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.

Labour 23% behind in England

Good news for the End of Labour campaign. The detail of a recent MORI poll puts Labour 17% behind nationwide and 23% behind in England accoridng to analysis done by Mike Smithson of Political Betting. These figures would lead to a big Conservative majority, and the end of Labour. It appears after the conference aftermath has settled, the Conservatives austerity message has triumphed over Labour's pathetic attempts to claim they can carry on spending.

The site also quotes two other polls from ICM and Canadian pollsters Angus Reed also confirming 17% leads for the Tories. This means the 10-14% leads that were being enjoyed prior to the conferences, have gone up afterwards. Given the key messages will be the ones used in the election campaign next year, this is very good news indeed. Gordon and co are looking down the barrell, with little opportunity now to turn it around. What a shame.

Wilders appearence highlights a difficult dilemma

On Friday contreversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders came to the UK. He believes the Islamic holy book the Koran should be banned in his home of the Netherlands and came here to debate why he believes, the Koran and the customs that come from it, are a threat to European culture, including in the UK.

The peer who invited him, Lord Pearson, does not ebleive the Koran should be banned, but wans much more debate around the subject. The two disagreed on this in a civlised manner. That is more than can be said for some of the protesters who showed up to attack the decision to let Widlers here at all. They seem to be determined to prove Wilders has a point.

I don't except the case for banning the Koran either. But the portesters response does beg the question whether actually freedom for some extream groups needs to be restricted to protect the freedoms we value in society. When I refer to extream groups, I do not mean Builders, I mean the proteserts who took the chance to call for Sahriah law (which includes barbaric punishments such as 100 lashes, stoning to death and hand and foot amputation for certain 'immoral crimes' as they put it), and some for Builders himself to be sentenced to death for his views.

Lord Pearson points out such people are a small minority of Muslims, and this is of course true. On the other hand anything to toughen the laws on these people will be seen by many mainstream Muslims as an attack on them. It's a difficult dilemma for anyone who cares about Freedom, does that include the freedom to call for the full imposition against peoples will of Shariah law, or the right to call for someone to be put to death? or is allowing this a step by step approach to accepting an Islamic state and restrictions against people who support an Islamist (the pursuit of a world under Shariah law) agenda a neccersary evil in the short term to route them out, and imprison or send home if they are not from here, people abusing our freedom to pursue this agenda? Could current incitement laws by extended to include such people automatically? Should the next protest that has people calling for others to be put to death be met with the entire protest being shut down by arrests foreveryone holding such placards, as they are inciting hatred and our a threat to our culture by definition?

Wilders appearence creates more question than answers. Many will be baffled however over why so many are so concerned with Wilders coming here, yet those calling for public stonings or people to be sentenced to death for holding a different point of view, are allowed to protest in such away without so much of a flicker of a suggestion that this is not acceptable.

New Tory Women 4 - Jane Ellison

Next up in our round up of key battles that will hopefully propel new talent into the commons is Battersea, home of the Battersea Dogs and Cats home, the Royal accademy of Dance and new Covent Garden Market. Situated on the south bank of the Thames, Battersea is the first of our 'legitimate tory targets.' The three previously mentioned, while won by Labour in 2005, officially begin the battle as Tory utra marginal seats after boundary changes. Battersea is not, it is a geniune Labour seat, if only by a few hundred votes.

The Labour MP is Martin Linton, the woman hoping to see the end of Labour in Battersea is a Bradford born Yorkshire girl Jane Ellison. She currently works for the John Lewis partnership and has fortprevious parliamentary elections in Barnsley and in the Lancashire town of Pendle, itself a Tory Target partly due to Jane's work slashing the Labour majoirty in 2005. True yorkshire grit in Battersea sounds like a fine combination, her website is here.

New Tory Women 3 - Penny Mondaunt

I've decided to add some more of the candidates, in particular the potential new breed of Tory women, that i'll be looking out for in the next election, as current news is dominated by the re-heated expenses affair, which while I found it all facinating at the time, the sequal I am finding rather dull.

North Portsmouth is another seat won by Labour in 2005 that boundary changes marginally give to the Tories due to the addition of a 'Baffins' ward which was previous in the south constituency and is a more Tory area. Even so the projected majorit is less than 100, The Tories will need to substantially increase that and safely hold the seat if they are to by the next Government.

The candidate is Penny Mondaunt, taking on the incumbant Labour MP Sarah McCarthy-Fry. She has a wide range of experience including teaching, working in the orphanages of Romania and being an magicians assistant to a former magic circle President. She has a strong communication background with the Freight Transport Association and the National Lottery. Let's hope the combination of magic and lucky numbers remove the Labour MP and take her to the commons. Her local campaign site is here.

Milliband contnues two faced campaign

David Milliband, a man once laughably considered a Labour leadership contender, has once again attacked the new group including UK Conservatives in the European parliament. Certainly I would concur that not all the views of some of those in this new group are not to my taste. Sadly Mr Milliband seems to ignore the extreamist in the socailist group in which his party sits.

The Socialist group includes an Irish MEP who used to be a member of the IRA, A Polish party whose leader has accepted honoury degrees from the Interegional Accademy of Personnel Management, an anti-semetic institution that has an America White Supremacist as an honoury proffessor.

Their group also includes an Italian MEP who denies 9/11 ever happened and was a huge supporter of Russia's gorrila aggression against Georgia. They have also awarded assocaite membership to a Turkish party with links to a terrorist organisation. And then there is who the socialist group do not have in. Asutrian MEP Hans Peter Martin, a devoted pro-European, exposed over 7,000 examples of expenses abusive in the Ruopean parliament, for doing so the socialists sacked him.

Coming from a Labour party who sits with a group with that record, nobody should take lectures from the likes of Mr Milliband. It is a fact of life in the corrupt European Union that due to having to sit with people from other countries, you will have to sit with some not so savoury characters to get your voice heard, If you want to be holier than thou Mr Milliband, how about stop being two faced about it first and deal with the terrorist supporters, 9/11 deniers and those who turn a blind eye to corruption on your own side, before you start lecturing everybody else.

The EU has British blood on it's hands

In August the European Union introduced by force a 48 hour working week restriction which has had a huge impact on the Health Service. The Times report that in the view of the Royal College of Surgeons, the new law is not only damaging patient care, but in some cases is leading unneccersary deaths.

Yesterday Labour Minister Ben Bradshaw attacked David Cameron's distain for big Government, claiming without big Government the Cameron's would not have gotten the best treatment for their disabled Son Ivan. Leaving aside the cheap nature of Bradhsaw's remarks, this is exactly why Bradshaw and Labour are wrong. This is a report from hugely dedicated surgeons who are desperate to give the highest level of care possible, such disire from staff is why the Cameron's got a good experience, INSPITE of not because of Big Government. In this case Big Government, in this case in the form of the EU, is getting in the way of that care. There are many other areas where Labour's big Government is doing the same.

This is merely one example of many, and why Cameron is right to praise NHS staff, while working to remove Big Government. getting in it's way. It also shows why the EU cannot be trusted with social policy and a campign to repatriate such powers is desperately needed.

Far be it for me to defend Tony Blair but...

To use a memorial service to honour war dead, and abuse the fact such a thing is held in a church institution, to a religous leader to make cheap political points, is simply outrageous.

I am not going to criticise those who have lost people in Iraq or Afghanistan, they have every right to respond how they choose given their loss. The Archbishop of Canterbury on the other hand, should know better. To ambush Tony Blair, who is attending a service to honour those who have lost their lives due to incredibly difficult decisions he had to make in office, a hard enough thing to do anyway, is a disgrace. This more evidence we need to keep religion and politics totally seperate, and should be a warning for all politicans. From a supposed leader of the 'moral establishment', the Arhcbishops behaviour was morally reprehensible.

Is this what they meant by Mr 10%?

David Cameron, a few weeks ago dubbed 'Mr 10%' by Gordon Brown concerning the Tories plans to cut public spending by 10% (before Brown had to admit he was planning the same of course) has now given the name a whole new meaning.

The Sun report the in the light of the recent conferences, Cameron's popularity has risen by a whole 10%. now we know what it really meant. The poll also shows the Conservatives now 14% ahead of Labour, more than enough to see Gordon and his uselss rabble gone for good. Another huge set of events nearer the election are passed, and the end of Labour still looks nigh. Very good, but let's not believe it until they are gone.

Tory Conference, the good, the bad and IDS

So the conference season is over, in reality none of the parties had a great conference. The liberals played class war with the mansion tax, Labour were, well, Labour and the Tories have had a mixed bag. My breakdown is here.

The good
*William hague promising to ammend the 1972 EU communities act to enshringe in law the right to a referendum for any furth transfer of powers to the EU.
*George Osbourn's brilliant Grim Reaper speech. His pledge to abolish NI for new businesses for two years is hugely welcome. He also rightly stuck to the inheritance tax proposal.
*Boris Johnson's destruction of Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight
*Parts of David Cameron's speech, particularly pointing out the 96% rate of tax for the poorest in society.
*The commitment to doubling the allowances for members of the armed forces.

The bad (or not so good if you prefer)

*Cameron's new obsession with 'community' a concept responsible for many of societies ills.
*The continued obsession with specifcally marraige in the tax system, a complete irrelevance to the real issues.

And then there was one thing I really cannot get excited about. The fact that Iain Duncan Smith, the man the party kicked out from being leader, will be in charge of issues around social breakdown. The religous rigth element of the party will be the Tories greatest threat once in Government in my view, to hand one it's exponents such a huge role is a big mistake.

Overall, The Tories have done enough to justify themselves as an opposition and removing Labour as a worthwhile objective. They have also shown though, the Government of our dreams the will not be either.

Teaching Unions attack 'Segregation'

Today in Machester the Conservative have unvailed plans for 12 high class technical schools to promote specialism in science and engineering, to get those enhusiastic about such things involved from an early age.

So what say the teaching Unions. I bet you can guess. They are against it. They accuse the Conservatives of creating 'Segregation' and 'invidious devides.' Yes the champions of mediocrity that have played key roles in destroying eduction for the lat 40 years are at it again.

Education is the biggest long-term challenge for a new Tory Government. It needs redical reform, and if it is to be the best, it needs some segregation, and lots of elitism, a recognition that some children are frankly not very good at some things, so need a different kind of education to achieve their potential. Yes, that means creating some devides too. The Unions don't like it, because an excellent education system would render their role redundant. The whinging Teaching unions need to be smashed by Cameron's Government, only untilthese defenders of the debased status quo are defeated, will we have an education sytem worth of the name. I'm including this proposal in my reasons to vote Tory list.

Something Harriett Harman knows nothing about... equality before the law

Last week in Brighton Harriett Harman spent most of her time lecutring us on what she said the Sun newspaper knows nothing about, equality. Well it seems Harman thinks she is more equal than others, particularly when it comes to the law. She is under investigation for alledgedly driving off after a car crash while driving using a mobile phone.

Ironically, this is illegal as a result of this Labour Government's policies. Typical Labour all over, dictate to everyone else while doing whatever they like.

Arrogant Brown welcomes Irish Referendum result

Gordon Brown has welcomed the result of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The man who shamefully broke a manifesto pledge to give the UK a referendum, even though polls suggests overwealming opposition, has issued a typically smug statement. The result may lead the way for the treaty to be fully ratified before the next General Election.

The fact the Irish have been asked to vote again after saying 'no' the first time, as Denmark were over Maastrict several years ago, shows yet again the EU is a corrupt institution that has no regard for the democratic wishes of the people of Europe and further relegates the EU to utter irrelevancy in the face of the USA and other growing powers like China and India. By comparison the EU is fast becoming a third rate backwater.

Brown's backing for this shows again he needs kicking out as soon as possible, maybe we should now seriously consider withdrawing from the EU too. A dilemma for David Cameron, and indeed the newly Tory Sun Newspaper, who would have led the anti-Lisbon campaign if we had got a referendum, if the treaty is ratifed before our general Election, surely the choice is accept it or leave. Do they have the guts to finally do it?