My Deep, Dark Secret
I have a deep, dark secret. It’s something I keep to myself. I haven’t told anyone, not my friends, my parents, certainly not my sons.
Every Saturday, early evening, for about the past six or seven weeks I’ve been indulging myself in something that I’m little ashamed of. I don’t know why (well, I do), as on the face of it it’s wholesome and innocent but, the truth is, they all drag thoughts and feelings out of me that are far from wholesome, far from innocent. All of them.
They all care about it so much. It means so much to each one of them. Each of them puts every last part of their heart and soul into doing the very best they can. I sit through the whole show weeping gently at their sincerity, their effort, their charm, how pretty they are.
Quattro Formaggi
Yes it’s true, it’s truly pathetic. I am besotted. Each one of them is truly delightful, one minute ingenue, next minute vamp, all so very, very talented.
They are the girls of “Over The Rainbow”, Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s latest audition show to find Dorothy for The Wizard of Oz.
They are all gorgeous and I think I must be a dirty old man!
Eenie, Meanie, Minie, Mo – Drugs Policy? That’ll Be Lib Dem!
Only now is the depth and breadth of David Cameron’s coup becoming clear. He has swept aside all the old politics and we voted for exactly what he has given us. Hail to the Chief!
It’s true that now he can dump those old Tory policies that no one really wanted and we can take the good ones from the Lib Dems –
God's Herb
none more so than their drugs policy.
The Lib Dems are very, very close to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation which, however it describes itself, promotes a radical right wing solution to the drugs problem – legalise, regulate, tax.
This might seem a second tier, lower priority issue until you consider that most organised crime and virtually all street crime is caused, promoted and maintained by the illegality of drugs.
Legalise all drugs, regulate and tax their supply. You pull the rug from under organised crime and you take away the need for nearly all street crime. You massively reduce the harm caused by drugs. You take perhaps £10 billion out of the black economy. You save several billion more on law enforcement costs.
It’s a no brainer for anyone who has the courage and common sense to think about it. I hope Theresa May is listening – and thinking.
An Obama Of Change
What extraordinary times. An Obama of change. For my father, myself and my sons, across three generations, British politics has never been through such drama.
Everything now remains to be seen but these are the “broad, sunlit uplands”. I think it is crucial that we have faith in the good intent of the government. A spirit of optimism, trust and co-operation has characterised these last few days. Let’s hope it continues.
Now the work begins.
Nick Clegg
Well there you go then!
Who? Me?
What a day!
The big winner is Nick Clegg.
Imagine, “noone had heard of him” before the first leaders debate. Tonight he is Deputy Prime Minister!
This is a huge personal triumph, surely reserving his place in history as he could never have dreamed.
Clegg Close To Cocking It Up
I’m really fearful that Clegg is close to cocking it all up. He’s managed to retain a great deal of goodwill throughout this election campaign but now he seems to be losing the plot. He promised the country that he would deal with the Tories first but in fact he’s been double dealing. This will rightly infuriate those on the Tory right who have gone much, much further than might have been expected. Clegg needs to get back to the principled position he originally held and do the deal with the Tories. If not there will be no bigger loser than Clegg himself.
There Can Only Be One Choice For Clegg
If Nick Clegg chooses Labour then he will be consigning this country to disaster and his own reputation and integrity to the dustbin.
Stop Dithering!
There can be no other choice than the Conservatives. David Cameron is clearly the prime minister that the country wants. The country has rejected Labour and the mathematics of a Lib Dem/Labour coalition simply do not work.
Clegg now needs to stop dithering, push back the sandals and socks soft socialists in his own party and choose the future that the country needs.
The Labour Leadership
Please, not David Milliband. He’s far, far too credible. Not Alan Johnson either. Apart from his catastrophe over cannabis, he’s a man I can admire.
We want Harriet Harman or Ed Balls! The choice is delightful and makes me salivate at the very thought of either of these jokers heading up the Labour Party. That would be the funniest thing in politics since Spitting Image!
Shusshh! Quiet…
Vote Ed! Vote Harriet!
Tories Need Electoral Reform Too
I would have thought it was obvious after the unsatisfactory result of this election that Tories need electoral reform too. It should definitely not be a dealbreaker between the Tories and Lib Dems. In fact, I’ll go further, David Cameron should offer a referendum on the issue – why not?
A redrawing of constituency boundaries so that each seat has the same number of voters would in itself be a more proportional form of representation. I also think that a fixed term of office would lead to fairer and more sensible government.
David Cameron has an opportunity now to become prime minister and usher in a new, fairer, brighter politics. If he misses this chance then he will have let down the British people as well as the Tory party and himself. Brown, at last, thank God, is gone. At least we can be grateful for that and, yes, eventually, he did find some dignity in his defeat.
Peter Reynolds 