BNP in Reading

For the first time since coming to live in this town over 10 years ago, I came home today & found some BNP electoral literature had been posted through my letter box.

To the best of my knowledge, the far right had never had a great foothold in Reading and I do not recall ever having seen a BNP candidate standing in any of our wards in the local council elections.

I may be accused of bashing the local Labour group on occasion and anyone who reads my blog knows that Socialism in all its guises is not really my cup of tea. I’ve had a few labour supporters comment on my blog and disagree with what I say, that’s fine it’s what a healthy political debate is all about.

However, when it comes to political views based on the colour of a man’s skin, this can have no basis for debate or any role in our democratic system of Government. No matter how they try to dress it up we are dealing here with the politics of racial hatred and the literature which came through my door has only one place, the rubbish bin.

Lets send these people a clear message through the ballot box, ‘you’re not welcome in Reading so don’t bother coming back.

Teachers Leaving? Its The Children Stupid!

How the resignation of 95 teachers from Reading Schools can be explained by the bad behaviour of pupils is beyond belief.

For years now, the education of our children in this borough has been a subject at the bottom of the priority list for the Labour administration and fully in line with the apparent policy of ignoring those who need the most from our council in terms of support.

Bad behaviour by children in a school classroom is not new, it has been going on since schooling as we know it began. What has changed, is that teachers are no longer given the support to deal with bad behaviour by those that manage them or, it must be said, by parents.

In addition, it should be noted that this borough has been very keen to foist children with special educational needs on the mainstream school system, without giving the teaching staff the necessary training and facilities to meet the child’s needs.

Rather than trying to blame the children, lets look at how education and all of the council children’s services are managed. More to the point who is managing them.

It’s like everything else in life, change needs to start from the top.

Meanwhile Back In The Real World

I think that Gordon Brown must be enjoying the furore surrounding MP’s expenses as the real news on how the current Labour administration continues to mismanage the economy is kicked into the long grass.

Well just to bring one & all up to date:

Tribunal appeals, by people trying to claim additional benefits are costing you & I, the tax payer over £150 Million per year. Claimants win their cases simply because Government & Local Council Officials fail to appear at the tribunals to contest the cases.

Private Rail companies are set to receive over £100 Million in 2009 & £300 Million in 2010 of tax payers money, because this Government agreed to cover their operating shortfalls in the event of lower passenger numbers.

And finally, if this was not enough. Good old Gordon & the boys at No10 are thinking up even more ways of taxing us. Current ideas in vogue are taxes on currency transactions and additional levies on mobile phone calls. I should point out that this is being couched as an international effort to help developing economies.

Go on Gordon, pull the other one it’s got bells on.

Clearing the Decks

Bracknell Conservative MP Andrew MacKay has announced that he is to stand down at the next general election.

Whilst there can be no excuses for claiming the second home allowance at the same time as his MP wife, at least Mackay has recognised that for the good of British Politics, he had to go.

It is a great shame that the likes of Hazel Blears cannot come to the same conclusion.

Getting The Message To Gordon

Well it looks like the allegation from the local Liberals, that Labour & the Tories enjoy a cosy relationship is not manifesting itself on the doorstep at least.

Tyler understands that Reading East Conservatives, have heeded their leaders call and started a local petition demanding that Gordon Brown dissolves Parliament and holds a general election.

The petition first appeared last night in Thames ward, where the Tories were campaigning for the European Elections and apparently got over 100 signatures of support in less than 2 hours.

Maybe we could organise one for Comrade Lovelock & the rest of the Politburo down in Redinski Square.

The Magnificent 6.5

They came riding into the council chamber all guns blazing to run the bad guys outa town.

Whilst I do admire the spirit of Kirsten Bayes and the rest of the Liberal Magnificent Six and a bit, the execution leaves a little to be desired.

It’s the ballot box that’s going to send this bunch of bad guys up to Boot Hill, not a publicity shootout for the papers.

Labour Reaches Its Sell By Date

About the only true thing that Tony Blair ever said was that, ‘every Politician has a shelf life.’

After recent events, I believe that is true for the 640 or so that currently inhabit the Palace of Westminster. That does not mean that they should all go & never come back, but it does mean a reselection process is an essential element in restoring the credibility of the governing chamber in this country.

Despite his increasingly futile attempts at today’s Prime Ministers question time to sound the credible leader of a credible Government, he must now accept the fact that the British People have in effect withdrawn their support for the current Parliament and it has lost its mandate to govern.

Although it can be said of opposition leaders, that they will always be looking for opportunities to call a general election, in this case David Cameron is entirely justified and is acting as the voice of the people.

In many ways what we see now is the culmination of Labour misrule for over a decade. When Tony Blair stood aside for his Chancellor, it was only a matter of time before the New Labour mask slipped and the hard Left re-emerged to tax this country into oblivion.

But the plan never worked, because the new master lacked the required skills of a leader, the new government lacked political ability and the train hit the buffers. What the expense scandal has done is to bring this into sharper focus.

Gordon Brown knows nothing can save him as Prime Minister and every Labour MP knows that they will not form the next Government. For once, Brown must put ego & self interest aside. For the good of democracy he must call the election that will see David Cameron become the next Leader of this country and the Conservative Party the next Government.