I was one of the Thatcher generation. The Iron Lady. Her famous phrase was "This lady's not for turning." So what about Mrs May? It seems clear that her phrase should be "You spin me right round, baby, right round like a record".
Maybe it should have been obvious, the Remainer turned Brexiteer - and not even a reluctant Brexiteer. But Mrs May plays her cards very close to her chest, possibly even keeping them up her sleeves, and it was clear how abandoning the European Court of Justice would appeal to her. The Home Office would have a much freer rein.
It is clear that, as well as 'sovereignty', immigration is a core issue for her. She is doubling the charge levied on businesses employing immigrants. She still includes students in the immigration statistics. So far, so UKIP, you might think, but worker representatives on company boards?
No point looking at the manifesto - no promises there to come back and bite her. Equally, no promises there to tell us what Mayism is. Let's consider what she has pushed as 'policy'. Worker representatives, more market regulation (for example, energy price caps), tax increases, more business regulation (for example, allowing the government to delay or prevent mergers), reducing stop and search (followed by a large increase in knife crime), more government borrowing, and - of course - her pay-your-own-way social care policy, targeting the rich -"We consider it more equitable...than the [Dilnot proposals], which benefited a small number of wealthy people."
No wonder Labour is more Marxist than China - any less so and they would be Conservatives.
Of course if Mrs May gets in, who knows what actual policies will be chosen. Worker reps - binned, dementia tax - binned, national insurance tax hike - binned, JAMS - binned, no early election - binned, Hinkley Point review - binned. She wheels out her favourite ideas, after discussing them only with her inner cabal, and then abandons them as soon as the harsh light of reality shows their manifest flaws.**
Currently she is pushing energy price caps - at the cost of binning the winter fuel allowance, free breakfasts for primary children* - at the cost of binning free lunches (shades of 'milk snatcher' Thatcher there), and grammar schools - at the cost of reducing funding for other schools.
Maybe it is a good thing that she doesn't just keep pushing. But claiming her U-turns are simply "clarifications"? Boldly announcing flagship policies that she drops in a week? Is this someone we want in charge of negotiating our future status in Europe?
*This policy has also now been disposed of. There have been further U-turns since this post but it is frankly too depressing to list any more.
**Ironically she has also abandoned her advisers after their flaws appeared in the election.
Monday, 29 May 2017
Monday, 1 May 2017
Vote for your future
Britain is divided, and this is being reflected in our politics. Conservative voters now support Brexit, while Labour and Lib Dem voters would vote against it. For Conservatives and Lib Dems their parties reflect this. But what about Labour?
Membership of the Labour Party is collapsing, and they are predicted to lose Wales for the first time in a hundred years. Mr Corbyn is hardly one to inspire confidence. He doesn't even agree with his own party's manifesto.
His record on Brexit is hard to fathom, too. The Labour Party campaigned for Remain, but Mr Corbyn was noticeably unenthusiastic - unsurprising given his history of opposition to the EEC and then the EU. It was Labour areas that favoured Leave in the referendum, rather than Tory areas - but was that his fault? It is interesting that polling before the referendum showed Labour voters being pro-Remain overall, so something changed their minds.
What about his position as Leader of the Opposition? When Mrs May put Article 50 to the Commons Labour MPs proposed a number of amendments - so called 'red lines' which had to be kept in if Labour was to vote for the bill. The Tories threw every amendment out and Mr Corbyn responded by issuing a three-line whip to Labour MPs requiring them to vote in favour of triggering Article 50 unamended. “Give us everything we want, or we’ll give you everything you want,” as one Twitterer put it. As soon as the bill passed Mr Corbyn tweeted that the “real fight starts now” - having just handed Mrs May everything she wanted. Yet now he seems intent on sabotaging any possible deal.
This all may make more sense when you realise he has always been a Eurosceptic, so may well quietly favour a hard Brexit.
So voting for Labour is a roll of the dice. But which party should (ex-)Labour voters support if they want to know what they will be getting?
Pro-Brexit? Then the Tories are the obvious choice. The Conservatives have taken over UKIP's popular policies and UKIP have little purpose now, post-referendum, so there is no reason to become a Kipper. The Tories rightward move has anyway pushed UKIP further right - they have now adopted BNP's policies.
However, you need to ask yourself how hard a Brexit you want. Mrs May doesn't seem to quite understand that Brexit is not a pick-and-mix buffet. Her recent meeting with the EU President ended with him referring to her as "deluded" and "in another galaxy". Can Brexit be stopped if the deal she negotiates is unacceptable? Do we have to 'fall off the cliff'? There is nothing saying that Article 50 is irreversible. So shouldn't we, the people, have a choice?
If you are worried by a hard Brexit or if you voted Remain then the only party who are listening, the only party that have a chance to inject some reason into this mad dash for the Brexit are the Lib Dems.
Membership of the Labour Party is collapsing, and they are predicted to lose Wales for the first time in a hundred years. Mr Corbyn is hardly one to inspire confidence. He doesn't even agree with his own party's manifesto.
His record on Brexit is hard to fathom, too. The Labour Party campaigned for Remain, but Mr Corbyn was noticeably unenthusiastic - unsurprising given his history of opposition to the EEC and then the EU. It was Labour areas that favoured Leave in the referendum, rather than Tory areas - but was that his fault? It is interesting that polling before the referendum showed Labour voters being pro-Remain overall, so something changed their minds.
What about his position as Leader of the Opposition? When Mrs May put Article 50 to the Commons Labour MPs proposed a number of amendments - so called 'red lines' which had to be kept in if Labour was to vote for the bill. The Tories threw every amendment out and Mr Corbyn responded by issuing a three-line whip to Labour MPs requiring them to vote in favour of triggering Article 50 unamended. “Give us everything we want, or we’ll give you everything you want,” as one Twitterer put it. As soon as the bill passed Mr Corbyn tweeted that the “real fight starts now” - having just handed Mrs May everything she wanted. Yet now he seems intent on sabotaging any possible deal.
This all may make more sense when you realise he has always been a Eurosceptic, so may well quietly favour a hard Brexit.
So voting for Labour is a roll of the dice. But which party should (ex-)Labour voters support if they want to know what they will be getting?
Pro-Brexit? Then the Tories are the obvious choice. The Conservatives have taken over UKIP's popular policies and UKIP have little purpose now, post-referendum, so there is no reason to become a Kipper. The Tories rightward move has anyway pushed UKIP further right - they have now adopted BNP's policies.
However, you need to ask yourself how hard a Brexit you want. Mrs May doesn't seem to quite understand that Brexit is not a pick-and-mix buffet. Her recent meeting with the EU President ended with him referring to her as "deluded" and "in another galaxy". Can Brexit be stopped if the deal she negotiates is unacceptable? Do we have to 'fall off the cliff'? There is nothing saying that Article 50 is irreversible. So shouldn't we, the people, have a choice?
If you are worried by a hard Brexit or if you voted Remain then the only party who are listening, the only party that have a chance to inject some reason into this mad dash for the Brexit are the Lib Dems.
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