How Appropriate...

Today is the Queen's speech, on the same day as Europe Day - a coincidence I'm sure. Anyway to celebrate Europe Day, EU Council President Van Rompuy will take your questions.

Update: Just seen, Richard North compares the different issues being proposed between the UK Parliament and the EU one.

Picture nicked from Douglas Carswell 

Weak, Weak, Weak

The Mail has an exclusive interview today with Cameron where he wails that the Lib Dems are holding him back from things he would like to do:

Mr Cameron singled out human rights law, reform of workplace rights and support for marriage as areas where Tory principles are being held in check but urged senior MPs growing tired of coalition not to ‘waste’ the next three years.

And so continues the running theme that beneath that Cameron veneer is a real Tory waiting to emerge if only events didn't conspire against him. If only the Lisbon Treaty wasn't passed before the election he wouldn't have had 'to let matters lie there', if only he had won the election, he could have thrown off the 'cuddly Tory' coat and reveal his inner Thatcher, if only he wasn't 'forced' into a coalition with the Lib Dems, he could have done all those things he wants to do but can't. If only... The joke's wearing a little thin.

However it wasn't the Lib Dems that forced Cameron to detoxify the Tory brand which included aspirations of being the greenest government ever and to stop banging on about Europe. Nor was it them that meant Cameron reneged on a cast iron referendum promise, nor putting a 3-line whip on a petition for an in/out referendum, nor for Cameron to break his party's long-standing commitment to pull Britain out of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy in 2006, nor trying to 'bury the Right' by ditching Tory policies faster than the Lib Dems could list them in 2010.

But apparently he wants us to believe that it's now those pesky Lib Dems - who lost 5 seats in 2010, who only make up 16% of the coalition and who are rather reluctant for an immediate General Election - that are tying poor old Dave's hands. Perhaps Dave thinks 'tail wagging the dog' headlines will make him look Prime Ministerial and statesman-like. It doesn't, it just makes him look weak, shallow and unprincipled - a fitting and accurate epitaph to his Premiership.

Douglas "Judas Goat" Carswell

Carswell writes on his blog

One of the reasons I backed David Cameron to be party leader early on in his leadership campaign was because I wanted to see a different kind of Conservatism. I still do – and I’d vote for him to deliver it if there was a leadership contest tomorrow.

Even though Cameron is not:

...a secret patriot waiting for the chance to rip off his expensive tailoring and reveal his inner Thatcher. He is exactly what he looks like, an unprincipled chancer with limited skills in public relations".

Inevitable

Economic problems + Mass Immigration + Removal of people's democracy = A move to extremist parties:

A neo-Nazi party who advocate forcing immigrants into work camps and planting landmines along the border are today savouring unprecedented political success in Greece.

Golden Dawn party will enter parliament with 7 per cent of the vote after the electorate shunned the main parties who they blame for plunging the nation into austerity.

The obscure extreme-right group are one of the biggest winners in a poll which has plunged Greece into a fresh political crisis.

As UKK41 says it's depressing. It's also inevitable:

Asked if he worries about that prospect, Thomas Nikolaou, an unemployed mathematics professor, who until now backed Pasok, said: 

“This trick didn’t work now and it won’t work in the future. I voted for (the extreme right) Golden Dawn (party). I lost my job, I can’t feed my family and I have nothing else to lose. The only power I have is my vote and I will give it again to those who say no to this madness. 

“All I can think of is revenge against the politicians who destroyed my life and millions of others.”

So it's with deep irony that by trying to eliminate the nation state and democracy the EU will encourage precisely the very situtation it wanted to prevent.

Cameron's Great Plan

According to the Telegraph, Cameron is planning a fightback after less than impressive local results. It's called a 'Battle Plan' we're assured:

The Prime Minister will produce a series of measures that he hopes will give “red meat” to Conservative backbenchers, who are calling for action to appeal to their core voters after poor local election results.

And the measures via the Queen's speech apparently include:

1. Make firing underperforming employees easier in an attempt to free up the labour market and create jobs.
   
   (Already been announced 2011)
    
2. Extend flexible working to anyone with a job, in an attempt to overcome Tory unpopularity among women, which analysts warn could be a serious threat at the next election.
   
   (Already been announced 2011)
   
   
3. Clamp down on crime with a new “British FBI”, tougher anti-social behaviour measures and community sentences.
   
   (Already been announced 2010)
    
4. Not include a Bill on HS2, which is hugely unpopular with backbenchers. Nor will it contain measures to allow private universities, which had risked a damaging rift with the Liberal Democrat.
   
   Hmm unpopular with backbenchers? Or try here instead.
   
   
5. Avoid legislation to set a minimum level of foreign aid spending, a plan that has been derided by rebellious backbenchers.
   
   (We've been here before)

The man's a deceitful, incompetent and hopeless tosser.

Quote Of The Day

Courtesy of Witterings From Witney:

It is sad that the situation presently exists whereby, we know [politicians are] lying, they know we know they’re lying, but they keep lying to us, and we keep pretending to believe them, because no system of democracy can last on such a basis – as history has demonstrated many times.

All That's Wrong

Louise Mensch, aka another clueless Tory, has condemned "misogynistic" bullying by internet twitter trolls. And rushing to her defence is Donata Huggins from the Daily Telegragh who argues (my emphasis):

Agree or disagree with her, it is her job to appear on television and argue her case. It seems, however, that some people on Twitter do not agree.

Er...no it isn't, Mrs Mensch's job is to hold the Government to account via Parliament, a 'job' she doesn't excel in.

Plain Packaging For Political Parties

As the 'excitement' intensifies for tomorrows local elections, I like this from BearWatch:

Can we also hide them from view as well?

Clueless

Above is a screen print of latest Telegraph article regarding European Human Rights judges:

European human rights judges have blocked more than 900 attempts by Britain to deport foreign criminals and terror suspects in recent years. 

Official figures show that the European Court of Human Rights has thwarted more planned deportations by Britain than any other country.

The controversial “Rule 39” procedure was recently used by judges in Strasbourg to prevent Abu Qatada, the extremist cleric, being sent back to Jordan in case evidence obtained under torture was used against him.

It has also been used by Somali criminals and failed Tamil asylum seekers to remain in the country.  The new figures disclosed in Parliament have renewed calls for the Government to pull out of the court and so ensure that British court rulings are upheld.

It would help the Telegraph's case though, or indeed its diminishing credibility, if they showed the right building as the picture. The one in the picture above is the Strasbourg-based EU parliament - the tag underneath incorrectly says it's the "European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg". However the ECHR is not a part of the EU and the building, instead, looks something like this:

Which ironically is the icon at the top of the report the Telegraph links to (just to give them a clue). No wonder the MSM support membership of the EU when they can't get the basics right...

Europest

It maybe me but I'm not reading this website in quite the way they intended.