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Archive for the ‘Reform and Change’ Category

Reforming the Lords is always a “biggie” for the Left simply because they are called “Lords” but the reality is that today they are just the “Village Elders” in a very peculiar and British way. Broadly speaking and in an advisory capacity with no real powers, they do a good job as a revising chamber.

There have been calls for over 100 years to abolish or radically to reform the Lords but all attempts have come to nought largely. In fact the most radical thing to have happened apart from reducing their powers to delaying legislation only, was the Blair Government banishing most of the hereditary Peers from sitting in the House of Lords. As things currently stand there is no case for reform of the Lords, it would be a retrograde step in terms of governance.

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There were a number of interesting articles in The Economist on Scottish Independence and one was quite amusing: http://www.economist.com/node/21552572 “The economics of home rule: Scotland could probably go it alone now, but the economics of independence are steadily worsening”.

Quite hilariously I got involved in a “comments war” in the reader’s comments section but I must confess that whilst Scots Nats always have a chip on their shoulders, I really didn’t realise what had set them off until the next day. Because I read on line, I didn’t see the “tongue in cheek” map of Scotland the Economist had put on its cover which along with the headline “It will cost you…” also renamed it Skintland…

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As I have expressed previously, “gay marriages” are not really of much concern to me because it is really a cosmetic name change which socially will have no impact on society at large. My one strong reservation given what happened to Catholic Adoption Agencies is that there must be an unequivocal and legally binding undertaking that IF gay marriage passes into Law, there can be no question of a “Right to Marry in/on Religious Premises”.

The rather smug Lynne Featherstone has declared and emphasised that if civil marriages for gay couples were allowed, it would “not force anyone on religious premises to marry same-sex couples.” She added that she wanted to make that “crystal clear.” Now in France that has been made crystal clear by a ruling of the ECHR and Ms Featherstone is shown as totally wrong in her presumptions.

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It often seems that the basic requirement for a politician is to be totally stupid as is clearly demonstrated by the uttering s of both Lynne Featherstone and Nick Herbert on the question of gay marriage who are displaying the same degree of arrogance over this issue as Gordon Brown did over the Lisbon Treaty. It seems the biggest problem with the average MP once they get a red dispatch box is that they think they can walk on water and become bullies to the rest of us.

I have often fought David Cameron’s corner with the awful denizens of the Telegraph’s comments section because my view was that he was a decent fellow and a “One Nation Tory” but sadly, I am coming to the view that I may be wrong he seems constantly “behind the curve” on so many things, he will need a lot luck to get a second term, is for sure, he is starting to look wobbly.

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My Father used to joke: “When I was 16, I thought that my Father was the most ignorant man on the planet. By the time I was 20, I found it amazing just how much he had learned in 4 years.” We all as teenagers think we know it all, that we have “discovered sex” and our parents could not possibly understand anything about it…

It is in this sense that the furore about “Gay Marriage” totally mirrors the idiocy of politicians ever keen “to do something” and blind to reality and a proper appreciation of the past. Miss Featherstone says the Government has a right to change the definition of marriage and pledges to challenge those who “want to leave tradition alone”, which amounts to one of the silliest things any politician could say because, “It is not in your gift either Madam, the definition belongs to our culture, not Parliament !”

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Given all the current “noise” over the Governments NHS ‘Reforms’, one cannot but have a sneaking feeling that the very loud opposition from the medical people who work inside the NHS and have been given ample opportunities to present their case through the various consultation periods, has all the signs of people resisting change at any price and smacks of “their self interests” rather than anything else.

The real issue though, extends beyond the NHS and reaches into every major spending department that any government has. The critical element or the question to be answered is: “How can any government get sound and unbiased technical advice, what kind of ‘system’ could throw that advice up in a way that the public can accept as being sound and unbiased ?” In reality, the NHS Bill shines a light on this issue so, it is worth looking at…

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Whether Scotland chooses to stay in the Union or leave has fairly rapidly become one of those issues that to the average inhabitant of the UK, likely seems both self indulgent and parochial to the deluded wishes of the politicians of Scotland. Even if I were Scottish and given the current economic circumstances, would this seem the most pressing issue to be dealt with right now ? I rather suspect not.

From the perspective of the rest of the UK, Scotland holding a referendum on the issue tomorrow would be a good idea but, from the perspective of the SNP, they want to string it out as long as possible to ensure the best possible outcome for the SNP. I must say that if I were a Scot that believed in independent Scotland, I would want the vote right now not, later because I would see it as a national rather than a party political issue. Either we are ready to go or, we are not and if not, why not ?

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The starting point for debating the Honours System currently, comes from the decision to remove the Knighthood awarded to Fred Goodwin during his time at the helm of RBS. Of course, RBS as we all now know collapsed into a pile of dog’s turd that had to be rescued with a £42 billion bailout by the taxpayer because of poor management.

The then ‘Sir Fred’ fought tooth and nail to hold on to a ridiculously generous pension arrangement on leaving RBS which he very reluctantly agreed to hand back half of, eventually. It is easy to vilify all Bankers but there is a case to be answered in a ‘narrow sense’ when it seems that employees of these institutions have enriched themselves greatly whilst the people who own them, the shareholders, have seen their investments fall in value. Whatever one may think, that game is surely truly up.

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It is quite amusing to see the current furore in the Media over the SNP and a Referendum on “Scotland leaving the Union”. It is akin to the nonsense expressed by Germany and France over “preserving the Euro at any costs…”except apparently doing what is required immediately to do so. My question in both cases, keeping the Union with Scotland and keeping the Euro alive is WHY ?

If Scottish people are feeling so “inferior” to their English counterparts that the “only solution” in their minds is total Independence from the UK, then, so be it. If Germany is far too successful and therefore in effect impoverishes the “Southern Europeans”, why not split the Euro membership into two, it is only common sense after all. But politicians do get misled far too often for no doubt for well intentioned reasons but in the end mislead themselves…

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Oh Lord, here we go again, yet another numb nuts politician trying to make a name for themselves by “Reforming the House of Lords”, this time its Nick Clegg. One day it might occur to the inhabitants of the House of Commons that just as a Liberal Government tried and failed prior to the outbreak of WWI, so too has every attempt since and for good reasons, the Lords works as it is.

This doesn’t mean that the Lords hasn’t been changed over time, it has and in many ways as is right and proper, like all living things, institutions need to continually evolve to survive and adapt to changing circumstances. The problem with the brainless reformers from the Commons is they want “radical change” so that they can say; “I did this…I bent this to My will !” How idiotic can you get ?

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