tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254445432024-03-23T17:46:04.739+00:00Tory in the WildernessShane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-70102577984459338842008-01-14T01:02:00.001+00:002008-01-14T01:05:39.129+00:00New BlogThe new blog can be found at <a href="http://www.shanegreer.com/">www.shanegreer.com</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shanegreer.com"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.shanegreer.com/themes/SEOposition/header.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shanegreer.com/"><br /></a>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-68392536104446005862006-12-15T11:54:00.000+00:002006-12-16T17:45:16.504+00:00Intellectual rigor<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39662000/jpg/_39662953_gal_girlsaloud.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39662000/jpg/_39662953_gal_girlsaloud.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div>I can’t decide whether Girls Aloud’s condemnation of Cameron is a good or a bad thing. But then again how could anybody question the kind of intellectual rigor displayed by Cheryl Tweedy:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>"You know that basically Labour is the working class and the Conservatives are kind of upper class, and then everything else is... I have no idea,"</blockquote>Um, OK. </div></div>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-58949628490941467422006-12-14T21:01:00.000+00:002006-12-14T21:18:05.580+00:0018 Doughty Street debutI’ll be on 18 Doughty Street tonight at 10pm. We’ll be discussing ConservativeHome’s recommendations for year two of project Cameron. Should be quite interesting, in particular I’m looking forward to discussing point nine:<br /><br /><strong><strong><strong><blockquote><strong><strong><strong><span style="font-family:arial;">Year 2(9): Management of the Policy Group reports</span></strong> </strong></strong></blockquote></strong></strong></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><blockquote><span style="color:#ff0000;">Recommendation 9:</span> <span style="color:#000000;">It is vital that the party anticipates the difficulties that are going to be presented by the gap of time between the Policy Reviews reporting and the<br />leadership deciding which recommendations to embrace. Team Cameron have reacted quickly to the Tax and Social Justice reports – shunning one and embracing the other. Will they be able to react so quickly in future? If not, how will they deal with the Labour offensive against more controversial policy group recommendations that may need some defence?</span> </blockquote></span>To this I would add that more should be done to prevent un-conservative recommendations such as the 35-hour week proposal.Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-2933599703842615852006-12-14T20:50:00.000+00:002006-12-14T20:53:07.325+00:00Tea and Tony<a href="http://www.interet-general.info/IMG/Tony-Blair-Slough-Police-Station-25novembre2004-1.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.interet-general.info/IMG/Tony-Blair-Slough-Police-Station-25novembre2004-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I should probably say something about Tony’s chat with the police. But I think the fact he avoided being interviewed under caution speaks volumes already. </div>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-59368345192312440662006-12-13T18:41:00.000+00:002006-12-13T18:44:03.102+00:00Tory in the Wilderness of... London<a href="http://www.ce.ntu.edu.tw/photo/bridge/bridge29bLondon%20Bridge.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.ce.ntu.edu.tw/photo/bridge/bridge29bLondon%20Bridge.jpg" border="0" /></a>I'll be in London tomorrow so posting may be a bit thin on the ground. I really need to get a laptop with wireless.Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-36039181412589685202006-12-13T13:04:00.000+00:002006-12-13T13:10:03.251+00:00Lets remove competition from the job market<a href="http://www.bws.wilts.sch.uk/extracurric/Sports%20Day/ed24.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.bws.wilts.sch.uk/extracurric/Sports%20Day/ed24.jpg" border="0" /></a> Just read an astonishing post by Iain Dale <a href="http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2006/12/libdem-mp-calls-for-school-sports-days.html">highlighting</a> the LibDem MP Sandra Gidley’s <a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/latest/display.var.1066958.0.school_sports_days_put_children_off_sport_mp.php">call</a> for school sports days to be done away with. I remember being one of the children she refers to who are last in line to get picked for a sports team etc. But it didn’t destroy my self esteem, rather it taught me that if I wanted to get picked for a team I had to train harder, get fitter, become better. This lesson carried over to other areas of my life, in particular my academic activities. I am thankful for the lessons competitive sport in school taught me.<br /><br />I’m not saying that competitive sport has the same effect on all children; indeed for some it is a terrible experiece. However in life there are winners and losers. Competition is a part of our everyday lives; we compete to get jobs, we compete when we are in our jobs. The sooner children are introduced to competition the more ready they will be to deal with it in their adult lives.<br />Although perhaps Sandra Gidley would rather competition was removed from the job market as well; after all we wouldn’t want to damage the self-esteem of those who are unsuccessful. Besides, do we really need the best people doing the job – isn’t that just elitist?!?Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-12188784701063131072006-12-13T10:41:00.000+00:002006-12-13T13:10:18.921+00:00Lost in TranslationBBC News 24 had a segment last night (there is a related article <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6174303.stm">online</a>) on the cost incurred by the public sector when providing translation services to people who don’t speak English. The grand total (although I should probably say shameful total) was £100m. Uncharacteristically the BBC highlighted the folly of such expenditure; it creates a disincentive for non-English speaks to learn English. The BBC interviewed two immigrants, one resident in the UK for two years, the other for 22 years; neither of them could speak English. Both indicated that the translation services provided by their local councils etc removed any reason for them to learn English.<br /><br />For me however the parallels between the provision of translation services, and the provision of welfare are too important for us to ignore. If translation services remove the incentive for immigrants to speak English, is it really that surprising that welfare removes the incentive for people to work? After all, if you pay a person more to sit at home and do nothing than they could earn for doing an honest day’s work, is it surprising that so many people choose to rely on welfare rather than on themselves?<br /><br />Welfare is a trap. A gilded trap perhaps, but a trap nevertheless.Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-88990177795441000412006-12-12T18:26:00.000+00:002006-12-12T18:29:44.809+00:00Iran’s unrelenting aversion to peaceful coexistence<a href="http://www.worldpress.org/images/20051030-iran-zionism.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 159px; CURSOR: hand" height="250" alt="" src="http://www.worldpress.org/images/20051030-iran-zionism.jpg" border="0" /></a> Tony Blair’s <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6172347.stm">acknowledgment</a> that Iran is a ‘major threat’ comes as no major surprise. We have after all been aware of the danger Iran poses to international peace and security for some time. The recent conference <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6172807.stm">questioning the holocaust</a> is simply another provocative move by an increasingly confrontational rogue state.<br /><br />Iran’s anti-Israeli (indeed anti-Jewish) stance has not abated any with the passing of time. The venom behind President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call for Israel to be wiped off the map is as evident now as it <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4387206.stm">was in 2005</a>. We would do well to constantly remind ourselves of the seriousness with which this threat is made.<br /><br />Given Iran’s unrelenting aversion to peaceful coexistence, it is worth recalling the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/18/wiran18.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/18/ixnews.html">remark</a> made by Sir Malcolm Rifkind’s earlier this year that “military intervention might have to be considered”.<br /><div></div><br /><div>In this vein I reiterate the need to <a href="http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/shane_greer/index.html">keep the military option in play</a>. </div>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-47177245694167044852006-12-12T17:38:00.000+00:002006-12-12T17:40:47.111+00:00Back from Brussels<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-z5xq5XPD8bnTwHfLnxcwqrUMfrBi9iL5C4nYGc5rJJ30y0jfYqxzAvgtaCLSc41hcxCH2sqUlbronNbmTeSOe8LlU5_ZRV0hA6Fae-bQOGrYolJZGtVK2-otl4PP5j5HlP7Eg/s1600-h/Shane+on+Ice.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007696470047770146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-z5xq5XPD8bnTwHfLnxcwqrUMfrBi9iL5C4nYGc5rJJ30y0jfYqxzAvgtaCLSc41hcxCH2sqUlbronNbmTeSOe8LlU5_ZRV0hA6Fae-bQOGrYolJZGtVK2-otl4PP5j5HlP7Eg/s200/Shane+on+Ice.JPG" border="0" /></a> I am now back from Brussels and ready to get back to blogging. As it happens Ireland didn’t invade Luxemburg whilst I was away.<br /><br />On another note I didn’t realise how much of a welfare state Belgium is. For example I learnt, to my astonishment, that Belgians on welfare are entitlement to ‘holiday money’ once a year. It would seem things aren’t so bad in the UK after all (of course that doesn’t mean things could be described in any way as being acceptable).Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-51103804086567457372006-12-07T02:03:00.000+00:002006-12-07T02:05:09.079+00:00Off to Brussels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.belgiumtheplaceto.be/special/Christmas-Markets/bxsXmas2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.belgiumtheplaceto.be/special/Christmas-Markets/bxsXmas2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-GB">I will be in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Brussels</st1:city></st1:place> (enjoying the Christmas markets) until next Tuesday, and have decided to take a break from blogging until I return.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">No doubt in the intervening period Tony Blair will be questioned under caution, Gordon Brown will launch a coup whilst Blair is ‘helping the police with their enquiries’, Polly Toynbee will be announced as the new Chairman of the Conservative Party, a new tax on breathing will be announced, and, who knows, Ireland will invade Luxembourg.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span> </p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-67333042699598865122006-12-07T00:42:00.000+00:002006-12-07T00:44:59.840+00:00A leviathon in sheep's clothing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.number10.gov.uk/files/images/Brown%20Budget%20200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 99px;" src="http://www.number10.gov.uk/files/images/Brown%20Budget%20200.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Let’s overlook for a moment what the Chancellor’s pre-budget report has brought the Great British public (£2.2bn <a href="http://burningourmoney.blogspot.com/2006/12/lying-tosser.html">more</a> in taxation), and instead address the following.<span style=""> </span>If I said to you, without any elaboration, I was delivering a ‘pre-budget report’, what would you think I was doing?<span style=""> </span>Would it be:<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><span style="">a)<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Delivering a mini-budget raising taxes overall, whilst leaving you with the impression I had actually reduced taxation; or<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><span style="">b)<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Delivering a report, which does not alter the current level of taxation in any way, prior to the budget in the coming year<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p>Personally I think the name ‘pre-budget report’ gives the impression the latter should be happening.<span style=""> </span>Of course in the world of New Labour, nothing is as it seems (it just wouldn’t do to be straight forward with people).<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">So there we have it, the pre-budget report; <i style="">a leviathan in sheep’s clothing</i>.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span> </p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-16053947458127811692006-12-04T16:53:00.000+00:002006-12-04T16:57:50.712+00:00Better to have and not need, than need and not have<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.atomicmuseum.com/tour/photos/submarine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.atomicmuseum.com/tour/photos/submarine.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Tony Blair’s <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6205174.stm">commitment</a> to retaining nuclear weapons is probably the best decision he has made in the… well, in a <i style="">very long time</i>.<span style=""> </span>The problem with the argument made by the majority of critics is that their opposition to the replacement of Trident focuses far too much on the short term.<span style=""> </span>Whilst a need for a British nuclear deterrent may not be immediately apparent, the same may not be true in 20, 30 or 50 years.<span style=""> </span>Liam Fox hit the nail on the head:<o:p> </o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;">"We don't know what we will face [in 2025]. One thing we know is that you can't suddenly conjure up a nuclear deterrent if you require it."</p> <!-- E BO --> <p class="MsoNormal">With rising threats in the Far East, not to mention the potential for nuclear proliferation in the <st1:place st="on">Middle East</st1:place>, it is more important than ever than we retain a nuclear force.<span style=""> </span><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My only concern with Tony Blair’s current position is his indication that a reduction in the number of submarines is being considered, along with a 20% reduction in the number of warheads.<span style=""> </span>Let’s hope these statements are there simply to placate critics, and that they will never be acted on.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As for the ruling-out of a transfer to a land-based nuclear weapons system, Tony Blair should again be commended.<span style=""> </span>The whole point of a purely submarine based system is that our enemies remain constantly in the dark as to where our nuclear weapons are; thus reminding them that a nuclear attack on the UK, even the utter destruction of the UK, will not prevent an immediate and overwhelming retaliation.<span style=""> </span><br /><br />As for Ming the Meaningless’ position on the Trident debate, I believe it’s a case of the less said the better.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Put simply, nuclear weapons are very much like the military generally.<span style=""> </span><i style="">It is better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them</i>.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-25012817950171567442006-12-03T16:53:00.000+00:002006-12-03T17:02:35.487+00:00Back to blogging<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMJ-oaJJc1yZKPwPxiG7shi42KANxGQMCf_dflqh3bTpP9ZYVkevA_b_xXdjg1Ud8XMsf_7PzBndsuHTZLTRF13KSCsa8300Fw5OzySoyD7CyI3s9WOci4RvzmL9-niVczytFdQ/s1600-h/british-flag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMJ-oaJJc1yZKPwPxiG7shi42KANxGQMCf_dflqh3bTpP9ZYVkevA_b_xXdjg1Ud8XMsf_7PzBndsuHTZLTRF13KSCsa8300Fw5OzySoyD7CyI3s9WOci4RvzmL9-niVczytFdQ/s200/british-flag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004346987305037442" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-GB">I have returned to the wilderness of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> (although not for long) and will get back to blogging tomorrow.<span style=""> </span><o:p> </o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">In short though, the news ab</span><span style="" lang="EN-GB">out the apparent grassroots <a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,,1962803,00.html">rebellion</a> is disturbing, although not surprising.<span style=""> </span>That said I continue to <a href="http://toryinthewilderness.blogspot.com/2006/11/conservatism-may-still-be-strong.html">maintain</a> that Cameron’s poverty speech <i style="">may</i> indicate a firm, albeit <i style="">implicit</i>, commitment to conservative values.<span style=""> </span>However the more an <i style="">overtly</i> leftist message is communicated to the electorate, the more difficult it becomes to deliver sound conservative policy in the event that Cameron becomes the next Prime Minister.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Moving to the Trident debate, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s commitment to replacing the current system should be welcomed.<span style=""> </span>The very idea of doing away with our nuclear deterrent is deeply disturbing.<span style=""> </span>Also disturbing though is the possibility that our current number of warheads may be reduced.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-16270156605413924652006-11-30T07:25:00.000+00:002006-11-30T07:28:04.145+00:00The end of an American odyssey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sandi.net/events/constitution_day/american_flag_closeup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 267px;" src="http://www.sandi.net/events/constitution_day/american_flag_closeup.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>My American odyssey comes to an end later today.<span style=""> </span>I have spent three very interesting months in the DC area, during which I have learnt a great deal.<span style=""> </span><br /><br />The political world in the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region> is in many ways very different to that of the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>The vast sums of money pumped into politics is a prime example of this, the polarisation of public opinion on certain issues is another.<span style=""> </span>However despite these differences there is a great deal we can learn from our cousins across the pond.<span style=""> </span>We share a lot of the same values, but very few of the same successes.<span style=""> </span>Let’s hope that can be changed before it’s too late. <span style=""><br /></span>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-13269113188019680692006-11-30T02:12:00.000+00:002006-11-30T02:13:28.657+00:00Sharia law being applied in the UK<p class="MsoNormal">Clive Davis has a worrying post about the <a href="http://clivedavis.blogs.com/clive/2006/11/legal_pluralism.html">spread of sharia law</a> in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">UK</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Very worrying indeed.<span style=""> </span><span style=""><br /></span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-79829464154990014922006-11-30T01:47:00.000+00:002006-11-30T01:53:09.239+00:00Are we reducing or redistributing government?Nick Hurd MP has <a href="http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.press.release.page&obj_id=133839">pledged</a> to support David Cameron’s <a href="http://www.localworks.org/files/sustainable_communities_bill_current.pdf">Sustainable Communities Bill</a>. In doing so he had the following to say: <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">"At present, we have a vastly over-centralised system. We need to end Labour's 'dictate from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Whitehall</st1:place></st1:City>' approach, and let communities take action on their own initiative. And by giving local government and local people greater powers to decide local spending priorities, this Bill gives people much more say over how their community looks and feels, and how it is run." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>On the whole it’s a fine statement.<span style=""> </span>It goes without saying that power has to be moved away from the centre and into the hands of private individuals.<span style=""> </span>However it is worth bearing mind that a transference of power from central government to local government is not a reduction in government size, rather it is a redistribution of that power.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If a true reduction is to be achieved a concerted effort must be made, not to change who in government makes the decisions, but instead to reduce the number of decisions people in government can make.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-70391335357898370542006-11-28T16:42:00.000+00:002006-11-28T16:45:25.099+00:00Sporadic blogging<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately blogging will be going on the back-burner for a few days.<span style=""> </span>I return to the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> on Thursday and so have a hundred and one things to before then.<span style=""> </span>Hopefully I should be able to get a few posts up though.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-45452939326027564212006-11-26T06:48:00.000+00:002006-11-26T06:55:23.506+00:00Tories to enforce a 35 hour week?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.uoa.com/images/woman_working_at_desk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 170px;" src="http://www.uoa.com/images/woman_working_at_desk.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Cameron’s Quality of Life policy group is apparently <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/26/nwork26.xml">considering</a> whether a Conservative government should impose a 35 hour week.<span style=""> </span>Of course it is important to bear in mind that their investigations are very much in the preliminary stages.<span style=""> </span>This being so it is very easy to pay only cursory attention to the possibility of such a regulation eventually becoming Conservative Party policy.<span style=""> </span>However as conservatives we should be deeply concerned that such a proposal is in any way being considered.<span style=""> </span><o:p> </o:p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aside from anything else people should be free to work the hours they wish to work.<span style=""> </span>Personally speaking I have no problem with the 40 hour week, equally I don’t have a problem with working a 60 hour week.<span style=""> </span>The central point though is that <i style="">that choice is mine to make</i>.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Moreover the question of whether a 35 hour week would increase the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s productivity is one that should be left to the market to answer.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-14676332117992595862006-11-25T06:42:00.000+00:002006-11-25T06:45:11.088+00:00Tony Blair’s successor being soughtIt would appear the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1956606,00.html">hunt is on</a> for the next MP for Sedgefield.<span style=""> </span>This of course got me thinking about who would be suitable.<span style=""> </span>In doing so it occurred to me that since we are <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/25/ntory25.xml">cozying up</a> to Polly Toybee (<i style="">hopefully</i> for no other reason than to widen our appeal: and given Cameron’s poverty speech this may be the case), perhaps the Labour Party should offer the candidacy to Simon Heffer.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">Any better suggestions would be welcomed in the comments.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-49543113500877368022006-11-25T00:12:00.000+00:002006-11-25T00:21:28.054+00:00Conservatism may still be strong…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41436000/jpg/_41436333_cameron_203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 138px;" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41436000/jpg/_41436333_cameron_203.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by David Cameron’s <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/24/ucameron224.xml">poverty speech</a>.<span style=""> </span>Reading between the lines it would appear, and I may be wrong, that Mr. Cameron is true blue, through and through.<span style=""> </span>The speech is couched as one would expect in the ‘arms around the world’ language which currently appeals to the electorate.<span style=""> </span>However if I were to identify a central theme it would be that power should move away from the state and into the hands of individuals.<span style=""> </span>For example: <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">The poverty-fighting agenda I have outlined today is a radical one for my Party, because for the first time it commits us to tackling relative, not just absolute poverty. But it is also a radical agenda for politics in this country, because it involves a dramatic decentralisation, <i style="">a big shift in emphasis… …from the state to society</i>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>And also:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">Throughout <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place> there is a <i style="">yearning for more control and more responsibility</i>. People are <i style="">fed up with having their communities managed for them by the state</i> – especially when they are often managed so badly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Furthermore the following extract contains a number of signals, albeit ones couched in vague terms, that conservatism is strong in <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Camp</st1:placetype> <st1:placename st="on">Cameron</st1:placename></st1:place>:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">I know full well how important funding is. The task is to ensure that money goes where it’s needed and where it will make the most difference.<span style=""> </span>Of course, some may fear that state funding of smaller, local organisations will crush the independence and flexibility that makes them effective in the first place. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">Well, it depends on the state’s attitude<i style="">. It depends on how the funding works and how the contracts are managed. There’s no reason to think that state funding automatically damages a local organisation. </i>We need to be more trusting, more open to risk. <span style="color:red;">[Note that Cameron indicates the need to change the way state funding works, without committing to any specific change]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">That way we will avoid the voluntary and social enterprise sectors becoming indistinguishable branches of the state. Finally, some ask whether there is enough capacity in the voluntary sector to do the job. The straight answer is – no, not yet. <i style="">That’s why I will never pretend that <u>the big shift</u> from state to society can be achieved overnight. </i><span style="color:red;">[Clearly a <i style="">big shift</i> from state to ‘society’ is intended.<span style=""> </span>However Cameron quite sensibly accepts that such a change will take time; the length of time however is sidestepped]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">But I am supremely confident that <i style="">as we allow communities to take over responsibilities for their own neighbourhoods</i>… …as we change the funding system to reward creativity and innovation… …we will witness a fantastic flowering of social enterprise, the like of which we cannot even imagine today.<span style=""> </span><span style="color:red;">[A clear reference to Cameron’s intention to devolve power form the state to the individual]</span><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i style="">For years, we Conservatives talked about rolling back the state. But that is not an end in itself. Our fundamental aim is to roll forward the frontiers of society.</i> We understand that a strong society means moving forward together, no-one left behind, fighting relative poverty a central policy goal.<span style=""> </span><span style="color:red;">[The rolling back of the state may not be seen as an end in itself, but Cameron clearly believes it is a fundamental goal of the Conservative Party]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>In short, my <a href="http://toryinthewilderness.blogspot.com/2006/11/greg-clark-must-be-stopped.html">previous concerns</a> may have been misplaced, or perhaps overstated.<span style=""> </span>Cameron may yet prove himself to be the conservative leader our country so desperately needs; time will tell.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It is worth adding of course that the poverty speech was not pleasing in its entirety.<span style=""> </span>A tendency toward overregulation was still present:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">…at our Debt Summit on Monday we announced a range of policy proposals to help address the issue, including: Tighter rules on the marketing of Individual Voluntary Agreements… Ensuring that home credit companies are subject to the same data sharing requirements as mainstream lenders… Requiring credit card companies to provide clearer information on repayment terms… And a cooling-off period for store cards.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>What about personal responsibility?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Despite this hint at overregulation the speech may have provided us with a unique view of Cameron’s <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>And contrary to the prevailing wisdom, it may yet turn out to be a very conservative <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region> indeed.<span style=""> </span>Let’s hope that is the case.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-4913557871088166602006-11-24T04:02:00.000+00:002006-11-24T04:03:30.433+00:00Ten things I would never doMartine got me with a meme, so in the spirit of the blogosphere here goes.<span style=""> </span><o:p> </o:p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ten things I would never do:</p> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Buy a Mac</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Start reading the Morning Star</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Get a tattoo, or piercing</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Join the Labour Party</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Live in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> again</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Choose to listen to Techno</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Believe in big government</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Watch big brother</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Start smoking</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Join the Fabian Society</li></ol> <p class="MsoNormal">In keeping with standard meme practice, I nominate the following bloggers: <a href="http://toryboyross.blogspot.com/">Ross Cowling</a>, the <a href="http://devilskitchen.blogspot.com/">Devil</a>, and <a href="http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/kerriparish">Kerri Parish</a>.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-85760131333979084132006-11-24T03:03:00.000+00:002006-11-24T04:02:38.504+00:00British Airways boycottIt would appear the boycott of British Airways is <a href="http://www.baboycott.com/">gaining pace</a>.Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-6435413159428233582006-11-23T06:16:00.000+00:002006-11-25T00:22:26.681+00:00Greg Clark must be stopped<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.conservatives.com/UploadedFiles/GRAPHIC%5CPORTRAIT%5Cportrait-gregclark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 113px; height: 171px;" src="http://www.conservatives.com/UploadedFiles/GRAPHIC%5CPORTRAIT%5Cportrait-gregclark.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>If Greg Clark gets his <a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,,1953914,00.html">way</a> all is lost.<span style=""> </span>We will no longer be a party shifting ever closer to the centre ground, instead we will be a party sitting in the very heart of socialist territory.<span style=""> </span>Greg Clark would have us believe that “Polly Toynbee is a serious thinker about social policy… it would be ridiculous not to benefit from effective analysis."<span style=""> </span>However in reality her analysis of social policy is typical of someone completely out of touch with working class life, although she has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_Toynbee#Hard_Work:_Life_in_Low-Pay_Britain">dabbled</a> in it.<span style=""> </span>Her opinions are formed around an implicit sense of superiority, a belief, albeit not one openly admitted, that her and people like her know best; that they alone can deliver the poor wretched masses from a life they are too stupid to save themselves from.<span style=""> </span>If we choose to adopt her proposals on social policy then we should do so in the full knowledge that we would no longer be a conservative party, we would simply be the old Labour Party known by a different name.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">Toynbee believes in addressing relative poverty; which, if you distill her latest <a href="http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/polly_toynbee/2006/11/pt.html">article</a>, essentially means raising taxes so that welfare will be able to pay for people have mobile phones, computers, and yearly holidays etc.<span style=""> </span>Not only that though, it also means “giving everyone as a right their own home, once they have money to pay for the upkeep.”<span style=""> </span>Who pray tell will pay for these homes?<span style=""> </span>The taxpayer, who incidentally is most likely already paying for their <i style="">own</i> home in the form of a mortgage.<o:p></o:p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/polly_toynbee_140x140.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 105px; height: 105px;" src="http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/polly_toynbee_140x140.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Of course what’s most interesting about relative poverty is that <i style="">it never goes </i><i style="">away</i>, it is after all relative to the prevailing living standards etc in the country at any given time.<span style=""> </span>So if the possession of a blackberry, laptop and golden monkey were to become a standard feature of middle class life, then all those without said items would be, you guessed it, <i style="">impoverished</i>.<span style=""> </span>Woe is me, I have no golden monkey!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As conservatives we believe fundamentally in the need to raise the standard of living for everyone.<span style=""> </span>We believe that every child should have the opportunity to be all they can be.<span style=""> </span>We believe in equal opportunity, indeed equality of opportunity, for all.<span style=""> </span>But most importantly of all we <i style=""><u>do not believe</u></i> that government is entity to provide these things.<span style=""> </span>As Barry Goldwater so rightly said, there is a difference between believing something should be done, and that it should be done by the government.<span style=""> </span>Instead we champion the ability of individuals to improve their own lives.<span style=""> </span>If, in an effort to get elected, we turn our backs on this most basic of our beliefs, then what have we to offer but philosophical mediocrity and political uncertainty (for who knows what we are if we are driven by what is popular at any given moment).<span style=""> </span><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We must do all we can to ensure that Greg Clark’s absurd vision of a Conservative Party that is big on taxes and big on government spending does not come to fruition.<span style=""><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Edit: the Devil has an interesting </span><a style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);" href="http://devilskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/11/greg-clark-mp-pollys-new-lover.html">piece</a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> on this whole affair </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-75212307892249636292006-11-23T01:22:00.000+00:002006-11-23T01:28:36.714+00:00Business community uncertain about the Conservative Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cbi.org.uk/images/newimg/cbilogo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 65px;" src="http://www.cbi.org.uk/images/newimg/cbilogo.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>In an interview with the Independent, Richard Lambert, the head of <a href="http://www.cbi.org.uk/ndbs/staticpages.nsf/StaticPages/home.html/?OpenDocument">CBI’s</a> employers’ group has<a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2007521.ece"> indicated</a> that “company bosses are “uncertain” about the Conservative Party’s attitude toward business.”<span style=""> </span>We should, but probably won’t be, <i style="">deeply concerned</i> by this.<span style=""> </span>The very idea that the business community would be concerned, in any way, by the possibility of a Conservative government, should give us pause for thought.<span style=""> </span><o:p> </o:p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lord Saatchi has rightly warned of the fallacy of our gravitation toward the centre ground.<span style=""> </span>The further we move toward this seemingly fertile electoral soil, the more we are forced to abandon that which makes us who we are.<span style=""> </span>This warning from CBI places in plain sight how close we are to the abyss; an abyss we seem certain to fall into.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If we do fall in, if we win the control of Parliament on the basis of a centrist manifesto, what can we achieve as a <i style="">conservative</i> government?<span style=""> </span>The answer I fear is all too obvious.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444543.post-51874751161209022352006-11-22T02:46:00.000+00:002006-11-22T02:48:15.621+00:00Shock horror: Brown good for ToriesIn a shocking article, <i style="">utterly surprising</i> in its content, the Guardian draws our collective attention to the startling <a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/polls/story/0,,1953944,00.html">revelation</a> that the Conservative Party would benefit from Gordon Brown becoming Prime Minister.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">In other news, apparently mice would benefit from cats not eating them!<span style=""> </span>Astonishing stuff.<span style=""> </span></p>Shane Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409039790255382402noreply@blogger.com2