Head To Head
Log In
Register
U-Know! Forum »
Tory party conference
Log In to post a reply

8 messages
Topic View: Flat | Threaded
grufty jim
grufty jim
1978 posts

Edited Sep 30, 2014, 16:09
Tory party conference
Sep 30, 2014, 01:53
Watching the tory conference on the news this evening, it really feels like UKIP and the tories are dragging British politics waaaay to the right. Meanwhile Miliband rails from the wings against policies devised by the last Labour government. Is he aware, I wonder, that nobody can look at him any more without seeing that horrible photo of him grinning like a buffoon in a PR stunt for The Sun...? It's truly a measure of how far the spectrum of acceptable political opinion has shifted when that's the "left wing" alternative.

Our mess over here in Ireland is largely down to our decision to put incompetent gombeens in charge of our finances. In Britain though, you get the feeling the tories would be slashing and burning the social welfare system no matter what the prevailing economic climate. They're waging an ideological war and I'm not sure that's really being stressed as much as it should be.

You have Osborne announcing a freeze on disability* and unemployment benefits in the same speech he announces an end to inheritance tax. Seriously, if something like that happened in an episode of the West Wing you'd think "Christ, there goes Sorkin being all ham-fisted again! OK, we get the point, Aaron... this guy's evil".

Meanwhile John Redwood is making no bones about the fact that the tory right will look very unfavourably on those within their ranks who oppose a withdrawal from the EU.

And all the while the Mayor of London bides his time. Between him and Farage, things could get pretty bleak.

-----------------------
* EDIT: Turns out 'Disability Benefit' is exempt. For now. The BBC's habit of publishing half-written stories that they then refine over the course of the day has caught me out again! Dagnabbit! I'd like to say that's good news, and it is (in the short-term at least) for many many people. Not like they don't already have it tough enough under this government. But does anyone really think Osborne, Johnson, Cameron and Co. will be happy until they've slashed every "non-productive" (to their definition) member of society into abject poverty?

U-Know! Forum Index