Archive for the ‘labour’ tag
David Cameron’s double dip paycut and Gordon Brown’s spite
Gordon Brown accepts a pay cut (for David Cameron)
Gordon Brown’s last act was to deprive David Cameron of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Gordon Brown’s failure to turn up for the State Opening of Parliament may well have been because he couldn’t look David Cameron in the face. Mandrake hears that one of Brown’s final acts in the Downing Street bunker was quietly to organise a pay cut for his successor which he must have known would leave him out of pocket to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds. On Brown’s orders, the Prime Minister’s remuneration package was cut from £194,000 to £150,000, but this was done with such stealth that no formal announcement was ever made.
Indeed, I am told that Cameron entered Downing Street blissfully unaware that he would, as Prime Minister, be earning only marginally more than he had as the leader of the Opposition. One imagines that the poor chap must therefore have set about implementing his pre-election pledge of an across-the- board cut in ministerial salaries of five per cent with a heavy heart as this took his salary down to £142,000. Over the course of a five-year parliament, I calculate the personal loss to Cameron will be in excess of £250,000, and this is not counting the pension benefits. “This was pure Gordon,” harrumphs my man in Whitehall. “Quite prepared to make the big sacrifices – so long as it wasn’t him who actually had to make them.”
What a petty minded and spiteful act. Speaks volumes about the Labour Party in my opinion.
Steve
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Quote of the day
“Economists say Britain faces the deepest spending cuts for a generation as it tries to plug the £ 167 billion black hole left in the public finances by Labour” – Spotted today here.
Ouch. That’s a lot of “cash”.
Steve
Cool Cameron in the 1980’s, lame Gordo in the 1970’s
Well I had to laugh at Labour’s latest “idea”. A poster created by a staunch Labour supporter showing David Cameron on the bonnet of an Audi Quattro, Gene Hunt style (Ashes To Ashes). This is, however, a bad idea on a number of levels:
- Gene Hunt is actually considered to be quite a “cool” character, and this actually makes Dave seem quite cool, and he looks approachable and open.
- Audi Quattros are seriously cool cars, and coming from Mr Non Petrolhead (me) this is high praise. Ditto the “making Dave look cool” stuff from point 1.
- The 1980’s weren’t that bad really. Ok they weren’t exactly my “golden years” but it seemed a whole lot easier to get a job then, and life was far less hassle than it is now. I know Margaret Thatcher and John Major come in for a lot of flack but I honestly think they were a hell of a lot better than Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
- Labour have left themselves open to a 1970’s version ….
Oh dearie me. Now that is far more “truthful”. The 1970’s were rife with strikes, the Winter Of Discontent and the absolute mess Labour had made of our economy. Many of you reading this won’t remember 1979 (I don’t remember it that well myself) but you really should go and ask your parents and grandparents what Labour did to our country in the 1970’s before you vote.
Steve
Quote of the day
“A weak currency arises from a weak economy, which in turn is the result of weak government” – Gordon Brown
Way to go Gordon, real foot in mouth syndrome there 
Steve
Quote of the day
“Gordon Brown, the worst Prime Minister ever, failed in his primary duty as chancellor, which was to take the punch bowl away when the party was clearly getting out of control” – Tim Martin (Chairman of Wetherspoons)
Steve
First time I’ve found myself agreeing with a Labour MP
Labour should get on the right side of the alcohol debate.
Tom Harris MP:
“I’LL TRY to keep this short…
Alcohol abuse is a huge problem in this country, much greater than problems caused by illegal drug abuse or by smoking.
I don’t know how to tackle it, I really don’t, because our culture venerates the act of getting drunk. Too many people go to the pub at weekends not to have a drink but to get drunk. As a nation, a significant minority of us seem to be incapable of enjoying a drink without actually becoming paralytic.
“Ah!” say our very civilised, sophisticated (dare I say “middle class”?) moral guardians. “It’s the working classes that are the problem. We, of course, have enough disposable income to enjoy a nice Chablis when the mood takes us, and that’s as it should be. But it’s simply not good enough for the Burberry-wearing classes to be able to afford their own favourite tipple, in boxes of 48, out of the local Asda.”
If we genuinely believe that the only way we can stop people over-indulging is to make alcohol too expensive for “them” (and we know who “them” are, don’t we?), then we might as well throw in the towel right now.
First off, it’s patronising. Secondly, it wouldn’t achieve any long-term cultural or attitudinal change, which is what’s really required if Britain is going to get over its love affair with drunkenness.
And thirdly – and by far most importantly – minimum pricing of alcohol won’t work. Do you imagine that the type of person who gets blitzed on a 12-pack of Carlsberg from the local supermarket is going to see the new, increased price label and say to himself: “No, I can no longer afford to indulge my drinking habit. I will therefore save my money and spend it instead on books for my children.”?
If someone wants to get drunk, then you know what? They’re going to get drunk. If they have to go into debt or deprive their families of the bare essentials in order to do it, then that’s what will happen. And given that for those in work, levels of disposable income are higher than ever, you’d have to push prices up a hell of a lot before it would have even a marginal impact on consumption.
People drink alcohol for many reasons, and the price of it may well be a factor. But I doubt if it’s anywhere near the most important one. I hope the government doesn’t end up on the wrong side of this argument, as Paul Waugh hints today.
Of course, if people were allowed to have a fag in the pub then perhaps they’d be less inclined to buy cheap booze from the supermarket and drink it at home. But let’s not go down that road again ….”
Tom Harris is clearly a pragmatist and I find myself almost liking the guy. But I do have one question. What happened to “secondly” ?
Steve
Not Labour’s best idea in my opinion ….
Harriet Harman to play key role in Labour election campaign.
“Harriet Harman is to play a key role “fronting” Labour’s general election campaign next year, the Daily Telegraph has learnt.
The deputy Labour leader’s role is the latest indication of Peter Mandelson’s diminishing influence.
Ms Harman is being lined up to host the daily televised media briefings – a role which will make her one of the main “faces” of the campaign.”
I’m no fan of the Labour Party (hmmm cold weather and recession, 1979 anyone ?) but I really do have to tell the Labour Party this is a baaaaad idea. Would this woman inspire you to vote for Labour ?
She certainly wouldn’t inspire me.
Steve
Does anyone believe this ?
Gordon Brown promises decade of prosperity for 2010s.
The year 2010 will herald a decade of prosperity and ambition for the British public, Gordon Brown will promise in his annual New Year message.
Gordon Brown will reject Conservative warnings of a ‘decade of austerity and unfairness’ and instead predict that unemployment will fall
In an upbeat assessment of the economic prospects for the coming year, the Prime Minister will reject Conservative warnings of a “decade of austerity and unfairness” and instead predict that unemployment will fall and more new businesses open during 2010.
Hmmm. How does Gordon Brown keep a straight face ?
Steve
Quote of the day
“It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
“Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
“Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
“In the name of God, go!”
I’d like to think this was our Queen talking about our present government but it was in fact Oliver Cromwell’s speech on the dissolution of the Long Parliament, given to the House of Commons, 20 April 1653.
Steve
The Rotten State Of Britain
Spotted this title over on Al Jahom’s Final Word. I’ve not read it yet (I’ve ordered one from Amazon) but I reckon it’s going to be pretty interesting. We already know pretty much what’s going to be in the book (unless you’ve been out of the country for the last ten years or asleep) but it’ll be interesting to see it all in one place. As someone who remembers the state the last Labour government left Great Britain in (1979) my heart sank when Labour was voted back into power back in 1997. I knew then it would end in tears, and the optimism people showed was unfounded and unrealistic.
Perhaps you’d like to check the book out yourself:
Steve
