington types, who currently run the party, they will lose the election because they have alienated a whole group of people who were previously their core voters.

Why the Tories should sack Cameron and appoint Boris ASAP

Regular readers of this blog will be shocked at what I have to say or wonder if it is some sort of bizarre joke. As it's not Friday, I can assure you it isn't. I take no pleasure in writing this, but sometimes you have to face reality and speak the truth. The UK is faced with a massive economic crisis. It is 100% clear that David Cameron and George Osborne have not got a clue how to address it. That would be bad enough, but they seem to be hell bent on a set of policies which will drive the UK into a steeper decline.

Every Conservative I've spoken to recently has acknowledged three facts

1) Cameron isn't up to the job
2) Osborne hasn't got a clue what he's doing
3) The undynamic duo haven't got a clue what to do next

Cameron and Osborne have a mantra that there is "no plan b". Well there damn well should be, because plan A clearly isn't working. What is even more bizarre is the fact that there are a whole raft of highly unpopular policies which run counter to Tory mainstream thinking and are alienating huge swathes of Tories in their heartlands. To name but a few

* HS2 Rail link
* Heathrow Expansion
* Police cuts

They cannot blame these policy disasters on the Lib Dems. In fact, there are no policy disasters that they can realistically blame on the Lib Dems at the moment. Many Tories mumble that if there wasn't a coalition things would be better, but they can't name a single economic policy of the government that they can blame th Lib Dems for. They hate the Lib Dems for the fact that they are pro European, but even the most die hard Tories doubt that the policies towards the EU would be any different if Cameron had a majority.

Even more worrying is the fact that Cameron and his cronies seem to have no connection with ordinary families. This first became apparent when he failed to win a majority in 2010. Gordon Brown was as popular as the Pox, but Cameron couldn't even get a majority, despite Brown and Bust. The reason was clear, he was Tony Blair without the brains. Whatever one may think of Blair, he instinctively read the electorate correctly, that is why he won three terms. Labourites hated Blair for his lack of ideology and Tories hated him for spanking them three times. The electorate loved him. That was why he won. These days it is hard to find anyone with a good word for Blair, but when he was Prime Minister, we knew who was in charge and we knew that he had credibility. Blair made monumental cock ups, the greatest of which was his support (a la dodgy dossier) for the Iraq war, but he was a proper prime minister who won elections. I was not a Blairite, but like millions of others, I voted for him three times, because he was clever enough to ensure that he seemed like the least worst option.

Which brings us back to Cameron. The Tories have to ask themselves "Is Cameron likely to be the people's choice as least worst option?" Well he wasn't when Labour were lead by Gordon Brown in the middle of a massive economic crisis. Given that Cameron and Osborne have created an economic crisis of their own, they convince no one. Labour have a rather unconvincing leader of their own in Ed Milliband, but even he seems to have the measure of Cameron. Given the likely devastation of the cuts still to bite, there is likely to be an even more gloomy outlook when the 2015 election kicks off.

Which brings us to what any sane Tory would be doing. Cameron had an open goal in 2010 and he blew it. Who is a credible alternative? As far as any Tory I've spoken to is concerned, there is only one. Boris Johnson has been running London for 4 years. Much to the surprise of left wing commentators (like me) he hasn't made a complete cock up of the job. He managed to oversee a triumphant Olympics and despite the woes of the Tories nationally, got re elected comfortably.

He knows that the policies of HS2, Heathrow and Police cuts are plain bonkers and he believes in economic stimulus via large infrastructure projects. During his time as Mayor, he has come to see the value of a bit of joined up thinking, which is why he is lobbying for control of commuter rail routes. He has seen the dangers of overzealous outsourcing at the Olympics with G4S and has even done his bit to boost the UK's manufacturing sector with the Boris bus. Many people have derided the Boris bus as a vanity project, but it has created jobs and is far more environmentally friendly than any other similar vehicle on the road. Had it been a Labour devised project, the Tories would have lambasted it from start to finish, but Boris gets away with such largess.Any visit to the Conservative Home blog will confirm this.

The man question for us is whether Boris would make a better Prime Minister than Cameron. He has two main qualities which would help him enormously. Firstly, he's clever than Cameron. Whilst Cameron seems perpetually mired in dithering, Boris seems able to see a path and then follow it. Whilst many of us don't agree with his decisions, he sees them through. The second quality is that he's far lazier than Cameron. This may seem like a perverse attribute to label a quality, but as a Prime Minister it surely is. Workaholics end up like Gordon Brown, mired in detail and unable to delegate. Boris doesn't do detail, he gives people a job to do and lets them get on with it. He is quite prepared to use whatever tools he has at his disposal to reach an end, whilst making sure he isn't associated with unpopular decisions. A classic example of this was his appointment of Brian Coleman at the LFEPA. Boris didn't want to be associated with clobbering the fire service, so he stuck a loudmouth Tory bogeyman in charge. Colemans obnoxious personality was so overbearing that Boris took no flack at all for the massive attacks on this highly popular service. For a while, I couldn't understand how Boris tolerated Coleman, until I realised just how useful he really was.

Of course Boris isn't an MP and any process to replace Cameron would be extremely high risk, for all concerned. Realistically, even if a bunch of Tory plotters hatched a plot tomorrow, it would probably be 18 months before they could install their man. Just in time for the 2015 election. I suspect that there are moves afoot and they want to get the worst of the cuts out of the way and let Boris come in when there is a perceived upturn around Spring 2014. I think this plan is a bad one. Cameron and Osborne are clearly inept and I suspect that by 2014 things will be even worse. Another suggestion is that if Boris took over, the Lib Dems may pull the plug on the coalition. I personally doubt this. If they did they would alienate right leaning Lib Dems. Having permanently scared off left leaning Lib Dems, they would be well and truly finished. It is clear that Lib Dems have only one place to go and that is onwards on the current path.

I suspect that Boris would have most of them for breakfast. I suspect he would actually work with Vince Cable quite well. Cable is clever and useful to him. Cable knows that Boris gives him an opportunity, because if Cameron goesm Clegg won't be far behind. A Johnson and Cable team would draw up a list of infrastructure projects that both would back and put the differences on the back burner for a year until after the election.

Now you may wonder why I am backing such an unholy alliance? I am not. I think it would be a complete disaster for the UK. Unfortunately with Cameron, Osborne and Clegg, we don't have a disaster, we have a complete catastrophe. Labour has spent two years refusing to face up to a horrible truth. If they could dislodge the Lib Dems from the Tories and form a government, they could conceivably prevent both disaster and catastrophe. Could they prevent a Boris led Tory party? I am convinced that only a nasty accident could stop that. I just think that it would be far easier to stop the Boris bandwagon from a position of having rescued the economy than with him installed as incumbent PM on a rising economy. This blog, written in the week of the Labour Conference, isn't aimed at Tories (though I suspect more than a few will agree). It is aimed at the Labour party. If they don't wake up to the horrible reality which is about to unravel, Boris will do to them what he did to Ken Livingstone in May this year.

If you are in a car accelerating towards the edge of a cliff, you can do one of two things. You can change direction or you can cover your eyes and pretend it isn't going to happen. Both Tory and Labour parties are currently in this position. Sadly, whilst they are driving the car, we are all the passengers.

Say "Harrow" to a blog war !!!!!!!!

I thought we'd take a little holiday from the knockabout politics of Barnet and take a nice little holiday on the 114 bus to Harrow.

So you thought the blogs of Barnet were a rough old mob? We are a bunch of pussies compared to the bunfight which is going on in the London Borough of Harrow. In the Blue corner we have Conservative PPC for Harrow West Dr Rachel Joyce. Rachel is a former Lib Dem supporter, and she's been writing a blog for some time. She's actually one of my favourite Tories (if I have such a thing), as she's a GP so she clearly does a bit of good for the community. She also dislikes the BNP almost as much as I do, and says so regularly on her blog, which to me means she's OK.

In the Red Corner, we have PCS Will, who also writes a blog. Will is a Labour Party member and regular commenter on Rachels blog. He doesn't agree with Rachel on very much and has posted hundreds of comments on Rachels blog, explaining to her the error of her ways. Will is involved as a Trades unionist. Strangely enough, I vaguely know him as he used to work in a music shop at Apex Corner in Mill Hill and we share a good few mutual friends. Will is a good guy who tries to do his bit. He rather cheekily plagerised Don't Call Me Dave's "Not The Barnet Times" blogname, calling his blog "Not The Harrow Times".

It all started when Rachel posted this blog - http://racheljoyce.blogspot.com/2010/01/labour-faked-airbrushing.html - explaining how Labour had airbrushed a picture of David Cameron, criticising the Tories for Airbrushing David Cameron (I hope you got that).  Next up there was a blog on PCS Will's blog saying Rachel had banned him - http://nottheharrowtimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/so-much-for-freedom-of-speech.html - Rachel took exception to PCS Will calling a local Tory bigwig a "Bully Boy". I had a look through PCS Wills blog and there was a rather telling blog that triggered the tussle - http://nottheharrowtimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/ashton-resigns-council-in-crisis.html -what is most intersting here is the quality of the comments (presumably left by irate Harrow Tories) - Here is a good example of one:-

Anonymous said..

PCS Limp Willy - why did labour adopt the extra-airbrushed pic of David? Tell us how proud you are of the last labour mal-administration in Harrow (remember the 21% tax hike and the £9 million black hole?)

16 January 2010 17:38 

So just to summarise. It started with a blog about Labour being "The Nasty Party". Then a Labour supporter was rather nasty about a local Tory. A few local Tories the were rather nasty about a Labour supporter, then the Tory blogger banned the Labour blogger for being nasty, then the Labour Blogger says he will allow any comments on his blog, but the Tory blogger responds by saying he's banned her comments. Then rather bizarrely  the Labour blogger posts a blog saying that Boris Johnson is an example of a Sensible Tory  - http://nottheharrowtimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/sensible-tory-shock-horror.html - Then the Tory Blogger posts a blog saying the Labour blogger will be allowed back so long as he's nice about Tories and doesn't make stuff up  - http://racheljoyce.blogspot.com/2010/01/lies-on-blog.html

Got that? I've a little advice to my fellow bloggers in Harrow, both red and blue. Both of you seem to me to be decent types. Both of you are trying to get your message across as best you can. Just for a second remember that these blogs are read by the wider world. What on Earth would a casual voter think if they stumbled across this particular spat? You can put what you like on your blogs, it all adds to lifes rich tapestry, but it all looks rather silly to me. What has the world come to if The Barnet Eye is having to tell other bloggers to be sensible !!!!!

Andrew Dismore, Labour MP - Only big people matter

Until today, Andrew Dismore MP had my vote. Despite his expenses, which I find truly distateful, I know people he has helped locally and I passionately believe he is a better man for the job than his Tory rival, Matthew Offord. Unfortunately as more revelations about Mr Dismores expenses come out, I've found it harder to justify voting for him. Sadly, the last straw came today with an interview in the Edgware Times regarding his expenses and the complaints (check the 2nd last paragpraph). Andrew Dismore said :-

"If it was a big issue we would have had a lot of complaints from big people"

 Sorry Andrew. This was the point where you lost my vote. You see I've voted Labour at every election because I believe that Labour was the party for the "little people". I believe that a Labour party should listen to "little people". I never thought I would say this, but I CANNOT VOTE for the Labour candidate in Hendon Constituency. As I believe that the Tory Candidate is even worse, I will be switching my vote to Matthew Harris, Liberal Democrat candidate and I will be actively suggesting that all Tory and Labour voters do the same. We need a change in the House of Commons. We need a new broom and we need all of the tainted MP's who think they've done nothing wrong to go.

To me that means changing the habits of a lifetime to vote for a Lib Dem. If we don't get rid of disease at the heart of British politics, then we'll end up with a third world economy, racked with corruption. Anyone who follows this blog will know all about the shenanigans at Tory Barnet Council, where Matthew Offord was deputy leader until recently.

The Brent Cross planning decision showed the Tories are only interested in "Big" property developers. Andrew Dismore tells us that only "Big" people's complaints matter. I'm Sorry Andrew Dismore and I'm sorry Matthew Offord, but I hope and pray that the electors of Hendon give you both a

BIG THUMBS DOWN

There's something in the air in Barnet - an opportunity for the Lib Dems

Something rather strange happened today. I got a massive spike in the number of hits on my blog. The strange thing is, I don't understand why. Normally if I get a day where it's much busier it's because someone has linked to a story, there is a big news story and I've come up in google searches or someone's emailed their mates and said "look at this great blog" or words to that effect.

I thought it was possibly something to do with Andrew Dismore being in the news for his flipping of flat expenses, but strangely more people found the blog today searching for Vanessa Gearson than Dismore. I don't think that this is in any way a vindication of Dismores expenses, I just think people are so sick of him they can't be bothered looking. For my part, I wrote a letter to the Edgware & Mill Hill Times as a Labour Member six years ago telling him that he'd come unstuck. He wrote a letter back to the Times saying that if I was a Labour Party member, he'd never heard of me. He's done a fair bit as a constituency MP so I have fairly mixed views on him, but ultimately, if you carry on like this, it is bound to end in tears. I just wished he'd listened when I told him.

A careful analysis of the searches showed that there are two things people were looking for. Blogs on First Capital Connect and it's rubbish service and the disarray of the Future Shape project. Lots of people were emailing their friends and lots of people connected to Barnet Council were dropping by.

As to First Capital Connect. Tonight they were giving out "emergency timetables" with excuses for the disruption on. The new one is "it takes a year to train up drivers and we've lots of new trains". Here's the question. How long ago did they order the new trains? I suspect that it takes a bit longer than a year for a company to order a brand new fleet of trains. I could understand 5% of the trains not running but 50%? The advice from First Capital Connect? Use the Great Northern Route. It takes me 30 minutes in rush hour to get to Blackfriars on their train. It would take me nearly as long to drive to new Barnet, the nearest GN station. These people really don't know what they were doing.

The Lib Dem candidate for Hendon is Matthew Harris. Unlike Andrew Dismore, no Lib Dem MP's in London have claimed a second home allowance. Labour has had 12 years to sort out these awful train operators and haven't. If I were him, I'd stop by Mill Hill Station and Hendon and speak to a few commuters. They might just listen. If I were Matthew Harris, what would I tell the hard pressed commuters. I'd tell them that in 12 years, the service has got immeasurably worse. I'd tell them that John Prescott said when Labour took power "If we haven't sorted this mess out in 5 years we've failed" when asked about the rail privatisation. And once I'd told them about Labours record, I'd turn to the Tory Party. The local candidate is Matthew Offord. He is one of the architects of the Future Shape program, which is spectacularly unravelling as we speak. Matthew Offord spoke up for warden cuts at cabinet. He smugly told all of the public gallery that he knew better and that wardens weren't needed by many people in sheltered housing. A rather well to do octogenarian turned to me and used language that would make a docker blush at that. She then apologised to me profusely. But most of all, if I were Matthew Harris I'd tell them that rail privatisation was a Tory invention. The whole system was their last big policy initiative. All of the suffering is down to them. Someone asked me on the train who is more to blame, the Tories for bringing it in or Labour for not getting rid of it?

The sad truth is that they both are. I've not got a clue what the Lib Dems plans are with relation to Thameslink, but THEY CANNOT DO A WORSE JOB THAN THE TORIES OR LABOUR.

I wrote to Andrew Dismore about the awful FCC service. I printed his response on the BLOG.

Here is a highlight from his reply :-

Station refurbishment

Though this is not uppermost in passengers’ minds at present, I was pleased to see on my visit to Mill Hill, the following improvements over the last year:

· platforms resurfaced;

· new information screens;

· new lighting;

· new shelters;

· new platform name signs;

· removal of the graffiti on the platform canopy.

I added no comment as I was livid. How can the man be so out of touch? I read the paper today to find out the reason. He has a nice comfy flat in Notting Hill Gate. He doesn't have to suffer the crap service. How long does it take to get from Notting Hill Gate to Westminster? TFL says this

• Departing:  Monday  23  November  2009 at: 20:29
• From:  Notting Hill Gate
• To:  Westminster
• Restrictions:

Route	Depart	Arrive	Duration	Interchanges	View
1	20:26	20:44	00:18

How's about from Westminster to Mill Hill, near where his other flat is?

Journey Summary

• Departing:  Monday  23  November  2009 at: 20:31
• From:  Westminster
• To:  Mill Hill Broadway
• Restrictions:

Route	Depart	Arrive	Duration	Interchanges	View
1	20:20	20:57	00:37		View

Problems are currently reported on this route

I'm sorry but anyone who thinks they should get a £65,000 subsidy to save themselves less than 20 minutes on their journey really has lost touch with reality. I suspect that if a few more MP's used the service, that little message in red under the journey may appear slightly less often.

So what am I saying here. I honestly don't believe that anyone who is aware of the track record of Matthew Offord at Barnet Council or Andrew Dismore in his expenses shenanigans could vote for either of these two. If I was Matthew Harris, the Lib Dem candidate, I'd tell everyone in the Borough my story. I really hope Matthew Harris does and I hope that EVERY SINGLE disaffected voter in Barnet listens to him, because that other party of protest, that I'm not going to name, will be a big beneficiary if the disgruntled Tories and Labourites stay at home. If you are tempted to stay at home for the next elections, think again. I'm not endorsing anyone here, but with two such tainted candidates, I suspect that for many people in Barnet, there really is only one choice at the moment.

"Oh dear, this wasn't supposed to happen"

At the Sun, in Guido Fawkes smokey lair, and all over the country, the Tory right are rather perplexed. Gordon Brown WON A BYELECTION. In the past, IT WAS THE SUN WOT WON IT.

Well I happen to think this is true of the Glasgow election last night. Sure, it's a Labour safe seat, but at times like these, they fall. I happen to think that Labour turned out because they felt sorry for the unfair hammering Brown took for "Lettergate". The British don't like bullies and they don't like unfairness. The byelection was a strong message to "The Sun".

I happen to think that the only thing which will save Gordon's bacon is a really nasty spiteful and negative campaign. If I was rampaging Rupert, I'd call in my editors and tell them in no uncertain terms to lay off the poison. Trouble is, I don't think Big Rupe does nice. I was talking to a pollster earlier today and they said there are two things which should make Cameron worried. Firstly he's not really managed to push his poll ratings on from last year and secondly, thanks to The Sun, people who hate Brown's guts are feeling just a tad ashamed of the horrible treatment he's had.

It is quite interesting to read some of the contorted conspiracy theories in some of the more outlandish blogs "Brown deliberately sent it to someone he knew would tell The Sun, to get us all to feel sorry for him". Sorry guys, if old Gordon was that clever he'd be 15 points ahead in the polls.

I thought Portillos comment on this week summed it up. The Sun shouldn't have taken the grief of a bereaved mother to stoke up a campaign against the Prime Minister.

What made this country great was FAIR PLAY. Anything that goes against that will instantly turn off the vast majority of normal British people. A lesson for us all - The Sun, Peter Mandelson et all

Kate Hoey for Prime Minister

Just got back from a little trip out. In the car with a mate who is a Conservative, we were listening to Kate Hoey on LBC. After she finished, my friend expressed the view that Labour were doomed at the next election. I shot back "If David Cameron woke up tomorrow to find Kate Hoey as PM & Frank Field as chancellor, I suspect that he may disagree". A look of horror came over my friends face. Just for a second, then he smiled. "That will never happen"

If I was a Labour MP and I wanted to keep my seat, I think maybe I'd disagree with him. She has credibilty & integrity. Field knows what he's doing & can make tough decisions. A dream team? I think so. I suspect that a few Tories do as well.

Mandleson looses the plot

When was the last time someone said to you "It would be really great if they privatised the Post Office"? If anyone has ever said that to you, were they anything other than an Uber-Thatcherite? The reason I as is because of the bizarre comments by Peter Mandleson in The Observer.

Mandleson reportedly said that "The Party would be kicked out of office if it retreated and showed itself to be tired and afraid of making a decision". Well Mr Mandleson, I'm sorry to say that Labour will be kicked out of office for imposing stupid and unpopular policies. In their Thatcherite pomp, the Tories sold privatisations as they funded tax cuts and were seen as a way of making a quick buck. The Post office privatisation will achieve neither of these politically useful goals. Any extra revenues raised in the next year, will merely be shovelled down the black hole which the bank bailout has created.

Labour has about a year before the election must be held. The only thing that might save them would be to come up with a few genuinely popular policies and rush them through Parliament. Put the Tories in a corner where they either back them or lose votes. Given that there is no cash to splash, what could catch the public imagination. Here's a few suggestions. If Mandleson pushed these policies, he might actually achieve the public admiration he craves :-

a) MP's to take a 5% pay cut.
b) Full on-line access to all MP's expenses.
c) Limit all expenses to genuine out of pocket costs.
d) Ban ALL sale of playing fields for redevelopment
e) Force councils to publish full details of all council house waiting lists (not names or addresses) and the way points are allocated to achieve one.
f) Allocate seats to members of the public (elected by common vote) on all state ownbed companies.
g) Have complete transparency on all public sector pensions (including recently Nationalised (or semi nationalised) banks - give the public a veto on excessive awards

So what would you prefer Labour to implement - Post Office Privatisation or my list above? Which do you think would be better for the Country? To be completely honest, although I'm a lifelong Labour Member, I am so disgusted with Mandleson's Post Office plan, that I'd probably vote for any non Racist Party which scrapped PO privatisation and adopted my plan above.