Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
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Tired, unelected PM has run out of ideas
Saturday 4th July 2009, 5:00PM BST.
Writing exclusively for the Express & Star, Conservative leader David Cameron says he was not impressed with the Prime Minister’s visit to Wolverhampton
These are difficult times for the country. People have lost their jobs, politicians have lost their reputations, and we as a nation are falling into the worst levels of debt in the developed world.
So it’s important that we have a government that understands the challenges we face, and is ready to deal with them.
At Prime Minister’s Questions this week I asked the Prime Minister, again, to come clean about his spending plans. His own figures show that under his plans the government will cut spending in the coming years – just as households and businesses are having to. But he is still trying to play the British people for fools by refusing to admit this.
We can’t afford to have a Prime Minister who is in denial about the realities of the situation we’re in, especially when he is largely responsible for it in the first place. If he can’t give straight answers to straight questions in the House of Commons, perhaps he was more candid with the entrepreneurs he met in Wolverhampton yesterday.
Did he explain to them what his government is going to do to get us out of this mess? And did he explain to them what he intends to do about the huge burdens of bureaucracy and taxes that he has imposed on businesses since 1997? Britain has slid down the global league tables in productivity and competitiveness. And with the number of apprenticeships falling well below the government’s own targets we’re not providing the next generation with the skills needed to reverse that slide.
Examples
So it’s one thing to talk about encouraging entrepreneurs to come forward who will build the businesses of the future – we need them to do so if Britain is going to hold its ground in a competitive, post-recession world. But what about the existing businesses we already have that are struggling to get by? Will the Prime Minister look at what has actually been happening on the ground in the West Midlands?
Just look at a few examples of what has been happening in the last month or two. In Willenhall, 50 people have been made redundant by Swedish firm Assa Abloy – a sad situation that has dealt a real blow to the town’s historic lock-making industry. In Smethwick, 60 people have lost their jobs after KEB Fabrications went into administration.
And in Brownhills, Castings Plc made 350 people redundant last month after profits fell by 78 per cent. The directors of this foundry blamed the Government for not doing enough to help manufacturing companies. And they’re right – it hasn’t.
For years the Government neglected this country’s manufacturing base and based our economic growth solely on the pillars of the financial services, the housing boom and public spending. Now those pillars have crumbled they’ve realised too late that manufacturing does still have a key role to play in our economy.
Chance
Back in 1996 I was selected to be the Conservative parliamentary candidate in Stafford. I know from that experience how important manufacturing and construction is to the region. And for me it was great to see Staffordshire County Council come so decidedly into Conservative control for the first time in 28 years in last month’s elections.
I want the whole country to have a chance to vote for that same change at a national level. This tired, unelected Prime Minister has completely run out of ideas. This week we saw his 12th “relaunch” in a document called “Building Britain’s Future”. But it is just 126 pages of rehashed announcements, old policies, and poor imitations of Conservative policies.
This so-called “national plan” is not equal to the problems our nation faces. There is no plan to transfer power from the political elite to the man and woman in the street. No plan to reform schools and the NHS by putting parents and patients in control. No proposals to deal with the wave of violent crime. And no credible plan to revitalise our economy.
To top it all, it’s a relaunch without a price tag because we now know that the routine spending review has been shelved to avoid having to admit to spending cuts. This just isn’t good enough. After 12 years of Labour, Britain desperately needs a new direction. The only way to get that is to have a General Election and bring in a fresh government that can face up to the challenges of our time.
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At least we know now not to expect unbiased opinion in the Express and Star.
What is the point of getting the leader of the opposition to write his views of the PM? He is hardly going to say the PM is doing a great job is he?
What next? Is Gordon Brown to be asked to write an article about the “young pretender”, discussing how the old guard Conservatives will drag him and us down to a 2nd rate health service, education system and society?
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Two points to ask:
Since when was any Prime Minister elected other than in their own constituency?
And
Are you going to give Brown a column to write his exclusive as well?
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more Twaddle from Mr Cameron It was his party who started the rot in our industrial base by favouring the banking and service sectors
He also states cutting costs for business does that mean a cut in the minimum wage for low paid workers? turning us into the sweatshop of europe?
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Come on Cameron stop talking and lets see some POLICIES in writing please.
I do not like this government anymore than the previous Tory government because there are no real differences between them.
The country needs a radical shake up from the top down but both the major parties are corrupt and liars so what is the alternative?
I don’t know but what I do know is the great British public will vote Labour out and the Conservatives in at the next election then spend the next 12 years being screwed by them.
Good Luck
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Cameron is a waste of space and George Osborne is a terrifying prospect. Cameron is bandwagon man, a man with no policies at the head of the nasty party. Osborne doesn’t want to do anything about the recession!
Love the way the Express and Star completely fails to point out that Cameron doesn’t seem to understand how our politics works in that we don’t elect our prime Ministers in this country.
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And if you think it is bad now, then God help us all if we get the “Etonian” halfwit and the chinless wonders in charge.
Who de-regulated all the banks?
Who sold off all our nationlised industries to fund tax cuts for the better off?
Who had 3m unemployed in a recession that only affected this country and not a global event?
This government are far from perfect but consider this. Introduction of the minimum wage, no more £1 per hour jobs. Introduction of Pension and Tax Credits (Ok at first it was a mess), that have benefitted more people. No more 15% interest rates that forced so many people out of their houses. More affordable childcare places. Greater provision for working parents. Intoduction of family friendly working policies.
I agree they are far from perfect. I would like to see Clause IV reinstated and more socialist policies brought to the fore, as it is now shown that capitalism is failing.
If it says “CON” on the ballot paper that is exactly what you will get.
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hmm you guys must all be on benefits as thats the only people who have gained anything from brown and co!
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Given that the main article on the E&S gives airtime to Gordon Brown and this one to David Cameron, the reporting seems reasonably balanced. The GB article is critical because he wouldn’t answer questions.
I expect both were given the opportunity to write a column for the E&S but only Cameron could be bothered. If the PM had offered to write a column for the E&S it is laughable that it would be turned down.
Many still despise the Conservatives for events that happened 15-30 years ago. Some people would even like to blame the current crisis on them too (No. 3), but given that we’ve had 12 years of Labour rule, that seems a litter far fetched.
I made the mistake of voting Labour in 1997 and I’m pretty disgusted with what I got as a result. A bankrupt, dishonest government, corruption on expenses, a bloated, unaffordable and unproductive public sector, booming house prices (now busting) and unemployment rocketing.
Labour’s tax and spend policies are finished. Why? Because the money has run out. We won’t have a Labour govt at the next election because we cannot afford one.
Unfortunately, the last 12 years ‘boom’ has financed massive spending on the public sector. That has created a massive dependance on the public sector for maintaining employment. 6 million in the public sector as of Q1 2009.
When that gets cut back to an affordable level, it will be very, very painful.
I expect that to be around Christmas 2010 and for Labour to blame it all on the Conservatives.
No surprise there then. Now the money has run out, it’s going to get ugly.
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David No 8.
I asgree with a lot of your comments but you actions are exactly what I expected. You said ”I made the mistake of voting Labour in 1997 and I’m pretty disgusted with what I got as a result. A bankrupt, dishonest government, corruption on expenses.”
So you are going to vote cleaner than clean tories who have had their noses in the corruption trough the same if not more than their Labour friends.
Are the Bankers who have broken the country Labour voters, I don’t think so.
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Well put English Exile.
Cameron is exactly the same as Blair was: smug, bland, populist – and has a job as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.
Everyone who is baying for Brown’s blood at the moment simply need to ask: but why would Cameron be any better? Cameron’s Tories would have done exactly what Brown did as Chancellor – in fact, Brown acted as he did precisely because that’s what the Tories would have done as he tried to wrestle the title of “best economic managers” from the Conservatives to Labour.
The Neo-Liberal consensus of Thatcher, Blair and now Brown will simply be carried on by Cameron. He is massaged by spin every step he makes, just as Tony Blair was. He says nothing, believes in nothing – because he is desperate for election – and why? so he can get his face in the trough, appoint himself director to countless boards when he retires and set himself up for the rest of his life, to pass on privilege and advantage to his rich chums.
Cameron was a PR executive. He worked for Thatcher on the creation of the community charge, aka “the poll tax”. Does he ever tell you that? Do people even realise? Of course not. They just think he’s a very nice man.
When we read the Tory shadow chancellor going on about how the Tories would bring in more regulation of the financial services than the Labour chancellor, you know that times are very, very weird.
Are Cameron and Osbourne, both educated at private schools and the sons of very wealthy people, who live in very wealthy areas, seriously expecting the voting public to believe that they believe in state regulation? Are they seriously? Yes, they are! Why? because Labour have out-Conservatived the Conservative Party and Cameron and Osbourne have no other option than go left.
Once elected, they will do nothing of the sort. All they will do is carry on the Neo-Liberal ransacking of public services and public assets to pay for their continued privilege and lifestyles. They are thieves, charlatans and bandits and the electorate is falling for them, hook, line and sinker.
Open your eyes….
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No7 True what you say about those who benefit by Brown. Thats what votings all about. If they benefit you as an individual, or family then vote for them. You state the obvious Gareth!
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Connor- you make good comments, but much of what you say are obvious tactics.
Governments have to offer popular policies to get elected. Once elected they can do what they wanted to do all along. For GB this was increasing the size of the state through tax and spend policies (often stealthily via fiscal lag).
As for DC working on the poll tax. It still exsists as ‘council tax’ under Labour. It has more doubled under Labour. Same as NHS spending has tripled in that time. The ONS report showed that efficiency has actually decreased during that time. Efficiency in the private sector increased by around 20%.
Value for money? No. More government waste.
I don’t really care how privileged, well off or toff-like the people in charge are. One thing matteres – are they good at their job?
In Labour’s case the answer is ‘no’.
The Tories are no angels….but at least they are not Labour.
Labour’s self interest means their policies are entirely based on saving the party, nothing to do with what is good for the country. When they are kicked out, the ensuing government will have to make painful choices about spending – because Labour didn’t want to.
Which would you rather have? A political party making tough choices for the good of the country, or one for whom every decision is about making themselves look good and the opposition look bad?
When is the last time Labour made a tough decision that benefited the country?
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When was the last time a Tory party made a decision that benefited all the country DAVID? I would like a party that can make tough choices for all its people especially the not-so -well off. I don’t want a party that makes tough choices that benefit their rich counter parts like the tories usually do!!
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Its great to watch the supporters of any of the main parties throw mud at each other and claim the moral high ground for themselves. IMO all of the present politicians are there for one reason only, to feather their own snouts in the trough. (nice mixed metaphor there for the preening peacocks who act like pigs most of the time) until there is a party in this country who will challenge the ‘big two’ and the loony party liberals this country will continue along its unfair and steepening descent.
We need a party who are committed to common sense policies, policies that are not for the benefit of one section of society but for all of it. One that shows common sense when dealing with Europe ignoring those edicts which are against our national interest similar to what happens in other states, it seems to be only in this country we are being suffocated by ridiculous H&S rules and mollycoddled into infancy by rules made by people we didnt elect and the majority of us dont agree with.
Would you vote for any of the present parties when given a choice against a party that will stop and listen to what we the people need, I am not talking about any party in existence but a party that someone somewhere has to create if we are to ever get back to a nation that produces goods rather than just sells goods made in other countries to ourselves. I wont hold my breath.
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