Man in a Shed

Poppies grow for another year in Flanders fields

2009-11-08T14:41:00.006Z

This morning I attended our local Remembrance day service, as I have almost every year since with moved to this town.

The man with all the medals who only ever comes to church this one Sunday every year looks tired and much older, and that's because he is. The Lad with the trumpet has got much better and the Cubs, Brownies, Guides and Scouts seem to pay more attention this year because it doesn't take so much effort to remember the sacrifice and loss of our armed services. You just need to remember the last day's news.

Another years crop of remembrance poppies is about to fall.

Our political media and politicians try to make their points with remembrance day. I heard someone from a liberal religious think tank on the radio this morning trying to turn the event for his own purposes. And yet remembrance day stands for what was lost, what never was and what has been possible due to that loss.

But remembrance day isn't easy to manipulate as it functions on a very personal level. We see people who knew the fallen honouring their memory and keeping faith for another year. Many of us consider ourselves lucky we have not been put through the same trials, and recognise the debt that we owe those who did on our behalf.

Veterans day or the military day that New Labour have tried to conjure up and import from abroad just don't have the same hold or resonance.

It is always sobering to read down that list of names on the war memorial and realise many died young and most likely in terrifying conditions. But whilst the recent dead and the long lost dead are remembered, we no longer share the understanding of experience of the circumstances of war.

In modern times war has become subcontracted to the willing brave, very few of whom are present in the ranks of those who deem these wars necessary or who read out lists of this weeks dead and declare their sacrifices not to be in vain.

This is a worrying imbalance, especially in some political parties who should try harder to recruit those with actual field experience. ( Surely this is more important than pursuing false equality agendas and other reforms of tokenism. ) The feedback loop of experience and emotional cost with those who govern is growing weak in this country and that should be a cause of concern.

So another year goes by and I remember what I can of my old school friend and great Uncle, bear witness to the debt owed to those I will never know, and I hope we are worthy of the peace and freedom they paid for.

Just how desperate is Brown now getting ?

2009-11-07T23:35:00.004Z

Gordon brown's last minute gate crashing of the G20 Finance Minister meeting (and you have to feel sorry for Alistair Darling at this point) has shown how badly he's really regarded in the world.

But I wonder what sort of advice he's getting. Surely you sound out an idea privately before standing up and inviting yourself to an international meeting then giving a speech to suggest an idea ? Did no civil servants check out the likely US or other major nations response ? Or was the advice ignored or perhaps more likely never sought as Brown no longer cares how about our country's reputation as long as he gets his few minutes in the news ?

I suspect the truth is Brown has given up on running the country for its own good ( and I'm not the only one ) and is now just desperate for any sort of publicity that associates himself with his G20 saving the world meme he tried to get going a few months ago before that embarrassing slip of the tongue in the commons.

There are rumours that Labour will now have to go to the country before the next budget as the actual figures and plans will be too awful to fight an election on - as they have to make the cuts they have been borrowing mind blowingly large sums of money to avoid making for a few months.

It looks to me like the government is now becoming unable to function. Things are getting very serious. The time may be coming when individual Labour MPs and even civil servants will need to put the country before their careers to stop the wrecking and chaos of the last days of the Gordon Brown regime.

Remember we all have to live in the country after June - except perhaps Blair and Miliband.

Testing

2009-11-07T22:00:00.000Z

A few tests going on right now. If things look odd - thats why.....

Brown prepares the wriggle room for a UK withdrawal from Afghanistan

2009-11-06T11:51:00.003Z

The BBC reports:

Gordon Brown has told Afghan President Hamid Karzai he will not put UK troops "in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption".

That sounds a lot like he's getting ready for his favourite ploy of blaming someone else for a reality he helped create, and is preparing the ground to announce a withdrawal.

I just feel very sorry for those who have lost out in Labour underfunded war. All the brave words and grand statements - the Cherie Blair announcements about Burka's - the posturing and the Department for over seas development videos of Blue Planet to bemused Afghans are not adding up to a hill of beans.

I suspect Paddy Ashdown is wrong with his domino theory of Afghanistan if we withdraw. Much of the resistance is generated by our presence and the Afghans will get on with being nasty to each other instead of us once we leave.

All this has been allowed to come about because the ministers in the Labour government are just not up to the job. Its not a political policy thing - though some of the bleeding the military dry might be - its just competence, and they don't have any.

It just makes you want to weep.

PS In the mean time the Iranians play with ICBM technology and high tech nuclear warhead designs. Does anybody else think we're fighting the wrong war ?

Labour prepare the ground for their relationship views to be complusory in primary schools

2009-11-05T14:32:00.005Z

There's an interesting move by Ed Balls to remove the right of parents to excuse their children from the states propaganda machine on sexual education.

Balls says it doesn't matter as virtually no parents use the right anyway. But then what harm is it doing ? Very little.

So what's he really up to ?

Well my guess is preparing the ground for things parents will object to, but will suddenly find they can't opt out from.

There are some nasty pressure groups which seek to corrupt children in primary schools and they will soon be pushing to use the Orwellian sounding Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) subject Labour invented to get access to these young children directly or with their ideas.

Just wait.

PS This is another reason why Labour must be forced from office. They are the enemies of parental care and responsibility.

Update: I missed the fact that compulsion will start at 15. However I still think you will find Labour starting to push its diversity lifestyles agenda throughout the curriculum.

RP: Politeia: Financial Journalists in Crisis: Did We Fail?

2009-11-05T09:21:00.003Z

Politeia: Financial Journalists in Crisis: Did We Fail?

This is an interesting point ( go check the post ). I've seen indications that some people knew we were in toruble a long time before they reported it.

If the 4th estate doesn't work ( or gets fixed by the likes of New Labour ) then democracy lacks the oxygen of information and chokes.

Instead of pushing the capitalism failed meme perhaps we should pay more attention to why the dogs didn't bark ?

Update: See this from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard on Japan's coming financial apocalypse ( and remember this is the model Labour are following ).

He quotes Carl Weinberg from High Frequency Economics as saying "It is criminally negligent that rating agencies are not blowing the whistle on this."

So the credit agencies not functioning again - there's a pattern developing here ...., though journalists are perhaps doing better.

Remeber this is the path Labour are driving us down and why we must defeat them and sort the arguments about Europe out latter.

RP: The United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill (2010) - solution to the Lisbon ratified issue

2009-11-04T16:24:00.000Z

Man in a Shed: The United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill (2010) - solution to the Lisbon ratified issue

Just heard David Cameron's announcement at 4pm and there's a lot I like there, and even the UK Sovereignty Bill like the one I suggested a month ago. ( OK its probably coincidence - but still ... ).

Europe - part 2

2009-11-03T15:32:00.009Z

So the news is just in, Vaclav Claus has signed the EU constitution and the conspirators of the European Union have pulled of the greatest anti-democratic coup since Hitler had the Reichestag burnt down.

We have been cynically sold out by Labour who lied on their election manifesto and have insulted peoples intelligence with the weasel words on the Lisbon Treaty being something different. And let us never forget this treachery and the traitors ( specifically Miliband and Brown who sold England out for their own personal reasons ).

Those who voted Lib Dem have been betrayed as Nick Clegg found a formula that allowed him to do what he wanted to do anyway, just without his party telling people they would do it in 2005.

So finally its time to see David Cameron's hand. ( And lets pause for a moment to consider what our democracy has come to when the views of any political leader count more than the principles of their party or the manifestos they stood on. Are we really a functioning democracy at all ? )

The hints and leaks are that David Cameron will announce that there will be no referendum on the Lisbon Treaty but that there will be a manifesto commitment to repatriate some powers.

So what to think and what to do ?

I've mentioned in comments elsewhere that in my nightmares Peter Hitchens is right and the current Conservative party and especially its leader are not really Conservatives at all. What's coming up is one of those litmus tests of this concern.

But I'm not quite ready to let it dominate my waking hours yet, although I have to acknowledge the possibility it may be the case.

Like many Conservatives the thought of sending the party card in cut up pieces back to CCHQ has crossed my mind today - and I know from conversations that I'm not the only one.

But there is a fundamental calculation that has to be made. Does the next election matter more than starting down the long road to a greater change in our political system by embracing a minor party that is Eurosceptic, knowing that in the short term this will just help Gordon Brown and if we do too much of that then there will be no long term UK future.

Such a course of action is a project in terms of decades, during which time we will be vacating political ground to the left ( unless AV PR comes in ).

Add to that the utter desperation of the current financial status of our country and the accelerating attempts to put the jack boot of authoritarian socialism on the country's wind pipe by the likes of Brown, Balls & Mandelson ( and the stiletto of Harman ) and its time to start thinking of getting your ducks in a row.

I would therefore suggest the appropriate plan of action for those not committed to the surrender of their country to a foreign power or its economic destruction and enslavement by socialism is as follows:

but only after 1 has been dealt with.

David Cameron is announcing the new line at 4pm ~~tomorrow~~ today. I guess he didn't want to have it played over in PMQs. David Cameron has turned our party around as a political force ( though perhaps Michael Howard started the process ), and has delivered on the EPP - the the fury of the Euro Imperialists - so all hope is not lost.

And if hope fails - then will come rebellion.

Europe - part 1

2009-11-03T09:03:00.003Z

I've been looking for the Youtube clip below for a day or two. Yes its at our expense, but that doesn't mean its not funny. And things that are funny tend to refer to a painful truth.

I'll be back to blog on the subject latter ( when I've got some work done ).

PS For anyone who thinks I shouldn't put up stuff that pokes fun at my party - you're going to need considerably thicker skins shortly. All those left wing comedians and BBC political comedy commissioning managers (with the honourable exception of "The thick of it" team ) have almost been unemployed for 12 years - it will all change very quickly if we win office.

Why all women short lists are a bad idea

2009-11-02T08:50:00.000Z

I was firing tweets back and forth on this a few days ago, and promised a post on it. I know I'm a few days behind the wave on interest on this, but here goes anyway:

Why all woman short lists are a bad idea:

The are patronising.
They destroy the principle of advancement based on merit, and once you conceded it here you'll be unable to refuse it for every other group that can muster the political organisation to demand special victim status.
All those appointed on the basis of such social engineering will owe allegiance to the system that put them in place, entrenching an anti-meritocratic victim based system. When that system is threatened they will protect it ( this is why the left love such Faustian pacts so much, ).
What about all the other categories of people 'represented' and under represented. EG Stupid people ( though they do have the Labour party), old people, left handed people, those who didn't attend Oxford and study PPE etc ad infinitum.
MPs are meant to represent their constituents - not be them. In any consistency there will be few people who are exactly like the sitting MP in terms of education, race, gender etc yet that MP - and not another in another constituency - represents all of them ( even those who didn't vote for them ! ).
There is no demand for this outside of the chattering classes whose agenda this suits - many of them for reason of personal advancement.
If the voice of women was really the concern why does no one ever suggest guaranteeing women 50% of the vote at selection meetings ?

Of all these 2 worries me the most. Once you start controlling advancement based on political categories ( the first of which will always be the easiest to justify ) there will be no end to this. Once the mechanism is established there will continually be further requests to use it. People will seek advancement by identifying themselves in groups that deserve advancement rather than earning it themselves. Merit and freedom will suffer, mediocrity, a victim culture, political favours and corruption will flourish .

The project does succession planning also

2009-10-31T15:39:00.004Z

Feeling prophetic today http://tinyurl.com/yjnenwk as Guido http://tinyurl.com/yfs42a8 and Hannan converge on the projects dark plan to put Miliband in office.

MPs second homes

2009-10-28T08:03:00.001Z

How about using the Tower of London for MPs second homes? It's close, secure, and we could use the river from Westminster to get them in via Traitor's gate.

Sent from my HTC

Strike !

2009-10-27T09:27:00.003Z

So were heading fast back to Labour's 1970's with big industrial disputes.

As usual its those away from the great corporations that will suffer the most.

Small businesses going bust as the CWU moves to take advantage of Labour's anti business legislation to stop a company bringing in employees to do the work that others refuse.

And now BA staff being balloted on ruining peoples Christmas. ( I have to declare an interest here - I forked out for tickets to do to a friends wedding in the last weekend before Christmas. We booked early as I would expect availability to disappear closer to the date and have another wedding North of London we are relying on BA getting us to the next day ! )

As ever the main losers are those being held to ransom - the UK public.

The Unions are back spreading their own form of misery , bullying and economic destruction and they own the Labour party ( or at least can stop it going bankrupt before the next election - which is close to the same thing ).

Moments of England

2009-10-26T15:29:00.005Z

Just back from a weekend's camping in Rutland. Here's two pictures that summed up a rather good weekend. ( Only camera phone snaps, but they can be expanded by clicking on them ).

There must be a public enquiry into whether Labour allowed mass immigration for political purposes

2009-10-23T20:35:00.006+01:00

I've just seen reports of this in the Daily Telegraph quoting Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett.

I have always suspected this has been Labour's policy and its in part why I hold them in such low regard that they are willing to sacrifice the interests of our country just for votes, spite and narrow political advantage.

This looks like the misuse of power and frankly I think criminal charges should result. ( Imagine the uproar from the left over Michael Howard doing anything like this ? Or you don't have to imagine think of the Shirley Porter and the sale of homes for votes scandal. That was just for a few votes - how about letting 2 million people in just for votes ! )

To start with their must be a public inquiry into immigration and the reason's for Labour allowing a flood of millions of people they said wasn't happening into our country.

On the other hand: It does occur to me that this might itself be a dirty trick by Labour to get the Conservatives making immigration noises so Labour can rerun the other great smear and lie they used in 2005 which had every interview with a Conservative spokesperson ( any spokeperson ) drowned out by questions on immigration. Is Mr Neather dropping his former bosses in it or has he been primed to kick this off ? This would fit the strange actions of Peter Hain and using the BNP to frighten people back into voting Labour. The only thing we know for sure is they are capable of anything and have no shame or honour and most certainly always put their political party before the country.

Thoughts on Question Time with Nick Griffin et al

2009-10-23T09:36:00.008+01:00

I've tried not to read any of the other commentaries before writing a few notes on what I thought of question time. I think this is one of those occasions where your view on events can become very coloured by the spin someone else puts on it.

Here are a few points:

This was lynch mob Question Time. All the questions where aimed at Nick Griffin, and the chair didn't even try to have a normal debate. Some of the questions were good - I especially liked the man who asked where do you expect me to go and live.
Clearly the key panellists and chairman went in armed with their killer facts that their researchers were sure Griffin couldn't answer. That's all well and good, but in many ways very dry.
On balance Jack Straw had a good night. His voice was quivering at the start and his set point speech at the beginning was a bit cheesy, but in general he did well - except for the attempt to smear the right of centre by accusing the BNP of being right wing and the old Labour tactic to close down all debate of invoking their smears about Enoch Powell. ( It worth remembering that Labour's refusal to allow debate on immigration - and indeed to control it - has lead to the BNP rise in the first place, and mostly from their voters ).
Baroness Warsi did okay. She was most impressive savaging Jack Straw however.
Chris Huhne just continues to give the impression that he's a bit of a thug himself.
Bonnie Greer was very much in charge and seemed to hold a strange sort of authority over Griffin, that I'm sure he will hate himself for. She put her point across very effectively, though I didn't like the US knee jerk response on the KKK which moved to close debate rather than tackle and defeat a point.
Nick Griffin hardly got a word in. The Audience was over overwhelmingly hostile, as was the panel and the chairman.
The no platform and fascist anti-free speech mob will be feeling just a little silly this morning. This was no BNP triumph and many people will have been reminded of why we despise the BNP. So you leftie thugs it turns out free speech and democracy can be trusted - I hope you've learnt your lesson.

But, but but ....

We didn't learn much. It certainly wasn't fair - if any other party leader had been treated in the way Griffin was their would be uproar this morning ( as a thought experiment put the leader of the Green party in his place and see if it makes sense ).

Also I doubt it has had any impact on the BNPs supporters. The West London audience aren't BNP supporting anyway. They will have seen a monstering by people who never answered the questions that the BNP provides answers for them on*. The story of the establishment all being untied against us will be perpetuated ( I'd like to call it a myth, but quite frankly after last night I can't ).

This was an exercise in exercising democracy and free speech against the forces of oppression ( lead for Labour by Peter Hain ). It has shown Home Office funding for some of the more violent protest groups. But we have learnt little.

Certainly their was no attempt to engage the BNP on policy - or more correctly for question time to allow the BNP to put its policies for issues for comparison against the policies of other parties and commentators. And that's what needs to happen.

So it will all have to be done again, because that's what's needed to take support away from the BNP.

What did you think ? I'm off to read some of the other comments in the blogsphere and press.

* With the exception of immigration, which Baroness Warsi was especially good on.

Update: Here's the question I'm left with. Why did 943,598 people vote BNP at the Euro elections ? Peronally I think you'll find few of them see themselves as racist ( and if they are why vote BNP at only these elections and not the previous ones ).

We - the mainstream parties - need to properly engage with these people and understand the message they are sending by voting for a party that many of them would probably admit is odious.

A few Labour MP's have understood there's an issue - John Cruddas, Margaret Hodge, Frank Field come to mind. But all we get from all three main parities is generalisations and often a flat denial that peoples experiences are genuine or valid. This is a very dangerous situation to leave to fester.

Further Update:

Apparently Question Time got 7.8million viewers last night - three times the usual number. It shows the interests and perhaps concern in the general public. ( Even a few die hard leftie no-platformers were tuned in - yes Tom I mean you ).

Are Labour using the BNP to scare its voters back ?

2009-10-22T17:42:00.007+01:00

It occurs to me that there has been far too much protesting about Nick Griffin being on QT. Most of it from the left and their thugs in the various anti fascist organisations ( yes they're as anti democratic and worrying as the BNP is itself ).

Then we had Peter Hain making sure the subject occupied 2-3 days of prime media coverage this week.

Nick Griffin thinks they've all been idiots providing him free publicity, but I see a darker and more sinister explanation - one that the Labour have form for - of negative campaigning combined with trying to frighten and bully people into supporting them.

The Stop the BNP message works well for Labour with the ethnic groups they lost because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They can bribe the white working class nearer the election - if they can make it sound credible after so many years of broken promises.

I think Labour are actually finding an aspect of all this very useful indeed and may even have fanned the blames of this debate deliberately ( either that or Griffin is right about Hain et al ). Think about it, Labour the party of the media Grid letting a story build up due to actions of a senior figure of the party - I think thats unlikely to be chance.

Its the sort of deeply irresponsible party before country type of behaviour we have grown used to from Labour.

PS My guess is this will be one of the most watched Question Times ever - largely due to the actions of the Labour party and its anti-free speech allies.

As I've said elsewhere the panellists had better have done their home work because Nick Griffin is a slippery so and so and will be very hard to skewer. Those who think you can just turn out and say your a racist and win the argument are in for a shock.

The stakes are high tonight. Lets hope someone gets Nick Griffin below the water line.

Brown and Obama favour the big banks heavily regulated - I wonder why ?

2009-10-21T23:26:00.004+01:00

Nationalisation has until very recently been out, and yet one of the main aims of the socialist has been to control the banks.

Thanks to the mismanagement of Bush and Brown ( with supporting roles from the Middle East and China fuelling the asset bubble all this was built upon ) our banks where challenged in such a way that we could not let them fail.

The socialists ( Obama and Brown via the G20 ) think these means state control of a few large banks that will eventually be instructed what to do ( which is where more regulation will go eventually ).

The free marketer want smaller banks that can go bust without tax payer intervention. ( As argued for by Mervyn King this week )

So its corporatism and socialism vs freedom and the free market. An interesting, if familiar, dividing line ...

Why isn't Harriet threatening the Unions over the lack of female Union bosses ?

2009-10-21T12:42:00.004+01:00

We see today Harriet insisting that the dead hand of socialism be extended to company board rooms in the city by insisting that some people are only qualified by the nature of their genetic make up to be on a board.

Just wondering why the Unions aren't being threatened also ?

Could it be because they pay Labour's bills ?

All token shortlists

2009-10-20T14:03:00.006+01:00

David Cameron has said in response to questioning today that central office are looking at all token short lists and may well impose them before the next general election.

My guess is this will lead to widespread rebellion and might even cost him the election.

Be warned Mr Cameron - the members of the Conservative party want to appoint their own MPs and elect their own leaders. There have been many rumblings over the hand of central office in recent selections, but most of us have kept quiet. It wouldn't take that much for independent Conservative candidates to start running with the support of the people who provide the foot soldiers in local constituencies.

That won't last if you try to impose socialist token targets on associations.

PS Of course another problem with token shortlists of token candidates is how do you chose the correct token ?

Should there be more plumbers in parliament ?
More undertakers ?
More Engineers ?

When I see those from the those who argue for token shortlists but are themselves from groups that are they argue are over represented resign their seats to help re-balance the house then I'll take them more seriously.

Will David Cameron or George Osborne be standing down to be replaced by token candidates ? I thought not.

Other reactions:

Conservative home

All women shortlists are fundamentally unConservative and they have no place in a party pledged to meritocracy and localism.

Iain Dale

All Women Shortlists: Not In My Name

Nadine Dories MP

Every morning as I walk into westminster, I feel proud and humbled to be here. If I had been elected via an all woman shortlist I wouldn't

Be able to hold my head up as I would know the men I work with would be here on merit but that I had needed a hand. That's not equality.

Petition to stop global warming propaganda to frighten our children

2009-10-17T11:55:00.003+01:00

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Stop wasting taxpayer's money on climate change propaganda designed to frighten our children.

If your a UK citizen then go here to sign.

Update I should of course have made it clear that this has been driven by Steve Green over at the Daily Referendum who deserves the credit.

Hello hello ..

2009-10-14T19:12:00.000+01:00

Tory Bear - right-wing political gossip: Labour Future

Give up you industry, lives and freedom or the puppy gets it

2009-10-13T10:13:00.002+01:00

Ok I said I wouldn't be doing much more of this for a while, but I can't resist.

The government doesn't have the money to train our troops (TA) but does for unsubstantiated Warmist political propaganda to scare kids is gearing up to prepare for Brown to sell out our country one more time in Copenhagen.

See Not Evil Just Wrong.

Going to be a bit quiet for a few days

2009-10-13T09:35:00.003+01:00

Loads of post conference watching - school hunting ( too long to explain ) - lost work time.

I'll put my twitter feed overhead for a few days and maybe post links to other posts I've like reading in the evening. ( Its time to look around a bit more anyway ).

Normal service resumed next week.

Govt to sell £3billion of English assets to fund UK - but no Scots assets

2009-10-11T20:41:00.004+01:00

You could raise a lot of money if you sold the future rights to tax North Sea oil for example.

But no the Scots lead government of the anti-English Labour party instead plans to:

1) Sell the right to Tax the English for a crossing they have already more than paid for at Dartford.
2) Sell the English student loan book ( maybe some Welsh and Irish in there somewhere ).
3) Sell the Channel Tunnel rail link - which will allow ,money to be raised from the English again

Why not sell the rights to future North Sea Oil and Gas revenues ? That would be simple and there would be plenty of buyers, but of course the unelected Scottish prime minister and the Scottish MP who is Chancellor of the exchequer prefer to sell the English into further debt for the state spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that the English fund and Labour won't cut back.