DECK CHAIRS ON A SINKING SHIP

In his recent speech allegedly setting out his Government’s priorities, Rishi Sunak declared: ‘I want to make a simple commitment: this government will always reflect the people’s priorities.’ So, he set out five promises that the Government would deliver:

‘First, we will halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security.

Second, we will grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country.

Third, we will make sure our national debt is falling so that we can secure the future of public services.

Fourth, NHS waiting lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly.

Fifth, we will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed.’

One cannot accuse the prime minister of being overly ambitious. He continued: ‘We can reverse the creeping acceptance of a narrative of decline. Reject pessimism and fatalism. Refuse limits on our aspirations … In other words, we need to change the way our country works.’ To achieve this required ‘change in mindset’, Sunak promised a ‘more innovative economy’, stronger communities, safer streets, ‘a world class education system’, ‘an NHS built around patients’, and ‘a society that truly values the family’. All of which is very Blairite and nice sounding. Sunak considered education to be the means of achieving ‘greater social justice’.

As if the nationalisation of the family is desirable and has not gone far enough, Sunak promised: ‘We’re going to roll out Family Hubs to offer parents the support they need to raise a child.’ He wanted people to ‘feel’: ‘A belief that public services work for them; A knowledge that if you work hard in the good times, the state will be there for you during the bad; A hope that the world will be better for their children than it was for them; A sense of belonging in the place they call home.’

Given that the Tories are flooding the UK with more than one million immigrants each year, most of whom settle in England, then the English ‘feel’ increasingly less at home in England. Sunak neither acknowledged mass immigration as a problem nor proposed any solution to it. He preferred the distraction of the illegal immigrant invasion across the English Channel, about which his response was to promise another act of parliament – ie the Government will do nothing effective.

The more the government gets involved in the family, the greater the opportunity for politically-correct indoctrination and corruption of our children.

Given the scale of the giveaway of UK monies, in particular in foreign aid and to the EU (despite Brexit), given the scale of mass immigration with the attendant avalanche of unpaid bills for housing and the strain on public services, and given the scale of the escalating trade deficit – then falling living standards are inevitable. Yet Sunak’s speech did not address these issues. He much preferred to meddle and spend instead. He misrepresented peoples’ priorities. The Tories are merely rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship.

One is reminded of President Reagan’s oft repeated quote.

The ten points comprising Turbo Brexit were set out some years ago, and remain far more relevant than Sunak’s globalist daydreams:

1. A complete end to the annual payments to the EU. Any post-Brexit deal should exclude any further payments to the EU. The so-called Norway Model should be rejected. From the money saved, £100 million per week should be allocated to the NHS. The sooner the EU payments cease, the sooner the extra funding for the NHS is available.

2. There should be a full restoration of British sovereignty. Neither the EU nor any other international organization, should have any power over Britain’s internal affairs. Britain’s laws should be determined by Britain’s parliament. Britain should withdraw from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights and repeal the so-called Human Rights Act.

3. Britain should regain full control over its territorial waters and those should be set at the international standard, with the fishing limit extended to 200 miles. Britain should have full control over its fishing policy and fish conservation.

4. There should be an end of free movement of people and Britain should take whatever measures are necessary to bring mass immigration to a complete end. The EU should have no say over who lives in Britain. Illegal immigrants and immigrant political extremists should be deported. This must necessitate withdrawing from the UN Convention on Refugees; help should be given to genuine refugees in their own or neighbouring countries. British citizenship should not be granted until someone has lived in Britain for at least 30 years and is someone of good standing.

5. Overseas Aid should be reduced to a minimum. The aim should be to reduce it by at least £10 billion. Those who wish to give donations to overseas bodies and charities are of course free to do so with their own money.

6. Britain’s trade policy should be one of balanced trade. Britain has a massive balance of trade deficit with the EU and also with China. Britain needs to adopt trade policies that will eliminate these trade deficits. If necessary, tariffs should be used. In addition, there should be measures to prevent further key British firms being taken over by foreign entities. Other countries protect their key industries and so should Britain.

7. There should be a determined de-Marxification programme to remove the ideology of political correctness from society. Those promoting political correctness should have their access to public monies cut. Political correctness should cease to be the basis of morality and patriotism should be quietly engendered.

8. Priority should be given to reducing the government spending deficit; ending the scandal of councils seizing pensioners’ homes if they are taken into care; and reintroducing a fully transferable married couples’ tax allowance. To raise money, in addition to the extra tax income from increased growth due to trade being brought back into balance, and the savings on overseas aid and payments to the EU, there should be the introduction of a Solidarity Tax on those who have thus far avoided the extra costs of the political correctness and immigration that they so loudly demand. All organizations bringing in immigrants should be charged the full cost of a house; there is no reason why taxpayers should fund a housebuilding programme to cater for the immigrants brought in to save wages and training costs for business and other organizations; let those organizations which do so well out of immigration pay to house those immigrants.

9. The House of Lords needs to be replaced to better reflect the views of ordinary people and to cull the collection of cronies with which the chamber has been stuffed since the expulsion of most of the hereditary peers; it has become an expensive Ponzi class gravy train and is dysfunctional. There should also be the introduction of an English parliament to give the English an equal footing in Britain. The powers devolved to the various national parliaments should be equalized with a proper federal structure.

10. There should be selective measures taken to tackle crony capitalism, self-aggrandising lawyers and dishonest bankers (including their agents). Monopoly abuse should be met with fines. Lawyers should no longer be allowed to manipulate the law to their own financial advantage (e.g. orchestrating allegations from foreigners against British troops, and exploiting divorce proceedings). It should be assumed that the wealth created during a marriage is split evenly in order to simplify, make fairer and minimize lawyers’ fees. Small and medium-sized businesses should have the law amended to alter the balance of power in their favour regarding banks. Bank criminality should be aggressively prosecuted.