Shadow Foreign Minister William Hague delivered his speech to the Conservative Party Conference yesterday and said nothing of substance.
Accusing the Labour Party of wanting to run a negative campaign his remarks consisted at first only of contradicting achievements of the Labour Party as listed by Gordon Brown last week. So much of wanting to lift the level of political debate.
His contribution is best described as immature political vitriol. His suggestion that UK European Ministers be responsible to parliament is a non sequitor – all Ministers are responsible to parliament (except Mandy? – Ed).
He tried to bamboozle on the question of a european referendum but managed to dodge the question.
Will the public services industrial complex allow their government contracts to be subject to any level of transparency? Don’t hold your breath waiting for that list of government expenditure to be published as Hague promised. Will allowing the public to ‘comment’ on legislation as the speech proposed make any difference to the shape of legislation?
Look at how the neanderthal right wing elements in the US are using that a similar process to their own ends in scuppering Obama’s heath care proposals.
It’s interesting that Hague proposes an end to any form of centralisation in public services. What does that mean for the post code lottery in health? Or in education standards.
The remainder of the speech is best described as self congratulatory flannel. But if this is the standard of politics to be expected for the rest of the week the Tories are not just unfit to govern but difficult to take seriously. However will the media even subject their ideas to genuine scrutiny?
http://www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2009/09/Willam_Hague_Let_us_join_together_in_bringing_change_to_our_country.aspx
