QUERCUSROBURLUX

QUERCUSROBURLUX

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3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Steve Baker: The Coron... · 0 replies · +1 points

Something should be done about this Act. All the traditions of Parliament seemed to have been swept aside when it was enacted, even the subsidiary Statutory Instruments, (SI), do not seem to have been laid before Parliament in the correct way or for a suitable period.

In addition, the whole thing has been a complete muddle and palpably rum from the start.

We were told we were not allowed to drive to exercise. Out went decades of practice for me and weight went on. I need to drive to the hills as it is very flat where I live. About four weeks later it ‘emerged’ that this was the wrong ‘interpretation’ of the ‘law’ and that you could drive to walking venues, providing you walked for a longer time than you spent driving, although it was never made clear if this was the total time spent driving or just the time spent driving to the venue. This emerged from the College of Policing; they further admitted, if I remember correctly, that the ‘information’ (interpretation[?]) had been with senior police officers for some time but had not cascaded down to warranted officers on the ground. From whence doth this proceed? Who is making these ‘laws’? The Police College?

The citation that ‘100 per cent unlawful prosecutions under the Coronavirus Act’ is a disgrace. Has anyone countersued? If so, what was the outcome? Is it too cynical to anticipate that should someone file a counter action it would take years to come to court; as it often seems the system speeds up or slows down depending on who is taking the action?

In addition, the whole experience seemed to show up a complete ignorance from the very top right down to constables about the role of law, code and guidance; even today on Radio 4 with senior ministers this is still apparent. How can this be? What is the point of having all these political advisors, no doubt on ‘good salaries’ if these basic facts, which could be learnt by an ‘average’ 17-year-old by way of reading the Highway Code, do not seem to be understood by ministers? Not only is all this thoroughly un Conservative it is making the Government a laughing stock.

Please, Association Chairs and other thinking people of rank and consequence, please use your influence. I am suggesting the whole canon of this law needs reworking with proper consultation, checks and balances put in place. Using the time established procedures re make the law from scratch, then at the completion of the process on the point it receives Royal Assent repeal the original legislation.

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Iain Dale: Davey is th... · 0 replies · +1 points

No Centre ground?

Most socialist Conservative government ever; Labour Right LP leader.

Surely the Peel, Disraeli, Baldwin and Macmillan ground is being as strongly contested as ever.

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Iain Dale: Davey is th... · 1 reply · +1 points


Thank you, Ian, for your wide-ranging thoughts.

Some comments from a T Shire ‘local’.

Many local politicians would love to have the percentage of the electorate vote them in that SED enjoyed. I would put to the readership that the difference between the Con and Lib percentage vote, was that in the former the electorate was voting for the PM whereas the latter were not, indeed, at present, they are not even in a place where the can imagine that they are about ‘to go back to their constituencies - and - “prepare for government”’.

Two points about the ‘sackings’:

Point One; the exams debacle is much more complicated than many seem to want to consider; I will throw out one debating point.

Do you believe in norm- referenced marking or criterion-referenced marking? Potentially it makes quite a difference to the number of ‘top grades’ awarded, and thus ones loved ones obtaining the converted place at a ‘top university’.

By the way, does any one know of anyone who has the aspiration to attend a ‘bottom university’? Even less attractive is that it costs the same, unlike your typical three-tiered offer in the local supermarket.
Marketisation of Education?

By the way, (and I am speaking to the general readership here), some of the ‘lesser seats of learning’ – are – very good. I have ‘inside knowledge’, which is in the public domain, if you know where to look.

When I sat A-Levels there were in addition, S Levels, (a sort of super A-Level), which some of us sat. These measures of scholastic rigour were removed; as, they were thought to be ‘elitist’. Later, the A* grade was invented. I could go on.

Point Two; the Conservative Government is just on the six- year corner. It is a well-known accident back spot for governments of all hues. No amount of ‘moving the chess pieces on the board’ will help as the whole table is swaying.

Thank you for your contributions to the ongoing debates.

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Jamie Whyte: The Conse... · 0 replies · +1 points

“Other People’s Money”. I was not convinced that this was a sensible mantra when MT first espoused it. Unless one is exceedingly rich we all use and benefit by “Other People’s Money”, (OPM). Send your children to a state school? Paid for by OPM. Use the GP? Funded by OPM. Draw a state pension? Deferred payment by OPM. Have the contents of your dustbin taken away by ‘bin staff’, in house or contractor? Paid for by OPM.

The relief funding for those poor, poor people who have lost everything in the tower block fire, is that other people’s money?

I thought that was the whole idea of it. You pay in, each according to their means at the time, (remember, the established rule of thumb at the time of the ‘Poll Tax’, that the Duke should pay more than the dustman [above]); then, when you need help, e.g. you need your children educated, you need treatment from a doctor, or, something much worse happens, the resources of all of us, administered by the ‘state’, are there for use

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - WATCH: Raab calls Osbo... · 0 replies · +1 points

That old question about who is ‘proper’ Conservative.

Was Mrs Thatcher proper Conservative? Not according to Alan Clark. But then again, was he a proper Conservative? We are a broad church, from people who are, as you put it, or rather, I put it, Orange Book, (or even Yellow Book), Liberals, to those somewhere to the right of - Nicolas Ridley.

Socially, some as conservative as our new-found friends in Northern Island, to as progressive as our leader in Scotland.

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Barwell becomes May's ... · 5 replies · +1 points


I’m sorry, but all these ‘special advisors’ just do not play well with public, and they to leave the ordinary Party members under represented; been a problem since Harold Wilson started the trend with his Kitchen Cabinet.

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Anti-Corbyn Labour MPs... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks for these comments, I have long thought that there is a far too an optimistic a view being peddled about Brexit, as if this is somehow the answer to all our problems.

Here are my fears:

I think there is a strong chance that Brexit will not be achieved in ‘one set of negotiations’ after all, it took three or four attempts to ‘get it right’ on entry and the leaving negotiations are a task which is looking to be of unparalleled complexity in our history.

It is quite possible, that whoever leads these negotiations will end up in the long term being toxified by them, in other words rather than it being the answer to all our problems it will eventually be the cause of them, or rather that the terms that were negotiated will be seen, eventually, as not good enough; indeed, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the terms will need to be renegotiated at some time in the future.

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Never mind the polls, ... · 0 replies · +1 points

What attack dogs?

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Never mind the polls, ... · 1 reply · +1 points

This whole election business has shown parliament, and, especially the party, in the most appalling light:

Fixed Term Parliament Act; who wanted that?

Worst possible length; five years.

The law – no longer suits our purposes – let’s just snuff it out and call a ‘snap’ election.

6 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Never mind the polls, ... · 0 replies · +1 points



Who thought up this mantra ‘Strong and Stable Leadership’? Far too much of a hostage to fortune. Memories of Sir John Major and ‘Victorian Values’; it seems as soon as something like this is ‘launched’ we slip up on our own banana skin, and what a lot of banana skins there have been of late.

It feels lost in my constituency, Conservative marginal; feelings of 1970 when HW lost a large majority; not helped in my case by hearing DD say on Any Questions something like ‘steady as she goes.’ This was Roy Jenkins expression about his 1970 budget, just before they lost, when the polls predicted them to win, by a good margin.