Tuesday, 11 September 2012


Cartoon ... Brighty







SO, the battle lines are drawn – not between traditional Left and Right, but between the Tories and their unreliable Lib Dem allies.

If the Cabinet reshuffle means anything, it surely signals David Cameron’s long-overdue decision to stand and fight for Tory values.
Having wasted two years, he will be judged at the next Election on jobs, prosperity, crime, fuel prices and Britain’s right to rule without Brussels meddling.
This is the only conclusion to be drawn from the dramatic rise of Right-wingers Chris Grayling, Owen Paterson and Michael Fallon to key roles in the Coalition power game.
As Justice Secretary, Mr Grayling will stand up to arrogant judges, both here and in Strasbourg.
He will seize the first opportunity to show victims of crime come first and to stop fickle human rights challenges getting in the way.
Environment supremo Mr Paterson will rein in the multi-billion-pound wind farm scams and unleash UK reserves of cheap shale gas.
And Mr Fallon will take on his boss, Business Secretary Vince Cable, by liberating the labour market and giving firms the right to hire and fire.
Others have been picked for key Treasury roles to unblock the obstacles to growth that have alarmed the wealth-creating business world and plunged us into double-dip recession.
Overseas Aid minister Justine Greening, no Right-winger, could force begging-bowl countries to prove they deserve our hard-earned cash before delivering a penny of her £12BILLION budget.
That would freeze this dubious handout overnight.
It all sounds like a Sun manifesto — just what voters expected when they dumped Gordon Brown.
Mr Cameron has bought time and, unless Boris Johnson is quite mad, seen off any threat to his leadership.
The London Mayor has rashly allowed others to talk up a challenge over a third Heathrow runway which may never be built.
The actual plan is to consider ALL options for airport expansion — including his pet Boris Island project.
Mr Johnson is stupendously popular. He is also bright enough to know such popularity can vanish instantly if he makes a wrong move.
He has just begun another four-year term running our capital city. A premature grab for a safe Westminster seat would be seen as naked opportunism.
Boris may see himself as a 21st-century Winston Churchill, who was summoned by a grateful Tory Party to lead his country to glory.
But he will not be forgiven if he mistimes his bid and splits the party.
The PM now has breathing space and must use it decisively.
His new team can drive the pace while avoiding a Lib Dem revolt and a leadership coup by Vince Cable.
This may be easier than many think. To survive, both Tories AND Lib Dems must prove they can deliver economic success.
Mr Cable likes to point to 900,000 new jobs and, last week, the biggest jump in factory production in 25 years. I am told that, approached sensibly, he might be more flexible than his critics assume.
Despite his Old Labour roots, he is no fan of strike-happy public sector unions, whose members work less, earn more and retire sooner than everyone else.
He is also thought to be realistic on the green agenda which, more than carbon emissions, is now costing us the earth.
Only a blinkered zealot would ignore cheap shale gas, which has slashed energy bills and made America almost self-sufficient on fuel.
The big test will come inside Vince’s own department.
Relentless Michael Fallon wants to dismantle “job protection” laws which actually CUT job chances in small and medium firms — the wealth creators he says we must “salute like Olympic champions”.
Mr Cable yesterday made it clear he will not budge. Mr Fallon must persuade him otherwise.

Having set his course, Mr Cameron will put the final link in place at next month’s 

Conservative Party conference.

In Birmingham he will lay out his terms for a new deal with the stricken European 

Union and promise a vote on the outcome.

That, he hopes, will rob UKIP of its role as the referendum party.

All he has to do then is win the next Election.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4529361/TREVOR-KAVANAGH-Now-Daves-got-a-winning-hand.html#ixzz269AGkV1y