Agenda 2019

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39188042 Prime Minister Theresa May should call an early general election, former Tory leader Lord Hague has urged. When politicians from the government and parts of the media begin speculating and calling for an early election, history shows us that the speculation grows, spreads and quickly becomes irresistible. The pressure and temptation on Theresa May to go to the country this year will soon become compelling. We in the Labour party, must be prepared to fight a short General election campaign within months. The polls suggest that we have lost lost some support amongst the electorate which necessitates that we must concentrate on those issues which effect people in their everyday lives and their aspirations for the future, rather than the divisive and destructive attacks and deriding of our own leadership. The NHS, working peoples rights, housing, energy and transport are issues which we must bring to the front o...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-theresa-may-brexit-without-delay-a7399101.html May must set out Brexit plan 'without delay’ Before the referendum there was always a belief that the result would be debated in Parliament. What completely threw this government was that no one expected the result and Cameron had no plan for the possibility that that the people would vote leave. Theresa May is now faced with a referendum result, (a referendum which of course is "advisory") which she believes might be overturned by Parliament. In order to appease some elements of her party and other vested interests, she has chosen to use "Royal Prerogative" to pass the necessary legislation to trigger Article 50 without debate in Parliament. I believe that she is wrong and that the High Court judges are absolutely correct. I also believe that it would be a very brave or very foolish MP who would completely igno...

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/parliament-should-be-dissolved-and-an-early-general-election-held-2?bucket&source=facebook-share-button&time=1466776678 PARLIAMENT SHOULD BE DISSOLVED, AND AN EARLY GENERAL ELECTION HELD. Jeremy Corbyn We now have to position ourselves as the only party which can lead this country through the difficulties of a nation no longer part of the EU. The Conservatives are a fragmented collection of self serving opportunists who are not fit to run a whelk stall in Southend let alone a country. We must seek to reconcile those who voted "Remain" with those who voted "Leave" which will not be an easy task, but which never the less is essential for us to face the difficulties which lie  ahead. We must also prepare for a General election, prior to 2020, as the present government cannot last for a full term. It is for the Labour party to take the lead to save the NHS, protect workers rights, repair the damage done to t...

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/01/channel-4-leads-the-way-on-tory-election-claims Why is there so little noise about the Tory election fraud claims? Nineteen police forces are currently investigating Tory election fraud  claims The allegations of election fraud are a threat to the conservative party and more importantly to the government. Investigations and prosecutions, which could lead to bye elections and ultimately to the governments loss of its overall majority, must be causing Central Office to have nightmares. Consequently, the conservative hierarchy, Cameron and his gang including those involved in these (alleged) crimes will go to any lengths to disrupt or stop the investigations. Engineering a media "black out" is just one of their tools for this purpose. The recent decisions of the court to grant extension to the investigation time-scale has clearly caused great consternation in conservative circles and they will have to find a ...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/29/andrew-brigden-conservatives-david-cameron-fractured-eu-debate-election Tory MPs escalate party turmoil with open call for Cameron to quit At least this article quotes real people as named sources, rather than being completely reliant on "a senior figure" or sources close to" or any of the other concocted "evidence" which this and other newspapers and television spew out when attacking (or smearing) the Labour party and its leadership. If Cameron were to be deposed and removed from the Premiership, then the country would gain a great benefit from the subsequent brawling within an even more fragmented Conservative party with the numerous factions scrambling for the "top job". It may even lead to the House of Commons, forcing a bill through through Parliament to hold an early general election in accordance with Section 2 of the "Fixed Term Parliaments Act". It certainly a...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/22/labour-activists-in-2015-were-like-middle-class-ryanair-passengers Labour activists in 2015 'were like middle-class Ryanair passengers' Tristram Julian William Hunt How strange it is, or perhaps not that strange,  that a number of the defeated candidates (or others who stood down before the first and only ballot), from the Labour Leadership elections of last year, are now the "leaders" of the concerted efforts within the PLP to grasp every opportunity to to undermine the democratically elected leadership of the party. Amongst these stands Tristram Julian William Hunt, the son of  Baron Hunt of Chesterton and educated at an exclusive Independent School in London, Trinity College Cambridge, University of Chicago and later at Kings College Cambridge. I have nothing against a good education, nor even a semi aristocratic background, but I have great objection where the individuals concerned assume or worse, sincerel...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/21/poor-outlook-toxic-labour-jon-cruddas-report-welfare-immigration ‘Irrelevant and toxic’ Labour losing out to Ukip, inquiry finds Jon Cruddas. MP for  Dagenham and Rainham At least the "Observer" manages to give an identity to the origin of this story rather than use another anonymous source quoted so often in this "newspaper" and in other parts of the media, when seeking to discredit or undermine the leadership of the Labour party. However, Toby Helm has taken the "report" as an opportunity to add another element to the continuing Observer/Guardian crusade against the Labour leadership, by quoting from the Jon Cruddas "inquiry". Unfortunately for both the Observer and Cruddas, the conclusions drawn in the report (as quoted by this newspaper), are wrong and seem, with a few exceptions, to be more critical of the Labour party of pre 2015 and the "Torylite" policies offering essent...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/09/jeremy-corbyn-labour-not-doing-enough-to-win-2020-general-election#comment-73924775 Labour not doing enough to win 2020 general election, says Jeremy Corbyn The Guardian applying the usual slant to promote its own agenda. Rowena Mason and Anushka Asthana, two of the Guardian's “journalists” and known to be hostile to the Labour party leadership, write an article which has become the norm for a “newspaper”, which, i t should be remembered supported Cooper and Kendall in the leadership election, and also joined the "anyone but Corbyn" clique. Anushka Asthana Rowena Mason The Jeremy Corbyn comments, released before a meeting of Labour MPs and peers, demonstrate the recognition that the Labour party has work to do. “We are not yet doing enough to win in 2020.” Corbyn said, “focus on taking on the Tories” and “debates to be...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/08/and-then-there-was-one-miliband-clegg-and-farage-quit-as-party-leaders#comments Nick Clegg resigns as Lib Dem leader    May 8th 2015 Liberal Democrats were decimated and they got what they deserved. It was only "tactical voting" which saved Clegg from the same fate as that which befell his colleagues. They paid the price for his duplicity. As one Liberal Democrat voter said about the 2010 election, he voted Liberal democrat to keep the Tories out of 10 Downing Street, and the first thing that Clegg did was to jump into bed with Cameron and form a coalition to give the Conservatives power in this country. It seems that this view was held by hundreds of thousands of voters across the United Kingdom, who deserted the Liberal Democrats resulting in a loss of 49 of their 57 seats.   Only five years ago   Even up to the eve of polling day, Clegg and his other Liberal Democrat colleagues, w...

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/ed-miliband-unveils-stone-carved-with-labour-pledges-to-be-placed-at-downing-st-if-he-wins-10221946.html Ed Miliband unveils stone carved with Labour pledges to be placed at Downing St if he wins The "Tablet of Stone"   Potential government by "gimmick" as if we had not had enough of that over the past five years. This is unbelievable even after reading it three times, (because I could not believe it on the first two readings). Miliband has completely lost the plot. Either it is his own idea and the megalomania has taken over making him unfit for office, or it is the idea of some of his "team" in which case he should have fired them as soon as they wandered into his office with this ludicrou s scheme which trivialises politics to the level of inane farce. Cameron promising to pass legislation to stop himself increasing taxes and now Moses Miliband with his "ta...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/30/camerons-question-time-performance-smooth-smiley-but-unconvincing#comments A televisual reminder of why this election is the worst thing ever Career politicians I watched "Question Time " last night and at the end of the 90 minute programme, my opinion, that the politics of the traditional parties of this country has become nothing more than a patronising appeal for votes, was vindicated. Moreover, even at the last live televised exchange, the "Party leaders" could not bring themselves to depart from the negative "don't vote for him" rhetoric that has plagued this campaign (and many others before, it just happens that this was the worst one) from day 1. At one point, a member of the audience, clearly exasperated by the endless negativity from the parties asked why the candidates would not explain what they were going to do and why people should vote for them, rather than trying to ru...

 The faces of British politics 2015. Take your pick I have not voted for many years, since just before Blair, Mandellson, Campbell and Brown destroyed the Labour Party in fact. From being an active party member, CLP chair, Council Group Leader, PPC, and a number of other posts, I became party less, as no political group matched my views on society or any of the other issues which I considered to be essential. It was not a case of me deserting the Labour party, but more the Labour party deserting me as it lurched off to the ri ght in pursuit of perceived popularity and electoral victory at any price, rather than political belief. I never subscribed to the argument that being in politics was about winning elections at any price rather than campaigning for a fair and democratic society where people were more important than corporations and collective well being was more important than greed and self interest. There is however a political manifesto in thi...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/29/tories-promise-tax-lock-in-latest-move-to-combat-labour Tories promise 'tax lock' in latest move to combat Labour Prime Minister  has seriously lost the plot This must be the most crassly ludicrous, ridiculous, patronising promise, pledge, or undertaking made by any politician (so far) of any party during this election campaign. To even consider that the electorate will accept this nonsense demonstrates that this Prime Minister who is seeking another term in the office, has seriously lost the plot and had his powers of logic and reasoning damaged beyond repair by "sitting in one place for too long". There is absolutely no reaso n to believe that a Chancellor of the Exchequer of any party would commit to a five year period of income tax freezes on all income bands, freezing duties on all goods and services, freezing VAT rates or any of the other fiscal tools when proposing annual their budg...

  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/11565524/Housebuilders-hit-by-Ed-Milibands-rent-control-plans.html Labour's housing plans wipe nearly £200m off value of UK home builders Modest plans wipe £200 million off value of Britain's house builders. How strange it is that a political party's plans to assist potential house buyers and to offer some rent controls as relief to those families renting their homes should cause such alarm and despondency among Britain's house building companies as almost £200 million is wiped off the value of their companies. It seems that the possibility of some controls in the housing sector, no matter how modest, can cause such alarm in "the markets" as they contemplate some reductions in their already inflated "margins". What is not strange however, is the fact that a rabid right wing rag such as "The Telegraph" should place such great emphasis on the drop in sha...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/27/labour-pledge-stamp-duty-house-purchases-first-time-buyers Labour pledges to abolish stamp duty on house purchases for first-time buyers Labour to cut stamp duty on homes under £300k for first time buyers Help for "first time buyers" and curbs on rent increases. Two measures seeking to attract votes but will do nothing to resolve the problem. For Miliband and all of the other politicians paying lip service to the housing crisis with half baked useless cliches, the message is a simple one. Stop fiddling with the margins and address the fundamental issue. We desperately need more housing in all sectors, but especially in the rented sector be it private or social. The parties sho uld commit to (and deliver) 300,000 new homes with at least 80% for rented accommodation built for local authorities or housing associations. The "right to buy" nonsense should be scrapped and the "cap" on r...

  http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/22/food-bank-users-uk-low-paid-workers-poverty  More than a million people have used food banks in past year figures showing a 19% rise year-on-year is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’   This story should provoke outrage and shame, that in the first quarter of the 21st Century people are forced to use charities to feed their families.From some of the posts in the comments section however, it is clearly obvious that the policies of this govevernment and the associated propaganda, have suceeded in promoting an atmosphere of demonisation of foodbank users and divisions within our society. The bile and venom of many posters against those, many of whom are working but still qualify for benifits, who rely on food charites, is appaling, spiteful and ill informed. The place of foodbanks in our society is sadly a necessity and will not go away anytime soon. In fact it is clearly obvious that the numbers of our p...

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-2015-tesco-chairman-john-allan-slams-tory-plan-for-eu-referendum-10187367.html Tesco chairman John Allan slams Tory plan for an EU referendum       I am getting very fed up with "business leaders" or other pundits banging on about what may (or may not) be "Bad for businesses" in a referendum on our membership of the European Union and any subsequent decision about leaving, if that is what the outcome might produce. The only question which should be considered is what is good for the British people, be that remaining as a member or leaving. Politicians of all parties should get away from their obssesions with "business" and concentrate on the best interest people they were elected to represent.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-2015-lib-dem-plan-for-danny-alexander-to-keep-cabinet-post-if-they-forge-another-coalition-with-tories-10187353.html Danny Alexander could retain his Cabinet post in a second coalition government even if he loses his seat in the Scottish Highland Lord Danny of Aviemore? Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has demonstrated over the last 5 years, the performance of a man promoted far above the level of his abilities. He has also been less than impressive during interviews and his dealings with the media generally and until very recently been an obediant puppy for Osborne. According to the latest predictions, Danny Alexander will loose his seat on May 7th. Master and man Hopefully, only the Liberal Democrats can dream up a proposal to elevate this lacklustre failure to the House of Lords in order to retain his "abilities" in a futre coalition with ...

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/one-million-britons-using-food-banks-according-to-trussell-trust-10186142.html  Food banks: One million Britons will soon be using them, according to Trussell Trust   The figure of 1 million people relying on food banks is now almost reached. It has arrived rather sooner than many people predicted only months ago and is indicative of a scandal which indicates poverty in this country is increasing no matter what Osborne, the coaltion and the IMF may try to convince us about the economy is improving and that government economic policy is on the right track and that things are getting better. No matter what government statisiics, graphs, fig ures, "finacial organisations" or other experts may try to deceive us with, the reality is that more and more people are falling victim to the pernicious,vindictive and divisive policies of this wretched government and its idealogical campaign against ordinary peopl...

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/16/miliband-sturgeon-final-tv-debate-anti-tory-coalition   Miliband tells Sturgeon in final TV debate: I won't do a deal with you      Miliband has been deflected from the real and only issue. The real enemy to working people in this country is not Sturgeon and the SNP. The enemy is Cameron, Osborne, Iain Duncan-Smith,Sourby and the hundred or so other Conservative MP's who have plagued working people in this country with punative and divisive policies aimed particularly at the sick and disabled, the unemplyed (and I include those on zero hour contracts) anyone claiming benifits, and certainly those 1 million people who are reliant on Foodbanks and other charities to feed their families. It is the prime responsibilty and the duty of the Labour party (at least a Labour party that I would recgognise) to oppose with every means at their disposal the pernicious excesses of capitalism and the Con...