The National Mood

Written by Paul Holmes MP and published in View from Parliament on Fri 20th Apr 2007

The way in which a national mood spreads across the whole of the UK is fascinating to observe. In 1995 a wave of revulsion against harsh Thatcherite policies and Tory sleaze swept the country. The Conservatives were first thrown out of thousands of Council seats around 1995 and then out of national office in 1997.

Now a similar wave of disgust, this time against Labour policies and sleaze, is sweeping the nation. This week a new opinion poll recorded Labour at just 27% lower even than their appalling 1983 election result under Michael Foot.

Why is there such a national mood? Cash for peerages, scrapping the Fraud Office investigation into allegations of bribery in Saudi Arabian arms deals, the scandalous waste of money on John Prescott's non job as Deputy Prime Minister. All of this creates a sleazy image for a Government that promised to be squeaky clean in 1997.

Constant crisis at the Home Office making a mockery of cheap words about being 'tough on crime.' The shambolic handling of the Iranian hostage crisis. Hardly the signs of a competent and efficient Government.

Above all though there seems to be a strong reaction against the idea that Gordon Brown will shortly become Prime Minister without ordinary people having any say in the matter. His pension's policies and his stealth taxes in his Budgets have angered many. Worse still people can see no sign of change in his policies as compared to those of Tony Blair.

Brown voted for the illegal and disastrous Iraq War and has already signed cheques for £5Billion to pay for it. He recently voted with Blair to build a brand new generation of Trident submarines at a cost of £26 Billion and an ongoing running cost of £50 Billion over the next 30 years. Yet he is cutting NHS funding with 10% off the budget of Chesterfields Royal Hospital resulting in Nurses and Midwifes losing their jobs. Derbyshire Police remain £5.5 Million per year under funded. Gordon also takes £9Million a year from Chesterfield Council Tenants instead of letting their money be spent on building new Council houses and OAP Bungalows.

A disastrous Labour vote in the local elections across England, Scotland and Wales might just convince Gordon Brown that he has to change his policies if he still wishes to be Prime Minister after the next General Election. Otherwise he says it's 'business as usual' and none of his policies will change.