PUBLIC EXPENDITURE NOT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

I was sent a link to this posting on X:

 

 

 

To spend around £1.6 billion on renting a vacant barge is an extraordinary expenditure of public money. To claim discussion of such profligacy would not be in the public interest, is beyond baffling, and is rather a reflexion of the crass arrogance of the current government. 

 

Not in the public interest? Roger, who sent me the link, just captioned the word “unbelievable” next to it. This is the doing of Suella Braverman fulfilling her dream and depriving the NHS (or possibly the police and security services) of 40,000 nurses on £40,000 a year salary each.

 

They constantly make claims to be responding to the wishes of the British public because of their election results in 2019. Since then, the British public have most assuredly changed their minds. Every single day that passes, as evidenced by current polls, must surely have penetrated the Conservative psyche. Every single revelation of incompetence from the Covid Enquiry must surely have given them some pause for thought.   To hark back to 2019 and persistently claim a public mandate to govern is unconscionable. They know that and yet they persist in holding on rather than actually doing what the British public are screaming out for, which is a general election. Unfortunately the screaming is not quite loud enough as yet, but that is the desire of everyone that I have spoken to. Is it not time for the conservative party to stop harping back to a mandate they no longer hold? Why is this not pressed by the opposition? This should be pointed out to them every time it is mentioned, not only by opposition MPs but by journalists during the course of any interview.

 

Many do not understand why no one has put forward a motion of no confidence. At present the Conservative party holds 350 out or 650 seats. That is a simple majority of 25 seats if all the other parties joined together in favour of a vote of no confidence. Is it so unlikely that 26 current conservative MPs might conclude enough is enough?  There are, of course, a number of Independent MPs (18), the DUP (8) and the Reclaim Party’s one representative which might give the government a possible 27 votes, but I doubt they could count of that 100%. Might it not be worth having a go?

 

If the rumours one picks up from journalists are correct, then perhaps a spring election is on the cards; however, if that does not happen, then I believe every possible elector should write to their MP demanding an election be called. If their MP refuses to take notice then s/he should be put on notice that they will lose a vote when the election finally happens. 

 

We carry on living in limbo with a dysfunctional government, nationalists coming to the fore in Europe leading to a possible disintegration of the European ideal, war and violence flourishing across the globe, a fantasy COP 28 offering a buyout but no actual solutions.

 

In the meantime people meet around dinner tables letting off political steam and coming back to civility in discussing their families, children and grandchildren, reminiscing about previous endeavours and looking forward to the possibility of other enjoyable prospects.  Civility and friendship are what holds us together. Why can this not be done on a larger scale?