The Duran - A splendid conservative news-media platform.

On YouTube, I like to watch and listen to a conservative news-media platform called The Duran. This news outlet covers news events with up to the moment analyse of current affairs. They allow for near future speculation or consequences deriving from today's current affairs. 

Because I'm a Brit, the big thing with me is the twists and turns of Brexit. These guys, on The Duran, always seem to have a finger on the pulse. 

It is an interesting news-media presentation with questions and precise well-worded answers. The interviewer gives the guest time to talk about all sorts of angles. He does not interrupt and lets the guest get points of view across. This makes for good listening.

I've subscribed to the YouTube channel purely because of the many Brexit chats that are occurring. Obviously, with Theresa May's political downfall yesterday, (Friday 24th May) - I was hoping for some form of news-media debate about the subject. I was not disappointed. 

If you would like a splendid conservative news-media analysis, I would strongly recommend giving The Duran a try. 

All Out War by Tim Shipman (My Goodreads Review)

All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class by Tim Shipman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was engrossed in this book from the word go. We go through the whole process of how David Cameron was forced by his own Eurosceptics and UKIP pressure to do his famous Bloomberg speech. What followed next was the chain reaction and the underestimating of the Brexiteers’ ability to put together a substantial fighting force. This combined with events and powerful personalities brought about one of the most interesting political shock waves I can remember in my 56 years of life.

This book is very detailed and looks at both Remain in the EU and Leave the EU camps and the consequences that brought it about. We also see some egotistical characters in the form of Dominic Cummings and Aron Banks with their different aggressive approaches.

We get a good look at how David Cameron watered down his demands after the Bloomberg speech and then tried to sell it to the electorate, thinking he had got a victory for the British people and his ministers.

Every chapter gives the reader an interesting angle and development as we edge closer to the referendum day. It is not for the faint-hearted for it is packed with cunning ways to attract attention, good for one group and bad for the opposing. There are political guerrilla tactics employed as we move closer to the all-important day. This is a splendid and exciting read that lets you see both sides of the campaign including the in-house fighting.

It was a total war with battle fronts comprised of joint party cooperation on both sides. The organised pro-EU government-backed campaign led by the Prime Minister and the wonderful guerrilla adversaries from the Leave camp of Vote Leave, Leave EU to Grass Roots Out or GO. The whole thing is marvellous.

Cabinet ministers taking sides against their Prime Minister and joining opposing party politicians for a greater cause. Opposition MPs joining the opposing government for the pro-EU. This was a civil war at its very best where each side battled to win more than 50% of the electorate.

The amount of work that went into targeting specific categories of people. All the planning and application were mind boggling. This is one of the best political accounts I have ever read and on such an emotive and derisive subject. It certainly gives the reader a deeper insight and appreciation of the work both sides put in. Also the oversights and underestimating afterwards.

I would highly recommend this book.

View all my reviews

Harriet Harman - A Long Road for the Labour Party - No More Champagne Socialists

I watched Harriet Harman on a political show this morning. I sat back with the usual lacklustre sigh, thinking same old same old, but was surprised by her new and more realistic approach to Labour's general election humiliation. She seems to have got the message clearly from the disgruntled electorate after a second election loss. 

I did not think Labour had much to offer during the election and neither did many people across the UK. It was all gift wrapped promises with no accountability of how such things would be paid. I suspect Labour were telling people what they thought their voters might like to hear as opposed to what the electorate perceive to be right. Almost like Roman senators buying the mob. It does not work in this day and age. The plebiscite have many avenues of interest now days. The voters took a hard look at things. We can't always get what we want, so we reluctantly take what we need. In this instance; a bunch of grim, yet sober, hard arses as opposed to an array of middle class champagne socialists offering grand entitlements.

It was not so much that we (the electorate) disliked Labour's policies; we were realistic enough to know we could not afford them and as much as many disliked the 'voted in' Tory government; their tough austerity medicine was sadly logical. They promised nothing but hard toil and welfare scrutiny upon a new level and the electorate reluctantly accepted it, knowing that we can not continue with more and more welfare cushioning policies. The nation is too full of entitlement. To the extent that it is being abused and we can't afford to maintain the many generous and national entitlements upon such scale.

I was shocked to see Harriet Harman wiping the slate clean and accepting that the recent Tory budget of carving up welfare handouts was right. She admitted while travelling the length and breath of the country; Labour had got it wrong on the uncontrollable working tax credits and family allowances etc. She realised that many working people are frustrated at paying tax for continuous welfare claimants who keep having children that are kept by the state. People that can't afford to go to work because welfare benefit pays more than most types of employment. How on earth did we get into such a predicament.

Many might think my rant is unethical. People should be allowed to have children. It is their God given right. However, it is not their right to expect other people to pay for the up bringing with state benefit hand outs. Finally Harriet Harman knows that reluctantly, many of Labour's voters have deserted them because of these things. With socialism, we will run out of other people's money to borrow. The well intentioned things that they want can't be sustained. Words that many know have been said before. Sadly we can see the reality of these things where Greece is concerned.

As a nation we must gradually down grade these hand outs so that more people will become less reliant on the state. Left wing voters are right that people need a decent wage in the first place, but welfare benefit does encourage a sense of apathy among many of our unemployed. I know because I was there too. Welfare benefits can become a way of life and I have witnessed people who get more money then me that don't work. I go to work and pay tax. Even dropping benefits to £20,000 per year is mind boggling to me.  

I don't earn £20,000 a year. I wish I did. I don't even earn £15,000 per year. I'm a dustman and feel under paid. Being on welfare will not improve this. It becomes demoralising and soul destroying. Everything is negative. We, as a nation, need to get out of borrowing and must live within our means. At the moment, we must sadly use the Tories until we can get upon a level playing field. Then when the other parties can offer a better circumstance (not a costly one) then come to the electorate again.

For now? Better the Devil we know...

Debate on the EU disaster movie.

The heat is turning up in the UK concerning EU membership. It does seem, to me, that the anti-EU are winning the argument concerning the lack of democratic accountability. Every time the media get the pro-EU on to argue with the anti-EU; the anti always seem to walk away with the points from my point of view. Maybe there are things I'm missing, but I think the UK may leave. I also believe there could be civil unrest in some of the southern European countries.

Glenda Jackson on Margaret Thatcher

I have some mixed views on Margaret Thatcher. She brought in a lot of radical changes and some were for the good. I do, however, reluctantly find myself agreeing with some of what Glenda Jackson said. Especially concerning the NHS.

I do not believe Glenda Jackson was right on all things, but she was right to say the things she did during the tributes. Margaret Thatcher was a brutally honest person. So is Glenda Jackson.

Labour Full of Ed Balls

What a shower of something; horrendous, insulting, tedious and of course; complete Ed Balls. 

Heaven protect us from Lab/Con/Libs in this new age of ours. We need something dynamic and new.

I am angry at the Independent article about scraping fuel payments for OAPs.

Rich Pensioners... ? 

Are there so many rich pensioners that these great savings will bring the country out of crisis. Leave poor and rich pensioners alone and concentrate on getting the health service working, proper housing for young people with rents that can be paid on minimum wage. 

Allow people in work to get on housing lists instead of prioritising unemployed or other types of needy. Think of rents that can be paid back into the system first.

Don't punish people that work, don't punish pensioners that have paid their dues. 

What's wrong with the Labour party? I'm not going to vote for you. I can't afford too.

Getting bolshy with rich OAPs is not going to sort things out. How rich does an OAP have to be before coming under scrutiny? 

Why have this minimum wage? Too many companies now work to it and young people can't afford to work because they can't live on this minimum wage. It is one of the reasons why the welfare bill is too high. 

Affordable rents that can be paid by workers doesn't exist and you have to be needy to get on the lists and once in rented homes you dare not work because you can't afford to pay the rent. Everything is messed up and the Labour party wants to pick on wealthy OAPs - Wow! Problem solved.

Margaret Thatcher's political end (Poll Tax Riots London 1990)

She was one of the best though she was a person with many faults. I think Maggie deserves recognition because she was a true patriot and many did admire her greatly.

Well, I would not mind betting that there are a lot of people shouting "No Way" But then there will be as many applauding. When I was 18 years of age, Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of United Kingdom and she gave the country a blooming big kick up the arse. The trouble was, I don't think she always knew when to stop kicking and many of us imagined we had bottoms that were constantly smarting. The reason I have picked Margaret Thatcher for praise is because I am  now 53 and I own my house because of her. I did not appreciate it at the time. I thought she was as hard as nails, which she was.

I worked in the Royal Mail (Post Office) throughout the 1980s decade and it seemed to be a rather turbulent time. I remember the unemployment and the clashes with the unions, most notably the miners strike. Everyone that confronted her was swept aside and I was one of the young who thought she was too harsh.

As much as it pains me to say this, I believe she got more right then she got wrong. I can visualise myself as a young man in his twenties - full of high ideas and morals - being disgusted with this older me, who is writing this. But if I could, I would like to reach down that time corridor and grab myself by the collar. I'd spit. "You are so full of Bull - you know nothing and she will do you right in years to come." She did, and to be fair on Maggie, she is one I did not appreciate at the time. I think a lot of us secretly miss her. Sometimes undesirable elements took the country on and I could not have wished such enemies upon a more formidable opponent. (I almost felt sorry for them)

If I could make one complaint to Margaret Thatcher it would be:

Why did you steam roller through the Pole Tax without properly reviewing such things. It could have been a good idea if you had taken the many variables of income into the equation. You really did drop the ball on that one and then it was the old; "And you to Brutus" from most of your ministers. It all stemmed from the Pole tax - I'm certain it did. You could have had a few more years, but for that.

No doubt, Mrs Thatcher would still hear none of this.

It is believed that the Poll tax signified the beginning of the end for Margaret Thatcher. She had stood her ground on many issues over 11 years and won. This, the hated Poll tax, was one she would loose, but only after her ministers manoeuvred her into quitting a short time later on other issues. However, the Poll tax was the original cause that began to really spiral out of control for her.

It is thought that the riot in central London, with the countrywide opposition to the Community Charge (especially vehement in the North of England and Scotland) contributed to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, who resigned as Prime Minister in November the same year, defending the tax when opinion polls were showing 2% support for it. The next Prime Minister, John Major, announced it would be abolished.