Albion and Empire - A (very) British Victoria II (NWO) Interactive AAR

[mrlifeless]

The Daily Herald

The Identity of Robin Hood
By John Brown​

During the last election season we publish an article that we received from one “Robin Hood”. Due to the potential value of the article if its contents proved to true, it was publish before its many claims could be verified. We at the Daily Herald apologise for the lack of scrutiny that the article faced, because after investigating the article’s claims, we discovered that it lacked anything even remotely resembling reality, in fact, it is so farfetched that even if it were meant to report the contents a madman’s drug fuelled hallucination rather than reality it would still be a complete failure in that regard. To reiterate: The article is entirely inaccurate, it contains absolutely no truth or fact other than Former Prime Ministers Bennet and Leighton and Prime Minister Jacobs names and pictures, it is little more than something an British Union of Fascists member, with a loose grip on reality, would imagine.

But who is this slightly-to completely mad, fascistic, Dutch hating, “Robin Hood”? Who, in our modern nation, that endured the greatest war in human history, be so utterly ignorant of the failure of the ideologies of hate and bigotry that we fought against in said war? Well, after weeks of searching, investigation and even infiltration, we have discovered that the identity of “Robin Hood” is: Alexander Cochrane MP of the Isle of Thanet.

This this far-right ex-Tory was expelled from his party for good reason: He is not far-right Tory, but. Ideologically speaking, a “survivor” of the banning of the BUF that took refuge in the Conservative party. . So in fact this despicable man is the last remnant of Nazi influence in parliament. But how dangerous can one batty MP possibly be? Extremely dangerous, for he has a platform from which he can lead a fascist resurgence in Britain.

And this is starting to happen! His remarks, which firmly crossed the line into anti-Semitism and Nazism, and that caused his expulsion, earned for him his core of radical and racist followers, that are motivated not by any idea or ideal but by pure negative emotion- anger, hatred and fear mostly, as well as what can only be described as an unborn cult of personality.

The goal of his “Robin Hood” articles were mostly to drum up controversy in order to increase is standing in other fascist groups-Were in ones position is not based on intellect and argument, but on who can make the most outrages and boldfaced lie which they will then all adopted as the God-given truth and any opinion or evidence to the contrary is a Jewish plot to lead the righteous crusader of the racial purity astray. As well as expand his base of supporters.

Unfortunately, some of these supporters were a part of our politically diverse news organisation, as our internal investigation of the improper conduct surrounding our “Robin Hood” article. The political operatives involved have been laid off.

(The Following paragraph is meant as a parody of Mr. Cochrane’s original article, it is not intended to be truthful.)

Another shocking finding of our investigation is that Mr. Cochrane is in fact Herr Cochrane as he was born in Germany to Nazi parents that only moved to England in 1934 as part of a long term plan to have sleeper agents (like Cochrane) infiltrate the British government, and when they take it over surrender to Germany. Cochrane, being a sleeper agent was wiped of all memory of his German upbringing and mission and would remember them only after some secret Nazi “Activation Code” is sent, unfortunately it was lost when the war ended.

 

[Michaelangelo]

PRIVATE EYE



_____________________________________________________________________________________________

AUGUST 1964 — NINEPENCE
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

FRONT PAGE
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

​

MEET THE NEW FOREIGN MINISTER

Pherson Macwell, a strong Tory with the beliefs inherent to any true Briton, could often be seen in the back benches visiting Farly McBee prior to this election. However, on the whims of the Right Honourable Ted Redcliffe Jacobs, Macwell has been appointed as the Foreign Minister.

It is expected that Macwell will engage in high-stress foreign discussions revolving around the current theme of international Communist infiltration and decolonialisation with all the furor of Snoopy. While many in the party might sleep around, none do so in such agusto as our newest Foreign Minister, Pherson Macwell.​

Macpherson's Assistant: Sir, you've been mentioned in an article.

Macpherson: The press finally noticed my existence? Are they praising my foreign policy?

Macpherson's Assistant: No, sir. I'm afraid it's a satire.

Macpherson: Give me that.

Macpherson reads over the article.

Macpherson: So they're calling me a boring and tired old man.... You know what this means?

Macpherson's Assistant: That I should call your lawyer?

Macpherson: No, by god. I'm the next Gibbons! My time has finally come to shine.

 

[99KingHigh]

((Alright. I will not proceed to enact either proposal. I will however, rather tyrannically, abolish budgetary contingency plans (with the exception of war) and I will consider regulations on the extent to which sliders can move/# of sliders.

Aside from that, the game shall continue. Thanks for the input.))

 

[Dadarian]

((Alright. I will not proceed to enact either proposal. I will however, rather tyrannically, abolish contingency plans (with the exception of war) and I will consider regulations on the extent to which sliders can move/# of sliders.

Aside from that, the game shall continue. Thanks for the input.))

((I don't know what that means but I shall rabble against it regardless!))

 

[Plank of Wood]

Mastar speekar, I understand tha quarms af tha rite honourable gentalman, howevar tha amendment eitsalf staets th'at a quota mast bee created tae ensure sustainabalatie. Thar eis no clause statang th'at thas must bee mat prior tae sail af socal housang, that meerlie tha councils mast keep tae eit. by enshrinang ain law tha need tae replace social housang, a steadie stock wull be maintained. Tha fact thaye can yoouse [use] thar fundang from social housang sales tae buy mere af eit; either completad or no', meens th'at thas quota will be fufilled. As I said, eit eis a quota, meanang eit can last a few yeers without affacting tha 'rite tae buye' as eit werre.

Mr. Speaker, then the fear is that it will either overburden certain councils with less resources with a legal requirement to replenish the stock which has been sold without regard for actual local demand or, even worse, will force inner city councils with a lack of available space to build poor quality and cramped housing in order meet legal quotas. While I understand the Honourable Gentleman's concerns, local councils need the independence to build the housing they need when they need it, and they will have the funds to do so both from existing housing funds and from the sale.

 

[Firehound15]

((1: Against. I understand the rationale for the proposal, but I think the weakness of Government's with small majorities is best represented by backbench rebellions.
2: Against. Our timeline is already so divergent from OTL that there's really no point of comparison for saying whether a party's policies conform to tradition, and there would be a lot of subjective wrangling about whether a certain policy, bill or action was in-character or not.))

Shadow Cabinet​

Leader of the Opposition: The Rt. Hon. Sylvia Leighton MP ((Syriana))
Deputy Leader: The Rt. Hon. Alistair Monaghan MP ((Scrapknight))
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer: The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harwick MP ((LatinKaiser))
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Colonial and Commonwealth Affairs: The Rt. Hon. Roland Carpenter MP ((jeeshadow))
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department: The Rt. Hon. Alistair Monaghan MP ((Scrapknight))
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence: The Rt. Hon. Barbara Castle MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Education: The Rt. Hon. Shirley Williams MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity: The Rt. Hon. John Epping MP ((TheHatMan98))
Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Services: The Rt. Hon. Lachlan Barclay MP ((Gen. Marshall))
Shadow Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: The Hon. Joyce Butler MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland: The Rt. Hon. Alice Cullen MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales: The Rt. Hon. Megan Lloyd George MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry: The Rt. Hon. Anthony Crosland MP​

*Talfryn Ryley makes an aside to his aide*

"My, I am quite relieved that I do not have to concern myself with having a shadow, although I fear what this means for Labourite environmental policy, I do..."

Talfryn Ryley
MP for Monmouth
Sec. of State for the Environment

 

[Qwerty7]

Xandy Cochrane gives a speech in London. In it he, among other things, responds to the claims made by the Daily Herald...

Now, just yesterday a colleague of mine handed me an article written by the Daily Herald. Of course, I was a bit cautious at first since the Daily Herald is an establishment newspaper run by brainless partisans. However, I proceeded with the hopes that the Daily Herald will show that they are at least somewhat a paper dedicated to the people. My initial suspicions were unfortunately confirmed.

The newspaper erroneously declared that I had written an article under the pseudonym "Robin Hood" for the paper last month in which "I" apparently accused former Prime Minister Geo- Arthur Bennett of being the son of a radical Dutch Zionist, and that former Prime Minister Leighton was the niece of Marxist Assassins in...Egypt? I will admit that I have read the article and that I do not agree with the accusations it has produced although the documents found in the paper are rather alarming, I can say that Bennett and Leighton are disillusioned Marxists but they are not Zionists from what I have seen.

But I must go back to these charges. The Daily Herald accused me of being this "Robin Hood" bloke. I have never written under the name of "Robin Hood" nor I have ever written under a pseudonym before. I, unlike the moral-less media, do not hide behind pseudonyms. If you believe in something then they there is nothing wrong in standing up for it. I preach this now, and I have practiced it always.

The Daily Herald article, written by some establishment puppet by the name of - what was it now? John Black? Ron Brown? Whatever his name is, it does not matter for he is merely a pawn in this game of slander that is being played by the Conservative and Labour Parties to suppress people like myself who speak what they think and not some rehearsed mainstream garbage. The Daily Herald article is a farce. Apparently it published this article by "Robin Hood" without verifying its claims because, and I quote, "Due to the potential value of the article if its contents proved to true, it was publish before its many claims could be verified." What utter tripe! Ladies and Gentlemen we have here proof that the Daily Herald does not fact-check their articles and are willing to publish anything so long as their bosses tell them to. How can we trust that the Daily Herald fact-checked even this new article?

The answer is that we can't, because we know that they did not. The article claims, or strongly implies, that I was a member of the British Union of Fascists. This is simply not true. I was a Conservative for many years before the party left more, but that is another story for another time. I do not like Mr. Mosley, and I think that this was made clear when I did not invite him to speak at the BNC.

The article does not stop at comparing me, or rather "Robin Hood," to fascists. He says that I am "the last remnant of Nazi influence in parliament" and has his fair share of fascist-baiting. Ladies and Gentlemen, are you not tired of the major parties throwing words such as "fascist " and "Nazi" at good-meaning Britons concerned about their country?

*The crowd gives a resounding "YES!"*

Well I am too. We must end this sensationalism and go back to talking about the very serious issues that are affecting our nation today. The Major Parties have resorted to petty name-calling and excessive pedagogy in order to avoid the problems which are a threat to the very existence of our nation!

I say, enough with baseless accusations! The established media is only concerned with protecting the interests of the major party elites! Join with me if you want answers, if you want the truth!

 

[Syriana]

Mr Speaker,

I am sure the House shall join me in wishing the best of luck to the new Government. If I may, I would extend particular congratulations to the Rt Hon Member for Finchley for their appointment to the Ministry of Education. It appears that when pushed, the Conservative Party can indeed discover women of suitable calibre to serve in government. I hope, however, that the representation of women in the Cabinet shall not be confined to this token appointment.

The Rt Hon Member for Salisbury has not been so decorous in his opening statement, however. I would not characterise an economic downturn that endured for less than two years, and which, in the estimation of The Economist, was 'never particularly deep nor dangerous', as a 'prolonged recession'. Nor would I overlook the eight years of strong and sustained growth that preceded it. Even in the face of a tough economic climate, British industry was shielded by the decisive support of the Government, while working people were upheld by our robust welfare state.

This carries me to my question to the President of the Board of Trade, who appears to be treading on the prerogatives of his Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor. I am all in favour of lessening the tax burden on working people and self-starting entrepreneurs. But given that the Capital Gains Tax is to be gutted by exemptions, where shall the Government be deriving alternative streams of revenue? A party that prides itself on fiscal prudence must be aware that any reduction in revenue must be compensated elsewhere, either in new revenue or public cuts. The Government has committed itself to reduce the primary deficit without jeopardising our essential social services. I fear that one of these objectives is being prioritised over the other.

Secondly, on a lesser note, while I am in favour of diversifying the televison market and injecting some healthy competition, how shall the Government guarantee the quality of British television? We all recall, I am sure, the scandalous occasion when an overseas broadcast of Her Majesty's coronation was displaced by the antics of an American chimpanzee! Shall such vulgar advertisement - a plague which does not afflict the viewers of the BBC Television Service, publicly funded as it is - be the new reality of British television? I am sure that myself, and many others, would sooner have a single source of decent television than a cavalcade of mediocrity.

Finally, I must address the Housing Bill moved by the Prime Minister. I had hoped that, at least initially, the rancorous tone of the general election could be mellowed in the House. But I must firmly condemn this Bill, which thieves from future generations in order to distribute spoils in the present. Although coached in aspirational language, the Bill would have the effect of creating an underclass in our social housing, as the thousands of tenants in this country who could not afford - even at the discounted rate - to purchase their own housing would be left behind in the scramble to sell. These tenants tend to be the most vulnerable: young people with young families, single tenants starting out in life, and the temporarily unemployed. Where shall they end up, when all the decent social housing stock has gone? In the most squalid and most inadequate housing, too unappealing to be sold. As our social housing stock dwindles, these tenants shall be pushed out into the periphery. What this Bill proposes is the ghettoisation of British society.

Ultimately, it is not just the destitute who will lose out. The Bill indemnifies those who sell on their properties after purchasing them from the council. But nothing prevents the purchaser from letting out their property to others. Instead of owner-occupancy, the Bill would establish a new rentier class of landlords. Moreover, even the indemnity would not prevent the predation of social housing, as wealthy magnates could easily compensate for the loss of the discount, and swarm into the vacuum created by this Bill. Then we would not have an aspirational transfer of housing from the State to society, but a fire-sale of social housing for the benefit of landed elites.

Furthermore, I simply cannot fathom why the Prime Minister has opposed the very fine amendment proposed by the Hon Member for Moray and Nairn, which would at least somewhat ameliorate the impact of this Bill. As a businessman, the Prime Minister must be aware of the laws of supply and demand. This Bill will result in a rapid reduction of our social housing stock. At the same time, demand for housing is only rising, as national incomes increased in the last decade, as our population grows, and as we attract immigration from Europe and the Commonwealth. Unless it is compensated by a corresponding commitment to building more housing, the rapid transfer of housing from the social to the private sector shall ensure scarcer housing for those dependent on social provision, and higher rents and prices for those seeking owner-occupancy status. A bubble, as they say, shall emerge in the housing market, and those working people who incurred severe debt in order to purchase their housing shall later discover that this asset has been rendered worthless once the bubble bursts.

There are three fundamental failures in the Housing Bill. First, it excludes from decent housing the already downtrodden, and further stratifies British society. Second, it does not offer sufficient safeguards against commercial exploitation. Third, it shall create a crisis in the housing market. Unless these deficiencies have been rectified, Labour cannot support the Bill and must oppose it.

Rt. Hon. Sylvia Leighton PC MP
Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition
Member for Sutton and Cheam​

 

[Gen. Marshall]

Labour activists, shocked by the effect which the Housing Bill could have on future generations, put up the following poster in several major Scottish cities.

 

[99KingHigh]

Cold War Flashpoint: Of Cuba, Myanmar, and the Raj
​

In the midst of global decolonization, election year would prove to be the most ideologically contentious since the height of the Spanish crisis in 1958. Throughout the spring months, international events radically redefined the geopolitical situation and transformed the Cold War for the remainder of the decade. Intercontinental turmoil had begun officially the year before, when Cuba's revolutionary Castro-led movement deposed the Bastista government after a decade of fighting and installed a Marist-Revolutionary Republic in Havanna. Castro's triumph proved a blemish on President Stevenson's pristine international record [1] and alarmed the uneasy American populace. Stevenson's situation was even more precarious given the bellicose rattling of new Soviet General-Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. Brezhnev and other Soviet officials had quietly toppled Khruschev from power following the fall of the Spanish Government -- the new Soviet cabal was thus charged by the Communist Party to prove their Cold War credentials. Brezhnev, unlike Khruschev, wanted to turn the global chessboard away from Europe and towards the Third World's emerging nations; Cuba proved the perfect opportunity to exploit the anti-imperial sentiment as a motive for Communism. In November 1961, British intelligence in Afghanistan ambushed a Soviet leadership corps in an attack that could have legitimately sparked a military conflict. Although the mission was deemed a failure and suppressed by the British government, MI6 managed to secure preliminary plans from Khruschev delineating a possible arms exchange in Cuba upon Castro's triumph. When it became clear to British intelligence that Castro would emerge triumphant, the Central Intelligence Agency was informed by the British Government of the conspiracy and the Americans quickly hurried stealth planes into the Soviet Union to procure the proper arms information. An American U2 plane, on 4 January 1964, caught glimpses of the Soviet weapons arsenal, and returned the intelligence to Washington.

​

When the report finally fizzled to the White House, President Stevenson was barraged with advice. Military experts counseled the President to conduct an 'endorsed invasion' of the island, deploying Cuban expats as coverup, while the State Department urged procedural caution. Stevenson had grown tired of adhering to the State Department's grandiose diplomatic gestures, and resented the ostentatious hubris the diplomats flaunted in the aftermath of the successful Spanish embargo. With the Democratic Party in need of a victory for the upcoming November election, Stevenson decided to play hard ball with the USAF, and entrusted his confidence to their martial counsel. In short, Stevenson beat Brezhnev to the punchline, and buttressed the so-called "Bay of Pigs Invasion" with considerable (perhaps excessive) American support. By the start of the new year, Havanna had fallen to a populist anti-Communist American-backed insurgency, with the rest of the country slowly conceding to the invading forces. While Cuba's loss was a demoralizing defeat for the new Soviet government, Brezhnev was quick to recover his stance and reorganized an international offensive. Historian Bernard Lewis called Brezhnev's eastern spin the "New Great Game," admittedly with the acknowledgment that the real Asian contest was between the Americans and the Russians. Nonetheless, Brezhnev would target the remaining British heartland in Southeast Asia, and in the process, score one of the most important diplomatic victories in Soviet history. The General Secretary's initial objective was to procure the support of the weary Burmese states; nations brimming with discontented people wallowing in economic stagnation. In late 1963, the Dominion of Burma appeared to be dancing on the brink. The decolonization of the British Empire had ensured that domestic subjects were increasingly willing to neglect the periphery of their former Empire. In previous years, the British Government had managed to maintain control of Burma by preventing the flow of arms and goods through the Indian sub-continent.

India's government, however, was disinclined to absorb the former responsibilities of the British presence. In fact, Burma's de facto independence compelled the Dominion to seek regional investment and protection -- the Burmese, unsurprisingly, came under the protective wing of the Chinese Republic. To President Radhakrishnan, Burma's alignment with China could not have come at a worse time. Beijing's pugnacious government jealously eyed Kashgar, and were blatantly amassing a force to invade the newly independent India. Radhakrishnan, determined to prove his mettle, intensified his anti-Chinese rhetoric, and took an unannounced trip to Moscow in February. When Radhakrishnan returned to India two weeks later, Soviet arm trains began a procession through Indian territory; it seemed Brezhnev had managed to snatch up the sub-continent in a single swipe. Over the next month, a Soviet caravan poured weapons into rural Burma, backing insurgent guerrilla Communist Thankin Soe. While Radhakrishnan was certainly not sympathetic to Marxism, the "Yellow Peril" in India warranted the purely practical alliance between the Soviets and the Indian government. Nonetheless, Radhakrishnan's alliance proved wonderfully successful -- Soe drove through Burma with his Soviet-backed forces and toppled the Ragoon government with little difficulty. With Soviet approval and Indian complacency, Thankin Soe declared the People's Republic of Burma and relocated the government to Mandalay, in the northern mountains of Upper Burma. Increasingly disturbed by the tensions in Asia, President Stevenson urged his Chinese counterpart to accelerate their plans, and punish India for their realignment. The Chinese government eagerly obliged, and declared war on India the day after Britain's election.

[1] The success of the Spanish blockade quite substantially boosted Stevenson's approval ratings.

--
@Michaelangelo -- you can send updated orders if it pleases you.

 

[Plank of Wood]

"During the election, I had previously supported re-establishing ties with India through commerce and diplomacy. That was before they aligned themselves with the enemies of democracy, supported violent armed revolutionaries in their neighbours, and supported the installation of anti-democratic regimes. We will help our Chinese friends in whatever way we can in containing the Communist threat now bullying southeast Asia."

((Laptop is broken so can only post via mobile and can't use IRC. Expect briefer posts and autocorrect making me use the wrong words in the wrong crocodiles.))

 

[Syriana]

Mr Speaker,

The House eagerly awaits a full declaration from the Government regarding the Burmese crisis, as well as an outline of its response.

Rt. Hon Sylvia Leighton PC MP
Leader of the Opposition
Member for Sutton and Cheam​

 

[Dadarian]

Mr Speaker,

The House eagerly awaits a full declaration from the Government regarding the Burmese crisis, as well as an outline of its response.

Rt. Hon Sylvia Leighton PC MP
Leader of the Opposition
Member for Sutton and Cheam​

"The House is weary of what Leighton regards as a full declaration, not all of us can nap in the back."

Member of the Press heckling Mrs. Leighton before being ejected by the Men-at-Arms.​

 

[TJDS]

Mr. Speaker,

I shall be frank to the Right Honourable Lady opposite, it is not this government's intention to conduct a policy of cuts in the administrative apparatus that hurt both security, as the police force's budget and thereby its ability to fight crime were cut mercilessly, and HM's Costums and Revenue Office, which had distastrous effects on the Government's ability to collect taxes and carry out its program for the United Kingdom, were sacrificed to maintain an overextended social services. It is therefore that this Government shall not, like the previous Government, avoid the fiscal issues facing the United Kingdom today, but address them head on and do what is necessary to deburden the British People not only of high and counterintuitive taxes but also a stifling national debt. However, the details for Her Majesty's Budget shall by outlined by my Right Honourable Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, during the Budget Statement.

Regarding her second question, the Government has investigated the issue and made it abudently clear that it has no interest in scandalous content to be spread across Britain via the television. It is therefore that, as described in the Act, an Independent Television Authority, which would closely regulate the new commercial channel in the interests of good taste, and award franchises to commercial companies for fixed terms, would be established. Futhermore, a clause has been included in the Act banning advertising breaks during broadcasts featuring the Royal Family.

Lastly, regarding the Housing Bill, the Labour Party again supports useless quota's and more controlling agencies, while the Government has made clear that there are sufficient safe guard against commercial exploitation and that housing crises will be prevented by the regulation provided in the Housing Bill.

The Rt. Hon. David Thornbloom MP FRS FRES
President of the Board of Trade

 

[Syriana]

Mr Speaker,

The Rt Hon Member for Salisbury has offered a great deal of verbiage to the House, in response to a rather simple question, which he has avoided answering entirely. It is was my understanding that the Conservative Government would not shadow-box with dead administrations, but would boldly take responsibility for its actions.

I offer the President of the Board of Trade a second chance to answer the question. It is no use deferring to the Rt Hon Member for Bexley; the Gentleman moved the Bills in question, he was delegated to do so by the Prime Minister, and so the onus falls upon him to account for the ensuing shortfall in revenue. If he cannot identify alternative streams of revenue, is it because such streams have yet to actually be identified, and if so, would he agree that the Government is therefore curtailing revenue without any plan of how to replace it, or is being circumspect about its plan to cut social spending?

Rt. Hon Sylvia Leighton PC MP
Leader of the Opposition
Member for Sutton and Cheam​

 

[Plank of Wood]

"Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my Rt. Hon colleague for her kind words, and wish her the best of luck in the upcoming Labour Leadership election.

I would, however, like to voice concern at her very condescending tone towards the Hon. Member for Finchley by describing her as 'token'. I will not go into further detail as I am sure my Hon. Friend will have some rather choice words of her own, but I must say it is incredibly rude of my Rt. Hon. Colleague, after the big fuss she kicked up about sexism during the election, to dismiss and demean the Hon. Member for Finchley's achievements purely on the basis of her gender.

On the topic of the housing bill, she is correct in bringing up the matter of letting the purchased properties. It is, in fact, an oversight in the bill and it will be amended. I will also remind her that money from from the sales will go back into the housing budget - which not only goes towards building new houses, but improving already existing housing -, and we have no intention of ending the Social Housing programme. The stock of housing will remain as it is required as councils see necessary, and will continue to have the support of the Government to build housing when it is needed. I assure the Opposition that we will pass this act with or without the support of the other parties in the Commons."

((Will respond to Burma later, consider this post as before the crisis.))

 

[TJDS]

Mr. Speaker,

The Rt. Hon. Lady seems keen to forget that the details of the budget will be outlined in the Chancellor's budget statement, furthermore, the general outline of the Chancellor's budget was made clear, this Budget shall focus on constructive social spending and administrative spending and finding a constructive equillibrium between them, which will replace the sporadic and hurtful administrative budget policies proposed and supported by the Right Honourable Gentleman opposite in previous years.

The Rt. Hon. David Thornbloom MP FRS FRES,
President of the Board of Trade

 

[Syriana]

Mr Speaker,

The Prime Minister may rest assured that when I used the word 'token', I meant it in its original sense as singular, not as disparagement of the Rt Hon Member for Finchley. The very appointment of the Rt Hon Lady belies the incredible assertion made during the election campaign that there were no women on the Conservative front-bench merely because none were qualified. I merely expressed my hope that the Rt Hon Lady's appointment presages further recognition of women by the Government, rather than the end of the matter.

I am grateful to the Prime Minister for his recognition of the issue of letting, and welcome an amendment to this effect. But if the Government is truly dedicated to social housing, then why not accept the Rt Hon Member for Moray and Nairn's amendment? It would appear to serve the purpose of ensuring adequate housing stock for those unable to avail themselves of the Housing Bill. I would also query why such a major proposal for housing was not incorporated in the Conservative Party's electoral manifesto?

Nonetheless, the Prime Minister must be respected for deigning to address my queries. The same cannot be said for his Rt Hon Colleague, the President of the Board of Trade, who appears more versed in the workings of the previous government than the one that he presently serves in. If the Rt Hon Member for Salisbury cannot answer the question, would he not agree that it is premature for him to propose the disembowelment of the Capital Gains Tax before the presentation of the Budget, of whose contents he appears to have only the most vague impression?

Rt. Hon Sylvia Leighton PC MP
Leader of the Opposition
Member for Sutton and Cheam​

 

[sealy300]

Wance mere intae tha breech my pals, wance mere...

The Local Authority Reform (In England) Act 1961

- With Regards to all reforms, the City of London shall retain its rights, duties and privileges as mandated by Time Immemorial.

-The Scilly Isles will retain their previous status.

- A two-tier system shall be implemented of counties and districts (with the exception of the unitary authority of the Isle of Wight); with Districts being subordinate to the counties. The counties and Districts shall follow the map on the indent. As-per the commission's recommendations, there will be a seperation between City and non-metropolitan districts.

- Elections for County and District councils are to take-place every 4 years, with the electoral boundaries constructed during the commission. These elections shall operate using the Single Transferable Voting System.

Spoiler: Map

The Local Authority Reform (In Wales) Act 1961

- A two-tier system shall be implemented of regions and districts; with Districts being subordinate to the Regions. The Regions and Districts shall follow the map on the indent.

- Elections for Regional and District councils are to take-place every 4 years, with the electoral boundaries constructed during the commission. These elections shall operate using the Single Transferable Voting System.

Spoiler: Map

The Local Authority Reform (In Scotland) Act 1961

- A two-tier system shall be implemented of regions and districts (With the exception of the three unitary councils or Orkney, Western Isles and Shetland); with Districts being subordinate to the regions. The regions and Districts shall follow the map on the indent.

- Elections for Regional and District councils are to take-place every 4 years, with the electoral boundaries constructed during the commission. These elections shall operate using the Single Transferable Voting System.

Spoiler: Map

 

[TJDS]

Mr. Speaker,

I can answer the questions asked by the Right Honourable Member for Sutton and Cheam - as I have done - however, I cannot help her understand it.

The Rt. Hon. David Thornbloom MP FRS FRES
President of the Board of Trade