gdp's Comments

Conservative Home : It's Sir David Amess - as Cameron continues his revival of political honours

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 12:34:11 +0000

Knighted for services to comedy (and not defecting to UKIP) presumably? http://matthewsdent.wordpress.com/2014/12/31/sout...

Bloggers4UKIP : Rotherham Labour councillor was checking cricket results during no confidence vote in Police and Cri

Tue, 16 Sep 2014 08:45:41 +0000

What sort of disrespectful, negligent elected representative would do something like that in the middle of an important meeting? http://matthewsdent.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/kipp... Oh...

Conservative Home : Who should be the next Conservative candidate for Mayor of London?

Thu, 7 Aug 2014 08:51:59 +0000

"...as David Cameron manages to combine being our Prime Minister with serving as the Member of Parliament for Witney." He's pretty awful at both, to be fair.

Conservative Home : Robert Halfon is George Osborne's new PPS

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 12:26:17 +0000

So now that he is on in government, does that mean Halfon's silence has been bought? How disappointing. One of the few Tory MPs I found genuinely interesting.

Conservative Home : Cllr Sean Anstee: Our Trafford result proves that Conservatives can win in the north

Tue, 3 Jun 2014 08:05:18 +0000

I think it proves you can win in Trafford. Not sure the generalisation really swims to the whole of the north, looking at other results. Though you still lost seats in Trafford, so...

Conservative Home : Miller was right to resign

Wed, 9 Apr 2014 09:32:24 +0000

What a scurrilous slur on jacket potatoes, to liken them in any way to Maria Miller.

Conservative Home : Andrew Haldenby: The OBR should have powers to cut and raise tax

Mon, 17 Mar 2014 09:17:57 +0000

I wounder if Mr Haldenby would be so in favour of bureaucrats setting the budget if it were the EU Commission, rather than Osborne's pet economists?

Conservative Home : Luke de Pulford: Why are our leaders cheering on unelected ones abroad?

Mon, 17 Mar 2014 09:09:07 +0000

"...the fascinating obstinacy of certain commenters on the left in calling Yanukovych’s government a regime. Reprehensibly bad it may have been, but a regime it was not." Erm...yes, it was: "Regime (plural regimes) 1) Mode of rule or management. 2) A form of government, or the government in power"

Conservative Home : What policies would you like to see in the Budget?

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:05:23 +0000

His own, and the government's, immediate and unconditional resignation.

Conservative Home : Stephen Tall: The immigration choice for the Conservatives - pro-business, or pro-UKIP?

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:04:36 +0000

Because it's funny watching you froth and rant in blind fury? Well, it is to me anyway.

Conservative Home : Ed Miliband's "reforms" to the union link hand McCluskey and friends more power

Sat, 1 Mar 2014 18:32:11 +0000

There is a problem across the board with party funding. Labour is too reliant on money from trade unions, yes, but are the Conservatives exempt? How much of Tory donations comes from big business and the super-rich? It is what fuels the accusations that the Conservatives are the party of the rich, and necessitates the sort of debate that Robert Halfon has been trying to promote. As a Labour supporter myself, I would argue that at least the trades union represent working people, whereas the bankers, etc, are representing only their wallets. Really, I don't know what the solution is, but I think that some cap on donations is the only way that we will take big money players out of politics. Not that I'm expecting the turkeys to be voting for Christmas any time soon.

Conservative Home : Iain Dale: It's my year for snogging Jacqui Smith

Fri, 13 Dec 2013 10:21:50 +0000

The living in the past comment was with regard to your opposition to equality, not your fondness for referenda. The latter is simply idealistic and impractical. The AV referendum cost in the region of £75m. There are over 150 bills passed by parliament each session on average. You do the maths. How do we play for this? How does the country get anything done, with constant referenda? I'm not against them for constitutional arrangements, but for everyday legislation? That's what you elect your MP to deal with.

Conservative Home : Iain Dale: It's my year for snogging Jacqui Smith

Fri, 13 Dec 2013 09:55:30 +0000

Yawn. Might I suggest that, given your rather outspoken opinions here, there are better places for you to reside than 21st century Britain? The nineteenth century perhaps? Or Switzerland? A referendum on every single law passed by parliament is impractical and expensive. And there is no reason why equal marriage rather than -- say -- the NHS reforms should be put to a referendum. It is neither constitutional nor as diversive as you seem to think.

Conservative Home : Council by-election results from yesterday

Fri, 25 Oct 2013 13:40:18 +0000

No swing percentages this week?

Conservative Home : Adam Afriyie MP: I won't be bullied out of moving my EU referendum amendment

Mon, 21 Oct 2013 08:38:46 +0000

It's obvious to Afirye too. He's just faced with the choice of backing down and slinking away, or going out in what he imagines to be a blaze of glory, which will keep his leadership ambitions intact. He's an egotist, plain and simple.

Left Watch : Exam board insists A-level Politics students give left-wing answers

Fri, 2 Aug 2013 13:43:27 +0000

I've seen absolutely no evidence to support the assertions made by Ms Binney. But why let that get in the way of a little confirmation bias, eh?

Platform [OLD] : Lord Ashcroft: As Peter Cruddas wins a resounding High Court victory against The Sunday Times, the P

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 13:28:14 +0000

Despite the fact that she hadn't done what Cameron (and the Daily Mail) said she had done (namely, attacked the Duchess; rather she attacked the treatment of the Duchess by certain elements of the media)?

Platform [OLD] : Lord Ashcroft: As Peter Cruddas wins a resounding High Court victory against The Sunday Times, the P

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:07:18 +0000

Cameron seems to have a habit of mouthing off on populist news-of-the-day issues without checking his facts. His ill-judged attack on Hilary Mantel when the Mail mis-characterised her comments about the Duchess of Cambridge spring to mind.

Local Government : Lib Dems attacks 20 mph speed limit

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:20:26 +0000

"However, I eschew such point scoring." Really? That's not like you, Harry...

Local Government : Bristol Council spent £21,000 trying to cover up social work failings

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:55:41 +0000

Again, no mention of the controlling political parties here. How very strange. I'm sure it can have nothing to do with the fact that Bristol is currently run by a coalition of...everybody but Labour. Nor could it be influenced by the fact that this incident straddles portfolios held by a Lib Dem and a...Tory councillor. But then, I'm sure if it was a Labour council, Harry wouldn't be mentioning the political situation then either. Right? Right...?