:: Conservative Revival ::

:: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 ::

All he touches turns to sh*t

I'd forgotten that Byers was responsible for turning the Post Office into "Consignia." Bring back the Post Office, says the Telegraph. Can we send Byers to the Dead Letter Office while we're at it?
:: Swordsman 2/27/2002 10:17:00 AM [+] ::
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Bye-bye Byers

Peter Briffa at British Public Interest is doing a stirling job in cataloguing the complaints against Stephen Byers. Contacts at DTLR tell me he is he worst Secretary of State they have ever had, refusing to be briefed in person and demanding that most of his work be carried out by e-mail. That's awe-inspiring in its stupidity.
:: Swordsman 2/27/2002 08:20:00 AM [+] ::
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The New Tory Strategy

I am pleased to see this new strategy being employed by the Tories. Check out this article, which almost got into The Spectator last Summer, for my take on a what the Tories should be doing: The Northern Strategy.
:: Swordsman 2/27/2002 06:34:00 AM [+] ::
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No taxation without osculation

Another heap of evidence in the case for privatisation of the Beeb. The Spectator points out the rubbish the Beeb is spending taxpayers' money on, while denying many of them the right to see it:

Most of the money goes on channels everyone can see, such as BBC1, but an increasing amount goes on new digital channels like BBC Choice, which you can only see if you are in the 35 per cent of homes that have digital television. So millions of people are paying for programmes like Porn Star and Nude TV, but cannot actually watch them.

Moreover, the main players in deciding the Beeb's funding level are former employees! Enron has nothing on this.
:: Swordsman 2/21/2002 12:28:00 PM [+] ::
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The mud is beginning to stick

Apparently 80% of people now think New Labour takes bribes (Nick Robinson said it, so it must be true). This Patience Wheatcroft article sums up the problem they have now. To take advantage the Tories have to store up outrage that the PM's spokesman can describe attempts by a free press to hold the government to account as "boring." We have to demonstrate humility while exposing arrogance. IDS is exactly the right kind of chap to do that. If we don't, the Liberals will.
:: Swordsman 2/19/2002 09:39:00 AM [+] ::
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Oh! Mr Speaker

This is hilarious. Mr Speaker is upset because people on both sides of the House think he's incompetent. He puts it down to class bias and racism. What a twit.
:: Swordsman 2/11/2002 07:31:00 AM [+] ::
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MMR Madness

Once again, proper scientific studies have failed to find any link between the MMR vaccine and autism, as this BBC News story makes clear. It's time to stop the fussing. Expressing genuine public fears is one thing, fostering public misunderstanding is another. As long as the Tory party continues to raise this issue, the public will think that it's legitimate to do so. Vaccination rates may continue to fall and the likelihood of an epidemic continue to rise. We must not play politics with children's health. This is a huge hostage to fortune. Instead, IDS should remember, 'The plural of anecdote is not data.'

Given the weight of the scientific evidence, the NHS is also quite right not to offer the individual vaccines. No-one should be forced to have the MMR vaccine, but they should accept that if they want this choice, they will have to pay for it. If that leads to more people taking out private health insurance, that's a good thing. Increasing choice by increasing personal responsibility is a central Conservative principle, isn't it?
:: Swordsman 2/08/2002 07:20:00 AM [+] ::
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Worst Speaker Ever

Strange intervention, says the Telegraph. Strange indeed. Mr Speaker Martin has basically ruled out Parliamentary scrutiny of possible sources of corruption. Will the ruling apply to Enron money too? It sounds like it. The Speaker is meant to be the guardian of the House's conscience. Martin, on the other hand, is a petty little hack. He is unworthy of the great office he holds, and should go.
:: Swordsman 2/07/2002 09:16:00 AM [+] ::
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Read this, Mr Blair

There is No Third Way is the title of an interesting essay from the Austrian School on the founding father of "third way" economics. Worth a read.
:: Swordsman 2/06/2002 09:02:00 AM [+] ::
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David Sullivan Rejoice

There are likely to be lots of nudie pictures of female Conservative activists if they take the advice of Madonna's mother-in-law...

"You have got to go out and get what you want in all areas of life" is the complete polar opposite of the most basic conservative philosophy of personal responsibility and restraint. No wonder Kensington & Chelsea once selected Alan Clark as their MP...
:: Swordsman 2/06/2002 06:44:00 AM [+] ::
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