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JP Floru
London
Political commentator fighting for individual liberty and the free market.
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Excellent article. At last a politician who dares to say it.
Mark Field MP: Privatise Britain's roads
Mark Field MP is Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster. The road network and public debt - on the face of it, two unrelated topics. One is an under-resourced, often ignored asset, vital to the social and economic well-being of the nation, as much of an essential service as other...
The BBC should be split and be privatised in its entirety. Our politicians are too scared to do it. Of course, with the LibDems in government it is politically impossible - there is a very strong pro LibDem faction in the BBC.
Sam Bowman: Media plurality depends on reform of the BBC
Sam Bowman is Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute News International isn’t a monopoly, and it never has been. As Tim’s post this week showed, the BBC dominates broadcast and online news, and News International’s newspaper holdings can at best be seen as a strong stake in a competitive...
the Bible, and a pot of stew spring to mind.
Chris Heaton-Harris explains why he watered down Mark Reckless's motion on Eurozone bailouts
By Jonathan Isaby Follow Jonathan on Twitter We have already highlighted the result of the vote of yesterday's debate on the future use of the European Financial Stability Mechanism to bail out eurozone countries, which saw a rebellion by thirty Conservative MPs. As I explained yesterday aftern...
Personally I am very disappointed with Chris on this one.
Chris Heaton-Harris explains why he watered down Mark Reckless's motion on Eurozone bailouts
By Jonathan Isaby Follow Jonathan on Twitter We have already highlighted the result of the vote of yesterday's debate on the future use of the European Financial Stability Mechanism to bail out eurozone countries, which saw a rebellion by thirty Conservative MPs. As I explained yesterday aftern...
Exactly.
The UK Liberty League - a new network of young libertarians - was launched at last weekend's Freedom Forum
Christiana Hambro, Development Manager for The Freedom Association, reports on last weekend's Freedom Forum in Birmingham. Last weekend saw the official launch of the UK Liberty League, and with it a cohesive and coordinated young libertarian movement. It was an overwhelming success. One hund...
With all due respect, I think you will find that the idea came from Anton Howes, James Lawson, and Will Hamilton, who did most of the work, found most of the speakers, and found most of the applicants.
Its name is not UK Liberty League, it's Liberty League. QED
The UK Liberty League - a new network of young libertarians - was launched at last weekend's Freedom Forum
Christiana Hambro, Development Manager for The Freedom Association, reports on last weekend's Freedom Forum in Birmingham. Last weekend saw the official launch of the UK Liberty League, and with it a cohesive and coordinated young libertarian movement. It was an overwhelming success. One hund...
Douglas Carswell and Daniel Hannan, surely.
Is there any shadow of a doubt?
Boris as Churchill - Meet Sir Winston Johnson
by Paul Goodman I was rummaging through Max Hastings's "Finest Years, Churchill as Warlord", when the following snagged my attention like a wire spike catching a ball of tumbleweed - " 'Working in H[arry] H[opkin']'s cabin this morning,' Corporal Geoffrey Green wrote in his diary, '& WSC came ...
Pickles. Or Bill Cash?
Cameron needs a Party Chairman to take the fight to the Coalition's enemies
Tim Montgomerie Who is David Cameron's big hitter in the media? Who goes out there, day in and day out, to defend every important aspect of the Government's record? Who, on the Today Programme, on Newsnight and in the pages of The Sun, Mail, Telegraph and Express, defines the Coalition's enemies...
We knew Gove is the Soundest man in the Cabinet, and this confirms it. Hundreds of children will finally find a welcoming home.
Michael Gove and Tim Loughton overhaul "politically correct" adoption guidance to get children into "loving homes" more quickly
Tim Montgomerie Yesterday Michael Gove announced plans to reverse the fall in adoption rates. According to The Telegraph he has "ordered social workers not to “delay” placing children for adoption because prospective parents are older than usual, from a different ethnic group, or single". In a ...
My Council is hosting it.
What is your local council doing to celebrate the Royal Wedding?
There was lots of coverage yesterday suggesting that those holding street parties to celebrate the Royal Wedding would have to pay hundreds of pounds for Traffic Management professionals and professional made road closure signs. This particular hare was set running as the Press Association has a...
It seems that truly great prime ministers or presidents only occur when there is a crisis. Why is this? Why do we put up with the mediocre at other times? Great leaders also tend to be radicals.
Remembering Ronald Reagan
Tim Montgomerie Two noteworthy pieces on Ronald Reagan. First from William Rees-Mogg in today's Times (£): "He is one of the four major Presidents in the history of the Republican Party: Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan. He brought the Cold War to an end — the last great glob...
Therese Coffey : sound.
Final six names for Spelthorne
The final six candidates in the frame for Spelthorne - where David Wilshire is stepping down - are the following: Katy Bourne Philippa Broom Therese Coffey Lynne Hack Kwasi Kwarteng Michael McManus An Open Primary meeting will be held on January 22nd, for which any voter in the seat can pre-re...
Hi Walaa! I hope you're well. Read your blog - but doesn't that imply that next we should have police checkpoints like in Israel ? Isn't that totally over the top ? Just a thought, I hate to disagree with you.
Have you been stopped under the Anti-Terrorism Act?
Today I was stopped in my Smart car on the Charing Cross Road, Central London, by the Metropolitan Police. The officer told me this was under Anti Terrorism legislation. I may have terrorised the blogosphere at times, but I would never have guessed it was that evident from my appearance or car....
"The police (PSCOs, to be precise) were peculiarly polite which I took to indicate they were a little sheepish about the powers they were using. "
yes, in my case too.
Have you been stopped under the Anti-Terrorism Act?
Today I was stopped in my Smart car on the Charing Cross Road, Central London, by the Metropolitan Police. The officer told me this was under Anti Terrorism legislation. I may have terrorised the blogosphere at times, but I would never have guessed it was that evident from my appearance or car....
Socialists never like it when people do well. It reminds me of Mandelson being blamed for "living above his station" by certain leftie rags.
A number of the shadow cabinet have done well for themselves. And your point is...?
It should come as little surprise that the politics of envy is alive and kicking at the Daily Mirror, and this morning's splash provides the latest evidence. Their story seeks to highlight the wealth of the Shadow Cabinet by suggesting that they will "make" £7.1million if the party's plans to ...
Though I have not yet met Dominic Raab I read his book which was passionate and interesting. PErhaps he'll join David Davis to restore our civil liberties. A good choice.
Dominic Raab adopted for Esher & Walton
Dominic Raab, Chief of Staff to Dominic Grieve MP, was today selected as the Conservative candidate for Esher and Walton. He gave up a career at the Foreign Office three years ago to work full-time for the party and has become a champion for civil liberties, authoring The Assault on Liberty – ...
It would be difficult to quantify the surveillance in China, but there is A LOT of it. I took a few very interesting photos of it. I saw so many CCTV cameras in China that I wondered whether our UK CCTV cameras are produced in China. You should see Tien an Men Square; there are cameras all over the place. Also on Tien an Men I think it was the first time ever I had to go through a security checkpoint which was clearly not intended for my own protection...
The present regime in China will not denounce Mao because he is the only reason they are in power.
How capitalist is China?
I visited China twenty years ago, as a backpacker. I had an awful time: everything was grubby, people were rude, food was poor. But on every pavement men and women in blue mao suits were trading. Day and night. Their wares were often exhibited on not much more than a handkerchief. A few l...
More tax credits, more clients. The Benefits for Votes scandal has been going on for quite a while. This may be why our majority will not be as big as we will need.
And I got the warmest applause for...
Earlier this evening I was in esteemed company on an IPPR platform, sitting alongside - among others - Francis Maude and David Willetts. The topic of the meeting was "What should the first 100 days of a Conservative Government look like?" and more than 300 people packed into the fringe meeting i...
That is just ludicrous. Daniel Hannan is a close friend and ally. To suggest that I would wish him - or any other Conservative candidate - anything less than complete electoral success is poppycock and balderdash.
Get a life. Take off your blazer and enjoy the Conservative sunshine. A vote for UKIP is a vote for a European superstate, as it reduces the Conservative Party's power to force a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. A referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is the most realistic way to stop the European superstate in its tracks.
Who are the best candidates yet to be selected?
Six MPs have now stepped down since the beginning of expenses-gate. That means eight plum seats are now needing candidates. That number may rise to twenty or more if some insidery talk is true. David Cameron has promised to re-open the candidates list in search of additional people who could fil...
Oh, I forgot one. Ed Hallam.
Who are the best candidates yet to be selected?
Six MPs have now stepped down since the beginning of expenses-gate. That means eight plum seats are now needing candidates. That number may rise to twenty or more if some insidery talk is true. David Cameron has promised to re-open the candidates list in search of additional people who could fil...
Ruth Lea, Howard Flight, Madsen Pirie, Eamonn Butler, Matthew Elliott, Professor Steve Davies, Dr. Mark Pennington, Joanna Lumley.
Who are the best candidates yet to be selected?
Six MPs have now stepped down since the beginning of expenses-gate. That means eight plum seats are now needing candidates. That number may rise to twenty or more if some insidery talk is true. David Cameron has promised to re-open the candidates list in search of additional people who could fil...
This EU profiler is pretty ridiculous. Labour to the right of the Conservatives? The Greens more Eurosceptic than the Conservatives? Which genius came up with this test?
How should you vote in the European Elections?
One of those quizzes helps you decide. Take it here. My result is below. The most interesting thing is, perhaps, the quiz authors' view that the Tories are pretty neutral on EU integration. I also have a big quarrel with the BNP has neutral on the right/left scale. I'd put them clearly on t...
The crisis was entirely government induced. Brown loosened monetary policy by loosening the inflation target. This created the housing bubble. Alan Greenspan did the same. And the triggering factor, the collapse of Fanny May and Freddie Mac, was caused by the Clinton administration which encouraged them to give mortgages to people who would never be able to repay.
Nothing to do with bonuses. Nothing to do with insufficient regulation (the financial markets are the mostheavily regulated sector of the economy).
Hope to write about this soon if I have the time.
The Government is chasing the golden geese off the farm as it milks the middle classes
New Labour famously came to power by telling the middle classes that old style socialism was dead. After twelve years we know that it was deceit all along. We saw the size of the state grow and grow. We saw ever larger parts of the population being pushed into state dependency. We saw stat...
Apart from control, was New Labour not also based on wilful deceit? In order to win they needed the middle class vote. The middle classes will never vote for socialism; therefore they decided to hide it. Hence taxation by stealth, so we wouldn't notice it. Taking on more and more state employees, little by little, so we wouldn't notice it (it is impossible to find a clear figure of how many people there are actually in government employment); increasing the size of the state little by little, so nobody would notice. It was socialism all along. People like Ruth Lea warned us about this from 1999 onwards - but nobody wanted to know. Let's call it what it is: socialism.
Eamonn Butler: The Rotten Police State of Britain
Dr Eamonn Butler is director of the Adam Smith Institute and author of The Rotten State of Britain, which is published on Tuesday by Gibson Square Books. The book offers a damning account of what the successive Labour Governments have done to Britain over the last twelve years and here he look...
He would be excellent, a true free marketeer.
Search for 100 Peers: Nirj Deva
Here is the latest nomination in our series highlighting people David Cameron should consider appointing to the House of Lords. If you would like to nominate someone, please email Jonathan Isaby with your suggestion, ideally including key arguments for the nomination as well as biographical i...
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