political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
I Agree With Lord Rennard
Lord Rennard has just described the appointment of Jonathan Oates as the Party's new Director of Policy and Communications as "one of the toughest jobs in British politics". He's not wrong.
Indeed. Working for a party which actually has policies to communicate, rather than just occasional grunts about hoodies is inevitably going to be time consuming.
Do the Tories have policies now then? Well, yes, they do actually. For example, Ealing Conservatives are against freedom passes (free bus and tube travel) for the elderly. Check out Phil Taylor, Ealing - wants Freedom Passes taken away for details.
Anon: 7.39, yes, they have policies, and Iain epitomises them, they are (1) we don't like taxes, (2) but we want tax money to be spent on things we like, such as wars and giving money to rich people, (3) some very rich people, mostly press barons and city traders as well as some criminals (mostly writers living in penthouses with women called Mary) shouldn't pay any tax and (4) press owners like Iain, the Evening Standard, etc, don't like criticism and want to reserve the right to smear and to suppress anyone who doesn't like that.
None of which seems to matter, Ken gets more votes last time than anyone in Britain apart from the Prime Minister and Iain gets, well, none at all actually so far.
Anon 8:37, perfectly true about the press barons and taxes, it's worth running a newspaper just to avoid tax in the UK - must be the only offshore tax haven actually based in Canary Wharf! However, I hardly think Iain's blog and online TV site qualify him as a "press baron" just yet.
Going to Iain's ads on Ken Livingstone, could one of them include the famous query on the BBC of a previous Tory London Mayoral candidate?
"'Oh, yes, the BBC. You're very fair. "What do you think of Jeffrey Archer, Mr Crick?" Clip, clip clip. Just you wait until I'm Mayor of London. Then you'll see!'"
Freedom passes - it's always struck me as odd that multi-millionaires get free public transport simply by being over 65, while struggling students or working mothers or whoever don't. Forty years ago, age may have been a good proxy for poverty, but it is no longer. Some old people genuinely miss a few pounds on bus and train fares, but lots do not.
If you can think of a good reason why an aged millionaire should get free public transport simply because s/he was born in the early forties, I'm willing to hear it.
you could say millionaires also benefit from NHS, schools and police. Where would you draw the line about how much a pensioner would need to have before we took away their free travel. Bear in mind many will only have their savings and pensions to rely on for up to thirty years..
"If you can think of a good reason why an aged millionaire should get free public transport simply because s/he was born in the early forties, I'm willing to hear it."
Well the next time I'm sitting next to Rupert Murdoch on the nightbus home I'll ask him. In the mean time, don't hold your breath.
Are you really advocating means testing for bus passes?
His first job ought to be a swift kick up the backside to those who insist on being dreadfully slow to formulate policy. As we have heard today, image and presentation alone are doing nothing to win friends in the North, where plenty of seats need to be reharvested!
The fact is that the LibDems have stalled under Ming, and he is the problem. Getting their party moving with him in charge will be a huge challenge, Rennard was right, and that was almost certainly the subtext behind his comments.
16 comments:
Indeed. Working for a party which actually has policies to communicate, rather than just occasional grunts about hoodies is inevitably going to be time consuming.
You really should be a stand-up comedian.
Captain Oates, is it?
Do the Tories have policies now then? Well, yes, they do actually. For example, Ealing Conservatives are against freedom passes (free bus and tube travel) for the elderly. Check out Phil Taylor, Ealing - wants Freedom Passes taken away for details.
Other Tory policy ideas welcomed!
Anon: 7.39, yes, they have policies, and Iain epitomises them, they are (1) we don't like taxes, (2) but we want tax money to be spent on things we like, such as wars and giving money to rich people, (3) some very rich people, mostly press barons and city traders as well as some criminals (mostly writers living in penthouses with women called Mary) shouldn't pay any tax and (4) press owners like Iain, the Evening Standard, etc, don't like criticism and want to reserve the right to smear and to suppress anyone who doesn't like that.
None of which seems to matter, Ken gets more votes last time than anyone in Britain apart from the Prime Minister and Iain gets, well, none at all actually so far.
If he can get across the concept of voting LD rather than casting a vote for Cons thereby cutting out the middleman (Dave) he will do well.
Anon 8:37, perfectly true about the press barons and taxes, it's worth running a newspaper just to avoid tax in the UK - must be the only offshore tax haven actually based in Canary Wharf! However, I hardly think Iain's blog and online TV site qualify him as a "press baron" just yet.
Going to Iain's ads on Ken Livingstone, could one of them include the famous query on the BBC of a previous Tory London Mayoral candidate?
"'Oh, yes, the BBC. You're very fair. "What do you think of Jeffrey Archer, Mr Crick?" Clip, clip clip. Just you wait until I'm Mayor of London. Then you'll see!'"
Alas Iain, with Dave supplying a perpetual stream of comedy gold, I fear I couldn't compete.
Freedom passes - it's always struck me as odd that multi-millionaires get free public transport simply by being over 65, while struggling students or working mothers or whoever don't. Forty years ago, age may have been a good proxy for poverty, but it is no longer. Some old people genuinely miss a few pounds on bus and train fares, but lots do not.
If you can think of a good reason why an aged millionaire should get free public transport simply because s/he was born in the early forties, I'm willing to hear it.
you could say millionaires also benefit from NHS, schools and police. Where would you draw the line about how much a pensioner would need to have before we took away their free travel. Bear in mind many will only have their savings and pensions to rely on for up to thirty years..
Anonymous said
"If you can think of a good reason why an aged millionaire should get free public transport simply because s/he was born in the early forties, I'm willing to hear it."
Well the next time I'm sitting next to Rupert Murdoch on the nightbus home I'll ask him. In the mean time, don't hold your breath.
Are you really advocating means testing for bus passes?
Joanthan Oates is a Berk - see my latest post (entitled Jonathan Oates is a Berk) at http://fromletterman.blogspot.com/
His first job ought to be a swift kick up the backside to those who insist on being dreadfully slow to formulate policy. As we have heard today, image and presentation alone are doing nothing to win friends in the North, where plenty of seats need to be reharvested!
The fact is that the LibDems have stalled under Ming, and he is the problem. Getting their party moving with him in charge will be a huge challenge, Rennard was right, and that was almost certainly the subtext behind his comments.
As ever, keep up the good work Iain.
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