GE2015 Part Four - Don't delay

Wow!, I mean Wow!

The Conservatives are on course to achieve an overall, though slim, majority.

Hats off to David Cameron, George Osborne, Lynton Crosby and all of the candidates and hard-working constituency workers.

As was predicted in the opinion polls (something that they did get right!), the Scottish National Party scooped-up almost all of the seats in Scotland, gaining 56 of 59.

The Lib Dems, until recently the Conservative's partners in Coalition,  have been severely reduced - they will likely end with 8 seats down from their 54 seats won in 2010.

Labour were all but wiped-out in their Scottish strong-hold and now have just one seat, there and have been hit by the Conseravtives and indeed, UKIP, in the North of England..

There have been some notable casualties along the way.  Obviously those Scottish Labour MPs that were Shadow Cabinet members but also Ed Balls the Shadow Chancellor.  Balls was a member of former Labour leader Gordon Brown's inner circle and intimately involved with Labour's profligacy and.  Throughout the 5 years of the Coalition and this campaign he, and Labour leader Ed Miliband, have steadfastly refused to either apologise for ruining Britain's economy nor for admitting that they overspent.

Also gone is Danny Alexander who spitefully leaked a welfare position paper and suggested it was a policy that the Lib Dems stopped.   The ever awkward Vince Cable has also gone and the promoter of foolish Green policies, Ed Davey has also left the House!

It is looking like Miliband and the Lib Dems leader, Nick Clegg, will resign.  Nigel Farage, of UKIP has already said he will resign as leader, if not elected, and that outcome is looking likely. Natalie Bennett of the Green Party was not elected and so other than the Ulster parties, David Cameron looks to be on course to be the only Westminster leader that survives this election.  Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, didn't contest a Westminster seat.

Now it is time to get back to work.

I know that there is a manifesto that lists out the policy programme but let's cut to the chase and start the ball rolling with the following:

• Implement the Smith Commission proposals and give Full Fiscal Authority to Scotland.  In doing so, the much discredited Barnett Formula falls away and the money saved, can be used in England and Wales.

• Implement the Boundary Changes that were put forward, by the independent Boundary Commission, a couple of years ago.

• Deliver on the promise of a referendum on membership of the European Union by enshrining this in law - to the effect that it must occur on a date before the end of 2017

• Set out a timetable for the re-negotiation of the terms of Britain's membership of the European Union.

• Introduce legislation, that means that on devolved matters, MPs from non-English constituencies, cannot vote at Westminster.

• Vote into law the Budget, that was presented, just before the last Parliament was dissolved.  Consider adding to that to include the changes on inheritance tax, with immediate effect.

These actions need to be put into place now.  With such a slim majority, there is every need to get these underway and while the opposition are focused on internal struggles, recrimination and power-plays, what better opportunity?

GE2015 Part Two

I hesitate to write this as I don't want to promote complacency but......

Not exactly scientific but in my recent travels around England and Scotland I have been struck by the almost complete absence of political posters in houses and front gardens.  Pleasingly, the ones I have seen most though, (please keep this from Lynton Crosby and George Osborne) are for Conservatives.

Driving in Scotland - through the Borders and on to Aberdeen - the ratio of Conservative posters, in fields usually, to those of other parties was quite significant.  I suppose that many of the 55% who voted against further independence for Scotland, in last year's referendum, worry about being intimidated by the thuggish Scottish Nationalist supporters and that is undoubtedly a factor but one has to wonder what else is causing this lack of political 'heart on sleeve' wearing.

Anyway, could it be a sign that the pollsters are wrong and the Conservatives might gain more seats, dare I say it, even a majority?  Let us hope so!

The Conservatives should really be in a much stronger position in the opinion polls.

• Unemployment is low, certainly in comparison to our European partners (though still too high for young people).
• Employment is at an all-time high and has, to some extent been re-balanced over the last five years.  A million less Public sector workers less and two million Private sector more.
• The economy is growing quite strongly - please don't tell the Greens - they are anti-growth (except in terms of growing taxes and growing spending)
• The Conservatives have promised a re-negotiation of the terms of membership of the European Union and a referendum on the outcome - realistically, this is something only they can offer.  UKIP cannot and Labour and the Lib Dems, won't.
• Taxes are being cut and millions of low-paid people are being completely lifted out of taxation due to the raising of the tax-free allowances.
• Public spending is back under control and projected to decrease further towards a healthier and more sustainable level.
• The deficit is on a downward trajectory and, if the Conservatives are re-elected, should be essentially eliminated during the next Parliament.
• The Conservatives even managed to pay-off some of the National Debt during the last Parliament - 1914-18 war debt.  Not a lot but a step in the right direction!

So why aren't the Conservatives in a commanding lead?

Labour is represented by people who are still intimately linked to the previous government that left Britain's finances in such a parlous state.  They are led by the seemingly buffoonish Ed Miliband ( check out YouTube - Ed Miliband and bacon sandwich!) however he seems to have escaped any more gaffes, so far, and clearly has a ruthless streak.

The big threat of course is the collapse of Labour in its Scottish heartlands and their replacement by the SNP.  Nicole Sturgeon has fought a good campaign and, if the polls are to be believed, stands a good chance of having the SNP as the 'kingmaker' at Westminster.  (See also here ).  There is a concerted effort, now underway, for people in Scotland, especially those 55% No voters, to vote tactically and switch their votes to the Conservatives or Lib Dems in an effort to keep out the Nationalists. If you see any tweets pushing the voting wheel, please encourage your Scots friends to vote tactically - you know it makes sense!

Again, so why aren't the Conservatives in a commanding lead?

UKIP is taking votes from Conservatives and will undoubtedly win some seats (my prediction is currently in the 8-15 range (with 10 being my best guess) but again, UKIP cannot hope to gain power and so, if you are a potential UKIP voter, do consider voting tactically and where UKIP are clearly splitting the vote such that Labour can come through the middle, then do the right thing and vote Conservative,  It is the only way you have a chance of an EU referendum!  Of course, this also requires Conservatives to act similarly responsible.  The mantra is ABEAN - Anyone but Ed and Nicola!

I do hope that post election, the Conservatives whether in power or not, will take the time to examine the media output from the BBC.  I have spoken previously of the left-wing bias of the BBC, as have many others - many of their commentators and interviewers are clearly left-leaning - but this time they have excelled and been very blatant.  They keep parroting the 'austerity' line pushed by the parties of the left - that is all parties except the Conservatives and maybe UKIP - when the BBC, know, particularly through their foreign correspondents, that what Britain has experienced is only the mildest form of cuts.  Look at youth unemployment in Greece or Spain, ask pensioners in those countries what has happened to their pensions and their living standards and then compare, as any decent news organisation would, against what has occurred in the UK!    Britain has categorically NOT experienced austerity but if we elect a Socialist government on May 7 or one that depends on SNP support, then it is surely only a matter of time, before the bailiffs come calling and Britain finds itself in a Greece-like position.

The English Vow

Immediately prior to voting commencing for the Scottish Referendum, UK political leaders issued a so called 'vow'.  This promised certain changes to the constitutional settlement, post vote, should a No vote be achieved.  Subsequently, the Smith Commission has convened and published a report on the devolution of further powers to the Edinburgh parliament.

What though of the English?  Where is the 'vow' for them?

It is clear that the Scottish Nationalists, who despite losing the referendum seem to be the party that is in a rampant ascendancy in Scotland,  intend to be very meddlesome in English and UK politics.  There is a certain irony in a party that wants no part of the UK being committed to becoming so heavily involved in those self-same politics.  However, this hypocrisy is then compounded when the SNP announce that they will, in the next parliament intend to participate very frequently in UK and English politics and will use their parliamentary right, to vote on purely English matters.   So for the SNP, they would not extend their 'Scottish votes for Scottish matters' to the English.

The SNP have already stated that they could not conceive of forming any kind of a coalition with the Conservatives, so that means they could only get into bed with Labour.  Irony heaps upon irony since the SNP are probably the second largest barrier to Labour achieving an outright majority at Westminster.  The biggest barrier is the Labour party itself - economically incompetent and very badly led are just two of the factors.

How about a new 'vow' ?  One signed-up to by the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Lib-Dems, UKIP and the Green parties?  One that guarantees, on a cross-party basis, that following the May 2015 General Election, an English equivalent of the Smith Commission would be convened to address the issue of English matters within the UK parliamentary system - perhaps looking at English Devolution.  I consider myself a Unionist but the reality is that right now, the constitutional settlement that is currently in play, is so biased against the English  and England that it should not continue.

It cannot be right that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland MPs can vote on matters affecting the English NHS or English education etc., but cannot vote on those same matters within their own constituencies.

This isn't about a particular economic or environmental policy on which we could expect the parties to differ.  This is about making sure that the rights and views of those living within England are appropriately  represented and considered.  I suppose 'party politics' might intrude when the proposed commission looks at issues like the anti-English Barnett Formula are considered but the necessary review of this no-longer appropriate legislation would require a UK based approach rather than solely being an 'English' matter.

 So how about it David, Ed, Nick, Nigel and Natalie?  How about a pledge to the people of the largest country in the United Kingdom?  One that says that the views of the people from the largest constituent part of the United Kingdom, will no longer be ignored.