Fiscal Moderates

Even poor old Chris Patten, who might be thought to have other things to talk about today, is beside himself that Boris Johnson wants to put up public sector pay while Jeremy Hunt also wants enormous spending increases. In what is becoming a recurring theme, he compares such proposals to those of John McDonnell, whose supporters he describes as, by comparison, "fiscal moderates". 

Well, yes. Until McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn came to prominence, then Labour would scarcely have dared to suggest these things. But now, both candidates to lead the Conservative Party do so. The answer to the problems with any of this is Modern Monetary Theory, and McDonnell, Corbyn, Johnson and Hunt are already halfway to that realisation. We all just need to get them there.

The remaining problem is the bulk of Labour MPs, to whom the world only makes sense in terms of neoliberal economic policy, identitarian social policy, neoconservative foreign policy, somehow also anti-industrial Malthusianism, the promotion of all of these things through the European Union, and their vigorous enforcement by authoritarian measures against "terrorism" and "antisocial behaviour", as well as by EHRC types from exactly the right background in the metropolitan liberal elite. "Anti-Semitism" must be screeched at anyone who dares to ask any questions. Or possibly "Russian interference", "online abuse", and these days something or other about China.

There will still be hundreds of these people in the next Parliament. That will be another hung Parliament, however, and we need our people to hold the balance of power in it. A new party will be registered before the House of Commons rises for the summer recess, even if I have to pay for it myself, ongoing lawfare or no ongoing lawfare.

And I will stand for Parliament here at North West Durham even if I can raise only the deposit, which I could do by going pretty overdrawn, although that was not how I was brought up. I would still prefer to raise the £10,000 necessary to mount a serious campaign, but I am no longer making my candidacy conditional on having done so. In any event, please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.