Political Snakes and Ladders: Peter Obone, Lord Ashcroft and David Cameron

English: David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Based upon his recent article published in the Telegraph, Peter Obone used to be the voice of reason but now he has gone off the rails, probably in pursuit of a knighthood like David Dimbleby.

David Cameron is not just past his sell by date but is lazy, complacent and a loser of elections.
A streetwise and tough performer would have kicked Gordon Brown, one of the worst Prime Ministers we have ever had, into touch at the last election but it was not to be.

The Coalition is the result along with a catalogue of missed opportunities and wrong headed policies caused by David Cameron’s incompetence, laziness and cowardice under pressure.

First there is the running sore of overseas aid at £12 billion gbp a year at a time when 365,000 of our own people are referred to food banks run by the Knights of Malta and the Trussell Trust.

Then there is his habit of insulting the Chinese in public which has now annoyed them so much that they have refused to receive him in Beijing and are holding up £8 billion gbp in contracts, inward investment and business at a time of rising unemployment and austerity.

The opportunity to reform the NHS which has the worst cancer treatment outcomes, the worst mortality figures in Western Europe and which is not fit for purpose was blown when instead of backing his Minister, he turned and ran at the first sign of the medical profession and the public sector Trades Unions in full cry.

The result is poor health, rising obesity, diabetes and a massive and growing Adult Social Care bill.
The country’s economy is worse off the tune of £100 billion gbp a year as a result at a time when the deficit is rising and we are borrowing £12 billion gbp a month and exporting next to nothing.

The unemployment figures are bogus, the crime figures are bogus and through the use of statistical sleight of hand and “sanctioning” 750,000 benefit recipients, we are being told that millions of new jobs are being created.

How this is being done is a subject for a long and very detailed post but the fact that it is being allowed is down to David Cameron.

Yesterday we were told by a Government Minister to tape-record builders and tradesmen so that if disputes occurred we could get legal redress faster.

On the same day the head of China,’ biggest tour operator told the Daily Telegraph that she referred less than 3% of the 3.2 million affluent Chinese tourists to the UK because under the Schengen Agreement tourists could be fingerprinted and processed once to visit a number of countries whereas the UK insisted on separate fingerprinting and a higher fee just for the UK.

Supposedly this is because Theresa May has security concerns.

David Cameron could resolve this problem by overriding this vain and out of touch woman or sacking her. He does neither with the result that these tourists go to Milan, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Florence and just about everywhere other than here.

David Cameron should go because the Conservative Party is doomed to almost permanent opposition if he stays and the country will go on losing jobs and influence to smarter competitors.

Peter Obone is past his sell-by date and should be put out to grass whilst Lord Ashcroft is “on the money”.

John Gelmini