The 70's revisited.....

19 October 2013

...it is not only Milliminor who is digging up the graveyard of once dead and failed 70's policies.

Some Tories doing so too....

An interesting article by Conservative MP Douglas Carswell points this out. The full article is here and is an interesting and entertaining read: http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/10/toryisms-trip-back-to-the-70s/

His case is that we are seeing the return of the old patrician class of Tory that was swept away by Mrs T and the old style corporatism once favoured by Heath.

Carswell is one of the more intelligent and forward thinking MPs and the fact that he has not been given a more prominent role tells us a lot.

He is right.

We do not need a re-hash of old failed 70's style thinking but new solutions to 21st Century problems based on individual freedom and free markets.

Often, far too often, our leaders see a problem and just fail to address the root causes. Labour politicians are the worse when it comes to this but, as Carswell appreciates, many Conservatives are tempted in that direction too while the LimpDems are addicted to it.

Why? well simply because it is easier to do and a far simpler message to the electorate is the result. Got a headache, take a painkiller - ignore the tumour causing it.

Examples:

Deal with low pay by setting a minimum wage - result - a wage norm set for many jobs with more and more people locked into that low pay.

Decide to deal with child poverty by setting an income level so a mere £1 per annum above or below the threshold determines the difference between whether a child is in poverty or not. That is simply absurd and it ignores the far more difficult factors.

Yes for some politician it is all about simplistic headlines while ignoring the deeper causes and consequences.

The worse example of current policy making is the plainly idiotic return to a prices policy with Milliminor's energy price freeze. IF - there is a problem with energy prices and I think there is, then you need to deal with the politically enforced measures pushing up prices then look to see whether the free market is working properly and, if not, take measures to make it work by increasing competition. But, this of course, is not as headline making, not as easy to understand, not as eye catching as the superficial price freeze and it also would require the guilty politicians to 'fess up about how they have pushed up prices.

We are said to get the leaders we deserve. I just wish we could get some real leaders, that would be a start.

Guest 710 wrote:
Well, obviously I must first pop off and attend to whatever revelations there may be in the 'coffee-shop' piece linked to above, for there does seem to be something in the air. I am beginning to feel something, but as yet my simmering excitement is tempered by a caution-inducing trepidation...
Guest 710 wrote:
Oh dear...
First: We are in the 'comment is free' age. Gone are the grizzled, sagacious copy-editors, now any old piece of tripe will do;if an essay strains to appear witty, it must be the next best thing since Dean Swift. Or, it never is going to matter, so why not print It.
Let me agree with you Barry, wee Dougie is right, and I agree for probably the same reasons too;I too can make something of it, but as with any small pile of Leggo bricks, what I make of it may not resemble what any other may produce.
Heath?! Who he?
The problem with gazing so far back, back before Thatcher equals back before North Sea Oil.
So, on the one hand he was dealing with a situation not unlike our present sorry pass, but on the other hand, many of the 'concrete' advances made under subsequent leadership are to be correctly filed under 'O' for oil, and not under 'T' for Thatcher, or for Tory.
We again can agree that leadership is lacking, as is direction;but you, Barry, are every bit to blame on the second point as any other Tory. If (and it is a biggy;IF) Thatcher's message was the right one;then and again now, you did and you do misinterpret it as "ME-ME-ME and to hell with the rest".
There can be but few other Tories that have espoused the chimeric Free-Market message more than you. As no more than a meaningless mantra.
If, as wee Dougie says, part of the problem with the Conservatives of today is the promotion of buy-to-let, such folly could be termed 'Williamsistics'.
And finally...
There is no need to run through the names of all the Partys responsible for the lamentable state we are in, its far easier than that.
Parliament is to blame. If there have been more than a handful of right-minded, as opposed to Right-mesmerised, MPs in Parliament throughout the 70s until today then there may have been as many as six.
Guest 756 wrote:
Barry, my brain must have scrambled this information because I was sure the Tories promised that when they sold off the utilities we would all see fairer pricing due to competition, yet you state we need to increase competition. How will that be achieved?
Guest 655 wrote:
Lesley - it is true and we have had cheaper power as a result, but in recent years the 'green rip-off' has increased our bills and the demand for energy has increased ahead of supply (blame China in particular). That former point illustrates the cynicism of Milliminor as much the the current energy bill is down to measures he forced through in government.

The old state monopolies would have faced exactly the same price rises due to those factors mention and on top of that you can add a premium as, being monopolies, they could up their prices over and above while, typically, such monopolies are hugely inefficient.

Now we have competition and you do not have to use British Gas and can switch to another supplier. What is needed is to improve that competition, more and better information, easier switching, more pricing transparency so it is easier to compare and so on. Then on the supply-side a look at the pricing mechanisms of the markets needs to be done as well. This is how governments can help, by ensuring that impediments to competition are removed, not by idiotic policies such as MilliMinors.

Tom - a typical left wing tactic that but utterly remote from the real world. North Sea oil helped but the deregulation of businesses and freed markets helped a lot more. Indeed these very policies themeselves helped the UK to make more out of the NSO boom.

You, Tom - as all on the left - like to place your faith in the hands of politicians, civil servants and other beaurocracies, me I prefer to trust the markets and the decisions made by million of individual people on how they spend their own money.
Guest 655 wrote:
On the first point Lesley - to expand. China's free market driven economic boom pushed up energy demand. But - Labour's refusal to make a decision and delays on nuclear energy also played a massive part as well as their 'green' policies. Sad that the coalition has not reversed much of that damaging green legislation, they need to.
Guest 710 wrote:
Ah yes Barry. You and your Cartel-Conservatism.
Guest 725 wrote:
Well done Barry, you're only three years behind the curve. Give it a few more years and your'll catch up eventually.
Brian Dixon wrote:
we have a green levy,and getting a red one.what ever next.