Tenant's finances to be checked after two years!

Apparently tenant's finances are to be checked after two years, and if they don't need or rather qualify for social housing they will be asked to move on.

Great plan, should free up lots of social housing. In fact Labour came up with a similar very stupid idea before the election. They also ditched it, because whilst on the face of it, it is attractive, it is also very very barking mad.

If you are going to check someone's finances and on the result of that check make them move, then they will never breach what arbitrary number you have set. We already have this problem with the rest of the welfare state where people can't afford to take jobs because they would lose money doing so. The net result will be a very anti Conservative squashing of aspiration which is one of the driving forces of the party.

It does however get worse. If, as intended people who succeed move on, and those who don't stay, then estates and housing stock will fill with a homogeneous lack of achievement and ambition further stifling aspiration and ambition and directly counteracting the effect of allowing council house tenants the right to buy which broke up estates of despair.

The government wants to help the 1.8 million households on the waiting list. That is easy, we no longer have a dismal Labour government which utterly failed to build as many houses as any other government so anything will be an improvement.

The BBC has this.

The great big cyber security threat!

Apparently, according to a review of national security, there is regular massive attacks, with 1000 malicious emails targeted at government a month! See the BBC report here.

I laughed my head off. I see that on some clients systems (depending on how you count the stats) either in 1 second, and certainly in one day. With a bit of luck they refer to very carefully crafted and directed attacks, not the run of the mill stuff than business face daily, because law enforcement is not that interested in combating cyber crime.

Apparently these threats can bring down air traffic control, the national grid and other critical systems. True, which is why these systems should be nowhere near the internet, should not have USB ports or CD drives, and also be tied down tighter than a very tight thing. They should be able to operate autonomously if their interconnections break, and then their communications should not be over the internet or lines of communications that could be compromised by a cyber attack.

All that is easy to say though, the problem with the internet though is that it is easy and cheap.

Should Alex Salmond and Kenny MacAskill appear before a US senate committee over the early release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi?

Well... they have appear to have refused.. according to this BBC article.

But should they have appeared?

NO!

They are the elected representatives of the Scottish parliament, and answerable to them alone. They are, as is The British Prime minister accountable to their own house, and in no way, shape manner or form are they accountable to any other house.

Can you imagine George W Bush being, former President of the USA being called before a select committee of parliament?

Ridiculous.

UK politicians are in no shape, way manner or form accountable to the USA, and therefore should refuse on principle, refuse to appear before any committee of any elected body there. The same applies to appearing before the EU parliament or any where else. The reverse is also the case, I would expect an elected US politician to refuse the same.

Labour lies over "unfair cuts"

So the detail of the cuts begin..

Except of course that the NHS was preparing for £20 billion of cuts under Labour, and many projects and services were already cut under Labour.

Labour are now crying foul over "spending cuts". This is rank hypocrisy because they were cutting anyway (except in Ed Balls department because he was pally with Gordon Brown).

However, lets be clear, £1 in £4 that is being spent now, is not my taxes or your taxes, it is in fact the taxes to be paid by children STARTING primary school now. The public debt will not be brought down to 40% of GDP until 2031. So if you have a child of 6 years old, then they will be paying taxes when they are in work, not to fund schools and hospitals that they need, but to fund the utter fecklessness of the previous Labour government.

That Labour government started with doctors who were well paid by OECD standards, and much better paid that French doctors and made them the best paid in the OECD.

That Labour government spent billions on countless reorganisations that followed so fast one after the other that no one in the public services could tell what was going on.

That Labour government spent millions refurbishing government offices.

That Labour government gives handouts to families earning over £50,000 a year.

That Labour government pays more to feckless families who have never worked and have no intention of working than I earn in a year, and yet I pay taxes.

The Labour party hark back to the "disastrous declines" of the 1980's and 1990s! How full of rubbish are they? The 1970's were bleak, unsustainable and had Britain as the sick man of Europe. The 1980's and 1990's were tough, but they returned the country to sustainability, and crucially growth in the private sector.

This coalition is like a camel!

This coalition is like a camel.

Some say a camel is a horse designed by committee because it is ugly, cantankerous and uncomfortable to ride.

Thing is though..

When the US cavalry tried camels over horses, they moved faster because the camels could carry all their supplies, the horses needed supply wagons which moved slowly, whilst camels were as effective as horses in battle.

Top that off with the fact that we are in a desert, what would you rather have? A horse or a camel?

Drastic cut for armed forces!

There will be a drastic cut for our armed forces at 8PM on Friday the 28th of May!

I am having my hair, pony tail and beard cut off to raise money for Help for Heroes.

There will also be an auction to see who gets to cut my pony tail off.

It will now be at the Wheatsheaf Inn, Broad Street, Cuckfield in Sussex.

You can donate online here.

Please Give generously!

Please support our wounded servicemen and servicewomen.

Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk, 70 years ago this week

From the 27th of May to the 4th of June 1940, 338,226 allied service men were evacuated from the port of Dunkirk and the beaches near by.

This turned the absolute disaster of the battle of France, where the French and British outnumbered Nazi Germany in terms of tanks, troops, artillery and naval power but were wiped out in less than a month in to some sort of moral victory.

And it was!

On the 26th of May 1940 prayers were said in both churches and synagogues for the safe return of our troops, such was the danger to our armies.

Operation dynamo kicked in, and in what has to be marked as an incredibly heroic effort, of the Royal Navy, the Merchant marine, private boat owners and the die hard troops, French and British that fought to the last man to hold lines, defend the indefensible and generally hold up the Nazi advance whilst those men were lifted from the beaches.

Particular mention must go to the crews of the 200 small craft that were lost, the French 5th core who held Lille with little point other than tying up German armour and infantry as well as the defenders of Bolougne and Calias who did the same.

May their souls rest in peace and perpetual light shine upon them. I will remember them.

Hair and beard shaved to raise money for help for heroes!

I will be having my hair shaved to a grade 3, and my beard shaved off to raise money for Help For Heroes. I have not had a hair cut since 1993!

I will be having it done at 8 PM on Friday the 28th of May 2010 at the Talbot inn, High street Cuckfield Sussex.

There will also be an auction for who gets to cut the pony tail off on the night!

If you can't make it there, then you can donate via my just giving site here.

David Cameron is Prime Minister so let the blood letting begin

So David Cameron is Prime Minister, and incidentally made a good speech.

This was, politically a good election to lose. There is much unpleasant work to be done and people will not be happy.

However I, and everyone I know in the Conservative party is in politics for the good of the country.

We did not win a majority. We wanted one, and we worked hard for it. We did not get it. The people have spoken, and what they have said is unclear.

What is clear is that this country needs a stable government capable of doing the unpleasant work that will need to be done to build a better future for our children and grandchildren.

The only way to achieve that was a Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition. There was no other way to form a stable government.

I think that the Conservative and Liberal Democrat party have behaved in a statesman like way, put party interests aside, and indeed are prepared to take the hard stuff on the chin.

As a Conservative, all I can say is well done to the Liberal Democrats.

So to the blood letting.

There are many who will tear up their membership cards, of both parties. Then labour will attack the Liberal Democrats for not being "progressive". Well the term is asinine. All parties make progress, and in terms of social mobility the best times have actually been better under Conservatives.

Being in politics is a business that requires a thick skin especially when you actually win an election.

Gordon Brown resigns as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party!

Well, Gordon Brown has announced he will resign as prime minister and leader of the Labour party tomorrow.

So there will be a Conservative government, probably in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

From GOATS To COAL!

It looks like Labour, having formed a GOAT (Government Of All the Talents) which did not work out that well will now try to form a COAL.

That is a Coalition Of All the Losers.

Fantastic.

And with that many parties in it, it will be about as stable as a blancmange.

On the announcement of formal talks between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, after the close of the UK markets, the pound having gained 0.8 cents on the day fell by a whole 1 cent.

If there is a coalition between Labour and the Liberal Democrats and various other parties it will be unstable and will collapse relatively soon.

Mid Sussex votes for positive campaigning!

After having posted the results of the Mid Sussex constituency in the General Election, I thought I would comment on my view of what it means.

The campaign run by Serena Tierney was frankly a nasty personal one attacking Nicholas Soames in disingenuous ways.

Well, that meant that the Liberal Democrats did squeeze Labour, but it also pushed up the Conservative vote by 4564, increasing Nicholas Soames majority and getting him over 50% of the vote.

I also note Serena Tierney's behaviour at the count. Her team had been working hard throughout the election and worked hard at the count.

Serena turned up half an hour before her result was announced, and left immediately afterwards leaving the Liberal Democrat activists to watch over the by election count on their own.

Contrast that with Nicholas Soames who arrived about the same time I did, around 11 PM during verification, and left when I did at 7 AM after the last result was announced.

Where is the evidence that "the people" want electoral reform?

I have heard many people claiming that the electorate want electoral reform.

Where is the evidence?

69% of people voted for parties that have been traditionally hostile to changing the voting system.

If there were a referendum, it would be lost.

So where is the evidence that the UK wants PR?

Gordon Brown squatting in No 10 Downing Street

Some people seem to be whinging about Gordon Brown squatting in No 10 Downing Street.

Why?

Whilst it is clear that he has lost the election, it is not clear how a winning coalition could be formed either.

What is clear is that it is unclear how a government will form.

In the meantime our constitution provides that the Primeminister remains until replaced.

Seems fair to me.

Someone has to run the country after all. Anyone got any better ideas?

West Sussex County, East Grinstead South and Ashurst Wood, Conservative hold

John O'Brian, Conservative 2878

Catrin Ingham Liberal Democrat, 2771
Robert Wall Ind. 328

Mid Sussex District, Hurstpierpoint and Downs, Conservative hold

Anna DeFilippa Conservative 2362
Rodney Jackson Liberal Democrat 1848
spoilt 48.

Mid Sussex Dirtict, Haywards Heath Heath Liberal Democrat Gain

Ruth DeMere, Conservative 1310.
Sue Ing, Liberal Democrat 1350
Alan Yates, Labour 221
Spoilt 23.

Well,you can't win them All.

Mid Sussex district High Weald result

Conservative hold,

Simon McMenemy 1670
Anne Marrie Lucratf 922
Paul Brom (Green) 922

Mid Sussex District, Cuckfield,Anstye and Staplefield result

Conservative Hold,
Robert Salisbury 1597
Stephen Blanch 1362.

Mid Sussex result, Con hold with an increased majority

Nicholas Soames has increased his majority getting 28,329.

Serena Tiereney got 20,927 squeazing Labour