en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/7921695 Comments by Parchment https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/11/anna-bailey-and-sir-richard-aikens-fact-checking-the-dubious-withdrawal-agreement-arguments-being-put-to-mps.html#IDComment1066989424 This exactly what I say when a tiresome remainer throws the 'you didn't know what you were voting for' jibe around at leave voters. Did a single remain voter vote for an EU wide army, harmonised taxes, harmonised policing, greater integration, Verhofstedt's giving up of further sovereignty, all to make the EU into an 'empire' as declared by some miserable little french official last week. An expansionist, imperialist, militarily growing would-be superpower on the borders of our Russian friends would, i fear go down badly in Moscow. Very badly. The current direction of the EU, for me, poses much greater threat of causing, and dragging the UK into war in Europe, than us leaving, and the EU reverting to a purely trade bloc would ever pose. Tue, 27 Nov 2018 12:26:39 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/11/anna-bailey-and-sir-richard-aikens-fact-checking-the-dubious-withdrawal-agreement-arguments-being-put-to-mps.html#IDComment1066989424 https://www.conservativehome.com/public-appointments/2018/08/calling-conservatives-new-public-appointments-announced-chair-of-natural-england-and-more.html#IDComment1064951282 Me: Surely there is scope for substantial cuts in public spending. Labour Supporter : Fascist, Nazi, Killing people, you want to privatise the NHS you fascist. Next time that happens I'll just direct them to this page on the government website Anti-Slavery Commissioner 140K a year-utterly ridiculous. Wed, 29 Aug 2018 08:59:22 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/public-appointments/2018/08/calling-conservatives-new-public-appointments-announced-chair-of-natural-england-and-more.html#IDComment1064951282 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/08/the-arguments-for-and-against-brexit-are-presented-with-an-insulting-show-of-certainty.html#IDComment1064787874 Thanks for taking the usual remain line of denigrating a Leave point of view. 16.1 million people voted remain. 17.4 million people voted leave. I wouldn't presume to speak for any on either side as to why they chose to vote one way or the other. Whether the points I made are cliches or not, they are in simple terms the reasons why I believe many people voted to leave. The simple facts are that Leave won a majority of the votes cast. That is the way democracy works. That is not going to change. I'll point you to another answer by merciantory as to partly why the EU is corrupt. There are several other reasons. Wed, 22 Aug 2018 09:30:44 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/08/the-arguments-for-and-against-brexit-are-presented-with-an-insulting-show-of-certainty.html#IDComment1064787874 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/08/the-arguments-for-and-against-brexit-are-presented-with-an-insulting-show-of-certainty.html#IDComment1064787228 But not enough millions to outnumber the people who saw the rampant corruption, the undemocratic nature of the beast and the EU's quoted aim of ever closer union and decided that we would sooner forego those 'rights' we already have to avoid having any part of the EU experiment. Wed, 22 Aug 2018 08:51:49 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/08/the-arguments-for-and-against-brexit-are-presented-with-an-insulting-show-of-certainty.html#IDComment1064787228 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/08/hs2s-bill-inflates-ever-further-might-it-yet-explode-the-whole-scheme.html#IDComment1064403444 When you say 'if the cost of HS2 keeps inflating' .............. Sun, 5 Aug 2018 08:58:00 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/08/hs2s-bill-inflates-ever-further-might-it-yet-explode-the-whole-scheme.html#IDComment1064403444 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/07/mays-big-new-problem-is-the-loss-of-trust-which-she-has-inflicted-upon-herself.html#IDComment1063848965 What astounds me, given that a large part of the leave vote came from an electorate who felt ignored, and looked down on by the elites in Westminster, that the Prime Minster as the nominal leader of that elite, thinks the solution to that problem is to ignore and look down upon the electorate. Sun, 15 Jul 2018 14:10:47 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/07/mays-big-new-problem-is-the-loss-of-trust-which-she-has-inflicted-upon-herself.html#IDComment1063848965 https://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2018/06/judy-terry-how-the-nation-of-shopkeepers-can-survive.html#IDComment1063345106 Retail rental is extortionate. Business rates are too high. Parking is a nightmare almost everywhere. When I see phrases like 'but the fundamentals remain unchanged. High Streets need to be effectively managed, carefully planned and have a clear vision for future development.' I immediately jump to local council planning meetings and endless discussion about what should be done without actually getting anything done. High Streets don't need that, they need to be nimble, quick to change to keep up with trends and local people with some connection to the people they are selling to need to be given some kind of advantage against the faceless national chains. Empty units if excess to requirements, ie are empty for more than say six months, should automatically get assumed permission to convert to housing. If they are empty for longer than a year, that should become compulsory..Until the over supply of retail units is tackled, and councils realise that putting parking prices up drives people away and a hundred other things are done, High Streets will continue to decline. Thu, 28 Jun 2018 09:02:58 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2018/06/judy-terry-how-the-nation-of-shopkeepers-can-survive.html#IDComment1063345106 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/wheres-penny-the-international-development-secretary-is-biding-her-time-and-choosing-her-words-carefully.html#IDComment1063108125 Well, I didn't actually suggest that she should abolish her job, rather that it should be abolished. Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:49:15 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/wheres-penny-the-international-development-secretary-is-biding-her-time-and-choosing-her-words-carefully.html#IDComment1063108125 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/wheres-penny-the-international-development-secretary-is-biding-her-time-and-choosing-her-words-carefully.html#IDComment1063107699 Sorry to say that nobody can convince me that borrowing money, then giving it away makes sound economic sense. She may be a leader in the making but the job she is doing now should be abolished. I'd be quite happy to commit 0.7% of our budget surplus, if and when any of the lunatics in Westminster work out that we cannot keep borrowing for ever and balance the budget. Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:35:33 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/wheres-penny-the-international-development-secretary-is-biding-her-time-and-choosing-her-words-carefully.html#IDComment1063107699 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/cannabis-hague-cases-the-joint.html#IDComment1063013415 Yes, I'm not arguing for stopping a campaign against it's use but to call it a 'war' on drugs, really isn't doing the job. If it is legalised, supply controlled, quality assured, and widely available, the first thing we would get from that would be hard evidence. How much is used by how many and what problems does it create. Then we can start the long process of making it socially less acceptable like the campaign against drink-driving, like the long campaign against smoking tobacco. While it's illegal, we have no control. When we have control, we can educate, we can legislate, we can isolate. Tue, 19 Jun 2018 10:55:05 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/cannabis-hague-cases-the-joint.html#IDComment1063013415 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/cannabis-hague-cases-the-joint.html#IDComment1063012342 But there lies the problem.. Millions of people also use cannabis without becoming addicted or dependent or having any psychiatric problems. I'm no apologist for drugs generally, I don't even want to take paracetamol if I can avoid it, but I think we have to admit the argument is lost on cannabis as things stand. We are criminalising people for effectively having nothing worse than a couple of pints in terms of the effect it has on the huge majority. In the end we can, as someone else commented, keep doing what we are doing with similar results, or we take drug consumption in hand and try to work out a way of controlling it to iron out the problems that are associated with it then we can try to make the idea of using drugs uncool and unrebellious which is a big driver in why young kids start on it. Tue, 19 Jun 2018 10:20:56 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/cannabis-hague-cases-the-joint.html#IDComment1063012342 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/cannabis-hague-cases-the-joint.html#IDComment1063011033 To be fair I know several people who started drinking heavily for one reason or another and ended up in a similar state. I hear no clamour for banning alcohol. I have never taken any illegal drugs and have no desire to and I have tried my best to make my kids understand why. On the other hand I have a bottle of beer every now and then without feeling the need to drink constantly or becoming addicted. Trying to hold back the tide isn't and hasn't worked. Drug policy needs a total rethink as I have suggested for years. Drug related or induced crime would hopefully be one of the major casualties but also it offers an opportunity to bring supply under regulatory control. Tue, 19 Jun 2018 09:44:17 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/cannabis-hague-cases-the-joint.html#IDComment1063011033 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062847012 I'm sorry but there are endless ways we could have remained in the EU and a vote for remain in the referendum would have been taken as a signal by the Euro lovers among our political elite to start pushing for them. Joining the Euro. Signing up to Schengen. An EU army. harmonised taxes across Europe, closer and closer harmonisation on all manner of issues. No, they weren't on the ballot, but neither was anything but to leave the EU and all of its tentacle-like institutions. God alone knows what Brussels and their Westminster cronies had got planned down the line if we had voted Remain. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:39:14 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062847012 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062844289 Exactly. This situation is becoming less and less about brexit and more about the way trust is being destroyed in the political process, something which is, in my opinion, going to be a very dangerous thing indeed. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 11:43:43 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062844289 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062842237 No, we just need the politicians to do as they were instructed. Would you want to trust the UK voter with a second referendum when they were so uppity as to vote the wrong way in the original on?. It wouldn't be at all certain one way or the other and the question then is, if we vote twice to say we want to leave, then would the politicians do their jobs properly? Wed, 13 Jun 2018 10:24:40 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062842237 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062841238 ''m not arguing we should remain - just that leaving the EU has many variations all of which would meet the basic criteria - that we leave the EU.' None of those variations were on the ballot. There were two choices. Leave, or Remain. If any of the other variations were up for consideration, they should have been on the ballot paper. Leave means leave, not leave but still have to abide by EU rules, still be a part of the single market, the ECJ and other EU institutions, and still have FOM in any form. It was a binary vote and I'm pretty sure if the vote had been for Remain it would have resulted in the pro-EU cabal in Westminster, pushing for even greater harmonisation, entry to the Euro and everything else because that is what is in their blood. Nobody would have voted for it but you can bet your last GBP that is what would have happened. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 09:51:00 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062841238 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062840533 Would you be willing to accept an MP who came second by 4% of the vote but by some political skulduggery got the seat in parliament? The argument is the same. The basis of the democracy in this country is that the majority rules. The vote was In or Out, not part in or part out and pick and choose the bits you want. Leave or Remain were the only options and it is the remainers that, in their shock at having their noses bloodied, have dragged us down the route we are on now. It's also no good saying polls show blah de blah either or we would have a change of government everytime an opinion poll is carried out after an election. That isn't how it works. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 09:23:17 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/the-water-gets-hotter-the-frog-sinks-lower.html#IDComment1062840533 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/our-survey-almost-two-thirds-of-tory-members-do-not-have-confidence-in-the-governments-handling-of-brexit.html#IDComment1062547431 Very well put. Out now. No deal. Get working on the trade deals. Cut taxes, cut spending, and show the EU what it's like to have a booming economy and politicians who mean what they say on their doorstep, merrily waving at the Dutch, Irish, Danes and Swedes who all have had their referendums ignored. Sun, 3 Jun 2018 20:47:31 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/06/our-survey-almost-two-thirds-of-tory-members-do-not-have-confidence-in-the-governments-handling-of-brexit.html#IDComment1062547431 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/06/chloe-westley-enough-talk-of-tax-rises-from-tory-ministers-lets-have-tax-cuts-instead-or-else-what-are-they-for.html#IDComment1062477280 Those are the same 'experts' who predicted an economic cataclysm even if there was a vote for Brexit are they, never mind us actually leaving? Fri, 1 Jun 2018 09:03:57 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/06/chloe-westley-enough-talk-of-tax-rises-from-tory-ministers-lets-have-tax-cuts-instead-or-else-what-are-they-for.html#IDComment1062477280 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/06/chloe-westley-enough-talk-of-tax-rises-from-tory-ministers-lets-have-tax-cuts-instead-or-else-what-are-they-for.html#IDComment1062477232 This young lady has said absolutely on the nail what I think. She is my new hero :) Fri, 1 Jun 2018 09:02:04 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/06/chloe-westley-enough-talk-of-tax-rises-from-tory-ministers-lets-have-tax-cuts-instead-or-else-what-are-they-for.html#IDComment1062477232