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Fourteen blogging days to Christmas. Here’s an advent calendar of blogettes. Poke each one in the eye.
Leadership. I’ve decided not to stand for the Non job of Deputy Leader. Can’t stand crowds. Too busy dealing with telephone calls and letters from candidates I’ve never heard of discovering they suddenly would like a chat.
I’m still considering standing for Leader. I can just about find the time for it because it doesn`t demand much if done properly. Attlee style. I won`t exhaust myself with endless new initiatives like Tony.
So I’m therefore advising all those who consult me about standing themselves
Much better at this stage of the game (when we don’t yet need a futile sacrifice ) to draw up a set of policies which the New Leader should adopt for the change of policy we need, set them out, list the names subscribing and demand that Gordon takes them up, with a contest threatened if he won’t.
If we don`t do that he`ll nail himself to every shred of the Blair Legacy. That can only mean business as usual with Gordon shouldering all the discontents, frustrations and failures of a government that’s been in power ten years. We`d be marching on downhill, grumbling to a three year diminuendo.
You can see it developing already. Tony had the largest honeymoon in British political history. Gordon`s is over before he`s even got the job.
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Labour now owes £32.4 million. We’ve now got approximately 250.000 party members so each owes £129. But we’ll have to offer a reduced debt contribution for pensioners and the unemployed which will double the bill for the able bodied. Join us and be liable when the insolvency practitioners move in.
We’ve done the Big Four so many favours they might offer us reduced charges but I doubt it.
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Tony`s legacy is debt. I`m just trying to work it out:
Olympic Games £10 billion + £1 billion VAT
ID Cards £19 billion (Central Government only)
Iraq & Afghanistan £4 billion a year. Plus aid
Increased EU contributions £3 billion a year
Any more? Tell me! Email to
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Considering the fuss Gordon has just faced by increasing tax by £2 billion it`s an enormous bill to leave. It`ll crush us for years ahead. The bastard!
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Oh, I forgot. Trident renewal £75 billion, perhaps £2 billion a year, on easy terms. Totally unnecessary of course. Why not do it on a P.F.I.?
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MPs and Ministers have been showered with so much money that we`re high on the housing ladder and on the way to millionaire status. So e`ve lost touch with the people. Housing policy has gone mad.
We`re obsessed with home ownership. Yet many don`t want it - Shelter`s survey tells us that they want – Affordable Housing, Safe Neighbourhoods first and second, with Ownership as the third. There`s a growing proportion who can`t afford ownership as house prices rocket away. They want public housing to rent.
But we`re not building it. So we offer only help for key workers which is throwing fuel on the flames. We force housing associations to offer shared ownership which they don`t want and the tenants can`t afford.
A third of our housing help goes to ownership. We have helped 10,000 to ownership. 60,000 want it. We need 17,000 more social houses a year (Shelter says 22,000) over present build. We`re not building them.
Ruth Kelly presides, all unknowing, over a disaster. We`ve destroyed our vote on the council estates. They`re turning against us. The council housing the people need isn`t being built. The ALMOs are running into financial difficulties and postponing Decent Homes. More tenants are voting `No`. Ruth smiles on
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