Clinging to power?

Published 11 May 2010 15:08

Headlines in Scotland on Thursday morning read that 'Labour will create one million jobs if re-elected'.

The question must be asked: If it could not create jobs during the previous 13 years when it has held power with a large majority and during a period of sustained growth, how was the miracle to be effected during a period of perceived austerity?

How will I remember the Labour years?

Not with any degree of affection I am afraid.

The pretty straight kind of guy [Tory Blair] demonstrated appalling judgement throughout his tenure, backing his lackeys on every occasion even when they were caught and exposed - pardon the pun.

Bang to rights he defended Peter Mandelson three times, Stephen Byers, David Blunkett and the disgraceful apprentice undertaker Jo Moore.

Worst of all he took us into an illegal war and to date he refuses to acknowledge his part and his duplicity in this.

It will, however, be his epitaph and the defining part of his period of office.

He also lied to Gordon Brown and failed to keep his word regarding when he would resign.

He only went when he was forced to after Brown presided as Chancellor over a financial regime which saw us celebrate mortgages of 125 per cent being offered and accepted, and we all know how that fiscal strategy has panned out.

The much vaunted 'Iron Chancellor' has brought us to our financial nadir.

He now claims that he is the only one who can regain the zenith - a bit like putting Genghis Khan in charge of the United Nations peace corps.

We must not forget the personal property portfolio amassed by Tory Blair during his spell in Government, which included properties in Trimdon, Connaught Square, Bristol and Buckinghamshire - the boy did good.

The list of scandals is too long to list, but I will mention some failed strategies.

The failed attempt to foist Frank Dobson onto London, Red Ken was elected and a stealth tax [the congestion charge] was introduced.

Socialist principles were abandoned and tuition fees were introduced, there was cash for honours or, more accurately, donations to the Labour Party for honours, which entertained us for a while.

Gold reserves were sold at the bottom of the market, books will be written detailing the failed policies and initiatives of these incompetents.

It is also interesting to note that in its 13 years in power the 1,000 richest people in the country increased their wealth by £30billion while the poor got poorer.

We started off in 1997 with some poverty and we went to the polls with commitments from Brown to end additional poverties that Labour discovered - child poverty, fuel poverty and pension poverty, but no antidote was administered.

Pension poverty, it is worth noting, is not a condition that Brown and his colleagues suffer from as they certainly looked after their own pension schemes.

As long as we swallow the pap which is fed to us by these chancers and charlatans, we will enjoy representation by people who have to be told that they should buy their own pens, satellite navigation systems and cameras and that is what we deserve.

But it looks as if Brown will attempt to cling to power despite his convincing rejection by the electorate. God help and save us one and all.

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This article appeared in Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 11 May 10

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