By Steve Parkhurst, Senior Editor, USDR.
Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.
6-12-17
Let’s end austerity
Many readers will know that I was critical of Mr Osborne’s austerity policy. It was always more based on increased tax revenues than on cutting spending, but it ground on with the rhetoric of cuts. The growth in spending on overseas aid, EU contributions, pensions and welfare placed more of a strain on some other important programmes. Today I want us to end the rhetoric of austerity, and to ensure decent levels of funding for those important parts of the public sector that are finding it difficult to manage.
May must go now
There is a natural path ahead: announce a resignation by the end of next week, and allow a contest to take place over the summer.
Our policies were right. But we didn’t sell them.
Despite the outcome, our manifesto was a step in the right direction, from which we must not retreat backwards.
6-9-17
Britain has voted for chaos
What a wild creature democracy is. Theresa May called an election to end elections: give me a big majority, she said, and I’ll get on with the job. The alternative was a “coalition of chaos”.
No, Corbyn hasn’t pulled off a triumph. A defeat is a defeat is a defeat.
Plus: An apology on behalf of the pundits, the press, the pollsters, the politicians and the parties for calling this election utterly, totally and completely wrong.
Scotland’s gone a bit Tory (no really), Ukip’s gone a bit pear-shaped, and Jeremy Corbyn did the worst high-five ever. Here’s your overnight catch-up.
Weak and unstable Theresa May’s gamble has failed – and now she will have to go
The exit poll suggests the Conservatives have lost seats and that there will be a hung parliament – which is a disaster for the Prime Minister, who called an unnecessary election that has finished her short tenure
6-8-17
Labour leader calls for people to vote to show ‘democracy will never be cowed by terror’ while PM calls for ‘fiercely patriotic’ voters to support Tories.
The Tories wanted to talk about leadership and Brexit. But instead May faced a dementia tax U-turn and awkward questions about cuts after the terror attacks
6-7-17
There is only one way to vote at this election – against Labour
Voters want leadership and sound economic management. Labour would deliver neither
Why I’m voting Tory for the first time ever
This is the first election in my life in which I shall vote Conservative. I voted Labour in the last local elections as a sort of last fling at the ballot box. But not this time. This time I’m going to go all the way with Theresa May.
Forget shy Tories – it’s the millions of ‘shy Mayites’ who will decide this election
The polls have caused a lot of panic over the prospect of a hung parliament seeing Jeremy Corbyn into power. But let’s not forget that if election polling presaged exactly what would happen on voting day, then Britain would have had to live under Prime Minister Neil Kinnock in the 1990s and be now one year into the Miliband administration.
Seven political myths that have been shattered by this election
Coalitions are the new normal…”banging on about Europe” is inherently unpopular…no-one will ever listen to the polls again.
Prevent is failing because neither Muslims nor the Government will take responsibility for it
It shouldn’t be controversial to say British Muslims have a role to play in defeating Isis. If they are not best equipped to stop more individuals being seduced by this murderous cult, then who is?
6-6-17
We must face hard truths about homegrown extremism
This problem may have started abroad, but it is now here, in our own society. It must be dealt with.
Britain and France need to elect politicians who are ready accept the truth about terrorism and foreign policy
Sadiq Khan pointed out that terrorism has ‘nothing to do with the true values of Islam’. On the contrary, it is an aberration caused by a range of factors, all of which need to be approached with dispassionate pragmatism
The next PM must see off the spectre of wealth destruction
The next Prime Minister will need to have a war-time mentality. The spectre of wealth destruction is stalking our shores.
Last week’s Across the Pond.
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Across The Pond is edited daily by Steve Parkhurst. Steve is a political consultant, a writer at his blog as well as a Senior Editor here at US Daily Review. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveParkhurst
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