The next House of Commons could be radically different with new candidates from all walks of life!

Wow.

David Cameron revealed today that Conservative HQ has received over 4,000 applications.  This is a huge PR coup for Cameron to be able to demonstrate such interest in becoming a Conservative Candidate to seek election as an MP.  Congrats to the Conservatives for such interest………

DC revealed extra staff had been laid on to process the applications.  He also stated that he was impressed with a number of cv’s he had seen from a ‘variety of different backgrounds’, including teachers, midwives, nurses, etc 

Next step is notifying applicants in mid – late July whether they would be going forward to a Parliamentary Assessment Board, (PAB as they are known).  As an estimation, from the 4,000 candidates applying, most likely 200 would go forward to the PAB’s, so that’s a huge number of people applying and getting rejected.

This is a fascinating policy decision for Cameron.  The feel is that many in the grassroots feel uneasy that they have devoted their lives to helping the Conservatives.  Many following a traditional route eg standing and serving as a councillor before wanting to stand for Parliament.  Obviously, they feel pissed that new candidates could come into the approved lists ahead of them.  That is a natural feeling.

But times also dictate that the Conservatives have to react to a new political culture sweeping the country.  New faces are needed.  New faces free from corruption…and what better than selecting the ‘Saint Squad’, ie midwives, nurses, teachers, those who devote all their time to charity.  This new ‘Saint Squad’, will fit the bill nicely for Cameron to trumpet a ‘new modern Conservative Party, free from corruption’.  Great political capital.

But….the question needs to be asked.  Does a great midwife, teacher, nurse, make a great politician?

Will a new midwife, teacher, nurse, be loyal to the Conservative Party or a potential nightmare in the future?

Is it necessary to be political in politics?

Who would add more value to Parliament….Iain Dale, the UK’s leading political blogger or a midwife, who had delivered over 500 babies and worked for a children’s charity, raising money via charity walks?  (Sorry to use your name here Iain but it illustrates my point perfectly, hope you don’t mind).    The public will of course warm to the midwife and their service to the community….but does that mean that they would add more value to the Political process than a sage like Dale.  Some of you will say, it’s all about a balance.  But for me, maybe that makes me elitist, but I would rather see Dale’s in the new Parliament!   Maybe I am wrong.  But I care for this nation and the decisions taken on it’s behalf.

Interesting questions and it is important to treat this answer carefully…..political elitism is the route of acrimony and something the new Parliament needs to get away from.  Yes, the ‘Saint Squad’ will go a long way in repairing the image of Parliament.  But when it comes to the big issues, Europe, Economic & Monetary Union, war in Afghanistan, fiscal and monetary policy, spending cuts, how will the new crew be guided?  And no I am not defending a political elite but the politically savvy.

This is all conjecture of course.  10 new winnable ’safe seats’ are currently in play.  More will come, (pity those Conservative Candidates selected for unwinnable seats seeing the ‘Saint Squad’ come into seats they would die for).  Conservative HQ have 4,000 candidates to select from and they are the key to this.  Let’s see the candidates that emerge.  Whilst ‘Saintly’, I hope they are ‘politically savvy’!

Did you see the Speaker Hustings yesterday?   Boy they were dull and reinforced my view that none of the current bunch standing for this noble role, is up to the job and would be the true reformer that the House needs.  I have reviewed all candidates in a previous blog:  http://tiny.cc/d1WvM

So, after the Hustings, who do I rate.  Frank Field was my favourite but it is obvious this election is being politicised as Labour Whips have been involved supporting John Bercow, (to piss Conservatives off).  The fact that Frank has pulled because he could not get enough Labour support is honourable but it also shows we are not looking for the best person for the role.    Shame, the House would have had a great Speaker in Frank Field.

So Labour are pushing John Bercow.  Listening to him yesterday and observing him, there is something a little creepy with this man.  He smacks of arrogance and two things stood out.  He wants the Speaker to become a well known Political figure, so he would tour the media stations and seek to explain the workings of the House and his views.  Secondly, he lacks the experience to hold the role down.  He employed some cheap shots to put down those around him with the experience.  If Labour Whips do push him to the max, Bercow will win but he will struggle to have the support of the whole House as Conservatives loathe the man.

We face the very real possibiliy that Bercow will win the election for the Speakership and then, after the election, with a presumable Conservative majority, the Conservatives will place a motion of no confidence in the Speaker and seek his removal.

So given that none of the other candidates grab me for their reforming zeal, I will support an interim speaker in Anne Widdecombe. 

….a plate of jelly wobbles less!

David on the brink of resigning?  Playing on his conscience that he did not jump with his best friend James Purnell?  Still bottling it and wobbling?

Come on david…let’s see if you are made of steel or jelly.

Hazel comes unstuck!

So Hazel Blears faces a motion of no confidence from her beloved local Labour Salford Constituency Party.  Support is gathering amongst local Party branches to kick her out.

But what follows is a really sad state of affairs.  Hazel has acted with conviction over the past few weeks and I and many others have respected Hazel for speaking her mind.  She was right to ridicule Brown’s shameful YouTube performance…’YouTube if you want to!’  Yes, she made mistakes with her expenses but so did many others.  She acted decisively and repaid the Capital Gains Tax.  Few others acted with that speed and some still haven’t repaid monies owed.  Of course she was repaying to save her Cabinet Career.  Brown and the Number 10 spin machine was briefing heavily against her, (brown hated her YouTube jibe and hence the expenses mistake by Blears was perfect ammo).  But Blears was not treated the same as other Ministers over expenses…some far worse than her egChancellor Darling.  As it would with any of us, she was pissed off and this unequal treatment.  Number 10 started briefing that she would be replaced in a coming reshuffle and this was the last straw.  She had nothing to lose.  Full of bitterness at Brown’s singled out treatment of her, she had a hissyfit, resigned and left.  Her resignation note broke with Parliamentary tradition and did not make recognition to the Government or the Prime Minister at all.  It said less than a Purnell’s note but said enough.  Her broach ‘Rocking the Boat’, was amusing aside but in hindsight a little petty.

All good up to there.  She acted on her own conscience and did what she believed was best.  When she heard Purnell was going she must have been jumping out of her booster seat thinking that Brown would be brought down and that she could be part of the new leaders Government.  But the House of Cards, despite losing many cards, stayed aloft.

Brown never forgives, neither do his friends, hence the recriminations start.  Expect Purnell’s Constituents to start getting itchy feet about James.  This is Gordon embarking on his ‘night of the long knives’, exacting his revenge.  So Blears’ constituency party, with no doubt encouragement from Labour HQ, start whingeing and hence the potential of a motion of no confidence.  (TBB does not predict she will be kicked out as the Leadership of the Local Party are currently behind her).  ironic, a motion of no confidence in a woman….an able woman who was in the Cabinet less than a month ago.  Acting and doing what the vast majority of the country would want her to do.

So the worst bit.  Blears destroys all…ALL…her credibility with a grovelling apology.  She regrets the timing of her resignation the night before Local Government elections.  She said:  ‘In hindsight that judgement was wrong.  I should have waited until after the election.  The effect on the party is something I will live forever’.  She also regrets her ‘thoughtless and cruel’ comments about the PM.

Hazel, how does this help women politicians?  How does this help perception of the strength & assertiveness of women in politics?  Playing along to the weak stereotype of a cry baby hard done woman, seeking to win sympathy…and save her seat, sets women in politics back.  Women fight to be seen as leaders.  Look at Margaret Thatcher.  Blears is certainly no Flint….who is also back-peddling faster than Victoria Pendleton!

Hazel.  Politicians must have conviction.  You did.  Your grovelling apology, in which you seem close to tears, undermines your actions.  Your credibility has been shot.  I can’t see your career in Politics reaching high office again.  Thanks for the memories.

Hazel Blears on Telegraph TV…note the close to tears, grovelling, little girl lost routine…win your sympathy?

Bob Crow: Bringing London to a standstill, costing the London Economy £100 million for yet another spurious strike

Did you know that a living dinosaur was discovered in London today?   It was identified as the lesser spotted Bob Crowosaurus, an aggressive bullying beast prone to frequent lazy spells.

So Travel chaos starts.  Members of the Rail Maritime & Transport Union have stopped worked, pulled up the shutters, trudged off down ta pub, at the start of a 2 day strike which will cause travel anarchy across London and cost businesses, already struggling in the recession, £100 million pounds, (according to London First).

This is sickening.  A disgusting abuse of the withdrawal of an essential service which is causing misery for millions of people.  All because of the whim of a man hellbent on pursuing his Trotskyist agenda and using the most blunt and basic way to get his point across.  Striking. 

TBB has nothing but contempt for strikes like this, especially when the economy is on a knife-edge and this lost income for the London Economy can mean job losses for other industries down the line.  Not the RMT of course as they seek to protect their members at all costs and will strike if there is any danger to their members.  The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the strike was damaging for business, would cause widespread inconvenience and hurt London’s reputation.  Deputy director general John Cridland said: “It is regrettable that a small minority of people are prepared to inflict this kind of disruption on others at such a difficult time.”

The dispute is over pay, jobs, disciplinary issues and the sacking of two drivers.  The RMT wants a 5% pay rise and a promise of no compulsory redundancies.  Add in any other issue, including the weather and the performance of the English Cricket team and you have all the perfect conditions for Bob Crow, (General Secretary of the Transport Union),  to whip up his troops into a frenzy.

Bob, 5% is double the current rate of inflation, how many employers in the private sector are giving salary increases in this environment, let alone double the rate of inflation?  Do private sector workers strike?  Of course not.  How many firms in the private sector are laying of workers?  A majority of them.  Yet you seek no compulsory redundancies for the RMT.  Get real.  Grow up.  London Underground is a business and has to be run as such.  It exists as an essential service for London.  It does not exist to provide guaranteed jobs and salaries for your members. 

Bob Crow is a well known Communist.  He is a throwback to the worst excesses of Union Militancy in the 1970’s.  He delights in bringing the London Underground and Train system to a stop for the most spurious of reasons.  Some would call him a hypocritical Communist.  As general secretary of the RMT Bob Crow received in 2007, according to the official certification officer (www.certoffice.org), £79,564 gross salary, plus employer pension contributions of £26,115.   That’s more than an MP.  Not bad Bob.  What is amusing about this is that true Communists believe that their leaders should share in the lifestyle of those they represent in order to main real contact with their conditions of life.  Bob, doesn’t sound like you do that Comrade!

So Bob, as you lead your drivers and team out on strike, think of this.  The average salary of a train driver is:  £37,231.  This is MORE than a paramedic (£21,720), a nurse (23,044), a secondary school teacher (£31,340), and even a dentist (£31,747).  Figures from the National Office of Statistics.

As a society, do we genuinely believe that a train/tube driver is more skilled and should be rewarded more for their work than a paramedic, nurse, teacher or a dentist?  I think even the most deluded in society would struggle to justify that.  But not Bob Crow.  Off he carts his merry bunch of workers off to cause chaos.  Disgraceful and contemptible.

Bob this may help you and your members have a greater understanding of jobs and salaries.

WHO EARNS WHAT : COMPARISON

1. £0 to £10,000:Cleaners, hairdressers, some agricultural labourers, people on benefits, fast food restaurant staff, school cooks, fine artists, holiday representatives, swimming pool attendants, broadcasting/film runners.

2. £10,001 to £20,000:Manual workers, sewer cleaners, call centre staff, mortuary assistants, farmers, electronic assembly line workers, nursery and care workers, imams, Army privates, bus drivers, checkout staff, landscape designers, fishermen, charity fundraisers, junior civil servants, local government administrators, soil scientists, florists, counsellors, air cabin crew, miners.

3. £20,001 to £30,000:Junior MI5 officers, rabbis, vicars, social workers, NHS nurses, naval cooks, electricians, carpenters, binmen, international aid workers, health service managers, media buyers, plant breeders, textile designers, museum administrators, lorry drivers, map makers, journalists.

4. £30,001 to £40,000: Newly qualified RAF pilots, London Tube drivers, some television presenters, London police officers, pole dancers, sandwich shop managers, bishops, London cab drivers, vets, paramedics, architects, diplomats, timber merchants, trading standards officers, zookeepers, probation officers, opticians, literary agents, immigration officers.

5. £40,001 to £50,000:Air traffic controllers, solicitors, RAF Flight Lieutenants, theatre managers, office managers, foresters, engineers, TV producers.

6. £50,001 to £75,000:Marketing and senior managers, senior police officers, commercial airline pilots, Royal Navy captains, education administrators, top PAs, fashion designers, town planners, MPs, senior social workers, tax inspectors, medical sales representatives.

7. £75,001 to £100,000: Senior managers, senior civil servants, Army brigadiers, secondary school heads, celebrity stylists, some plumbers, advertising executives, senior PRs, distribution managers, accountants.

8. £100,001 to £500,000:GPs, High Court judges, Prime Minister, business whizzkids, Cabinet ministers, Chief of Defence Staff, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, chief executives, senior company secretaries, NHS chief executives, private psychotherapists, financial advisers, quarry managers.

9. £500,001 to £1,000,000 irector General of the BBC, heads of larger companies, including the managing director of Arsenal and the chief executive of Sainsbury’s.

10. Over £1,000,000: Chief executives of the UK’s biggest firms, celebrities, footballers, bestselling authors, football managers, senior solicitors, investment bankers.

Tubes sitting in the sidings.  Not running for 48 Hours

Stats from the Southern Daily Echo.

TBB has a great deal of respect for James Purnell.  He took a bold, decisive move last week when he resigned from the Government.  He, unlike many Labour politicians, is in tune with public mood and he did not lack the bottle, the strength of determination to reveal his true feelings.  Purnell is an ambitious man but unlike most politicians this is not at any cost and he is not a politician who will kiss arse to get promotion.  A man whose career is founded on promotion by merit.  (Caroline Flint please note!)

In the reshuffle last week, there is no doubting Purnell would have been given a good job and promotion.  Whilst he is a Blairite and does not get on with the PM, there is no doubting he is an intelligent man and a fresh thinker.  Whilst TBB and Purnell dont agree on policies, I respect a conviction politician and his actions last week founded on principles.

But how frustrating for Purnell to see that his colleagues have effectively nullified his resignation.  He must have expected that his resignation would trigger the big guns to follow suit.  Time and again Miliband threatens but his time must have passed now as his spine his jellied.  Harman flirted with the idea but decided to fall in line and be a Mandelson puppet.  Johnson just cannot be seen as disloyal and is waiting for an ultimate blow and then he can rip off his suit and show his Superman suit and credentials. 

Purnell, as he has a quiet glass of wine in the evening must regret his timing.  Had he waited a day, Brown would have put Balls as Chancellor and maybe moved Miliband.  Darling would have resigned and Brown was prepared for that.  Mandolsen and Brown could paint Darling in a negative light, especially with all the expenses issues the Chancellor has BUT when Purnell resigned he effected the shape and scale of the reshuffle.  Hence Purnell’s actions saved Gordon, as Brown would never have survived a Darling resignation, followed by a Purnell one.  That would have been the trigger for a leadership contest.

So what next for Purnell?  Well the backbenches.  He will find them less appealing and will be a focus for Labour rebels and malcontents.  Maybe, as he reflects he will decide he has nothing to lose and will table a resignation statement in the House and blast Gordon with all guns, but given the PLP love-in last night, that could seen bitter and damage his career irreparably.  Maybe, his principles are so strong he wont care.  We all know as Conservatives that Brown is the best person for us to lead Labour and recent election results show that.  Purnell knows this and his love for Labour and doing ‘the right thing’ may tempt him to challenge himself for the leadership.  Whatever he decides, he has shown himself as a man of principle in a Party melting down.