Month: October 2017

The Labour Party need to reinstate Clause IV

The Labour Party need to reinstate Clause IV of the Labour Party Constitution in order to bind members to a common purpose and understanding of what Socialism actually represents to the Labour Party. At the moment we have a situation of chaos where each member seems to have a different interpretation of socialism there seems to be a lack of common understanding. The very meaning and understanding of socialism is open to interpretation in today’s Labour Party. This is an ill advised system in my opinion. In the past members knew instinctively where the Labour Party’s values were and they knew what was meant when referring to socialism. After Blair this all changed and there is now mass confusion and this is reflected in the mass confusion regarding the overall direction of the Party. The idea that socialism is an system of economic principles and values has seemingly been rather too conveniently forgotten about, and when many members refer to socialism they are simply referring to notions of fairness relative to the other political parties. Simply being nice and fair and listening to the opinions of others is not socialism. It should not be forgotten that socialism is actually a set of economic principles designed to bring about a greater distribution of wealth in an economic system and is something that challenges the notions of Adam Smith’s ideas regarding Capitalism. Socialism counters the greed of a purely Capitalist System of Economics and it gives people a stake in society through the benefits of the State owning some part of the economic system in order to obtain capital for the investment for the good of all the country’s citizens. In particular the key industries it targets are those that are essential for the running of the country such as Energy Supply and Transport. These are the key industries which socialism targets to generate capital for re-investment in the country’s health provision (NHS), to reduce the burden of taxation on the individual and to support local essential services, police and council provisions etc.

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China gives socialism a bad name

Socialism is not commonly a word I would associate with China yet the BBC seem to be using it. This association is bad press for socialism in the UK. Socialism is a set of ideas based upon economic principles to ensure economic fairness. Socialism is therefore just a set of economic principles. In China, by contrast, the state own everything – well all the infrastructure of the Country. China is not a model for Socialism. Socialism in its purely economic interpretation would not seek to erase democracy or political debate. In China there is no political debate tolerated – it is a One Party System and as such it is undemocratic. This is really just Communism or Totalitarianism going under the guise of being socialist. There is no dissent and no contrary opinion allowed and those that do are dealt with severely and not tolerated. People in the UK should not base their ideas or opinions about socialism on what is happening in China at the present time.

Competition is the way forward for the public ownership of Gas and Electricity in Britain

A sure fire way to get the utilities and railways back into public ownership and the less costly way of achieving this.

Yes I admire the ambition of the Labour Party Manifesto and it’s aim to get the Gas and Electricity utilities and railways back into public ownership. Success of this would lead to a more prosperous and fairer Britain and it would be the start of a new era for Britain. Yes it is high time to reverse the failed privatisations of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and this would be a move which would put Britain on track again. However the scale and the cost of the task is dauntingly enormous and Thatcher knew how difficult it would be to ever go backwards. She tried to make her privatisations irreversible in an attempt to frustrate any attempts to ever develop socialism in Britain. She thought that she had had the final word but despite this there was a fundamental flaw in her plan and one which the Labour Party could exploit if it is savvy enough.

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The real cost of Energy in Britain

We all know that we are paying too much for Gas, Electricity and Rail. But few think or understand the real cost of having these industries remain in private ownership. The cost to Britain and to British Citizens’s is immense. Whilst the profit’s from these industries are obscene and all drain away to the shareholders or owners whilst they could be working for Britain to improve the NHS for example or reducing the fiscal deficit that the Tories are so keen to bang on about. They could even be used to reduce the tax burden on the citizen’s of the UK and to improve public services. Think about it – where does all this money go and who is paying the price – well the answer to that is simple as long as these industries remain in the private sector rather than the public sector then they will not be working for us all – only for the few and the privileged who will continue to exploit our ignorance or apathy regarding the true cost of Energy. Competition, market forces and numerous watchdogs have done nothing at all to improve the situation. Customers have seen no benefits at all from the empty promises of the successive Tory Governments. The privatisation of these industries has proved to be a failed experiment for which every UK citizen has been paying the price ever since. All we have been left with are bewildering pricing structures and leaving consumers to waste their time wandering down dead-end streets looking for the best deals – which simply don’t exist.

So do let’s something about it let’s put in a government that supports a move towards public ownership of these industries. Give Britain what it needs – a future. Britain’s  successful future lies in adopting a more socialist economic model one that works for the benefit of all of us. The Tories are preventing this from happening so it’s time for them to move aside to bring in a new successful future for Britain.

Conservative’s Party Conference shows that they lack: credibility, imagination and unity and that they are terrified of Corbyn

The Conservative Party Conference has left them looking embarrassingly weak. Seeming to lack any imagination, unity and credibility they are struggling to convince both themselves and the public they represent a credible government working for the benefit of Great Britain. The obvious truth of the matter is that they don’t. They claim to be championing the working people: they don’t. This is old rhetoric that we heard when  the Prime Minister, Theresa May, took over from David Cameron after he ran away unceremoniously embarrassed by his huge political gamble that had exploded in his face.

So we have heard it all before and the recent General Election 2017 showed that the public will not swallow it either. So the Conservative Party Conference sees them trying to win the same argument in which they have already been embarrassingly defeated. What this Conference has shown is that the Conservatives are unimaginative with no real vision for the future of Great Britain. They are unwilling to tackle head on the main issues which effect the British Public namely: huge profiteering of the utility providers, high rail fares, welfare, the NHS, and where the British Economy will be post Brexit. These are the issues to which the British Public want real change and real answers and these are the areas where there is high public dissatisfaction. Instead the Conservatives remain totally uninspiring, seemingly attempting to convince us they they represent the interests of working people and the working classes whilst doing very little to deserve this high accolade that they have foisted upon themselves. Well the public will not be deceived and duped so easily especially by a political party that cannot even manage their own conference properly. No the Conservative Party Conference 2017 has shown us that they are not united – they are divided and that Theresa May is not strong enough to cope with the dissidence within her own Party and in particular she is unwilling and unable to discipline it’s loose cannon:Boris Johnson. But what this week has shown most of all is that they are totally terrified of Jeremy Corbyn and of Socialism in particular. Reference the speech of the Chancellor of Exchequer- Phillip Hammond on 03/10/17. This  speech shows how much the Tories are fearfulness of socialism and fairness for Great Britain. They have little answer to it other than to pretend that they themselves represent fairness and prosperity but in truth they do not. So fearful are the Conservatives and this is indicated by the amount of time and reference he gave to attacking Jeremy Corbyn and his policies on a very personal level. By default this showed a great fear for what Mr Corbyn represents to his followers and in the long run it only served to give Mr Corbyn even more kudos.

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Come to Hull and see the Clowns

All throughout this City of Culture year the Clowns of Hull will be performing on Holderness Rd in Hull giving regular evening performances. This show takes place nightly near the Woodford Leisure Centre and near to the Skate Park and it is something not to be missed. The Clowns provide a regular spectacle performing death defying feats and tricks that more often than not require a high level of audience participation whether you like it or not. If you are passing you just can’t help getting involved yourself. The Clowns provide the tricks and entertainment as they cycle down the wrong side of carriageway towards oncoming traffic with no lights on their stunt cycles and wearing only dark clothing. This is a stunt that only Clowns would be capable of doing. They cycle towards oncoming traffic in death defying stunts pulling wheelies and sometimes they will even perform this as a group act. They will pounce out in front of traffic at a moments notice. It takes you by surprise I can tell you and you have to keep your wits about you when you visit this spectacle.  Not only do these Clowns put their own lives at risk for your entertainment – they put yours at risk as well and basically anyone passing by at the time. You just cannot help yourself you have to get involved. So come and see this spectacle it’s all a part of the regular entertainment taking place as a part of the City of Culture events this year – and it’s absolutely free. If you are intending to come and see the Clowns well why not bring a policeman with you if you can find one which is yet another piece of entertainment in our City during the City of Culture year.

Boris Johnson – the Fly that wants his own dung heap

Theresa May has again shown her incompetence to be the Prime Minister in a decision that she took as far back as when she took office. Namely the appointment of Boris Johnson to her cabinet. Seemingly at the time this was a move that resurrected the doomed Mr Johnson. My previous article (18th July 2016) made at the time covered some of the assumed motivations behind this surprising decision to re-appoint Boris the Annoying Fly back into political office. It now appears that I may have been wrong and the more ridiculous explanation would be that she – actually believed that he could do the job of Foreign Secretary – a job role that requires both sensitivity and diplomacy. Of course, well why not because these are exactly the qualities that one would most likely associate with Boris Johnson – aren’t they?

However it now seems that Theresa May completely under-estimated the annoying insect’s abilities to show the levels of dis-loyalty that he has shown of late. Mr Johnson has now paid her back with his new dis-loyalties which have been timed to undermine Theresa May at a crucial time in what seems like the start of a new leadership challenge and  an embarrassingly blatant attempt at self promotion.

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