The facade is slipping

Isn't it a wonder that in the passing of so little time our much heralded new-way-coalition-government has shown its true colours - a deep blue streak right through its cold barely beating heart.

The hollow manifesto commitments by the Liberal Convertocrats to "protecting front-line services" now descending, as ever they would, into cherry picking front-line services for a very real lack of protection, in fact it would be fair to say - complete neglect.

The skittles fall one by one; invalidity benefit, local authorities, devolved administrations, university places, Future Jobs, trust funds and I hear today consideration is being given to the minimum wage - although quite how that particular nemesis of all things Conservative will save the gummint money is a bit too oblique for me to fathom.  Today even the Times carried the ever so slightly critical headline "George Osborne goes for front line as efficiency savings fail to add up"  (read it quick before you have to pay!)

If you are wondering, like me, if this is the start of something very bad, that might hurt almost as much as the previous 18 year Tory debacle - another tenure which coincidentally promised to cut public sector costs and improve efficiency, and despite selling the entire housing stock and dumping the family silver in a disastrous privatisation fetish, still failed to cut public sector costs - I can confirm I think it is...

As for a commitment to freedom of speech and liberty?  That territory was clearly marked out today by Boris Johnson's decision to clear Brian Haw's protest camp, of 3279 days standing, from outside parliament - civil liberties crushed as they destroy a peaceful but no doubt painful reminder of the Tory's enthusiastic active participation in the previous administration's decision to got to war in Iraq.

Can you rewrite history, oh yeah the victors get to do that, don't they?

Super Dave and the road to Damascus

All hail Super Dave, the man who intends gift us all our little hearts have ever desired - if his suspiciously hollow sounding promises are to believed. This simple man and his rag tag band of followers, all recent Damascene converts to the cult of Dave, are planning the great reform act of the noughties and will protect spending in key territory - that which he captured from nasty New Labour in order to secure their centre left ground.

Now secure in his liberal centre left, fortified through his unholy alliance with "the party that cannot win," we can witness the start of devastation we all expected - delivered this time with the emotionless malevolent smile of a hit-man secure in the knowledge he is only doing his job, well.

Tell me sire, super leader of the Liberal Convertocrats; how did this happen? I accept that the NHS is not a holy cow, but it is a worthwhile state institution - gifted us by the last reforming government; not the Liberal/Tory government of 1920s (although it is a fact that the Liberals have been unable to get their hands on the reins of power since - and that was an important reform,) but the Labour government of 1945.  The 1940s and 50s saw a government of real reformers such as Attlee, Bevin and Beveridge, to name but a few.

There are undoubtedly places to save money in the NHS, although the experience of the last cut obsessed 18 year Tory government would not seem to back this up - medical advances cost money and save lives - reducing healthcare spending is not popular nor conducive to a progressive (ouch, that word AGAIN) health system.

As I see it there is one place that serious reductions could be made, addressing a sizable chunk of NHS spending whilst redressing a long running inequity - the terms & conditions, salaries and pensions of the elite NHS employees; consultants and doctors.  It was GPs and Consultants who stood opposed to the creation of the NHS from day one, in fact Bevin acknowledged that in order to garner their support "I stuffed their mouths with gold", subsequent governments have lacked the backbone to revisit this.  Now is the time to look at the salaries of senior clinical staff who are better paid than any other equivalent professional; a consultant starts at  £74,000 per annum and a GP at £53,000, with typical earnings up to double that - how can we justify this disparity?

Anybody got the stomach for  a bit of clinical iconoclasty?

Disclaimer: I was recently discharged from hospital after a "minor operation" which resulted in 3 weeks of fighting a post-op infection that damn near killed me.

To me, to you...

The Empire Strikes Back?

Dan Bull is quick off the mark, and I fear probably on the money.

I wonder what the usually vociferous right wing blogosphere are going to do with themselves now - I have a few suggestions...

Political party commits suicide

An allegedly liberal left wing party committed suicide tonight.  When told of its death during an interview Queen David the Mad Axewoman laughed hysterically, screeching "tonight is the night." The interviewer then asked what was happening tonight, to which she replied

The same thing we do every night, Paxman - try to take over the world!

In an entirely coincidental incident the word Progressive was found badly assaulted and close to death near Dictionary Corner earlier this evening. It is reported that the victim bore striking similarities to an innocent interviewee subject to a CIA interrogation not witnessed by MI6.

Progressive appears to have been inappropriately abused and overused - the attackers completely misinterpreting its true intent.

reported a Police spokesman, a source said.

Police are seeking information or witnesses and ask for any members of the public who may have information regarding either of these incidents to come forward and give them a clue, as they are rather busy dealing with dictionary wielding rioters burning membership cards.

'moff to bed...

I can't believe it's not Labour

In all likelihood we'll reach the conclusion of Lib Dem whore like vacillation today.  The Lib Dem ruling elite (I know, an elite LD anything is an unlikely proposition) meet this evening after which I expect Brown will quit as the Liberal Convertocrat tango begins; New Labour resigned to the place of all failed experiments - the bio hazard disposal sack.

Labour will spend a little while in opposition preoccupied with finding a new leader before facing the inevitable election as the Convertocrats revert to their constituent states.

The new Labour leader (as opposed to the New Labour leader) will almost definitely seek to re-brand the party in his own image, one more acceptable to the English electorate - just a thought;

The I can't believe it's not Labour party

 That should do it...

Edit: How prescient am I?  I've just heard Mandelson saying that he's not bitter...

I can't believe he's not bitter

Cameron leans on Nick

So the Lib Dems are now negotiating with Labour whilst Cameron watches the grains of power slip through his fingers with a look that's somewhere between panic and the anguish of a child who has had his face slapped by the playground bully - nasty Nick.

Nick on the other hand disingenuously tells us that his negotiations "have reached a critical and final phase" and Dave concurs, "it's decision time".

Remind me again Nick, who are Labour negotiating with?

Our inchoate political masters are no poker players; reminiscent as they are of some kind of upside down swan - chaotic on the surface with the all the serenity of a drowning bird drawing its last breath beneath.

Democracy by its very nature cannot satisfy the desires of the entire electorate, in this case however it looks as if it has managed a clean sweep - nobody is happy with the potential outcome(s).  As Labour supporters brief against a pact, the Lib Dems flip and flop left to right and the Tories show increasing frustration at their 11 million votes having the redemption value of fun-fair tokens, the one issue they all seem to be united on is electoral reform - why?

How would a "more representative" system solve this problem?  The one outcome we can be guaranteed from a PR/ATV/STV voting structure is more of this kind of thing; minority rule and coalitions.  Look at Europe, Scotland or Wales if you require evidence.  Somebody please tell me why, in the face of impending fiscal implosion, are we rearranging the furniture? "Because it's fairer" really doesn't cut the mustard.

If there are no decisions today I expect a minority Torygeddon government, with a half-life measured in pico-seconds.

Oh joy another election looms!

                 the all new 2010 Election version 2.0 here we come...