Mark writes: I am unlikely ever to vote Conservative since I have got this far in life without feeling the urge, and I am very likely to vote for ‘Remain’ in the EU referendum in June.
According to this analysis, the Conservative Party MPs are more or less equally split between Remain and Leave supporters whereas all other parties are solidly one way or another.
It’s easy, very easy, in line with Ralph’s cartoon above, for me to look down the list of ‘Leave’ Conservative MPs and spot a lot of names with whom I would rarely expect to agree. These would include the likes of Ian Duncan Smith, Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Chris Grayling, John Redwood, Owen Paterson and my own MP Tom Pursglove (but there are plenty of others).
But I guess it is more interesting to spot occasional names in the ‘Leave’ list with whom I generally feel quite a lot of empathy: there aren’t that many but they include Zac Goldsmith, Michael Fabricant and, on a good day, David Davis (but definitely not David Davies).
And of course I can feel reassured when I spot the names in the ‘Remain’ list with whom I feel, to some extent, some level of empathy including Amber Rudd, Heidi Allen, Richard Benyon, Alistair Burt, Kenneth Clarke, Caroline Spelman and Ed Vaizey. But also in the ‘Remain’ group are some Tories that I generally feel have completely different world views from my own, such as George Osborne, Jeremy Hunt, Simon Hart and Eric Pickles.
But I guess we have to realise that there is probably no-one in the world who has exactly the same views as any other person and that therefore all political parties, clubs, societies of like-minded people are only like-minded to some extent.
And there appear to be only eight Labour MPs who have come out for Leave – and they include one of the few Labour MPs for whom I wouldn’t vote, Kate Hoey.
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But I feel that Leave has attracted more than its fair share of dopes, losers and opportunists (I’m sure you can identify them!) the environmental benefits of the EU almost make agreeing with Cameron, Osborne & Co worthwhile.
Yes, but I doubt they are in favour of staying because of the environmental benefits of so doing.
Glad you feel the same about Kate Hooey, I’m extremely relieved I have never been a constituent of hers. I just can’t see how any labour MP could support the Countryside Alliance, far less have been the chair of it! Is she a few straws short of a full bale, or a contrarian attention seeker? Either way for her to commit such time to spouting the propaganda from the field sports sector when there’s genuine poverty, environmental destruction and international unrest to attend to is contemptible. I’ve recently heard from someone in rural Scotland who was subjected to physical harassment because he was no friend to persecution of wildlife. On one occasion the local Wildlife Crime Officer complained to a lady about a character who had the temerity to report some illegal traps. The WCO didn’t know the lady happened to be married to him! This is what the CA really stands for beneath all its ludicrous posturing about threatened ways of life (good), and trying to portray a privileged, spoilt group as a repressed minority – to be supported by a ‘labour’ MP makes the blood boil and stomach heave.
It seems we’re in more danger with the Tories if we leave. What bothers me is Tony Benn said we should leave? Also I have a lot of time for George Galaway
Michael – thank you for your comment and welcome!
Zac seems to be making some poor choices. Wanting to follow in Boris’s fume-filled wake is probably one.
Defending the Garden Bridge is another. Apparently that is because it will generate some income because couples will want to get married there. According to FZR Goldsmith (who evidently stopped being Frank a long while ago), the £30M quids (of public money) that Transport for London have had their metaphorical arm twisted into stumping up towards by the total cost by the oh-so-outgoing Mayor, isn’t very much in the larger scheme of things. Shame that the larger scheme doesn’t seem to factor in a healthy environment.
You can read about the Garden Bridge Project here
a href=”https://www.gardenbridge.london/about-the-project”>GBP
I wonder how they gathered the views which provided them with the 78% of Londoners are (or at least were) in favour. Probably not with a full and frank discussion of the pros and cons.
Perhaps it was something along the lines of the Bridge’s own website description (Don’t be distracted by Nordic muder mystery series), as in
“The garden will be an enchanted space in the middle of the busy city. It will feature an abundance of plants, trees and shrubs indigenous to the UK, Northern Europe and other parts of the world. These have all been chosen for their biodiversity, bringing wildlife and horticulture to the heart of London. The planting has been carefully designed to ensure that it will frame and enhance views of the iconic landmarks of London.”
What proportion of the overall cost will the enchantment account for, one wonders? Will there be an international wizarding competition in order to choose the contractor?
And these species that are indigenous (Indigenous, eh? Clearly a good thing being indigenous – unless you’re campaigning for a people’s rights or the environment of course) to ‘ the UK, Northern Europe and other parts of the world’. That leaves free scope for planting anything, Tree of Heaven, Buddliea, Japanese Knotweed. Oh wait, London’s already got lots of those. And chosen for their Biodiversity? One supposes that includes the depicted Milkweed butterfly.
I’ll leave you to decide how the money to be ‘invested’ might better have been spent. Reducing the air pollution that is killing thousands of people ‘before their time’ and adding to health problems and NHS costs? Subsidising insulation costs in order to reduce energy consumption by and emissions from London’s old, cold (but over hot in summer) housing stock? A vanity project for the Mayo-oops. Enhancing the undermanaged wildlife sites across the whole of Greater London or even just along the Thames? Delivering the Green Grid (the underfunded plan to connect up London’s green spaces in an effective way, that would provide benefits for many more people, wildlife, climate change mitigation….)?
Perhaps Tower Bridge might be used for giving a sense of occasion to divorces in future? And who knows what other income might be derived from London’s bridges? Clearly we need more or them – if only to pay for the cost of building all those bridges. Perhaps a special GCN mitigation bridge can be constructed using biodiversity offsetting funds and all the Capital’s troublesome amphibians translocated there. There’s probably still some timber left from all the old street trees felled in London in recent years. Or perhaps some local council has fresh plans in that direction. A wooden bridge would be nice and natural wouldn’t it. And that would create space for lots of lovely
Meanwhile, given the announcement that a switch to (the right) renewable energy sources could save billions every year, one wonders whether that might be used to fund the building of bridges all over the divided city/country. Or might it be put to more effective use. Or will it simply go on tax breaks to Google, Amazon, etc.
Ah yes, I can see it now, the setting sun, the strangely coloured evening sky falling on the City’s GoogleGate Bridge, with coughing from the London Wildlife Trust’s Shell sparrow sanctuary, drowned out by…
[In the interests of vague political ‘balance’, the other Mayoral candidates seem to think that ‘bridging loans’ might be better invested elsewhere, one even suggesting a Folly for London competition, but as for how they would use the funds better if given the opportunity…]
If only there was some way for the hard-pressed, high power politician to keep up with current affairs. As for the Garden Bridge Wikipedia (Yes, lazy I know) offers the following
a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_Bridge”>GBP
Meanwhile (in the interests of further balance), Sheffield City Council are keen to do away with a large number of their street trees. Perhaps there’s a market for them in London – where so few remain. These bridges won’t build themselves.
One wonders whether trolls are endemic.
And, in further balance. Taking the UK into Europe is certainly very high up on the list of good things done by post-war governments of any flavour. Bridges come in many different forms it seems. Some more worthwhile than others. Especially when you consider all the pros and cons.
Haematopotamus – great comment, thank you.
You suprise me Mark. Always had you as pro eu. Anyway, yes I agree. I find it very uncomfortable to be agreeing with any Tory MPs on this but particularly those you mention specifically!
Wasn’t it KateHoey that used to leap out and attack Peter Sellers, becoming terribly deranged before the end?
Or perhaps not.