Tag Archives: Andrew Neil

Politics

Diary of a Frustrated Labour Supporter Week 2 1/2

Saturday 16th May

I am frustrated. I am in a dilemma.  One week of a Conservative MAJORITY and I’m finding it hard to reconcile the thoughts in my head. Do I trust the people and voters in this country to make the right decision? I should do. I need to. I want to. But what if they have made the wrong decision? But, what is the wrong decision? One that I don’t think it right? But it may be the right one for them? Who am I to say? People will vote for the person and/or the party they think best suits them and we should respect that and live with the outcomes.

And why don’t people vote? Do they really think politics has no impact on their life? Do they really want politicians to go away and leave them alone? I fear they might.

This is a much bigger problem than I had originally thought. If people don’t understand why we have a government, what their role is, what they do and what would happen if we didn’t have a government we can vote for then no wonder they don’t see a reason to vote. If so many people don’t vote then we don’t live in a democracy; current Conservative MAJORITY voted by less than 25% of the electorate is not democracy in action.

Why is learning about government and politics not part of the school core curriculum? Teenagers should learn the basics (at least) and then they have a choice in the future whether to vote. Don’t think it should be compulsory; people should want to vote, understand why they should vote…give people a reason to vote.  If the turnout in Scotland for the Independence Referendum can be nearly 85% then why can’t that be the case for the general and local elections? That would make it more democratic.

The Labour Party needs to demonstrate how it will enable people to improve their lives, provide them with equal opportunities and support their future aspirations…do not like that word and vow not to use it again…but it does encapsulate the fact that people want to improve their lives as much as they can, however big or small that change may be. People need to stop seeing the Labour Party as a group of people who will stop them from doing the things they want to do, who will limit their ability to improve their lives and who will restrict their choices. They need to support and enable…provide the best environment for people to thrive in, but not do it for them. People want to be in control of their own destinies.

The Labour Party needs to care and be seen to care about the things the people in this country care about; otherwise people will just not vote and that is worse.

Sunday 17th May

What is it about Nicky Morgan than makes me really dislike her? She often talks a lot of sense; parents do not want failing schools, they want their child to fulfil their potential and do their best but, I always think she has a hidden agenda (or not so hidden) – getting rid of Local Authority controlled schools seems to be the only real agenda she has!

The way she talks about ‘average results’ annoys me so much. ‘Average results’ (whatever they may be) may be fantastic results for some children who should be praised and celebrated. Nicky…we don’t all get A*s! Children in your world may do so, but that is not the real world. In the real world children want to do their best, fulfil their potential; they want to be provided with the education and taught the skills to help them get the best results they can and enables them to get the knowledge, skills and qualifications to provide them with choices for the future.

With 32% of all MPs and half of Cameron’s new cabinet having been privately educated are they really the best people to fully understand how a state sector education system should provide the best education for all children? I have my doubts!

Setting up free schools and academies does not necessarily mean better education for children; providing more choice where choice is not needed and schools where schools are not needed is not necessarily the answer. Taking schools out of local authority control does not improve schools or the education of children….although you seem to think it does. Heads, Governors and teachers run schools regardless of whether they are overseen by LAs or the Government! Local Authorities do need to do more to ensure they take action, quickly and decisively, when a school is not doing the best for children, and not left to drift. I realise this is more difficult for them to do when their funding has been so radically reduced but this is the challenge they must cope with otherwise people will lose faith in their ability to be responsible for education.

And where is Tristram Hunt? He should be putting forward the opposition’s view…supporting what is right, providing better alternatives…that is what the opposition does, or at least should do? I know he has MPs to sign up but he will have to learn to multi-task!

Time to stand up to the Union bosses – they are there to represent their members not to run the Labour Party. They have a role to play in supporting people in the workplace (like they do for me and my colleagues) but their relationship with the party is out of date. They cannot hold the party to ransom.

But I must remain optimistic even if Cruddas appears downhearted…but is he right? Are we really in a crisis from which we may never return? We do need to rethink what the party is for, who it represents and what the party is meant to be about. Surely we represent people who want to be given the same opportunities to make the most of their lives as anyone else regardless of who they are, where they live and what their background is. We have not been good at communicating a clear message but the Party is not over and done with. We lost badly, but I will not admit long term defeat. Although with Farage staying on for another 20 years, labour does have something to worry about!

Monday 18th May

Another day, another ‘headline grabbing’ policy announcement from our new Conservative MAJORITY government……a 7 day NHS…even though we already have a 24/7 NHS….I think someone needs to tell them.

The NHS doesn’t actually close down at 5pm on a Friday…although looking at the number of people working in our hospitals, GP and community services patients may think that is the case…we just allow Consultants and other clinicians not to work at the weekends (unless we pay them a lot of extra money) and therefore they choose not to…wouldn’t you? Goodness knows where the money will come from to pay for a 7 day NHS; it won’t be cheap.  If we are truly going to have our NHS providing the same service to people on a Sunday as it does on a Tuesday, then more people will have to work at the weekend. But we will need to continue needing people to work during the week and at nights so we will need more people which will need more money.  And we’ll need more social care services and home care staff available and not too sure who is going to pay for that. If there is not enough money for this the other option is to have fewer hospitals and services but open for more hours…but that will mean reducing the number of hospitals, GP surgeries and I don’t think the government want that to happen …the public will hate it and no political party will support it! So what do they really mean by 7 day NHS or is it just a headline to grab the attention and to make people think the NHS is safe with the Tory’s? I suspect the latter.

Oh, and by the way Andy, why aren’t you responding to Cameron’s announcement. Yes, I know you’re out (everywhere) talking about being the change leader, but you have a shadow job to do too! Yes, you did perform well on the Andrew Marr show (I did go to mass but watched it on iPlayer) but don’t get too cocky. A few lessons from watching how Alan Johnston presents himself on TV as ‘the man for all people’ is welcomed but you will need to have some substance too. However, he does have Rachel Reeves on his side and she’s brilliant, so I’m beginning to warm to him!

Hooray to Harriet. Opening up the Labour leadership vote to the voting public is a clever idea. It’s risky but it is a way of reaching out to the public, getting them involved and counter-balancing the internally focused discussions Labour Party MPs and members are so good at!

Tuesday 19th May

And yet another labour supporter tries to distance themselves from Ed…Yvette, did you really have to? I so want you to do well in this election but this is not the way to go about it. It wasn’t all bad, a lot of it was good and you should say so.

Conservatives putting positive spin on deflation announcement. It may be good now, and I’m sure we’ll enjoy the lower prices, but don’t think we’ll be smiling in a few months and years.

Experiencing withdrawal symptoms from not being able to watch Daily Politics…life doesn’t seem to be the same without a daily dose of Andrew and Jo.

And I know I should not relish in other party’s misfortunes and in particular to Farage’s predicament, but I do like to hear that those around him seem to be waking up to his true self and quitting whilst ahead.

 Wednesday 20th May

Disappointed Tristram has decided to pull out for the leadership election; I really thought he would have gone down well with the public. Looks like MPs are not taking Harriet’s comments into account…that the party should elect someone that the public would vote for, not just someone the MPs like…will we ever learn? Also, nothing comes from potential or actual leadership contenders slagging each other off; we and they will need to work together post 12th September 2015. Also now calling for the party to be able to get rid of its leader more easily BEFORE we have even selected the leader doesn’t provoke an atmosphere of support; I understand what Tristram means but his timing is not helpful.

Fantastic meeting a friend today who was still keen to chat about the election…not many of them around. I had been thinking everyone had forgotten we are only on Day 12 into the Conservative MAJORITY; in the last few days no one wants to talk about it and it looks like the country has moved on. I know we have to accept the outcome of the election but it doesn’t mean we need to forget why it happened and what we can do to change the result in the future.

Brilliant to hear business supporting membership of the EU, but where is the Labour Party? Again, they can’t ignore the fact that life and political debate will take place and they need to be part of it.

Thursday 21st May

So what bit of compassionate Conservatism didn’t Teresa May hear or understand? If people are here illegally and work illegally then that should be against the law and action should be taken against them and their employees. But the tone of the announcement is wrong and is only there to hit the headlines. Of the 300,000 new immigrants I would imagine only a small % are illegally working here; this problem does needs to be tackled with greater focus and resources, but most of the new immigrants will be here legally and working legally.

School presentation tonight to parents has reminded me how Gove wanted to turn the clocks back and how Morgan seems to be continuing the ‘backwards way forward’ – O-level type exams, A levels examined at the end of two years , no coursework, no continuous assessment. I believe there need to be some improvements to the exam system but we need one that is able to demonstrate what each child can do…what knowledge they have AND what skills they have; stretching the most able is the right thing to do but not giving all children the opportunity to get qualifications which demonstrate what they can do is not the right thing to do….and I fear that these changes will not achieve it. And what is the Labour Party view on this? Who knows? They’re all off smoozing with the MPs and union leaders to get support for their (and their friends’) leadership campaign rather than putting discussing what they think is the best way of delivering en education system for all.

Friday 22nd May

Do 40% of the country really want to leave the EU? That is a scarily high figure and too close to the 50% required to take us out of the EU in the referendum. I hope the YES camp make the case to stay in the EU clearly and convincingly because I fear people’s gut feeling is to leave because they equate the EU (wrongly) to immigration, lack of control, waste and inefficiency.

Justine Greening is the face of compassionate conservatism. I know her job makes it easier for her to show her humanity, but she does seem to be a nice person too!

Is Liz Kendal for real? Really, supporting free schools? Does she not realise that free schools are established by those who are able to do so…not everyone has the knowledge, ability and capability to create a free school that suits their child? Those that create free schools are not thinking about the wider community…if they were they would work with their local authority to improve the existing schools not just build a new one and let the old ones wither?

However, I have to admit I do agree with ‘Lizzie’ that ‘ public services should revolve around the person and not the other way round’. Too many of our services…the NHS, social care, education…seem to be built around the people who work for them not the people they provide services to. I appreciate that those providing those services should have good pay, training and appropriate holidays and time off, but these should not be the main drivers and can be given whilst providing a service the people need. Many public services, particularly the NHS, need to be reformed…start having outpatient clinics and GPs open when people need them and are able to attend, not when doctors want to make themselves available.

Maybe Justine and Liz should switch parties.

Saturday 23rd May

Thought of the Day: Where I live contains a real mix of people….those who work and those who don’t…those who can afford to buy good food and those who can’t…those who send their children to state schools and those who don’t…those who own property and those who don’t…those that can afford holidays and those who can’t…those who have qualifications and those who don’t…those who have a pension and those who don’t…those who get a regular wage and those who don’t…those who are ill and those who aren’t……..But I am confident that, whoever you are and whatever our circumstances, we all want a government that treats us all as equals and enables us to have the same choices and opportunities as anyone else in the country.

The labour party has the opportunity to represent the 76% of the electorate who did not vote Tory just over two weeks ago in the election. This government wants to create divisions between people and nations…we need to find a way to ensure this does not happen.

Sunday 24th May

So she does exist and talks sense; she may well get my vote; at last Mary Creagh has came out of her hiding place. For all our sakes let’s hope she gets 35 MPs to support her, she should do as I believe she may be the public’s favourite and a person they may vote for.

And Cameron is so kind to give his ministers a pay freeze for the next five years. Does he not realise that nearly everyone in the public sector has had to do this for the last five years. If he thinks this equates to ‘we’re all in it together’ try telling that to the families who will feel e real impact of the reducing the benefits cap by nearly 10% or to those who are going to get their child benefit squeezed in the next five years. Headline gestures don’t fool me…but they do seem to fool a lot of people; that is worrying.

Monday 25th May

Young adults aged 16-18 must be able to vote in the EU referendum. The decision that will be made will impact on their lives, their opportunities and their country. It will be a great opportunity to explain the pros and cons to our young adults so they understand the full range of arguments and to get them involved in democratic decision making. I am sure it would also help young people get involved in politics in a more proactive manner, which may rub off on a few of the older adults in the country! If Scotland can do it then the UK can too.

Standard
Politics

Diary of a Frustrated Labour Supporter Week 1

Thursday 7th May 2015 10pm

It can’t be true. Exit Poll shows Conservative will have most seats…by a long shot! Just a few hours ago I was saying the exit polls are always right. Now I don’t want them to be….although, secretly, I know they are and cannot bear to think about the consequences. I’ll still stay up to watch the results come in; it can ‘only get better’!

Friday 8th May 2015

7am. OMG…it got worse…not better. Conservatives are due to have a MAJORITY…yes, a MAJORITY!!! What are we going to do? What have people done? Do they realise what they’ve done? They will when they take away peoples’ child benefit, withdraw from Europe, increase University fees, etc., etc., etc. Well that’s democracy for you! All very well but when it does not produce the result I want I start to wonder whether we’ve got it quite right.

I blame everyone; the voters for not voting Labour , Nicola Sturgeon  for backing Ed into a corner rather than just being more political and keeping quiet, the Conservative campaign for encouraging fear, Nick Park (whoever he is) for creating Wallace, the pollsters for getting their stats wrong, Nick Clegg for….being Nick Clegg!!!

My 14 year old daughter has become politically interested. Continuous questions about how many seats each party has got and what it would mean for the country. I am proud of her knowledge and interest…she probably knows more than the 33% of the country who didn’t bother to vote. She asks me to message her during the day and keep her updated on progress.

9am Time to do something enjoyable and try and forget about what is happening…went off for big, high-fat, fry-up with hubby. Farage did not get his seat…the best news I’ve had so far…I text friends and family as I need to send some good news to them.

Home in time to see the leader resignation speeches. Have messaged daughter to let her know; she says she already knows as she is sitting in her geography lesson also watching the continuous media coverage. Love Clegg’s speech. Do not much love Miliband’s speech…there is more to winning that just fighting on! We need to understand why we didn’t get enough votes, what we need to do, what we need to change, we need to listen, we need to give people a reason to vote for Labour.

I now feel more numb and dumbfounded!

David Cameron’s acceptance speech makes me cringe…One Nation…my a**. He sounds conciliatory but we know it was his ‘sweetest success’…a real ‘career defining’ moment. He appoints his top team…no change…continuity was his pledge. Oh, aren’t we all so lucky!

Fortunately we’re due for dinner at some friends’ house tonight. It will provide a chance to really rant, express my views and offload my anger…they are all Labour supporters. Although, having now returned home, I wonder whether one of them may be a ‘shy Tory’ or a ‘quiet Lib Dem supporter’ …he was unusually quiet and didn’t seem to support my points of view!!! So some people really did vote Tory….I didn’t really want to believe it.

Saturday 9th May

I wake up sad….with a bit of a sore head…and very tired.  Two late nights is too much for me. The papers are full of the election. I can’t bring myself to read the detailed seat by seat results…I love looking at the stats but I fear it will be too upsetting, reinforcing the size of the losses across the country…except in Hove and London.

They are really putting the boot into Ed…and Nick; I must stop buying The Telegraph on a Saturday! But I love their magazine, the weekend section, the review…hubbie likes the sport section…and perversely, I enjoy reading the articles written from a different perspective. It’s infuriating at times, sometimes funny, usually informative, – always worrying!

And it’s not just the Tory press who are having a field day…labour supporters seem to be appearing from everywhere with harsh words about Ed, our policies and the campaign. However, I am impressed by Tristram Hunt’s words of wisdom…they are sensible, loyal, measured….I’m sure he’s going to go for the leadership.

I feel for Ed. I voted for him as Leader; I wanted a non-Blairite, I wanted someone more to the left, I wanted someone who would think of others before himself, I thought his brother was too smarmy! Was I wrong? I am not sure? I’m puzzled. I am disappointed with him; why did he wait to get Russell Brand to support him AFTER the date to register to vote had gone?

Where was the tough opposition in the last 4 and half years? Why did we not listen to the voter? Why were we unable to put our message across?

Can’t even be bothered to get out of my pyjamas but do so in order to go for an early Thai supper before settling down to watch Mockingjay Part 1. It’s a good film, not as good as the first ones, but my mind is wondering…I keep thinking about the reality of a Conservative majority…I keep nodding off!

Sunday 10th May

What joy…reading the papers and watching political programmes…hoping they support my point of view, seeking out alternative analysis and getting even more irritated and worried about the future of the country…is no one else worried?

A rare opportunity to watch The Andrew Marr Show….Mass will have to be missed this week. And it was well worth it. Mandleson was as anti-Ed as ever; does he not realise we can learn from the past but we cannot go ‘back to Blair’? Blair moved on to earn millions of pounds and left us to pick up the anger over the invasion of Iraq. Chuka Umanna was slick! He is charming, intelligent, answers questions well, dresses well, handsome….Andrew seems to warm to him and encourages him to say he is going to go for the leadership, but he declines with a small smile and twinkling eyes.

And now for Andrew No2 (aka Andrew Neil). He is actually my No1…the best political interviewer on TV. He has the job of interviewing Liz Kendall; who? you may ask. She is the Shadow Health Minister and, although I have heard of her I am sure many haven’t. I am worried about how she is going to perform, Andrew is no soft touch; but he is kind to her. In fact, she stumps him by asking him why he thinks he succeeds in life. His reply consists of being paid a lot of money by the BBC and living in London…well, he is a lucky boy! I feel he knows he has said the wrong thing and quickly shifts the focus back to Liz. She does better than I had thought but I don’t see her as a leader…but, I may be wrong…I will not write her off, just yet!

Friends over for supper this evening so keen to get their view on the election. We talk a little about it, but I think we are exhausted from it all and find talking about holidays, moving house, jobs, school, education, exams, children’s eating habits, good and bad music teachers much  more relaxing……ahhhhh back to normal, at least for one evening.

Monday 11th May

I can’t even get away from the election at my pilates lesson. A brief comment to a fellow pilates friend about how disappointed I was with the outcome of the election ended up in a full conversation with another fellow pilates attendee whom I had never spoken to before. I think it’s not good that I have never spoken to this guy before (even though we have been attending the same pilates class every Monday for over a year. Anyway, he also blames Nicola Sturgeon for helping to allow the Cameron to create fear in the electorate. I agree with him but deep down I know there is more to our loss.

Post-pilates coffee chat leads to further post election analysis….what more is there to say? I walk home the long way and buy a pair of shoes on the way…I deserve a post election treat!

Cameron announces his cabinet. One notable absentee is Boris. Having used him to get his majority he is not even rewarded with a proper job…it’s a tough life. I’m pretty sure Boris is quite happy; keep a low profile and then…bang…when it all starts going wrong, he can truly say that he had not been part of the collective cabinet decision making. Clever?!

Cameron may call it ‘blue collar conservatism’ but actions speak louder than words.’  They announce they are going to do away with the Human Rights Act…it didn’t take them to show their true colours. It will be a disaster for people in this country but, as the meaning of it and reality of this is badly explained on TV, in the papers and on the radio, many will not truly understand what the impact will be until it’s too late. There must be better ways of helping people to make informed decisions…or do they not really care?

Andrew Pierce relishes in taking the p*** out of Labour’s loss with Kevin Maguire. For once, Kevin lets him have his moment of glory. We know it won’t last for long…at least it had better not!

Farage is not allowed to stand-down as leader. His party will not accept his resignation letter…really? I laugh out loud…this is a farce. Another politician you can’t trust.

Tuesday 12th May

Surprise Surprise. Chuka Umanna says he’s going to put his name forward for the Leader of the Labour Party. You could tell he was going to…it was obvious. I need to stop singing ‘Chaka Khan I Feel For You’ every time I say his name. It’s a great song but must stop singing the song in my head and dancing whenever I hear his name.

David Cameron allows the TV cameras into the Cabinet Meeting. He’s not as pumped up as he was in the election campaign but he waves his manifesto around telling his followers that they now the party of the working people; he may say it but I don’t think those working people on a zero hours contract and working for minimum pay would think he was on their side. Or do they? I begin to worry again.

Get a message from a friend who is a Conservative SPAD (special adviser). He’s back at his desk…happy for him and his family…..he is such a nice guy, not like the other Tories.

Wednesday 13th May

All Conservative ministers have been told they must repeat the phrase ‘One Nation’ 100 times a day within every sentence. Just heard Teresa May on Good Morning Britain and she repeated it so many times. I am already irritated by the phrase and we’re only 5 days into a Conservative MAJORITY. She is one to watch…fear that fast tracking her ‘extremist’, ‘anti-democratic’ plans could lead to erosion of freedom of speech and not make any of us safer….very worrying.

Andy Burnham has also thrown his hat in the ring to become Leader of the Labour Party. I really like him…an ex NHS manager, an Everton supporter, a nice guy…he was my second preference last time but I don’t think I’ll be voting for him this time; he’s been around too long (even though I definitely not ageist) and I think he is not the right person to inspire and lead Labour to our next victory. His announcement doesn’t even get a headline on Channel 4 news, they mention it 45 minutes into their schedule; well, they don’t think he’s going to be leader either. I like Channel 4 news!

However, we do have 4 months to choose a leader; I think it’s too long. I mean, what are we really going to do during that time? People will vote for the leader they want based on their personality, their values, their beliefs and …what they look like; it does not take 4 months to show us that! In the meantime, the Conservatives and SNP will fill the vacuum.

Better job figures announced…George Osborne is ecstatic. I know this is a good thing for many people, but still don’t believe the story they are trying to tell; many people who work are still on low pay and still can’t afford to pay their rent and bills and buy god food. Headline figures only tell you part of the picture.  Did these people really vote Tory or did they not care enough to vote?

Or why don’t we just let Prince Charles run the country? Evidence now shows he has views on many topics and is keen for the government to listen and implement his wishes. He is meant to be impartial; if he wants his views known he should write an article in a publicly available newspaper, not privately to Prime Ministers and ministers.

UKIP having problems….hooray! UKIP (Farage) wants Mr Carswell to take the taxpayers money he is entitled to to run his office, but he doesn’t want to; he says he doesn’t need 15 people working for him…quite right too! I respect him for that and for standing up against the ‘Farage Followers’ but I’m sure Nigel thinks he’s just being awkward as he is their only MP. This relationship is going to get interesting.

Thursday 14th May

Osborne’s travelled north to offer cities the opportunity to be part of the ‘Powerhouse’….it may work for Manchester, but not yet convinced it’s a model that can work for people living in less fortunate areas. People living in those cities need good jobs, good quality housing, good schools, good healthcare, good transport…is this really the best way of achieving this or is it just a gimmick?

Caught up with sisters tonight for a celebratory pre-birthday dinner. We are all Labour supporters but it clearly demonstrates how different each supporter can be. Labour supporters are not a homogenous group. The new leader and the party will have to have very wide appeal if my sisters’ views are anything to go by.

Other party’s leadership discussions continue…Farage getting flack from his Euro MEP and Mr Fallon pitches for those who are interested in music, poetry and art….all very well but he’ll need to offer more than that to get elected..or will he?

Glad to see Mark Carney, Bank of England Governor, acknowledging the big advantage the UK economy has from being able to access the European Market. Hopefully more people will start to outline the benefits of being in the EU so the voter will be making an informed choice when it comes to saying YES or NO.

Friday 15th May…Happy Birthday H

It’s interesting how the news that the welfare cap is having on people being evicted from their homes and out of their communities has come out a week after the election….did Shelter and the rest of them really not have this information last week? I think not! And it’s only going to get worse as the £12bn welfare cuts start to hit people.

And who is this new bod throwing their hat in the ring for labour leader? I do not know but have been told it is a woman….Mary Creagh, the shadow international development secretary. I know nothing about her! And at last….Tristram has come out of his hiding place to try and enter the ring, but he is still seeking more MPs to support him. I’m surprised he would have been the last to get picked for the team (I’m sure that wasn’t the case when they were picking sports teams at his independent school), but maybe he’s finding it difficult to get support….particularly amongst the trade union supporters; I wish he hadn’t crossed that picket line because otherwise I think he would have been a good leader. There you go! Your actions do come back to haunt you! And, oh yes, Yvette is also in the running. Haven’t seen or heard much from her yet, but I do think she should smile more and not look so serious all the time. I know politics is a serious issue, but she is definitely a glass half empty person rather than a glass half full person. Cheer up…it’s not that bad…well it is, but we must remain positive, we have to survive 5 more years.

It’s getting worse for Farage….’snarling, thin-skinned, aggressive’…..I always knew that was the case, but 14% of voters voted for him (well, his party), but I’m sure they were voting more for the one man band, rather than the party; do they really know what UKIP stands for?

What a lovely photo of David and Nicola having a little chat about how best to break up the Union…they look so good together! I bet the electorate didn’t think they were going to get this…deals being done between Tory and the SNP!

As I post this weeks’ diart I have just heard Chuka Umanna has withdrawn from the leadership race! OMG!!!!

Standard