Your country needs you

I try to keep my blog for spiritual and theological ramblings. But it's my blog and my rules. So today I'm dipping in to the murky world of politics.

I didn't hear much of David Cameron's speech to the Tory Conference last week and have read it this morning on The Guardian web site http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/06/david-cameron-speech-tory-conference

Here are my thoughts and observations on his words of wisdom.

"The end of a Labour government that had done so much damage."

Even a devoted Labour supporter such as me wouldn't claim a perfect record. The Iraq fiasco being a prime example. But is reducing NHS waiting times damage? Reducing class sizes damage? Yes the deficit is damaging but why did this come about? Becasue of the need to bail out banks. If Labour had done nothgin to help the banks what kind of mess would we be in now?

Cameron listed the things that the ConDems have achieved so far. These included:

"Corporation tax – cut. The jobs tax – axed. Police targets – smashed. Immigration – capped. The third runway – stopped. Home Information Packs – dropped. Fat cat salaries – revealed. ID Cards – abolished. The NHS – protected. Our aid promise – kept."

As it happens dropping HIPS and the ID card I'm in favour of. But to claim the NHS is protected? How? Letting GPs run it will protect it will it? No. GPs will let outside agencies run it. Privatization by the back door.

"The mess this country is in – it's not all because of Labour....Of course, they must take some of the blame.... They left us with massive debts, the highest deficit, overstretched armed forces, demoralised public services, endless ridiculous rules and regulations and quangos and bureaucracy and nonsense."

Dave, you think you inherited demoralised public services? Well you've certainly cheered them up with 25% cuts looming haven't you? The massive debts come from bailing out the banks. And Dave didn't you support Labour spending plans up to 2008 - just before the banking crisis. What I'd like to know but you'll never tell us is what would be the deficit without the banking bail out?

And then we get on to the stuff abut "pulling together" and "we're all in it together" etc etc.

"We can build a country defined not by the selfishness of the Labour years but by the values of mutual responsibility that this party holds dear. A country defined not by what we consume but by what we contribute. A country, a society where we say: I am not alone. I will play my part. I will work with others to give Britain a brand new start."

Who did so much to demolish society and bring in selfish individualism Dave? Margaret Thatcher. You don't like mentioning her do you?

"The big society is not about creating cover for cuts. I was going on about it years before the cuts. It's not government abdicating its role, it is government changing its role."

Yeah right. It's funny how about a week before your speech Nottingham PCT announced it would be axing chaplaincy posts to save money. No doubt thinking that churches and other faith groups will step in and supply chaplains free of charge. That's the Big Society at work. http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=101118

And where are all these people queueing up to volunteer Dave? And volunteer to do what? "I've got an estate car so I'll collect the rubbish for our street" is that what you mean?

"Our emergency budget showed the world that Britain is back on the path of fiscal responsibility. It took us out of the danger zone – and the man we have to thank for that is George Osborne."

Is that the same George Osborne who announced he would cur child benefit for higher rate tax payers but hadn't realised that households where two people earn slightly less than higher rate tax threshold would still be eligible for child benefit. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/04/george-osborne-under-fire-welfare Well done George. Genius.

"Fairness means giving money to help the poorest in society. People who are sick, who are vulnerable, the elderly – I want you to know we will always look after you. That's the sign of a civilised society, and it's what I believe.

But you can't measure fairness just by how much money we spend on welfare, as though the poor are products with a price tag, the more we spend on them the more we value them.

Fairness means supporting people out of poverty, not trapping them in dependency."

Fine words Dave. but what do they mean? How will you achieve this?

"Your country needs you. It takes two. It takes two to build that strong economy. We'll balance the budget, we'll boost enterprise, but you start those businesses that lead us to growth.

It takes two to build that big society. We'll reform public services, we'll devolve power, but you step forward to seize the opportunity."

Ah yes. Conjure up the words of Lord Kitchener. Rally the troops and then send them over the top to get mown down in the gunfire of a double dip recession.