Tragic news

I was driving through Keighley earlier this morning when the news broke that David Cameron’s six-year-old son Ivan had died.

As well as spending the last few days taking part in intensive negotiations on Bradford Council’s budget for the next twelve months, I have been making preparations for David’s planned visit to the district later in the week. Clearly, this visit is now very unlikely to take place.

My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with David, Samantha, Nancy and Arthur.

Ed’s Balls-up exposes true thinking

Children’s Secretary Ed Balls’ widely reported comment that he believes the current recession in this country is "the most serious for over 100 years” could well prove to be a pivotal moment in the life of this Labour Government.

Last week, at Prime Minister’s Questions, Downing Street was quick to point out that Gordon Brown did not mean to say the word “depression” during one of his now legendary non-answers.

And last night, the same beleaguered spindoctors did not try to deny that Ed Balls said what was reported but, instead, made clear that he didn’t mean to say it.

Putting these two “slips” of the tongue together, it isn’t hard to understand that Ministers at all levels are trying - and obviously failing – not to say in public what they are clearly saying in private.

It is time for them to come clean and make clear how bad they believe this economic mess is going to get.

No more lies – let’s have the truth.

Economic Recovery Committee announced

Today’s announcement by David Cameron of a new high level committee to discuss the ongoing economic crisis and review Conservative Party policy in this area is welcome news on several fronts.

First, the committee will include external figures of the quality of Google chairman Eric Schmidt and Next Chief Executive Simon Wolfson together with former senior civil servants and several Shadow Ministers. This should guarantee a wide range of informed views and therefore more robust conclusions on how our economy gets itself out of the mess Gordon Brown has created.

Second, it demonstrates that David Cameron is happy to put the country rather than his Party first – any good ideas will be on the table for the Labour Government to use should it wish to do so.

And thirdly, it gives a lie to Gordon Brown’s grossly inaccurate and overdone description of the Tories as the “do nothing party.” Whilst it is clearly the job of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition to scrutinise and criticise the policies of the Government of the day, it is also its job to put forward alternatives.

The formation of this committee is further evidence that, once again, David Cameron and his team are taking the latter responsibility very seriously indeed.

A self-inflicted crisis

As I write this, news is emerging across the country of further illegal strikes against the use of foreign contractors.

Clearly any industrial action which is contrary to the law of the land is wrong and I have no hesitation in condemning it.

But this is a crisis – and make no mistake, for it is now a crisis – which has is a direct result of Gordon Brown’s grossly misleading promise of “British jobs for British workers.”

By saying what he did, the Prime Minister deliberately raised expectations which he knew he would never be able to deliver.

Indeed, what Gordon Brown was advocating was every bit as illegal as the current strikes.

But yet again, it was headlines that he was after and he has certainly got plenty of these.

Unfortunately for him, they are definitely not of the kind he was hoping for.