Wake up and smell the coffee

The coalition government has resulted in much displeasure amongst many Lib-dem and Conservative supporters and MPs.

It's time to get real!  Consider:

• Would the UK public really have stomached Labour/Lib-dem governing - the second and third in the polls, i.e. the losers.  This would have been a affront to democracy.
• An, apparently, unwritten constitution has allowed this situation to happen.
• For the Conservatives, a minority government would have been extremely difficult to operate as an effective concern.
• For the Lib-dems - yes, you may have had to swallow your pride.  However, you now have a real say in the politics of the UK.  Not bad for a party that came a very poor third.
• Coalition means give and take on both sides - grown up stuff!

So, stop moaning and get on with it!  Let's see if you can all behave like adults and work together.  Put aside differences and work for the country - that'll be a change!

Is this democracy?

One of the main reasons the general election ended with a hung parliament was the labour voting from the Welsh and Scottish assemblies.  Without these votes Labour would have been nowhere.

How can it be a fair system that allows for the Scottish, Welsh and NI assemblies to run the important affairs for their countries that are funded out of central government's purse.

Put simply, this means that if Labour had got into power again, many of their policies effecting English voters would not effect the assemblies.  This is demonstrated by free prescriptions in Wales and university grants in Scotland, all funded by central government - but not for England.

Perhaps it is time that central government sorted this out for once and all.  The politicians of these assemblies are focused on their own countries and are always bleating for more money.  So, let us accept that the idea of a United Kingdom is dead and buried.

The answer, surely, would be devolve these countries fully.  Let them raise their own taxes and run their countries totally independent from Whitehall.  Set-up an English parliament and be done with it.

Of course, this will never happen, while these assemblies cling to the purse strings of central government.  So put up or shut up.

Coalition - made in heaven?

So - the people have spoken.  The Conservative and Lib-Dem together.

Labour are now bleating that the Lib-Dems have done anything to get into power - no complaints while Labour thought they had a chance to keep their grubby hands on the reins of power.  Brown resigning in a transparent and desperate effort to derail the Conservative / Lib-Dem talks.

Let's be clear here, one of the major reasons that the country is in such a parlous economic position is down to Brown and his stewardship of the economy - selling our gold reserves, allowing the banking institutions to run riot.  Yes, it is now a global problem, but one that could have been prevented by world governments, including Labour, if they had controlled the banking institutions.

We now have 5 years of this new coalition.  Now, before the 'pundits' act mischievously as is already happening, why don't we give the new government a chance?  After all, there have been concessions made on each side.  We now have different views within the government - this could stimulate healthy debate and some positive policies focused on the interests of the people of this country.

We are in for a rough ride, courtesy of the mess Labour has left us in.  I will be interested to see how it unfolds.

Political wags

We are now treated to the leader's wives getting more and more involved with the election.

I, for one, do not give a hoot about the opinions of the spouses.  Let me be clear.  They will not be running the country.  Their opinions are meaningless.

This is not the USA this is the UK.

So, please, let's just focus on the politicians (if we must) and leave their spouses out of it.

Brown admission on banks

So there we have it.  Mr Brown admitted today that 'he should have regulated the banks more'.

This is damning, we have constantly heard from labour politicians that the 'global economic crisis' took all by surprise.  Patently lies.  Just heard Ed Balls 'supporting' Brown - 'we have said this many times over the past two years'.  Who is he kidding.  I'm with John Pienaar on this one, he said 'these comments must have been mumbled very quietly'.

If Brown and his government had regulated the banks more closely, the current disaster may have been averted.  I think, this applies to the world's major countries.

So a stark choice - more years of poor government or a change?