Well fair’s fair. All the Kiwis live in Shepherds Bush.
I would like to see an analysis of which civil serant jobs would actuallly go.
The Conservatives were famous for syaing that they would get rid of Quangos, what they did was increased both the number, and the amount of money they controlled.
It was used as a method of centralising power, they appointed their friends into very highly paid positions based solely upon the qualification of being a Tory supporter, absolutely nothing else.
Many of the Quangos were actually functions of local government and so were accountable to local government and their electorate, however there is no such control by the elcetorate over the Quango.
Maggie Thatcher was know as a centraliser, which is somewhat at odds with the classic Tory view of having less government, though to be fair she was right, she decided that there wasn’t any need for government at all, just herself and a few cronies.
I hope they all enjoy their old school reunion at their next probation appointment.
I know someone here will say that the turnout to local councils was small, that lunatic fringes took over, but in fact all we got was one lunatic fringe replacing another.
If we want to look at bad councils, of which there are very many, and many Labour controlled ones, don’t forget to flagellate your nasty Tory selves with the thought of Westiminster and Lady Porter.
Instead of engaging the elctroate and ecouraging the young a to vote, and perhaps those in inner cities to vote, all Thatcher did was to set rules that would ensure that councils in those areas would be starved, the young put to work on the wholly disreputable YOP schemes, and systematically removing benefits from them, whilst compelling them to work for their small business friends for a pittance.
What goes around comes around, those youngsters and their parents age, and get around to voting, whilst the stupid old gits who are wheeled in to Tory conferances and think of ‘our finest hour’ the Empire and all that stuff, are slowly dying off, not understanding why their ancient view of modern finance and politics is not applicable in todays world.
Those silly old bastards then complain of having their assets stripped to pay for nursing care, a policy that was part of the platform for which they voted.
What goes around comes around, this generation of Tories needs to just die, and quickly too, it needs replacing with fresh blood, new ideas, but the silly old cunts are still hanging on to their controlling influence of an increasingly irrelevant and ineffectual party.
Pining for Maggie and cheering the old guard loses votes it does not win them, the Tories are so stupid they don’t understand just how much they are both despised, and sniggered at.
This 19th century view of Europe is so old its creaking, the model does not work any more because we dont control the world through colonies, we actaully have to compete and quite honestly, the UK does not have the clout to do it on its own, nor does France etc.
We will if we stick together, start taking on a wider view than just that of the home counties, look around ourselves and realise that we no longer have half a million men under arms, that the world currency is the Dollar, not Sterling, that we don’t have the captive markets we used to have.
The average Tory voter is just so fucking provincial, so little England, like a bunch of badly genetically engineered Hobbits in Middle Earth, they think that the rest of the world can’t be allowed to affect them, that they can somehow pull up the ramps, pretend the nasty European Dragon does not exist, and get back to their nice comfortable firesides fuelled by Columbian coal and East German lignite.
Its ok though, because the Tories have a home in New Labour.
Quangos: Spot on. The labour equivalent is the devolution and regional boondoggle. They’re both wrong wrong wrong. Not to mention puffing up the so called “voluntary sector”.
The people of Westminster obviously don’t share your opinion of their council - they keep voting Tory (as they do where I live).
New blood in the Tory party; You betcha. the whole “bed-blocking” problem needs to be addressed I know plenty of capable young(ish) tories that can’t get a look-in as some old bugger won’t retire.
Europe; A disaster from beginning to end. The sooner we’re out of it the better. (weren’t you banging on about the farmer’s lobby earlier? - that’s europe for you)