HS2 doomed by Tory in-fighting?

[Paul Mobbs]

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Well, if Tory squabbles stop ecologically damaging projects from going 
ahead, then it must mean that they might have a use after all!

The only concern will be what other less desirable "red meat" Cameron will 
throw to his more right wing backbenchers to placate them?

P.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9248592/Battleplan%2Dto%2Davert%2DTory%2Dwar.html

Battleplan to avert Tory war

David Cameron is planning a fightback to stop his party descending into 
civil war with a Queen’s Speech offering help to “striving” families and 
moves to create jobs. 

Patrick Hennessy and Robert Watts, Torygraph, 5th May 2012


The Prime Minister will produce a series of measures that he hopes will 
give “red meat” to Conservative backbenchers, who are calling for action to 
appeal to their core voters after poor local election results.

And he will offer an olive branch to his critics by avoiding Parliamentary 
legislation on the controversial High Speed 2 rail link and watering down 
plans to reform the House of Lords.

But he has faced criticism from MPs who said the party needed “sanity” - 
and Boris Johnson made a jibe at the Prime Minister’s misfortunes as he 
celebrated winning a second term as Mayor of London.

“We survived the rain, the BBC, the Budget and the endorsement of David 
Cameron,” Mr Johnson told supporters early on Saturday - then spoke of tax 
cuts and cutting waste as Mr Cameron went to London’s City Hall to 
congratulate him.

The joke emphasised the stark contrast between Mr Johnson’s victory and the 
Tories’ overall showing as one back-bench MP said he would be “very happy” 
to see the mayor as party leader. 

Mr Cameron will start his fightback this week with the Queen’s Speech.

The Sunday Telegraph has established it will:

* Make firing underperforming employees easier in an attempt to free up the 
labour market and create jobs.

* Extend flexible working to anyone with a job, in an attempt to overcome 
Tory unpopularity among women, which analysts warn could be a serious 
threat at the next election;

* clamp down on crime with a new “British FBI”, tougher anti-social 
behaviour measures and community sentences;

* not include a Bill on HS2, which is hugely unpopular with backbenchers. 
Nor will it contain measures to allow private universities, which had 
risked a damaging rift with the Liberal Democrats;

* avoid legislation to set a minimum level of foreign aid spending, a plan 
that has been derided by rebellious backbenchers.

Sources said the focus in the Queens’s Speech would be on measures to help 
the “striving classes” - those who work hard, save prudently for their 
retirement and do their bit in their communities.

The Queen’s Speech will be backed up by a joint appearance between Mr 
Cameron and Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, at which they will 
both say the Government is focusing on jobs and growth.

On Sunday George Osborne, the Chancellor, will also be touring television 
studios to emphasise the importance of helping the economy.

Ministers have been stung by criticism that recent tax changes – such as 
cutting the 50p top rate of tax to 45p and restricting child benefit - are 
simply helping the rich and hurting those on lower and middle incomes, many 
of whom are natural Tory voters.

A senior Conservative source said: “We have got to do much, much more to 
show that we are on the side of ordinary people who do an honest day’s 
work.”

But last night there were few signs of the unrest among Tory MPs and 
grassroots dampening down.

Bernard Jenkin, the veteran Tory backbencher, warned his party faced 
“oblivion” at the next general election unless it focused on issues such as 
cutting red tape and reducing spending instead of constitutional tinkering.

In last week’s elections the Conservatives lost 405 council seats and 
captured just 31 per cent of the overall vote, while Labour gave Ed 
Miliband’s leadership a boost by capturing 823 seats and hitting 38 per 
cent.

Only Mr Johnson’s narrow victory in London gave the Tories cause to cheer - 
and the mayor, seen by many in his party as its next leader, yesterday 
admitted he was “distinct” from the Conservative brand despite a carefully 
staged photo call with David Cameron at City Hall.

Mr Johnson said: “My programme is absolutely, avowedly Conservative – with 
a big 'C’ or a small 'c’. It’s about cutting taxes, getting rid of useless 
government expenditure and focusing on the things that matter.”

Mr Johnson was praised by Bob Stewart, the Tory MP who led British troops 
in Bosnia in 1990s in an interview on BBC1's Sunday Politics show to be 
shown this morning in the London area.

He said the mayor had “got it clear” that sorting out the economy was the 
top priority, adding: “I’d be very happy to see Boris as leader of the 
Conservative Party but that’s not on the plate at the moment.”

And Mr Jenkin warned “We are going to have to start talking about the sort 
of things that make the Lib Dems uncomfortable, such as deregulating the 
labour market, renegotiating our place in Europe and a faster deficit-
reduction plan.”

But in a sign of the friction now affecting the party, one Cabinet minister 
returned fire following attacks from restive backbenchers. Lord Strathclyde, 
the leader of the House of Lords became the first senior figure to respond to 
an accusation by Nadine Dorries that Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne were “two 
posh boys who don’t know the price of a pint of milk”.

He said that the allegation was “monstrous” and “ludicrous”.

With his leadership being questioned, this newspaper understands that Mr 
Cameron has also drawn up plans for a wide-ranging reshuffle of his 
government, which a No10 source said was expected “soon - but not as soon 
as the next couple of weeks”.

Mr Cameron knows he has a small window of opportunity to seize the agenda 
before the spotlight once again falls on his relationship with Rupert 
Murdoch’s media empire.

Later in the week Andy Coulson, his former communications chief, and 
Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive, will give 
evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into the conduct of the media.

He hopes that other items in the Queen’s speech - including the creation of 
the new National Crime Agency, which is seen as a British FBI; more 
“intensive” community punishments and moves to seize credit cards, 
passports and driving licences from criminals - will satisfy critics.

Downing Street believes that a flagship Bill giving the right to ask for 
flexible working to all employees, allowing fathers to use “maternity” leave 
from work - which up to now has been the preserve of mothers - and making 
it much easier for couples to adopt will be voter-friendly.



- -- 

.

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government,
nor are we for this party nor against the other but we are
for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom,
that these may be exalted in our nation, and that goodness,
righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity with
God, and with one another, that these things may abound."
(Edward Burrough, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice')

Paul's book, "Energy Beyond Oil", is out now!
For details see http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ebo/

Read my 'essay' weblog, "Ecolonomics", at:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ecolonomics/

Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations
3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England
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email - mobbsey at gn.apc.org
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