Archive for the ‘Conservative Party’ Category

The truth of Brown’s attempt to cover up the amount of defence spending is starting to come out. The armed forces are now quite clear on the position that Brown’s Labour Government cannot be trusted. Despite huge professionalism and bravery on the part of our armed services the armed forces cannot depend on this Government. Every military person needs to wake up fast to what Brown and his cabal of misfits have done and how Labour has turned its back on them and our nation.

Labours disrespect for the armed services is staggering and their appalling record and betrayal of our military personel cannot go unpunished. I would urge every soldier, sailor, and air force member of the armed services to assist the rest of the people in this country to throw this dredful Labour Government out of power as soon as the General Election takes place. Only then can we begin to properly fund and support not only our fighting men and woman but ensure we get the support that their families deserve as well.

Jim Ferguson

This graph (hat tip to Burning our Money) gets closest to the truth about Labour’s record on defence spending (click on the image to enlarge it):

For the reasons pointed out by BoM, because defence costs have risen faster than inflation the second graph is most relevant. At a time of two wars Labour has cut the buying power of our armed forces.

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Yesterday Gordon Brown told the Iraq inquiry that he gave the military all they needed. Liam Fox hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of being “evasive” and pointing to contradictory statements issued by others.

Today, Mr Brown gets both barrels from retired military chiefs in The Times and Telegraph.

“He’s dissembling, he’s being disingenuous. It’s just not the case that the Ministry of Defence was given everything it needed. There may have been a 1.5 per cent increase in the defence budget but the MoD was starved of funds.” – Admiral Lord Boyce, the Chief of the Defence Staff up to the start of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, quoted in The Times

“To say Gordon Brown has given the military all they asked for is simply not true. He cannot get away with saying I gave them everything they asked for, that is simply disingenuous.” – Lord Guthrie in The Telegraph

“The real truth is the Armed Forces are underfunded.” – Major General Patrick Cordingley, quoted in The Telegraph

Speaking on Radio 4 at 8.15am this morning, General Sir Richard Dannatt backed his former colleagues in the armed forces. The whole of the armed forces had been robbed to provide the basics for combat operations, he told listeners.

In its leader column The Telegraph makes the obvious conclusion:

“What they do know is that there are soldiers who would not have been killed had they been better equipped and whether that was the Treasury’s fault or the MoD’s is neither here nor there. The Government must be held to account; and Mr Brown has been at its heart for 13 years.”

Tim Montgomerie

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Labour are at it again. Now they want to put the British people at risk from terrorists and all with the EU’s blessing.

Incredible.

Jim Ferguson

EU rules are fatal for terror watchlist

Thursday, February 25 2010

Shadow Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones has pointed out that EU rules will make the Government’s proposed terror watchlists ineffective.

In response to the failed attack on an airliner heading for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, the Government announced that it would use the existing Home Office Watchlist as the basis for two new lists.

There was to be a no-fly list, and a larger list of those who should be subject to special measures prior to boarding flights bound for the UK (including transit/transfer passengers).

However, the European Commission says the UK cannot compulsorily collect Advance Passenger Information (API) for flights from within the EU under the e-Borders scheme, regardless of the nationality of the passenger.

And as the British Government has decided to also not collect and use Passenger Name Record information (PNR) for intra-EU flights, this means that Britain currently has no way of collecting advance information on all travellers arriving from within the EU.

The Detroit bomber flew from Nigeria to Holland and then on to America. If he’d travelled through Britain he might well not have been picked up by the new watchlist.

Speaking about the issue in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute, Neville-Jones said that Labour are “knowingly and inexcusably misleading the public into thinking that they are creating a system which will be an effective barrier to dangerous people being able to get on to a flight to the UK”.

“The flimsy basis of the new watch list will provide no such protection”, she added.

Read the full speech

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Labour have failed to get a grip on immigration

Thursday, February 25 2010

Damian Green has accused the Government of allowing immigration to run “out of control” following new evidence published by the Home Office.

The Shadow Immigration Minister was commenting on figures that lay bare the extent to which the Labour Government has failed to get a grip on the level of immigration in the UK.

The Home Office figures show more student visas being issued than ever and visas, settlements and EU benefit claims all up.

New asylum statistics also reveal that there are more asylum seekers arriving in Britain than failed asylum seekers leaving.

Damian said these immigration figures, the last to be published before a General Election make it clear that immigration “has been running out of control throughout the lifetime of this Government”, and he added:

“Even in a recession with more than two million unemployed the number of work visas issued is going up. So much for British jobs for British workers.”

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George Osborne has laid out some good starting points for determining and kick starting the road to economic recovery. His full lecture can be read in full at the end of this article and shows how detailed the shadow chancellor and his vision of the future is. As well as being a Parliamentary Candidate I am also a businessman so this makes vital reading for all business people.

Jim Ferguson

George Osborne delivers the annual Mais lecture

Wednesday, February 24 2010

Delivering the annual Mais lecture, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne set out the Conservative vision for a new economic model.

He argued that the debt-fuelled model of growth that the Government pursued over the last decade was fundamentally unsustainable, and that we need to move from an economy built on debt to an economy where we save and invest for the future. We have to deal with our debts to get the economy back on its feet.

He pointed to research which shows that the root cause of the economic crisis was an explosion of private sector debt, and that the biggest risk to the recovery is an explosion of public sector debt. High levels of public sector debt risk undermining growth.

He argued that the existing policy framework failed to prevent the crisis, is unable to deal with the current weakness of the economy, and won’t be able to stop it happening again. He set out a new economic model for growth based on saving and investment, and a new policy framework that can ensure that private and public debt are sustainable in the future, including:

· A new system of financial regulation, with the Bank of England back in charge of controlling the overall level of debt in the economy.

· A new fiscal policy framework, with an independent Office for Budget Responsibility to ensure that public debt is sustainable.

· A supply side revolution that releases the pent up enterprise and wealth creation of our country, encourages a nation of savers, and addresses long term structural weaknesses like poor education and a welfare system that traps people in workless poverty.

He also explained why the Government’s argument that we can afford to wait until 2011 before dealing with the deficit is complacent and puts the recovery at risk, and explained why we need to start dealing with the deficit in 2010:

· Confidence: a lack of confidence in the sustainability of the public finances is already undermining the recovery.

· The realities of markets: those who argue we should ignore financial markets are siren voices. If Britain loses the confidence of international markets the result would be emergency cuts that would indeed be swingeing and savage.

· The realities of Government: real public sector reform takes time so starting early on the deficit creates space for more targeted cuts that protect the poorest and front line services.

For the first time he also set out in detail how the budget process would work following the election in the event of a Conservative victory:

· Phase One: the independent Office for Budget Responsibility will set out an independent audit of the nation’s finances, based on independent growth forecasts. Only then will anyone know the true scale of the fiscal challenge that faces whoever forms the next government.

· Phase Two: an emergency budget within 50 days will set out the overall fiscal path and spending totals that we will stick to over the years ahead, as well as some of the cross-cutting measures on pay, the cost of Whitehall, the review of the pension age, and the largest public sector pensions, that will help to put our public finances on a sustainable footing. It will take targeted steps to reduce some budgets in-year in order to build credibility and make a start on reducing the deficit. Crucially, the first Budget will also contain measures to boost enterprise, encourage new jobs and show that Britain is open for business.

· Phase Three: over the Summer we will work flat out to conduct the detailed departmental Spending Review for the years after 2011 that the current government has simply refused to carry out, and publish that results of that review in the Autumn.

Read George’s Mais lecture in full

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Gordon Brown his said any anger is usually directed at himself

Labour has gone on the offensive over Gordon Brown’s temperament after an anti-bullying charity said it had been contacted by staff from his office.

The prime minister’s Parliamentary aide called for evidence of the calls from the National Bullying Helpline.

Charity boss Christine Pratt has said she spoke out in anger at government denials of staff mistreatment in No 10.

The Observer had reported that civil service head Sir Gus O’Donnell warned the PM about behaviour towards staff.

Labour MP Anne Snelgrove – who is the prime minister’s Parliamentary private secretary – said the charity “needs to demonstrate that these questions really have come from staff at Number 10″.

“Why is she [Ms Pratt] going public with this rather than taking it up privately if these phone calls were genuine?”

In ‘denial’

The charity’s chief executive told the BBC that its helpline had been called three or four times by Downing Street staff in the last three or four years.

Ms Pratt added: “Over recent months we have had several inquiries from staff within Gordon Brown’s office.

“Some have downloaded information; some have actually called our helpline directly and I have spoken to staff in his office.”

She said she would expect any employer in this situation not to “go into denial, but to look into it, to follow due process”.

Outright denial could “compound the stress of those who believe they are being bullied”, she said.

“We are not suggesting that Gordon Brown is a bully, what we are saying is staff in his office working directly with him have issues, and have concerns, and have contacted our helpline.”

What Labour had hoped would be a one-day story is getting wind in its sails BBC deputy political editor James Landale

Downing Street said it had never been contacted by the charity about the allegations, a No 10 spokesman adding that it had “rigorous, well established procedures” for “staff to address any concerns over inappropriate treatment or behaviour”.

“The civil service will continue to have a no tolerance policy on bullying,” the spokesman said.

Warning claim

Reports of Mr Brown’s alleged mistreatment of staff appeared in extracts from a book by the Observer’s chief political commentator Andrew Rawnsley.

The book includes details of incidents where it is alleged Mr Brown grabbed staff by the lapels, shoved them aside and shouted at them.

Downing Street says the reports are “malicious allegations” that are “without foundation”.

I have not seen any of that behaviour in all the time I have been at No 10 or an MP Labour MP Anne Snelgrove

Responding to the allegations, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: “I don’t think he so much bullies people as he is very demanding of people.”

Other members of the cabinet rallied to the prime minister’s defence, with Home Secretary Alan Johnson saying that in 17 years he had “never” heard Mr Brown raise his voice.

A Cabinet Office statement said: “It is completely untrue to say that the cabinet secretary ever gave the prime minister a verbal warning about his behaviour”.

Mr Rawnsley told the BBC his source for the story was “24 carat”.

‘Non-political’

BBC deputy political editor James Landale said Ms Pratt’s claims had “put paid” to Labour’s hopes that “allegations about Gordon Brown’s temper would fade once the Sunday papers were forgotten”.

“What Labour had hoped would be a one-day story is now getting wind in its sails and disrupting even further the party’s election plans.”

Mrs Snelgrove questioned why the National Bullying Helpline had “popped up out of the blue when all of this is happening around Gordon”.

NICK ROBINSON’S NEWSLOG The woman who told the BBC her National Bullying Helpline was called by three people who worked with the prime minister is now at the centre of a political storm Read Nick’s latest blog in full

She added: “Life is too short to work for someone who is a bully and I would not be working for Gordon if he was a bully.

“I have not seen any of that behaviour in all the time I have been at No 10 or an MP.”

Tory MP Ann Widdecombe is a patron of the charity, whose website also displays a statement of support from Conservative leader David Cameron.

Lord Mandelson’s Department for Business recommends the helpline to businesses.

The charity says it is non-political, and the BBC has found no evidence of any political involvement by Ms Pratt or the helpline.

Ms Widdecombe said it would be “quite a good idea” for Sir Gus to take “an informal look” at workplace conditions at No 10.

But she criticised Ms Pratt’s decision to go public, saying the helpline was supposed to be confidential.

Labour is starting to disintegrate and the Prime Minister is in denial. His shocking agressive past is now catching up with him and his latest attempts to persuade the public have failed. Being a strong leader is one thing. Being an aggressive bully is quite another and no one in high office can be allowed to treat people in such an appalling way.

Its time for Brown and his cabal of misfits to go once and for all. We dont need him and we dont want him.

Jim Ferguson

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Corus workers on Teesside have accused the government of talking “platitudes” over the future of Redcar’s plant, which is being partially mothballed.

The shutdown of the blast furnace at Teesside Cast Products (TCP) begins later, with up to 1,600 jobs set to go.

Gordon Brown said he was “desperately looking” for investment. Corus has said the closure is temporary, with the firm open to “credible offers”.

Unions say the mothballing is premature and have threatened industrial action.

We are dead, gone, finished. There is absolutely no way it can be saved Alan Blackwood, Corus worker

TCP has been under threat since last May, when an international consortium pulled out of a 10-year contract.

The mothballing was confirmed earlier this week, despite hopes that a buyer could be found in the meantime.

Alan Blackwood, 57, who has worked at Redcar for 42 years and is now facing voluntary retirement, said: “I am just gobsmacked. It just feels to me that Corus doesn’t want Teesside to exist.

“We are dead, gone, finished. There is absolutely no way it can be saved. I think I am more concerned about the company than the government is.”

Linda Robinson, 50, whose family have been working at the plant for three generations, said her brother had just finished last shift and would never be going back. Three generations of Linda Robinson’s family have worked at the plant.
“They say mothballing, but really it’s closure,” she said.

“It is catastrophic for the community. The future is bleak.”

The mothballing could take up to six months, meaning the job losses will be gradual, but there was a sense of finality among workers.

Geoff Waterfield, multi-union chairman at TCP said: “I think the mood today, as it’s been for quite a while, is quite a sad mood really amongst everybody.

“And today I think will be very emotional on the site, and very emotional in the region for the community – because it affects not just the workers but pretty much everybody in the surrounding area”.

The predicted knock-on effect has been described as “horrendous”, with Redcar and Cleveland Council estimating up to 8,000 further jobs could be lost at local companies.

Speaking on Thursday, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson maintained the plant will be protected by the company, with a view to re-opening once a buyer has been found.

I’m very proud of the people here because they’ve had to live with this hanging over them John Bolton, TCP managing director

However, the Community union says it plans to ballot its members on industrial action over the decision to mothball, while the GMB union has announced it is also considering action.

The shutting down of TCP’s blast furnace will start on Friday, followed by the “blow down” process to use up the remaining raw materials.

On Saturday, holes will be drilled in the furnace to take out residual metal – a procedure known as “tapping the salamander”.

Work to preserve the machinery will then begin, in the hope that it can be restarted at a future date.

John Bolton, managing director of TCP told the BBC: “It’s a very sad day today. We’ve known about the potential of this happening since May.

“I’m very proud of the people here because they’ve had to live with this hanging over them.

“Everybody here has done everything they can to keep this plant going.”

Link to original BBC article

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There should be no doubt about the Falklands Islands

Thursday, February 18 2010

Reacting to recent events, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague has said that “there should never be the slightest doubt where Britain stands on the Falkland Islands”.

He said that good relations with Argentina are “desirable and welcome”, but emphasised that the British Government should make it clear that the islands will remain British territory “for as long as the islanders wish it”.

“Sovereignty over the islands is therefore not up for negotiation”, Hague said, adding that the islanders have “every right” to develop the natural resources of their islands and surrounding waters.

“It should be made very clear that the wholly legitimate search for oil in the Falkland’s waters will not be affected by unwarranted threats or interference from Argentina. Additionally the British government should state clearly that no vessel operating within the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands will require any form of permit from any other country.”

“Increased British naval presence in the area would leave no doubt as to this position”, he added.

There can be little doubt that Argentina are at it again with serious provocation and an outragous attempt to interfere with British shipping around the Falklands Islands. I am certain that a Conservative Government will take no nonesense from Argentina but I am not so certain that Labour have the courage.

I would not expect the Prime Ditherer Brown to be up for much of a fight as he is too busy fighting his nearest and dearest in his own Cabinet let alone a hostile nation.

The islanders can expect full support and backing from us however and William Hague has made it abundantly clear what our position is.

Jim Ferguson

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More and more business people and economic experts are coming on board with the Conservatives to show their support for our economic plans to repair Labours recession. Sir Richard Branson is a welcome addition with his endorsement of our plans to repair the economy and reduce the Labour created debt that is plauging our nation in so many ways.

Jim Ferguson

Sir Richard Branson backs Conservative economic plans

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Its great to see Struan Stevenson MEP campaigning hard on behalf of Scottish interests in Europe in particular his robust defence of our farmers and business who produce such excellent locally grown produce. His comments on labelling are essential for consumers to know exactly what they are buying.

Jim Ferguson

First word …
Welcome to the February edition of my Brussels Briefing.This month, in addition to my involvement in the appointment process of the new European Commission, I have been keeping a close eye on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy while striving to seek clarity on the issue of food labelling.

In these tough economic times local businesses and farmers need our support. Locally sourced produce is no longer a fashionable phrase, it now relates to the very survival of local shops and businesses.

In addition,  the people of Scotland recognise the quality of home-grown produce and want to buy food that is genuinely Scottish. For too long consumers have been duped by products that have been mislabelled or not labelled at all. It is about time that producers are given clear guidelines for labelling. I will continue to campaign to have existing legislation changed to reflect the choice and clarity that consumers expect.

Join up here to support my campaign and help protect Scotland’s local farmers and businesses.

Best wishes,

Struan Stevenson MEP

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I believe that the future of our children and our families is at stake. That sounds a little dramatic but in reality I believe it to be true. Surely encouraging parents to stay together and assisting families to grow together and to actually have a safe future for our children is uppermost in the mind of every caring family across the country.

Conservatives have the unity and strength of vision to ensure that we re-capture the very essence of safe communities and ensure that Britain is a strong foundation and corner stone of happy family life. Everything revolves around the strong family unit and we as Conservatives are striving to ensure that Britain has that strength of purpose.

I believe the following video shows clearly what very ordinary families are feeling right now about Conservative policy and our stand to provide a safe future for our children and subsequent generations.

Jim Ferguson

Watch the video featuring Julie and visit the webpage listing policies for the family.

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