Could I vote Conservative in the next general election? No. Blog over. Thanks for reading. Firstly, I’ve not changed politically, at least not much over the last 10 years or so. I still believe that Margaret Thatcher was the best Prime Minister this country had, at least since Winston Churchill – my knowledge of Prime Ministers before then is limited. I still believe in prudent financial management of the economy – I believe in lower deficits (remember that?!), lower debt – and having more money in the long-term to spend on whatever the priorities become. I still believe in individual … Continued

I have this theory that us British like the idea of chaos. Maybe it isn’t unique to us Brits, but it comes across in a variety of ways, exemplified this year over the excitement of panic buying toilet roll, but also in the annual hope for “snowmaggedon” – in which some seem to be excited to see how we’d cope with 2 metres of snow falling. I profess to being in this group. This isn’t why I am keen on no deal. I’m not really keen on no deal – I think it is a dreadful idea, a dreadful outcome … Continued

I can hear you now, dear Brexit-voting, Boris-worshipping reader, about to go apoplectic over how I dare to even consider whether there should be some criticism for Saint Boris over this perfectly-handled response to the Covid-19 crisis? Oh wait a minute, you’re actually a leftie and still mourning how the country were duped into not supporting a radical programme of democratic socialism – of course this is nothing less than a Tory Genocide. It seems how you view Boris Johnson and the government’s handling of this crisis is rather closely related to how you voted in December 2019. Those that … Continued

1. I struggled to decide who to vote for on Thursday.  Really struggled – I expected some kind of support for Liberal Democrats from other remainers, but most plumped for socialism instead.  Boris’s behaviour and Brexit were why I turned away from the Conservative Party, but I felt myself coming back to the fold, the more I saw socialist thoughts and general arseholeness from entitled lefties. 2. In the end, I e-mailed both the local Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidate.  The Liberal Democrat candidate e-mailed me back – she was honest in her belief for campaigning against house-building that doesn’t … Continued

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted on The Only Tory From Hull much over the last year or two.  I couldn’t even remember how to log in the other day. My interest in politics has by no means diminished and neither has my passion…the latter has been entrenched. A lot of that has to do with simply being far too busy. But I can always make time to write a blog post if I feel passionate enough about something. The real reason, I feel, comes down to a mixture of confusion and misery. I shall start with the … Continued

“I’m a remoaner”, as Destiny’s Child may or may not once have sung.  Yes proud Remainer here – I unequivocally did not want to leave the EU and still do not want to leave the EU. But hey.  It’s happening. I see most of my remainer compadres seem to prefer a soft Brexit, staying in the customs union, staying in the single market, or even the EEA.  Hell, even one or two prominent Brexiteers do too. Sometimes, though, you have to play the long game, like the unaffectionately-known “bastards” of the 1990’s, Redwood et al, who spent 25 years agitating … Continued

I hesitate to repeat the phrase, but “n****r in the woodpile” is not a phrase that you can just come out with inadvertently, as if you have just picked up from popular culture and unintentionally repeated. If you are using it, then surely it is the kind of phrase that you must be aware of, and be familiar with, perhaps even using it within your vocabulary, or at least associating with those who are (her partner has form). I had never heard of the phrase before, but after a quick look into the historical meaning of the phrase one can … Continued

My two main reasons for wanting a large Conservative majority on Thursday night were to #StopCorbyn and also as an up yours to the vile, nasty left-wing scumbags (not all lefties are scumbags, just like not all Brexiteers are racist). Corbyn is not Prime Minister – albeit like typical socialist dictators, he seems to think he has won the election and should be Prime Minister instead. Not only that, but Theresa May – my least favourite Conservative leader ever – a woman I have consistently criticised, compared to a mixture of Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband, and whom is generally … Continued

I appreciate that this is a bit of a straw-clutching exercise, and that the idea of Corbyn being Prime Minister is still somewhat in the realms of fantasy – I remain hopeful and expectant that the public at large are wise enough not to fall for what is a Chavez-esque strategy of bribing the voters. Maybe it is also a bit of psychological preparation just in case Corbyn follows Trump with a victory for populism.  Believe it or not, there is quite a lot in common between Trump and Corbyn, politically.  But this is not the blog post for that. … Continued

I have finally got around to having a decent look at the Conservative Party manifesto.  Yes, I know it was launched over a week ago but I’ve been busy.  And a lot has happened in the meantime – not only to the manifesto itself. You’ll likely know that I am no fan of Theresa May.  I find her a cross between Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband – with a bit of Nigel Farage thrown in for fun.  It is absolutely no surprise that she is throwing away the opportunity for a very large majority given her rather ghastly persona – … Continued

Urgh.  The nasty party is coming back.  Socialism, nationalism, populism and killing animals for sport. Let’s start with fox hunting.  I’m neither hare nor there when it comes to the matter.  I understand the pomp and revelry, I also understand that there should be some kind of control of the fox population.  But why on earth there is need to re-instate it as a sport? I understand killing animals for food, or for pest control.  But not for fun.  And that includes fishing. And yes, there will be a free vote on it, so bringing fox hunting back is not … Continued

So the remain campaigner that became Prime Minister and definitely was not going to call a general election before 2020 has plucked up the courage to call a general election before 2020. You know that I am a life-long Tory.  But also a passionate Remainer. And I feel offended, bruised and damaged about Brexit, and the expected destruction to UK society, culture and probably, the economy. For the first time ever, this is a difficult choice for me on who to vote for.  In fact, for the first time ever there is actually a choice for me to make.  I … Continued

On Wednesday, shortly after midday, the letter was submitted to the European Union that we were triggering Article 50. Shortly after 10pm, my Margaret Thatcher mug fell down and broke. Normally I would have been annoyed, but I realised that this was a sign from Planet Brexit.  This was the culmination of 9 months of being pissed off with the direction of the Conservative Party, particularly under the leadership of Theresa May. It wasn’t exactly something new.  It has been a long process of anger and loathing experienced when agreeing with people like Liz Kendall against my own party, over … Continued

I haven’t always been a straight-out for staying in the EU. I once flirted with the idea of leaving the European Union, up until a couple of years ago, and top of my list of reasons for leaving was the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). 40% of the EU budget is spent on farm subsidies – and it used to be more. Historically there was a good reason for this – food became scarce during and after the Second World War, and this policy was brought in during 1962, partly to ensure a continuous supply of food across the European Community. … Continued

Theresa May always confused me as Home Secretary – authoritarian yet also quite soft and liberal, touching on socially socialist at times. She is proving no different to me as Prime Minister. On the UKIP side, we have grammar schools and cutting immigration.  On the socialist side we have industrial strategy and worker’s rights. Her honeymoon is now officially over for me.  The two weeks of “thank fuck its not Leadsome” that I enjoyed were washed away with concern as she was trounced at the most recent PMQs by Corbyn, now followed by a tsunami of confusion as I try … Continued

I have awoken to find that the open, welcoming, free-trade loving country that I loved, has been replaced by an insular, backwards-looking nation that I simply do not recognise. Today is a victory for racism.  Today is a victory for xenophobia.  Today is a victory for lies. And I have never felt less proud to be British. This was utterly avoidable. Firstly, there was no need to call the referendum in the first place.  It was David Cameron’s choice out of party management – a need to placate those swaying towards UKIP especially after the two party betrayals from Reckless … Continued

I know it isn’t cool to admit it, but I like immigration.  In fact, I’d go so far to say that the most important aspect of being a European Union member is the right to live and work in 27 other countries (plus a couple of others with freedom of movement as part of their access deal to the single market). Had David Cameron come back from the negotiation to say that we no longer had this right, then Brexit would have tempted me. I LOVE IMMIGRATION.  I LOVE IMMIGRANTS. But I don’t want to make these blogs about me. … Continued

Over the course of the next week, I am going to explain why I came to my decision to vote to remain in the European Union, in possibly 5 blog posts, separated into distinct chapters. Like many, my mind was made up long before the campaign started – around a year ago for me.  There is plenty that I don’t like about the European Union in terms of how it organises itself so myself voting to leave was possible.  There was a decision for me to make. The most important part of any voting decision for myself is the economy, … Continued

I am still awaiting my invite to speak at parliament in response to the budget.  I am disturbed that they have invited such disluminaries as Corbyn and McDonnell to waffle on but they are still ignoring me.  Does the speaker not read my blog? Nevertheless, one or two people will hear my response. The stand-out policy is the Lifetime ISA – at least if you are under 40 and don’t own a house.  If you are not in this category you are probably too busy campaigning to make sure no houses are built anywhere in the country to protect the … Continued

OK.  I think the Brexit lot are nutcases.  Some of them make quite lucid arguments but many are fanciful – seemingly expecting a large pot of gold just for leaving the world’s largest trading club.  Not to mention the magical sovereignty – wow.  Get in the English Channel. On the other side, the Brexiters amongst you probably think I am crazy for wanting to stay in a club with at least some democratic deficiency, possibly some corruption and some damn irritating rules that we have applied to our law book. Boris used to be one of my favourite politicians but … Continued

I read that Corbyn is disappointed with the likely killing of Jihadi John. Pray, tell me, Jeremy, how were you expecting to capture and arrest him?  Are you suggesting that we send in our army to do so?  I thought not.  Were you expecting him to surrender?  Maybe we can invent a drone that arrests terrorists? Totally ridiculous.  And this is the perfect example of the lack of judgement which means Corbyn cannot be allowed to be in charge of our country. This man, for want of a better word…oh how about murderous bastard.  This murderous bastard executed innocent people … Continued

I watched the Corbyn speech.  Honestly! Well, in a #newpolitics kind of way anyway.  The Daily Politics said they expected him to speak for 30 minutes.  After 35 minutes, I had finished my ironing and I had really had enough of him.  I stopped and went to make some cheese on crackers.  I had seen enough. Now I quite like Jeremy Corbyn a person.  He is an affable enough bloke.  But then again I like almost all politicians.  Yeah I’m strange – either that or the average Joe just blankets them with their lazy brush “oh they’re all the same”. … Continued

I switched on the porn portal the other day, also known as the Islamic State training manual, and occasionally known as the internet, to find the usual keyboard warriors banging on about a lion called Cecil. I rolled my eyes and carried on scrolling down my news feed of infinite wisdom but despite my initial indifference, I kept thinking about it. My questioning mind meant that my first thoughts were to doubt the story, or to question the motives behind those making the story public.  Was it another ridiculous conspiracy theory?  Was the man in question being targeted for some … Continued

Initially I was disappointed after the previous general election, for the Conservative Party not to have won an outright majority.  Disappointed, angry and worried that somehow Gordon Brown might sneak his way back in.  I was also confused, tired and pretty damn wasted. Once I had slept and dulled the discombobulated pain of a victory-defeat with large amounts of tranquilizer, I realised that maybe a coalition with the Liberal Democrats wouldn’t be so bad.  As long as we were in charge of the economy, things would work out well.  And after all, I have always been a bit of a … Continued

It hasn’t been a good week to be a Conservative. There are several points which could be picked up on, and these are my favourites.  Or these are possibly my socialist enemies favourites. Firstly the rather unedifying way that it was pointed out that Ed Miliband is a backstabber and could stab the United Kingdom in the back.  This is not something I want to hear prominent Conservatives saying – what I wanted to hear was the commitment to renewing our nuclear defence.  Which was in there but was rather overshadowed.  I’ve had enough of hearing Conservatives talk about what … Continued

At the weekend I heard a uniquely absurd suggestion of a grand coalition between the Conservatives and Labour after the election. But my mind instantly then considered what happened to the Liberal Democrats upon going into coalition – plummeting poll ratings and a likely significant shedding of MPs come May. Anyone who wishes for a strong economy should desire the ultimate destruction of the Labour party, and one questions whether allowing the Liberal Democrats into power with us was just a gift to the Labour Party in 2010 – a party that having caused the worst economic crisis since 2010, … Continued

I am disappointed that David Cameron is refusing to take part in a series of debates. I accept that it probably took away the expected Conservative majority in 2010, allowing the Lib Dems to surge in popularity, though as a Liberal Conservative, the coalition between the two parties is as good as a majority. There was a sensible solution to the debates that nobody seemed to propose. Have a regional round, without the main party leaders.  For example in Scotland, you would have the SNP debating with the Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, and the Scottish Labour leader, Jim Murphy, … Continued

I was delighted to see that The Sun was featuring a topless model on page 3 again late last week. Actually I should clarify, I did not see it – I only heard about it.  I am too engrossed in John Major’s autobiography and the only newspaper I read is The Economist. I was somewhat discombobulated two days ago when I heard the same commentators that were defending Charlie Hebdo’s right to offend, cheering on the apparent demise of daily boobs on the basis that it is sexist and outdated. It seems a tad contradictory to me. If you don’t … Continued

I think it is about time instead of using the scare-story tactics of Labour on the NHS that we applauded the excellent work that our NHS does. That the NHS is coming slightly short of its 95% target for A&E patients seen within 4 hours should instead be stated as a congratulatory message that 92% of patients into A&E are seen within 4 hours. To me, that is pretty damn impressive. Most other health services in the world don’t dream to meet such a target.  You can look close to home where Wales (under Labour) manage just 83%. It is … Continued

Back me: Miliband’s plea to plotters” “Miliband fights for his political life” “Miliband bid to disarm his party critics” “Miliband fights off Labour coup” “Bonfire Night Plot To Oust Ed” “Secret plan for end of Miliband” These are the delightful headlines this morning. Delightful to a point.  For whilst it is a source of hilarity to find Ed Miliband has become more unpopular than the maligned Nicholas Clegg, we do actually need him as leader of the Labour Party. For Odd Miliband is one of our greatest electoral assets.  Many people in the country are aware that him and Balls … Continued

You have to give it to Miliband, he does put a rabbit out of his hat at every big conference speech. Credit where credit is due, he is pretty good at this. Last year he led the political weather by promising a crazily dumb policy on freezing energy prices, with the potential to lead to early price hikes for consumers and supply issues – as if the total mismanagement of energy supply under the 13 years of Labour government hadn’t done enough to damage the energy market. Hilariously ironic that he raised this as an issue given that Ed Miliband … Continued

So did anyone watch Ed Miliband’s Labour conference speech? No, thought not. Neither did I. But I did put myself through the highlights, and most notable was that he used the phrase “One Nation” 44 times apparently. I didn’t count but plenty of political observers did. One Nation. From the Labour Party. Oh please. Shut the fuck up. Now I am not a deluded Tory who thinks Cameron & Osborne will ever get the votes of the unions or more than a handful of public sector workers. Certain sectors of society will never vote Conservative. But, wow, Mr Miliband must … Continued

Sadly for those with a crude mind, I am talking economics not something else. You may be aware that we re-entered recession in the last quarter for the second time in recent years, hence the term ‘double dip recession’. I have to admit that I thought we would escape such a scenario with very minor growth of along the lines of 0.1%.  But instead we shrunk by 0.2%. It is far from the end of the world, it is more of a technical recession than anything anyone will notice, but it will reduce confidence and sentiment which are important for … Continued

I would like to remind everyone that it is the local council elections on Thursday of this week, and also that there is a referendum on our political voting system. As far as I am concerned, the question is do you really want Labour to be running your local council again? And with regards to the referendum on the voting system, do you really want to change it to where the least unpopular candidate will likely win? A lot to think about, this is almost as important as the general election was last year. My recommendation is to ensure that … Continued

I’m doing politics today. I hesistate at posting anything which may promote the Labour party (or more accurately known as the anti-Tory party…or we need power to finance our houses as we are unable to behave and work to an acceptable standard in the corporate world to get a job like the evil Tories tell you to party), I purposely did not post about their electing of a new leader as I did not want anyone to think Labour were interesting. To clarify, I fully believe that the Labour party have destroyed the economy and society of our once-great country, for their own gain.  They … Continued

Oh what a wonderful outcome that would be if the Labour party itself went bankrupt. The party that when in government, contrived to do everything they possibly could to bankrupt the country just to keep themselves in power, and to keep their selfish desires alive – for them to go bankrupt would go some way to compensate for all the economic pain that we are going through thanks to their disastrous mismanagement of the country’s finances. You can see how desperate it is, with them trying to create news stories to unsettle the Liberal Democrats, such as Charles Kennedy allegedly … Continued