Monday 28 January 2008

Country Matters

Village primary schools are under threat the length and breadth of England (in marked contrast to the record of the underrated Estelle Morris, driven out by the wholly self-styled "education expert" Adonis), and the BNP is on the rise in the countryside, even in areas with few or no either non-white or Eastern European inhabitants.

All because of the historically aberrant ceding of the countryside, especially in England, to a party which in any case long ago became ideologically opposed to its interests; in Scotland and Wales, country people to make do with the Lib Dems, who in their way are even worse.

Instead, we need a party committed to the defence of rural services, leading in particular to the systematic reversal of bus route and (where possible) rail line closures going back to the 1950s, as well as of the erosion of local schools, medical facilities, Post Offices, and so on. To a national network of public transport free at the point of use.

Committed to real agriculture as the mainstay of strong communities, environmental responsibility and animal welfare (leading to safe, healthy and inexpensive food), as against American-style ‘factory farming’. To defence of the remaining field sports. To a free vote in government time on repeal of the ban on hunting with dogs.

Committed to a new and powerful second chamber elected on the basis of the English ceremonial counties, Scottish lieutenancy areas, Welsh preserved counties, and Northern Irish counties, with each of those 99 units having equal representation.

Committed to making the supermarkets invest in agriculture and small business (investment to be determined in close consultation with the National Farmers’ Union and the Federation of Small Businesses) by means of a windfall tax, to be followed if necessary by a permanently higher flat rate of corporation tax.

And committed, in either case, to strict regulation to ensure that the costs of this are not passed on to suppliers, workers, consumers, communities or the environment.

Is there such a party? There is.

12 comments:

  1. How many candidates for the BPA do you have David? Obviously, I'm not volunteering.

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  2. Then it's not really any of your business at this stage.

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  3. Yes. How dare I, a voter, ask you, a leader of a party seeking my and others vote, how you are doing. How dare I indeed. Democray huh? Let's just all sit and wait till David deigns to tell us whom we might vote for.

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  4. Can you name your candidate at, say, Old Bexley and Sidcup? I bet you can't.

    Anyway, this is all off-topic.

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  5. It's not off topic. You posted about the BPA. I'm replying in a comments thread about it.

    Our candidate in Old Bexley and Sidcup is Duncan Borrowman. Who's yours?

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  6. Thus speaks the Political Class. With their incumbent out of the wya and in the absence of either of his sons, this is who they want you to vote for. Party means nothing to them.

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  7. Promotion comes quicker in the Lib Dems than in the Tories doesn't it Jon? You were in the north, and especially Durham City, too long.

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  8. Well, I don't quite understand the last two comments. If I didn't know better, I'd say that they were David posting under false names. They do bear a remarkable similarity to his style and thoughts. As I said, if I didn't know better.

    Still, given that David hasn't yet replied, I'll ask him again. It is, after all, difficult to argue about the relative merits of the BPA vs the Jon party in Old Bexley and Sidcup without knowing the identity of the BPA candidate...

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  9. In fairness David, you have asked Jon a specific question (who is his candidate to replace Derek Conway) and he replied. He asked you a question, and so far you haven't. Plus I'm also quite keen to know who it is -I'm a floating voter who is attracted to the BPA and I live just off the Sidcup bypass.

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  10. Really, Jon? That's a very odd thing to say.

    (And if you check when those comments were posted, you will see that it must have been while I was researching and typing today's posts. Which it was. Funny how you haven't denied the Durham one. And quite a lot of readers of this blog are at least broadly in agreement with my views, oddly enough.)

    Bob, we're finding the South East quite a hard nut to crack, although we know that there are people whom we could reach there. So do get in touch - davidaslindsay@hotmail.com

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  11. David, although I'm interested in voting for the BPA, I don't really want to stand. It's a real shame you don't have anyone in my constituency yet. Do you perhaps have anyone in any of the neighbouring constituencies yet who I could maybe go and help campaign? Maybe in Bexleyheath, or Eltham, or Greenwich, or Dartford?

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  12. You don't need to be prepared to stnad. Just get in touch.

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