Thursday, April 28, 2005

Who mentioned immigration?

I have lost count if the times I have stated the Conservative position on immigration during this campaign in public meetings and on TV and radio interviews.

Yet in every instance it was always in response to a question on the lines of "why are the Tories spending so much time talking about immigration." Last night it even came up during a debate organised by the NUT on education matters.

I am quite happy with Conservative immigration policy but it is only one of at least 8 key issues. It deserves to be mentioned but, speaking personally, I am just as happy to debate the NHS, school closures, council taxes, pensions, agriculture law and order or the environment.

My advice to anyone wanting to hear less about the Conservative immigration policy is very simple. Stop asking questions about it!

Sunday, April 17, 2005

new site

For those who are not sure how to vote (or even those who are) the following website offers a few minutes of entertainment. http://www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com/

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Are they serious?

Labour politicians have descended on Dorset demanding the resignation of a Conservative candidate who altered an election photo which highlighted immigration policies.

Like most of us this candidate was happy to help individuals, including asylum seekers, who he felt had been wrongly treated. Labour sees this as hypocrisy - I prefer to see it as humanity.

It was a mistake to alter a photograph on an election leaflet, but the people calling for this man to be sacked are the very same people who were happy to allow the public to be given doctored evidence to support their case for a war in Iraq.

If altering documents were a sacking offence Blair would have gone a long time ago.

Friday, April 01, 2005

Housing policy humbug

On the radio this morning Labour were trumpeting a sudden found commitment to the idea of a property owning democracy, and saying they wished to increase the percentage of people owning their own homes.

Naturally I assumed this was a clever April Fools joke on the lines of the one about the failing spaghetti harvest, but it is still being said on the evening news so perhaps we are meant to take it seriously.

If it were true it would be a laudable intention, but for the last 25 years, ever since Mrs Thatcher gave council house tenants the right to buy in 1980, Labour have thrown up their hands in horror at the idea that we should try to extend home ownership.

Since Blair took office the right to buy has been systematically eroded, and Labour have strongly opposed Conservative plans to offer the same rights to housing association tenants.

(http://www.politics.co.uk/issues/right-buy-$3277298.htm)

Has Gordon Brown undergone some sort of damascene conversion and suddenly become a supporter of one of Mrs Thatcher's key reforms, or has this announcement got something to do with the impending election?

Having heard numerous Labour politicians denouncing council house sales, I suspect that hell will freeze over and weapons of mass destruction will be found nestling in the sands of Persia before anything is done by a Labour Government to increase property ownership.