This is the week (and a bit) that was...

In the short life of our new coalition government there has been many things I could have blogged on, and indeed I have found myself stuck in limbo about what to write about as there has been so much. Just as I get an idea of where to start I hear or read something else that makes me want to write about that too putting the previous idea on a back burner to oblivion. But I believe I have finally found something, quite extraordinarily missed by the mainstream media in their "coalition coziness" and which could have far reaching consequences. But first a run through the blogs you could've won...

a) Theresa May as Minister for Women and Equality is laughable as has been widely reported. There is even a facebook page and a petition. For those of you who have let this one get by you The Rt. Hon. MP for Maidenhead voted against lowering the age of consent for gay couples, against gay adoption and against repealing section 28 (that notorious piece of legislation that stopped schools talking about homosexuality with their pupils). Equality means everyone doesn't it? She has since said that the facebook group has helped her change her mind about these issues. Leading on from that, the new cabinet as a whole raises some issues to be sure. The one ray of hope being Vince Cable as Business Minister and in charge of the banks which were nationalised by the last government. Vince was the most outspoken of all MPs when the banks started going under. However now it looks like Chancellor Osbourne will have final say and he's a free-marketeer of the highest order so don't expect to see too much tight regulation on what is now our property. 

b) The Conservative government have embedded themselves with worrying ease into power by changing the rules on how Parliament can be broken up. Firstly there is now a fixed term of 5 years, something which was originally in the Liberal Democrats manifesto, but with some worrying amendments to the legislation, and I quote "also provide for dissolution if 55% or more of the House votes in favour" and, crucially when worked together with a rise in the number of MPs needed to call a "vote of no confidence" in the government from 50% + 1 MP to 51% of MPs. Now this may not seem much, and in truth it is only a difference of around 5-7 MPs, however and this is the crux of it. If the Liberals leave the "coalition of the cross-party cuddle-in" it would surely show a degree of lacking confidence in the ruling party but as the new rules have it, even after a vote of no confidence is won, the rest of Parliament still would not have enough votes to dissolve and hold another election. 

c) So, the Miliband brothers have both put their names into the hat for the next Labour Party leader. All very much of a muchness I think. Both are slimy weasels with far too much of the Blairite in them. Personally I'd like to see, recently announced contender, Diane Abbot get it, although I can't imagine that happening. A British political party ready for a black woman in charge??? Sadly, I doubt it. There was an interesting snippet in the paper though about Ed Miliband not vacating his office at the Foreign Office in time for the new incumbent William Hague to occupy it as he was too busy drumming support for his leadership bid. Now what does that tell you about the opposition in the House of Commons at present? Not that they are there as a safeguard or balance against runaway parties, that's for certain.

d) Looking at the policies for the new government has left me a little cold but I do not have time to go into them now, indeed this will be the topic of my next post. This isn't about any policy on it's own but the disclaimer to some of them that they are Tory policies and that Liberal MPs can abstain from the vote, but not vote against it presumably. This would make it difficult to combat any Tory led piece of legislation even if that goes against the Liberals own ideas. Most notably this is going to be used to get through more nuclear power stations and more nuclear weapons, neither of which we need and both of which the Libs said they wouldn't do in their manifesto.

well, that's all folks.... until tomorrow when I give you the amazing similarities between my views and David Camerons and how, in the wrong hands, this could lead to the possible stealth privatisation of the NHS, a many-tiered education system and a ever widening wealth gap.

please note: pictures used without permission and taken from the BBC and Google Image search.

Interpretation of the PMs first speech and a few stark warnings.

What follows is the full speech given, above the jeers of the crowd, by Britain's new PM David Cameron outside 10 Downing Street after he had just arrived back from Buckingham Palace. 

The text in bold blue are my interpretation and comments of what I believe this means. Do not draw any conclusions about the colour I have used instead be afraid, be very afraid, be angry, be active.

"Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a new government and I have accepted. 

Before I talk about that new government, let me say something about the one that has just passed. I don't doubt it, but does she have any say or choice? should she have? we will get back to this I'm sure.

Compared with a decade ago, this country is more open at home and more compassionate abroad and that is something we should all be grateful for and on behalf of the whole country I'd like to pay tribute to the outgoing prime minister for his long record of dedicated public service.

In terms of the future, our country has a hung parliament where no party has an overall majority and we have some deep and pressing problems - a huge deficit, deep social problems (not sure what he means by this), a political system in need of reform.

For those reasons I aim to form a proper and full coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Did anyone actually vote for a coalition?

I believe that is the right way to provide this country with the strong, the stable, the good and decent government that I think we need so badly.

Nick Clegg and I are both political leaders that want to put aside party differences and work hard for the common good and for the national interest.

I believe that is the best way to get the strong government that we need, decisive government that we need today. This is interesting, by decisive does he mean an unopposed government?

I came into politics because I love this country. I think its best days still lie ahead and I believe deeply in public service.

And I think the service our country needs right now is to face up to our really big challenges, to confront our problems, to take difficult decisions, to lead people through those difficult decisions, so that together we can reach better times ahead.

One of the tasks that we clearly have is to rebuild trust in our political system. Yes that's about cleaning up expenses, yes that is about reforming parliament, and yes it is about making sure people are in control - and that the politicians are always their servant and never their masters.

But I believe it is also something else. It is about being honest about what government can achieve.  Watch out NHS, Royal Mail, Network Rail. This surely means they are going to get "outside help" and that wont be from the people of this country it will be from profit making business'.

Real change is not what government can do on its own - real change is when everyone pulls together, comes together, works together, where we all exercise our responsibilities to ourselves, to our families, to our communities and to others.

And I want to help try and build a more responsible society here in Britain. One where we don't just ask what are my entitlements, but what are my responsibilities. This could be seen as a veiled attack at benefit claimants, before the end of Parliament I see a further privatisation of the welfare system, a more impoverished safety net and (hopefully no more than) hundreds of thousands unable to claim anything.

One where we don't ask what am I just owed, but more what can I give. We at the bottom of the rung will be asked to give more of our wages, as a %, than the richest of us do. Although this is the case already I predict this % to grow. As will the wealth gap.

And a guide for that society - that those that can should, and those who can't we will always help. A rulebook? A manual? someone to show us the right way? a bit 1984 for my liking.

I want to make sure that my government always looks after the elderly, the frail the poorest in our country. It is not about helping the poor, it's about helping them not be poor anymore and I don't necessarily mean material wealth.

We must take everyone through with us on some of the difficult decisions we have ahead.

Above all it will be a government that is built on some clear values. Values of freedom , values of fairness, and values of responsibility.

Conservative views on freedom mean not impinging on the economy at all. That the economy should be completely unregulated (although this goes out of the window when it benefits them) and will fill any gaps needed by life such as food provision, health care, education etc. I think this is lunacy and will show that in this blog many times, although I think the actions of the banks and financial institutions around the world have already proven this to us all with the "credit crunch".

I want us to build an economy that rewards work.  Where are them jobs going to come from?  More wage slavery ahead then?

I want us to build a society with stronger families and stronger communities. Stronger families? I would guess that by this he means heterosexual couples with children. Women at home, rearing the children and being a domestic goddess (whatever that means).

And I want a political system that people can trust and look up to once again.

This is going to be hard and difficult work. A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges.

Those are the things I care about. Those are the things that this government will now start work on doing.

Thank you very much.

Doomed!?!

Everything has to start somewhere...

...and that includes this blog. As the old adage goes "a week is a long time in politics" and I have been busy reading, listening, wildly gesticulating and swearing ever since the results of the UK General Election 2010. This past week as the Liberal Democrats niavely went into a coalition with the tories these outbursts have been growing longer and more frequent, so much so that I decided it was finally time for me to get off my arse and start to write about this. So here we are. You may not agree with everything that is written here and I encourage discussion about it all because if we are going to fix this and the subsequent really difficult problems (climate change, poverty, economy, welfare, education, NHS etc etc etc.) we need to work together, not as one, but as a nation. If one thing has been made clear by this election it is that our current system of representative parliamentary democracy does not work. I hope the graphics in the title bar will in some way show that but this blog aims to keep showing it and to expose the politics we have for what it is; a group of power hungry politicians who do not truly want us to be a fully democratic, modern nation but instead want to take all they can for themselves Con-Demning everyone else to a life of servitude and environmental disaster.