This is Richard Calhoun's Typepad Profile.
Join Typepad and start following Richard Calhoun's activity
Richard Calhoun
Gerrards Cross
Libertarian
Interests: golf, politics
Recent Activity
Richard Calhoun is now following Norm

Apr 6, 2013
All very well coming out with banner headlines on individual tax cuts but we need a longer term strategic view to be spelt out.
We need a flat tax with large reductions in benefits and a wholesale privatisation of government assets, yes including forests,the NHS and the BBC
Is Boris right? Should Osborne cut taxes?
By Tim Montgomerie Follow Tim on Twitter. Telegraph story. Boris has underlined his reputation as troublemaker-in-chief and guardian of a more conventional conservatism in the last 24 hours. On LBC London's Mayor called for cuts in National Insurance and the 50p tax rate to get Britain's slugg...
Your defence has a hint of desperation about it.
The archbishop should not be faulted for criticising this or any government, he has his flock to look after, but he can be faulted for its content.
It is clear that the coalition has a democratic mandate, it is clear that the NHS and Education are in a parlous state.
He has simply donned his political hat to attack the government in support of Labour and parroted their ludicrous nonsense.
Malcolm Brown: ConservativeHome should recognise that Rowan Williams is a friend of the poor
Rev Dr Malcolm Brown is Director of Mission and Public Affairs of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Council. In his forthright criticisms of the Archbishop of Canterbury on these pages, Tim Montgomerie says it is a "tragedy" that the Archbishop does not put more effort into celebrating the plans ...
All credit to the Tories, however I do not think the Scots will vote for independence.
Yes I know Alex Salmond is a wily political operator, but he has a flaw, he is to clever by half, and he will come unstuck before any referendum
Tory members reject Scottish independence even though it would increase chances of Conservative majority
By Tim Montgomerie Follow Tim on Twitter. Posted below are the results of Tory members' answers to our questions on Scottish independence. It is encouraging to read that four times as many Tory members agree that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are better together. It's more likely...
I think it is 'Williams' trying to score cheap points, the man is a disgrace.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is no friend of the poor
By Tim Montgomerie Follow Tim on Twitter. I travelled to Easterhouse with Iain Duncan Smith on that eventful wet, grey day, nearly ten years ago, in which he dedicated his political life to fighting poverty. In literally hundreds of visits before that day* and many since I saw the reality of pov...
Williams is our new Vince Cable, a demagogue and a socialist who says one thing and means we know not what.
It is a sad day when the Head of the C of E cannot recognise the poverty of the Welfare system, and the client state that goes with it.The destruction of the individual's values, their independence and accountability.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is no friend of the poor
By Tim Montgomerie Follow Tim on Twitter. I travelled to Easterhouse with Iain Duncan Smith on that eventful wet, grey day, nearly ten years ago, in which he dedicated his political life to fighting poverty. In literally hundreds of visits before that day* and many since I saw the reality of pov...
I obviously can't define the number any more than you can on fixing public services.
However I can point to numerous polls that indicate many people do not want to be part of the EU, many Tory MP's also want a referendum.
In fairness I think I can claim that it is pretty much indisputable that many people want a referendum and we have also been promised one by all 3 main parties in the past.
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
Sorry Elaine you have got this wrong, I don't think Cameron feels any pressure, the eurosceptics have been talking the talk for too long without any gain.
UKIP has something that the Tories would desperately like back ..... 1 million voters and if they could achieve that they would probably have a majority government elected in 2015.
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
Absolutely, they should be talking to other Tory MP's, Carswell, Redwood, Cash et al
http://goo.gl/4eZgf
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
Elaine, working from within has been failing for years, Carswell, Redwood, Cash, Hannan et al talk the talk but they get nowhere.
They need to put country before party!!
http://goo.gl/4eZgf
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
The Conservative Assn. are hopeless, basically they are self serving organisations, a closed shop, who are only interested in keeping themselves and their friends in control.
Nothing to do with expanding the membership etc!!
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
What are public buildings? By the very description one would expect free expression.
As to Companies and their dress codes I have no problem with that at all.
My take on winning a referendum:http://goo.gl/4eZgf
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
I want a referendum because I believe many people in this country want out, however if we have a referendum I may be wrong.
I can live with that, at least we will know what the majority believe and can put the issue behind us.
But 'waiting for the best time'? I don't think so, we have been arguing etc for too many years over this issue and it is time for people to have the opportunity to say what they want.
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
I left the Conservative party when Cameron stated he had no intention of granting a referendum, I have been a strong supporter of Cameron but to deny a referendum when so many want it was not something I could accept.
I have considered UKIP but I am not comfortable with their leadership, Farage is good on the media but he has not been able to take the party to the next level.
I am not happy with some of their policies and find it bizarre that a 'libertarian' party should advocate banning the burka, but when challenged they are not convincing in their explanations.
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
You seem very relaxed about timescales, I would put it to you that if we are not able to win a referendum on in/out by the next election we will very likely have lost our sovereign independence for ever.
We will simply have become completely enmeshed in the EU through 2015 - 2020 and will have become a nation of Europeans by default.
You were in a strong position as a UKIP MEP to work / talk with eurosceptics within the Tory party. It is time for these MP's to resign the Tory whip en blocm (maybe 10 to 20 of them) unless a referendum is granted.
This would be a hugely powerful and influential group and I believe would attract other like minded MP's & MEP's.
However you have simply come back to the Tory party, having already taken the decision to leave on account of our membership of the EU, to do exactly what?
David Campbell Bannerman MEP: The Conservative Party - not UKIP - offers the most realistic way out of the EU
David Campbell Bannerman has been an MEP for the East of England since 2009. Last month he defected from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives. It is perhaps appropriate my first article as a returned Conservative is for ConservativeHome, for I have received a genuinely warm welcome ...
But Martin you are in the wrong party, UKIP is politically and economically right of the Tories!!
But having read quite a few of your comments I have to say you are left of centre so how do you square this with being UKIP member??
Operation 'Castrate-the-Right' is underway
By Tim Montgomerie Follow Tim on Twitter. Last night I reported Rachel Sylvester's claim that "Aides to Cameron want Coalition to continue even if Tories win a majority". I'm getting hot denials of this from good sources today. The general view is that certain Liberal Democrats would be offered ...
This is all highly speculative, unless the Tories take notice of Mondeo man and woman they are not going to be re-elected.
All they hear to date is cuts, tax increases, extra green taxes,more aid to the developing World and a perceived softening on crime.
This is hardly what the people want in the UK, if we ignore them we will not win the next election.
Operation 'Castrate-the-Right' is underway
By Tim Montgomerie Follow Tim on Twitter. Last night I reported Rachel Sylvester's claim that "Aides to Cameron want Coalition to continue even if Tories win a majority". I'm getting hot denials of this from good sources today. The general view is that certain Liberal Democrats would be offered ...
The Tories are in danger of being put in the position of 'catch up' as Euroscepticism is on the increase, with the TrueFinns the latest to join the fray successfully.
In the UK the Tories are exposing themselves to being seriously outflanked by UKIP, who at the last election garnered 1 million votes. Not many you may think spread across the country,around 3% of the total vote.
However what if they were to even do a mini TrueFinn and increase their share of the vote to 7/10%? It would increase the huge damage they did at the last election to the Tories chance of a majority.
Let's not forget the Libdems had 23% of the vote and that looks as if a large percentage of it could well be up for grabs.
The message to the Tories is to force Cameron to grant a referendum on the EU, how is the question to those Tory MP's who are strongly Eurosceptic like Redwood, Davis, Carswell, Cash et al. Time for action!
Well it's crunch time, Country before party and all that, and time for the Eurosceptics to resign the Tory whip and if necessary join or have a loose association
with UKIP to force this huge issue.
If we go into another general election and have not won a referendum we are in serious danger of ending up as another European state under the rule of Brussels and Berlin for ever.
We need to address the abusive relationship rather than just stop the latest punch from Brussels
By Tim Montgomerie The EU wants more money from Britain. 4.9% more. At a time when nearly every other budget in Britain and in other member states is being cut, the demand is, as George Osborne said, "unacceptable" and (in the words of Martin Callanan MEP quoted in the Metro) "outrageous". Unfor...
Also Nick, I am not a member of UKIP.
I hope that EU sceptics within the Tory party will take a stand by resigning from the Tory whip until Cameron agrees to a referendum
Martin Callanan MEP: Why the True Finns' success could be bad news for UK Taxpayers
Martin Callanan is Leader of the Conservative MEPs. Elections in Finland do not normally make headlines anywhere outside Finland. But last weekend's extraordinary events, with the shock success of Timo Soini's True Finns, have had a devastating effect in Brussels, where Eurosceptism has long...
You are absolutely wrong in your assumption!
Cameron did promise a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty but once it was law he had an argument not to.
However since in power he has made it crystal clear that he supports the EU and has no intention of seeking the electorate's view through a referendum
This is despite the spurious referendum we are now involved in over the voting system, demanded by a small political party.
The strong demands by the electorate for a referendum are being ignored.
I am genuinely sorry to have left the Tory Party, I have supported Cameron since day 1, but the issue of the EU for me, transcends all other issues at this time.
Martin Callanan MEP: Why the True Finns' success could be bad news for UK Taxpayers
Martin Callanan is Leader of the Conservative MEPs. Elections in Finland do not normally make headlines anywhere outside Finland. But last weekend's extraordinary events, with the shock success of Timo Soini's True Finns, have had a devastating effect in Brussels, where Eurosceptism has long...
I agree with your analysis of the current Conservative policy and the only way the eurosceptic MP's can change this before the next election is to put Country before party.
ie. Resign the Conservative whip en bloc
This is the only way they have a hope of changing things, but we all know, unfortunately, that they will not be willing to make that sacrifice
Martin Callanan MEP: Why the True Finns' success could be bad news for UK Taxpayers
Martin Callanan is Leader of the Conservative MEPs. Elections in Finland do not normally make headlines anywhere outside Finland. But last weekend's extraordinary events, with the shock success of Timo Soini's True Finns, have had a devastating effect in Brussels, where Eurosceptism has long...
On the contrary TrueFinns is great news for eurosceptics in the UK.
It shows a minority party can achieve a huge increase in it's popularity due to its Euroscepticism.
This bodes well for the UK, where UKIP if they play their cards well, could be the beneficiaries of such popularity at the next election.
I have been a Cameron supporter since he became leader of the party, but his refusal to countenance a referendum over the EU has forced me to leave the Conservative party which I regret.
Martin Callanan MEP: Why the True Finns' success could be bad news for UK Taxpayers
Martin Callanan is Leader of the Conservative MEPs. Elections in Finland do not normally make headlines anywhere outside Finland. But last weekend's extraordinary events, with the shock success of Timo Soini's True Finns, have had a devastating effect in Brussels, where Eurosceptism has long...
'good British contacts'
Yes, I agree but wouldn't judge Brown to be a good British contact!!
Cameron says we don't need a "washed up", debt-denying politician like Gordon Brown running the IMF
Tim Montgomerie Interviewed on the Today programme David Cameron appeared to rule out Gordon Brown becoming the head of the IMF. The Prime Minister said that his predecessor was probably not the most appropriate candidate given the way he had denied Britain's own debt problem. Without ruling M...
" David Cameron appeared to rule out Gordon Brown becoming the head of the IMF "
Appeared to rule out!!
The answer should have been:
" Not over my dead body "
Cameron says we don't need a "washed up", debt-denying politician like Gordon Brown running the IMF
Tim Montgomerie Interviewed on the Today programme David Cameron appeared to rule out Gordon Brown becoming the head of the IMF. The Prime Minister said that his predecessor was probably not the most appropriate candidate given the way he had denied Britain's own debt problem. Without ruling M...
The beginnings of the decline of the US empire are inexorable!
It's the 'welfare state' that's the cause, dismantle it and we will then be able to compete again.
S&P to Obama: Do what Osborne is doing
Tim Montgomerie Leading ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded the USA today, awarding a "negative outlook" to the world's most important economy. My colleague Ryan Streeter at ConservativeHomeUSA thinks it strengthens Republican demands for a tougher line on spending. For those of us f...
More...
Subscribe to Richard Calhounās Recent Activity