Absolutely Not The Daily Troll-o-Graph

A Labour government is not a safe inevitability – it’s a high risk choice Source - Daily Telegraph 16/12/23 As advent becomes Christmas, we reflect on the year behind us and anticipate what is to come. But, as ever at this time, some people find it hard to know which narrative to choose to believe. This is particularly true at the moment, as amateur BBC pundits – offering about as much insight as I could on the intricacies of football tactics – seek to talk this country down and talk the Labour Party up. It may suit their narrative; it might support their desired outcome; it might just reflect their ‘glass half empty’ outlooks; but it isn’t necessarily so. It may be uncomfortable for them to acknowledge but this year has actually seen political stability, economic growth, inflation halved, tax cuts, and serious efforts to address people’s priorities.  Take economic growth. Ever since Rishi Sunak become Prime Minister, stagnation has been predicted as just around the corner. In fact...

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, asked for vehicles destined for scrapheap – but London counterpart turned him down Source - Daily Telegraph 15/12/23 Sadiq Khan has blocked a plan to send cars to Ukraine that would otherwise be scrapped under Ulez. In a letter obtained by The Telegraph, the Mayor of London has said he will not allow the vehicles, which tend to be 4x4s and pick-up trucks, to be sent to the war zone, where they are desperately needed on the front line. Under the London Ulez scheme, motorists are able to claim a one-off payment of £2,000 if they scrap a vehicle that does not comply with the controversial pollution levy. If they instead keep their non-compliant vehicles – most diesel cars registered before September 2015 and petrol cars registered before January 2006 – they must pay a daily charge of £12.50. In September, Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, wrote to Mr Khan after noting the UK’s scrappage scheme, proposing that some of the vehicles be donated to Ukrai...

Budapest will ‘consider contributing’ to new funding for Kyiv if Brussels unlocks withheld billions over erosion of democracy Source - Daily Telegraph - 13/12/23 Hungary has set a €30 billion (£25.8 billion) price tag for backing a fresh round of EU support for Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky challenged Budapest to drop its opposition to the plans. Viktor Orban, Hungarian prime minister, has threatened to block a €50 billion (£43 billion) package of support for Kyiv’s war ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on Thursday. EU leaders are also set to discuss Ukraine’s EU membership, which Hungary is also threatening to derail as it attempts to squeeze its own concessions from the bloc. Tensions boiled over on Wednesday with the Ukrainian president saying Hungary had “no reason” to block his country’s EU membership bid, considered crucial for long-term security. Mr Orban, who has been sympathetic to Vladimir Putin in the past, has suggested he would lift his block on the funding package if H...

The only respectable aspect of the Welsh leader’s record is that he managed to stay in power for so long Source - Daily Telegraph - 13/12/23 It may have just been an unlucky coincidence, but only this week Mark Drakeford was challenged in a TV interview about his falling approval ratings as first minister of Wales. An ITV poll showed that while 31 per cent of Welsh voters think he’s doing a good job, 50 per cent do not, an 18-month low for that particular metric.  Today, he announced he’s had enough, and will step down in March when Welsh Labour choose a replacement. Drakeford has had a respectable innings, elected to the job five years ago. He was expected to step down some time next year, but the fact that this press conference had to be hastily arranged suggests he didn’t know himself that this departure was so imminent. In terms of Labour news management, this is less than ideal; as Keir Starmer prepared to do battle with Rishi Sunak the day after the controversial Rwanda Bill ...

Despite Labour’s repeated assertion the policy is unworkable, there must now be nagging doubts that the policy might have the desired effect Source - Daily Telegraph 12/12/23 The Rwanda policy lives to fight another day. Of course, it may end up losing that fight eventually, either in the Commons or the Lords, or even in the courts again. But for now, the Prime Minister can enjoy at least a little festive good cheer. That is in no small part down to the new immigration minister, Michael Tomlinson, who wound up for the government on the Second Reading debate of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill. He was confident to the point of swagger, which was unusual given the chaotic political context of the last couple of days. He dealt with interventions from across the House, many from his own side, with a level of detail that was impressive, and a degree of patience and courtesy that was, in the circumstances, highly advisable.  In the run-up to tonight’s crunch vote, Rishi...

Omnishambles doesn’t do justice to the embarrassment that was her premiership – but she had a point Even left wing think tanks and politicians are starting to embrace growth When you feel the impact of low growth your everyday life, it’s hard not to be stirred by Truss’ words Source Capx 08/12/23 Link In our increasingly polarised nation, Liz Truss is one of the last remaining unity figures – albeit for the wrong reasons. We collectively wince when she makes speeches at American think tanks, shout at the television when she offers political advice, and stare in awe at her brass neck for appearing at state occasions as a former Prime Minister.   Omnishambles doesn’t do justice to the national embarrassment that was Truss’ premiership, but the real tragedy of her time in power was that she had a point. Britain has become a country where the default answer is ‘no’; a country which can’t grow, build or deliver improving living standards for its citizens. What a shame then that the...

The goodwill and generosity of the British people is too often exploited but this amended legislation will help to stop that happening Source - Daily Telegraph  Britain is a dynamic, generous and outward-looking country. That has, and always will be, the case. We have led the world in giving asylum to those fleeing war, abuse and torture. Most recently we have taken in thousands of people through our Ukraine, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Syria schemes. However, the sad truth is that the goodwill and generosity of the British people is too often exploited. The number of people crossing the Channel to make an asylum claim has become unsustainable, and we have to act. Last year, 45,000 people illegally crossed the Channel in small boats. This is having an effect on all of our constituents. It is putting pressure on public services like the NHS and schools. Hotels in too many of our towns, including in my constituency, are unfairly being used to house asylum seekers. It isn’t fair on ord...