The nightmare, 5 More Years of him

Politicalbetting.com report an article in today's Scottish Daily Record that Gordon Brown still believes he can win the next election and if so he will serve a full term. A dark reminder only a week after halloween of what can still happen, 5 more years of him, far scarier than the new Saw film (which is really good by the way.) A sequal of Nightmare on Downing Street, The fourth term, is one horror film too many for my liking.

A reccommended read - Jeff Randall

From Jeff Randall in the telegraph. A fine summary of modern Britian after 12 years of Labour. I agree with most of this article, not quite all, but it is a serious contribution to modern debate and I heartily reccommend it. The article is here.

One year on from history, and a terrible night for Obama

Two under the radar here in the UK elections took place last night. They may have big implications for Barak Obama however. The President who swept to power on a wave of euphoria a year ago, is now a strugglin President finding Governing much harder. He has generally been seen in the US as quite weak on the international stage, buying the Gordon Brown stimulus line on the economy, and being beaten to the punch on several occasions by Russia and China on environmental issues heading into the Copenhagen summit on the issue. Many also believe he has dithered on sending more ground troops to afghanistan when many fear it has given the Taliban a vaccume to take advantage of there.

He has also had problems of his own making at home, particularly his health plans which have allowed Republican opponents to present as a huge extension state run health care, something most Americans, unlike here in Britain, do not support.

The Presidents popularity has over the last 3 months fallen into negative terriroty for the first time after all this. The last Rasmussen tracking poll showed on 29% strongly approved of Obamas record, 39% strongly dissaproved. When you include those who somewhat approve, he had 41%, 12% less than voted for him 12 months ago.

Last night this was put to the test for the first time in terms of real votes. Two Governor races were contested, Virginia and New Jersey. Both states Obama won, last night however, the Republicans won both, Virginia by a huge margin and New Jersey, a state Obama won by 14% last year, the Republicans won that too.

So a year on from Obama's histroic victory, the stardust is wearing off, Rupublican America is rising again, the New Jersey result suggests Obama may be even losing some of his eastern base, Virginia certainly suggests he is losing some of the centre. A year ago that Obama would serve two terms seemed certain, right now, there are many problems ahead for Obama, and re-election is going to take a lot more work that it first appeared. First though will be next years mid-terms where Democrat power in the Congress and Senate could be lost, and a lot of Obama's power with it. For British and European politicans who in the last year have tried so hard to be on Obama's side, maybe he is not such an attractive proposition either.

The EU get's it's way, to the detriment of us all

Today the EU Lisbon Treaty has finally come into force. It paves the way for an EU President, unelected at massive tax payers expense, the surrender of 50 national vetoes over policy and the installation of what in effect is an EU Constitution.

It in effect renders any prospect of a referendum in the UK pointless as David Cameron the Conservative leader has already pointed out. He now has a huge job to rebuild policy on this issue. The EU is a nasty, autocratic, corrupt, anti democratic, nepotism ridden institution that is a disgrace to the modern world. Today is a sad day for all who believe in freedom. The only saving grace is that this line of thought will render the EU increasingly irrelevant in the wider world.

Brown still does not get it

Our Prime Minister, the man who has left us in the biggest debt crisis ever, is planning guess what, that's right, more spending. The man who has left us not far off a trillion pounds in debt, has decided to create even more debt in a pathetic attempt to further paint the Conservatives as the party of 'cuts.'Every recent poll taken accepts the need for public spending cuts. His spending spree has left us the only nation left in recession of all leading nations in Europe and around the world and debt is the reason why. To add to it now is sheer stupidity. Gordon still does not get it, and after this decision can we now please stop this nonsense about how clever Gordon Brown is, there has never been any evidence to back it up and this suggests quite the opposite. What contempt for ordinary people, the man has to be gone soon, Britian cannot afford this fool in power any longer.

An Uncivilised Audience with an Uncivilised Man

This evening Nick Griffin appeared on what will be the most watched Question Time in years. He came across as slimey, evasive and was heavily challenged and shown up again and again by a panel who clearly has a strategy to do so. so, a bad night for Nick Griffin then?

Sadly not. Despite Griffin's poor performance, the show was marred by what has to be the most disgraceful audience I have ever seen. They behaved like a lynch mob, a bunch of nasty, uncivilised football hooligans. Anyone considering the BNP as an option will therfore have been less interested in Griffin's performance and more interested in the biassed way the thing came across and the fact Griffin was able to look like he was bullied. Things the BNP have played on forever, things that increse their vote.

In additon the audience submitted the questions, which included nothing about the big stories of the week, adding to the feeling this was a lynching rather than a debate. Not one question on the postal strike? The audience were pathetic, played into Griffin's hands and let him off the hook. If the BNP vote goes up after this, it will be that Question Time audience who are to blame. Shame on them.

Student Union ideas will not beat the BNP

Before we begin let me make one thing clear, I absolutely loathe the BNP and the fact they have councillors and MEP's in this country. the reality is though though, they do. Labour MP Peter Hain has launched an eleventh hour attempt to stop Nick Griffin, the BNP's leader, appearing on question. The BBC themselves here report that he has failed.

Hain's intervention is of serious concern. Childish student union style 'no platform' policies for such people give them credibility by claiming they are excluded from the mainstream. I agree with the BBC, let's get them on, I look forward to seeing Labour's Jack Straw, Tory peer Baroness Warsi and company tear Griffin and his horrible racialist rabble to pices. It appears Hain has leaned nothing from the BNP's success, his way gives them real credibility, tomorrow night we can see BNP for what they really are.