Why no C-word?

Obnoxio the Clown asks “I really do struggle with why politicians won't say the "c-word". The papers are full of examples of profligate waste that get people exercised. And yet no-one wants to tackle our frightening government debt.”

The answer is pretty straight forward. I’ll deal with Labour and Tories. Who cares about the Limp-dumps. For Labour they want to avoid talking about cuts because the recipients of public funds are their client state. This is true of the public sector and welfare claimants.

Labour, especially the Brown and Balls section are also masters of vilifying their enemies, both internal and external. They know that most of the population are not political anoraks, they might read a paper or watch the news, but not in any but in any detail. Labour knows that through a sympathetic media, and their friends in the BBC and others they can give the superficial impression that the Tories will take away people hospitals and schools, that they will privatise police and withdraw justice for all but the rich.

True enough about a third of the public sector is the sort of essential front line stuff like Nurses and firefighters etc, plus a handful of necessary operational managers. These people even most libertarians would keep, definitely Tory libertarians. Then you have maybe another third who are in support roles that while not strictly necessary serve some purpose and good arguments will be made to keep them. Then the final third are political appointees with no merit whatsoever.

But if you were a Tory strategist would you really want to bet the future of your party on the ability to nuance the above argument in a 15 second soundbite, which is about as much time as you get through the media with the average bored voter. Before you even get to that point you have to disabuse the public of the idea that you want to sack all the nurses in their local hospital because the Labour guy who had 15 seconds before you just told them that.

Its a hell of a lot easier just to keep your gob shut and win first. But if you want to get a feel for if the Tories really want to cut the size of government then read the Tory manifesto, it will leave no libertarian reader in any doubt.

Profit is not a dirty word

Whenever Labour get into difficulty they just lie about the opposition. They are currently insisting that the Tories are proposing that schools be run for profit. The Tories are not, however, they should.

Profit, despite what Socialists think is not a dirty word. Even when its applies to Schools.

Process is the engine of progress. It is profit that makes private enterprise deliver more of what people want, when people want. Do we seriously think that instead of the profit motive in food we would be better off closing down Tesco’s and Sainsbury, the local restaurants and Cafe’s so we could have a National Food Service instead? No, whenever the profit motive is applied you start getting better results. Does Labour argue that the food available in this country is rubbish because they take money out through profits? Well not yet they don’t.

Am I saying that a profit making school is automatically bad and a state school is automatically good? No, of course it’s not that simple, in the US there are some excellent charter schools and some crap ones. But it’s not actually the American model that Gove proposes to follow, it’s the Swedish model, only not the bit about allowing profit making. The Swedish have repeatedly told the Tories that if they want the best schools they need to allow profit making schools, new schools roll out much quicker that way and they innovate more. I only hope Gove listens to their experience and does allow profit making, we can reverse the decline in standards a lot quicker that way.

The welfare army

I once believed that the army is a reserve of lethal force used to defend our shores or our interests abroad. Then I read this: I don’t know why I’m surprised. After 13 years of Labour you would think it would come as about as much surprise that your 8 month old has just shat himself again.

It appears that by 2001 the British army had taken to roaming around commonwealth islands looking for ‘the right sort’ to join up. Where according to those in the know over at the Army Rumour Service ARRSE they poodle around base waiting to get knocked up. So they can get discharged and welfare. Why not, if your living in some shanty in Caribbean facing the prospect of spending your life in poverty or back breaking labour for a few pesos in the constant bastard heat. Alternatively, move to the UK where on the assumption your probably vote Labour your get provided for and you never need get off your increasing voluminous arse ever again.

Only every so often a bright spark comes along, this time in the form of the quite brilliant Miss DeBique who released all she needed to do was not bother making any arrangements for her kid in camp or with a paid baby sitter like Christ knows how many other have before in the armies 400 odd year history, instead she just didn’t bother turning up until she got booted out. At which point she sued them for hurt feelings totalling £100,000 , and won. Or about £8k more than the amount a soldier get for having their leg blown off in Afghanistan.

Will this madness ever end in this socialist hell hole of a country?