Pete’s got himself into a Great Depression over this! Let’s take a look around the world at right wing governments. Argentina. A basket case for decades inflation reduced from 200% to around 25%, growth 4.5%, fiscal surplus, poverty falling after an initial shock. Italy. Incredible. Now the world’s fourth largest goods exporter in the world after China, US and Germany under Meloni. United States. Illegal immigration stopped and deportations moving ahead albeit with some issues. But the point is it’s not impossible.
Tragically you are probably right but you haven't commented on the unknown which is the reaction of the 'people' as the situation in this country deteriorates.
One of the key ingredients to turning our country around is reform of our governance and democacy that turns our politicans into our servants instead of being our masters.
In 2012 The Harrogate Agenda was born, of which you were part, with the bulk of the work being done by your father Dr R.A.E. North. Hopefully this year our 30 page pamphlet will be expanded and updated into a book but the link below to our pamphlet will still give you a strong flavour of what it is all about.
We need growth, and we need leadership. As far as I can see, neither is on the horizon
I agree with Pete that even if the right wins in 2029, it will probably be a short-lived, muddle-headed episode, and a green/social equality agenda will subsequently emerge. To address this, we need growth to make money. As an independent trader, I have had the worst two years ever. I am paying more tax, fined at every opportunity by HMRC, council tax is up, and on and on it goes.
I chase bad debts endlessly, big companies take six months to pay despite the 'codes'. The private sector salaries for what I do have barely shifted in 30 years. The public sector salaries are great, but for reasons unknown, I get nowhere fast. I secretly think it's because I'm over 55, but there are strict rules against discrimination, so it can't be that. Funny though how they are all in their thirties & early forties.
Rant over, but none of our leaders have a clue how to get growth, which is key to finding a decent collective future and a happy nation. It is easier to bang on about migrants, ECHR, Chagos, gender, Palestine, electric scooters, London has fallen, everything and anything except growth. All have their place, but not primacy over getting growth.
How can you claim to be a leader if you avoid scrutiny & challenge? The right is particularly good at this. Their leaders appear on their own TV & radio channels. I want these people on TV being forensically interviewed by Marr/Matelas/Neil for 90 minutes, not by some think tank stooge on GB News for 3. There again, Johnson avoided such scrutiny, got elected, and look where that got us. Career over country anybody? £1m pa Daily Mail column anyone ?
Leaders stand up for their views, not hide. Major got on his soapbox, Thatcher would take on all comers, Hesletine took on the scousers and won them over, and even Tony Benn, Prescott & Blair would actively debate people in the street and in studios. None of our current crop would dare. Point in case is Reform's Monday rally in Birmingham. Utterly vacuous. Surely debate & challenges hone & finesse ideas. Why is reform against such debate? Answer....they have no ideas, no depth, no leadership.
Growth is the key to harmony, but Reform has no plan. Bizarrely Tice is determined to close down the only growth industry in his constituency, and Farage is attacking WFH. He/they are in their 60's the world is no longer theirs. The baton is passing to the 25-45-year-old, and WFH, travel, and multiculturalism are in their DNA. So 2029 will be the last gasp of the oldies and quite right to. The last 20 years have been an economic failure. They will mess up and be condemned to the sidelines for a generation or two after the collapse of the 2029 government
I would take these people more seriously if they (in no particular order, including but not limited to)
- Accepted proper public scrutiny, debate & challenge
- Set a detailed economic growth agenda
- Produced detailed plans to invest in border/travel infrastructure
- Invest significantly in language skills in schools & beyond. Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi
- Tax incentives to produce more children (not less)
- Take on the BMA to get more doctors working
- Reduce university fees and address student debt. Children are our only real natural resource
- Raise VAT thresholds for small businesses
- Held the people within financial institutions & big business personally accountable
They won't though. It's much easier to talk the country down and bang on about ECHR, Migrants, boats, flags etc etc and keep everyone angry. Grr!
Spot on as ever, Pete. The lack of serious research and therefore credible policy on the right is undermining its cause. Also, when prominent figures like Ratcliff speak out, it would help if they get the numbers right, because they truly are horrifying and if they support points argued with conviction, give the left nowhere to hide.
If you don’t stem the tide of migration immediately you come to power there is no country to defend.
It’s not just stopping boats, there’s the channel trains, ferry’s and cargo ships, airliners and coaches.
The ECHR may not be the all powerful organisation that they think but our judiciary do listen to them.
A referendum would give our politicians justification for serious policies, but the judiciary aren’t politicians and would ignore the populist vote.
Organising the ports and airports to halt illegal migrants, arresting, incarcerate and removing them would require a huge effort, including computer systems linking in to customs, police and border force personnel.
What isn’t needed is an ECHR shoving their noses and backed by our judges.
Trump learnt from his 1st term in office, we have no time to learn.
2029 is so far away. A lot can happen between now and 26th Feb 2026, let alone 2029. As Niall suggests below, the 'people' are beginning to become fed up, especially those who are struggling to feed their families. Our local food bank has plenty of business The 'people's' reaction might not be that far away.
You’re probably right, but we live in hope that there are some sensible people who can think tactically for the long term. Is there any hope in someone like James Orr working on a philosophy and a plan for government? I agree as well that leaving the ECHR will take two years of political capital and lead to nothing, better to repeal the Blairite HRA and work around it - as the rest of Europe does.
Pete’s got himself into a Great Depression over this! Let’s take a look around the world at right wing governments. Argentina. A basket case for decades inflation reduced from 200% to around 25%, growth 4.5%, fiscal surplus, poverty falling after an initial shock. Italy. Incredible. Now the world’s fourth largest goods exporter in the world after China, US and Germany under Meloni. United States. Illegal immigration stopped and deportations moving ahead albeit with some issues. But the point is it’s not impossible.
Tragically you are probably right but you haven't commented on the unknown which is the reaction of the 'people' as the situation in this country deteriorates.
One of the key ingredients to turning our country around is reform of our governance and democacy that turns our politicans into our servants instead of being our masters.
In 2012 The Harrogate Agenda was born, of which you were part, with the bulk of the work being done by your father Dr R.A.E. North. Hopefully this year our 30 page pamphlet will be expanded and updated into a book but the link below to our pamphlet will still give you a strong flavour of what it is all about.
https://harrogateagenda.org.uk/
We need growth, and we need leadership. As far as I can see, neither is on the horizon
I agree with Pete that even if the right wins in 2029, it will probably be a short-lived, muddle-headed episode, and a green/social equality agenda will subsequently emerge. To address this, we need growth to make money. As an independent trader, I have had the worst two years ever. I am paying more tax, fined at every opportunity by HMRC, council tax is up, and on and on it goes.
I chase bad debts endlessly, big companies take six months to pay despite the 'codes'. The private sector salaries for what I do have barely shifted in 30 years. The public sector salaries are great, but for reasons unknown, I get nowhere fast. I secretly think it's because I'm over 55, but there are strict rules against discrimination, so it can't be that. Funny though how they are all in their thirties & early forties.
Rant over, but none of our leaders have a clue how to get growth, which is key to finding a decent collective future and a happy nation. It is easier to bang on about migrants, ECHR, Chagos, gender, Palestine, electric scooters, London has fallen, everything and anything except growth. All have their place, but not primacy over getting growth.
How can you claim to be a leader if you avoid scrutiny & challenge? The right is particularly good at this. Their leaders appear on their own TV & radio channels. I want these people on TV being forensically interviewed by Marr/Matelas/Neil for 90 minutes, not by some think tank stooge on GB News for 3. There again, Johnson avoided such scrutiny, got elected, and look where that got us. Career over country anybody? £1m pa Daily Mail column anyone ?
Leaders stand up for their views, not hide. Major got on his soapbox, Thatcher would take on all comers, Hesletine took on the scousers and won them over, and even Tony Benn, Prescott & Blair would actively debate people in the street and in studios. None of our current crop would dare. Point in case is Reform's Monday rally in Birmingham. Utterly vacuous. Surely debate & challenges hone & finesse ideas. Why is reform against such debate? Answer....they have no ideas, no depth, no leadership.
Growth is the key to harmony, but Reform has no plan. Bizarrely Tice is determined to close down the only growth industry in his constituency, and Farage is attacking WFH. He/they are in their 60's the world is no longer theirs. The baton is passing to the 25-45-year-old, and WFH, travel, and multiculturalism are in their DNA. So 2029 will be the last gasp of the oldies and quite right to. The last 20 years have been an economic failure. They will mess up and be condemned to the sidelines for a generation or two after the collapse of the 2029 government
I would take these people more seriously if they (in no particular order, including but not limited to)
- Accepted proper public scrutiny, debate & challenge
- Set a detailed economic growth agenda
- Produced detailed plans to invest in border/travel infrastructure
- Invest significantly in language skills in schools & beyond. Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi
- Tax incentives to produce more children (not less)
- Take on the BMA to get more doctors working
- Reduce university fees and address student debt. Children are our only real natural resource
- Raise VAT thresholds for small businesses
- Held the people within financial institutions & big business personally accountable
They won't though. It's much easier to talk the country down and bang on about ECHR, Migrants, boats, flags etc etc and keep everyone angry. Grr!
Spot on as ever, Pete. The lack of serious research and therefore credible policy on the right is undermining its cause. Also, when prominent figures like Ratcliff speak out, it would help if they get the numbers right, because they truly are horrifying and if they support points argued with conviction, give the left nowhere to hide.
Ratcliffe is hardly on the right though is he? He sounds like he should be, sure. But he lives in Monaco and says he likes Kier Starmer ffs 😐
Still, he was right. Shame he lost his bottle. I guess his conviction isn't all that strong after all.
If this country moves further leftward. we will be an Islamic nation for sure.
Peter how much time do we have?
If you don’t stem the tide of migration immediately you come to power there is no country to defend.
It’s not just stopping boats, there’s the channel trains, ferry’s and cargo ships, airliners and coaches.
The ECHR may not be the all powerful organisation that they think but our judiciary do listen to them.
A referendum would give our politicians justification for serious policies, but the judiciary aren’t politicians and would ignore the populist vote.
Organising the ports and airports to halt illegal migrants, arresting, incarcerate and removing them would require a huge effort, including computer systems linking in to customs, police and border force personnel.
What isn’t needed is an ECHR shoving their noses and backed by our judges.
Trump learnt from his 1st term in office, we have no time to learn.
2029 is so far away. A lot can happen between now and 26th Feb 2026, let alone 2029. As Niall suggests below, the 'people' are beginning to become fed up, especially those who are struggling to feed their families. Our local food bank has plenty of business The 'people's' reaction might not be that far away.
You’re probably right, but we live in hope that there are some sensible people who can think tactically for the long term. Is there any hope in someone like James Orr working on a philosophy and a plan for government? I agree as well that leaving the ECHR will take two years of political capital and lead to nothing, better to repeal the Blairite HRA and work around it - as the rest of Europe does.