Classickeynes

Classickeynes

14p

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5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - WATCH: Thornberry defe... · 1 reply · +1 points

One of the Labour Party’s 6 Brexit tests is ‘Does it deliver the “exact same benefits” as we currently have as members of the Single Market and Customs Union?’ I may be interpreting that test incorrectly but if it means what is implied then one benefit of being a member of the Single Market is competition within the transport sector, and as from this year including rail transport as enforced throughout the EU by the 4th Railway Package. Germany, the Netherlands, Spain etc. have anticipated that and opened up regional passenger train service franchising and national freight rail haulage to private company bidders. Not what Corbyn & Co. would wish, quite the opposite, i.e. full nationalisation of the British rail passenger network. When it was reported Barry Gardiner was overhead saying ‘bollocks’ about that 6th test maybe he was representing, in a minority of one, an honest opinion within his ranks.
Corbyn has spent most of his political career deriding the EU Pillar of an openly competitive market and it is highly unlikely he has changed his mind. But when one plays politics with the Brexit issue to the extent he and such as Thornberry do, staying silent on internal contradictions about policy manifestly obvious to a sixth-form student, studying the Labour Party official position on Brexit is to time waste.
Thornberry I read but did not hear today derided the British government for being slow in making a practical response to the alleged Saudi government killing of a journalist in Turkey, selectively forgetting that she and Corbyn advocated further consideration and collection of evidence following the alleged Russian government involvement in the Salisbury poisoning, and they taking more than a few days to accept the evidence being amassed. Maybe she is on the intellectually dim side, probably more likely she is so saturated in moral superiority she feels virtuous on any matter and needs not to reflect on what was and is said.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Ben Spencer: I’m an ... · 0 replies · +1 points

I did not suffer clinical mental illness (a topic I am ill-equipped to write on) but I did experience emotionally as a child and teenager a very difficult family scenario, but a busy time surrounded by team mates was a positive diversion and occasional camping at altitude in storms a total pre-occupation. Years later, when chatting to a young teacher of Socialist persuasion I heard from him that team sports and scouting for children were redundant ‘public school’ occupations and he advocated sport be removed from school timetables (well before child obesity became an issue). At that time I was a volunteer coach of soccer, camp craft and rock-climbing at an approved school where some of the boys had experienced very serious physical and psychological abuse in their homes and neighbourhoods. Following that over two decades when I had sufficient holiday time I assisted taking able bodied, physically disabled and emotionally damaged young people to arctic regions. They enjoyed the physical challenges and the comradeship, as I had done on a mountain, field or a river and my accumulated practical experience, in contrast to theorising, lends my support to what ‘Walsallbob’ has written in this present forum.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Ben Spencer: I’m an ... · 4 replies · +1 points

It would be interesting to undertake a statistical survey concerning young people participating in team sports, scouts, D. of E. Award pursuits etc. and mental health difficulties. Participants might be less inclined and have less time to be preoccupied with social media content, and the superficial and often erroneous concepts of behavioural ‘normality’ and ‘abnormality’ sourced consciously or not by academic ‘experts’, politicians and journalists and easily absorbed into the psyches of young people. Long before mobile phones and professional counsellors, old-fashioned (as old-fashioned as eating and sleeping) were my teenage years time-managing rugby, rowing and mountain expedition training and getting academic homework completed, so scarce time for stressing myself about my mental well and ill-being. My team mates served as amateur counsellors if needed, the advice 'get on with it' comes to mind.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Suzy Davies: The Welsh... · 1 reply · +1 points

I have attempted over the past few years in practical ways to support the party beyond paying my annual membership subscription, on mainland Europe. I have attended conferences at party HQ at some personal travel and hotel expense. During the past two years I have not received one reply in response to my communications to HQ or those associated in management and not one expression of gratitude for my efforts, probably because I am a pensioner with very limited wealth and not knowing potential rich donors. I intend to cancel my annual party subscription and depart membership. The party is becoming a feeble political force more than partly due to insensitive and arrogant apparachiks in the party management structure. As for alternative loyalties and efforts the same experience will probably be the same.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Gove floats scrapping ... · 0 replies · +1 points

The HS2 advocates might read and reflect on the very recent report of the European Court of Auditors (EN 2018, No. 19) concerning European high-speed rail plans, construction and estimated economic aspects. Not happy reading for them.

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - WATCH: McDonnell - I r... · 0 replies · +1 points

I understand John McDonnell is well aware of the implications of the EU 4th Rail Package to be implemented commencing in 2018, and I am not sure if the Conservative Party does. The RMT union and a number of Left wing groups are fully aware, as are public transport unions on mainland Europe (some rail unions have organised one day strikes against very likely privatisation of some passenger service routes). If the UK Labour Party is advocating the UK remaining within the EU single market (I am not sure what it is advocating), then nationalisation of the British railway passenger and freight transport providers will hit the proverbial buffers according to the 4th Package stipulations, which are intended to 'liberalise' the entire railway system within the EU, encouraging franchise bidding by private consortiums already happening in Germany and France, and freight services in Spain. The EU 4th Package seems to have taken as its' tenplate the Thatcher privatisation of rail services provision in the UK. When Corbyn had in the last Labour Party Manifesto the intention to abolish student tuition fees he had simply none done his homework, and since admitted it, his intention to nationalise the railways and parts of the energy sector conveniently ignored the EU liberalisation legislation. So if the Labour Party should form a minority government (best it can hope for) then it will need to have the UK exit from the EU single market to achieve the 'crown jewels' of its' nationalisation programme. Has anyone in Conservative Party think-tanks done some research on all this?

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Robert Halfon: It's ti... · 0 replies · +1 points

I have been a party member for about a decade, and during that time I have attended two conferences at 4 Matthew Parker Street, the atmosphere reminding me of a headmaster's assembly, and I have written to party officials on various issues, usually not receiving even a one sentence courteous reply. When I made enquiries with Labour Party HQ usually I received helpful replies. The Conservative Party hierarchy requires a thorough pruning of the aloof and complacent in its' ranks. During the past few years I have been a part-time sports coach of university students and heard them pick up the vibes from the Labour Party on social media and the last general election outcome came as no surprise to them and me. The millions donated to the Conservative Party to increase its' majority, wasted by some very out of touch strategy advisers and party management.

8 years ago @ Conservative Home - The rail farce raises ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Agree. I live in Spain, enjoy the AVE high speed trains and understand that in a nation with disparate economic and social regions something needs to bond it all together, politicians certainly do not. The Madrid-Seville line will break-even perhaps in 2080 but probably never. The construction costs are a minor aspect of calculations given the on-going maintenance costs. Standard freight trains cannot be run along high-speed track for technical reasons. As for the AVE network encouraging economic growth away from Madrid and Barcelona, the jury is well out on that one. The usual ´social benefits´ estimates imputed into the cost-benefit calculations are as Micky-Mouse as any I have studied. But the Great Project must continue, successive governments unable to back down and re-appraise. In UK re-open the old Central Railway for freight and upgrade the West Coast mainline. Getting from Barcelona to Madrid 20 minutes later isn´t an issue to anyone these days with onboard internet and wifi capabilities, at speeds which do not require huge costs of track design and maintenance. The importance of the time-saving quoted between London and Birmingham makes one laugh, or weep. Cromwell would have asked the right question about it all.

9 years ago @ Conservative Home - WATCH: Osborne – "Mi... · 0 replies · +1 points

Economic growth. Growth in real or money terms? Gordon Brown assumed continuing moderate economic growth, indeed consistent growth because he mentioned something about the abolition of the trade cycle. I would consider a prudent Chancellor (Brown self-claimed to be one) should plan for possible worse-case scenarios, and certainly slower average global economic growth in real terms than over the past 50 years. Osborne I imagine is factoring that in but in the short-term world of political strategy not so prudent. Balls pushing the narrative that Osborne will return Britain to the economics of the 1930´s is academic tripe and demeaning of him, he becoming desperate as the general election approaches. Probable future modest global economic growth, the euro currency changed into two tiers of value and continued stagnation in the eurozone, ageing non-working populations rising with expectations of good pensions, health care and standard of living (the French to experience the day of very harsh reckoning concerning unsustainable pensions and health care), if Milliband went to an actuary to enquire about taking out a national annuity he might be advised to not make key-note speeches which in reality kick the government deficit tin further down the road, instead do some proper sums and study for the option of probability theory in A level Maths, if it still exists.

9 years ago @ Conservative Home - WATCH: Osborne – "Mi... · 1 reply · +1 points

If only Alan Walters was able to comment on the Milliband ´economic placebo´ (not even an ´aspirin´ to delay pain). A little use of fundamental economy theory informs that there is such a thing as spending beyond the productive means of an economy, in real and not money terms. So either more imports, or re-structuring and investment in the manufacturing sector to improve productivity in the long term, and increase exports. At least all political party economists agree on the latter. ´Sensible cuts´ is the utterance of a party leader behind the curve on deficit reduction as he is immigration. A party leader who was embedded in policy which caused a rapid rise in the government deficit as a proportion of GDP when re-balancing of expenditure priorities was required. Milliband has almost repeated verbatim what Gordon Brown spoke during period when he initially kept to Ken Clarke´s expenditure and taxation targets and promised responsible government financing following. Labour is addicted to excess expenditure, and whatever its´ politicians state behind them is the relentless pressure from trade unions, public employers and employees and the Guardinisti. Alcoholics given control of a failing brewery to get its´ accounts in order come to mind.