Obama and Biden preach the politics of envy and class warfare at Springfield, Illinois

The selection of Joe Biden as Obama's running mate was the final insult to Hillary Clinton who had won 18 million votes in the primaries whilst Biden amassed the "huge" total of c9,500.

A large segment of Biden's speech was devoted to talking down the US economy. The word disaster was used. Certainly there are some severe economic problems not alone in the US but also throughout the world. But since when is a 5/6% unemployment rate a disaster? Biden and Obama preach about the loss of 3 million jobs and attack free trade. A return to protectionism will drive unemployment closer to 10%. In general low paid industrial jobs in Europe and the US are moving to low cost destinations. This is a fact of economic life. An Obama /Biden Presidency using protectionism will not stem the flow. To pretend otherwise is just dishonest.

Today Obama and Biden preached a policy of class warfare -a policy beloved of Marxists and extreme left Socialists. This is anathema to most Americans.
Demonising John McCain on the basis of the number of residences which he owns is cheap gutter politics designed to stir up envy. Are Biden and McCain advocating a policy of confiscation of assets belonging to those who have done well? A cursory glance at the Democrat's tax policies indicates that those who work hard to build up businesses are to be penalized with higher taxes. This is a recipe for higher unemployment and economic stagnation. So much for an enterprise culture.
Incidentally Obama earned $4 million in 2007 whilst Biden is not exactly poor.

Obama and Biden favour a windfall profits tax on oil companies and bemoan petrol at 4 dollars a barrel. Yet they are opposed to off shore exploration, which would provide the extra oil supplies to force down prices and reduce the dependency on unstable regimes in the Middle East. Falling prices would soon curb the excesses of the Russian bear. Russia has flexed its military muscles buoyed up by a huge inflow of oil revenue.

Biden attacked what he termed the Bush/McCain foreign policy. Is not Biden the man who voted for the Iraq war? This is the ultimate in hypocrisy. Is this not the politician who stated in 2007 that he would not serve as a Vice President and who in reference to Obama stated that “the White House is no place to learn on the job”. Biden also said that “I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off.” Now Biden the attack dog is at odds with himself. He is living in a political glasshouse.

Both Obama and Biden express concerns for the middle class yet favour the doubling of capital gains tax and a public expenditure splurge of $1,000 billion. The middle class will fund this.

Biden the Catholic agrees with Obama’s principles. His support for abortion and the appointment of pro abort judges to the Supreme Court is an insult to Catholic voters.
An Obama /Biden presidency will cripple taxpayers. Their taxation policy is based on envy and is designed to attack the coping classes.

British Labour Party is blitzed in Henley by-election:What are the political implications?

• John Howell (C) 19,796 (56.95%, +3.46%)



• Stephen Kearney (Lib Dem) 9,680 (27.85%, +1.84%)



• Mark Stevenson (Green) 1,321 (3.80%, +0.54%)



• Timothy Rait (BNP) 1,243 (3.58%)



• Richard McKenzie (Lab) 1,066 (3.07%, -11.68%)



• Chris Adams (UKIP) 843 (2.43%, -0.07%)

This Henley by-election result is a further boost for David Cameron and the Conservatives. However too much should not be read into the outcome as this Oxfordshire seat, is natural Conservative territory. The Conservative candidate, John Howell, won with a majority of 10,116, a 3.46% increase on the Tory share of the vote in the 2005 General Election. Also the Tories have managed to get the Liberal Democrat monkey off their backs. Indeed many Liberal Democrat seats could fall to the rejuvenated Conservatives in the next General Election. So the Lib Dems have cause for worry also.

This is a humiliating defeat for the British Labour Party. Richard McKenzie the Labour candidate-who lost his deposit- even finished behind the extreme right British National Party and only just above UKIP. The Labour party vote is down –11.8% on the 2005 General Election.This electoral disaster for Labour comes just weeks after Mr Brown suffered heavy defeats in local elections, the London mayoral race, and the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. There is a danger for Brown that he will be perceived as a loser. However a leadership challenge is unlikely before the next General Election.

Clearly momentum is building up behind the Conservative Party. Gordon Brown has been unlucky since his accession to the leadership of the British Labour Party. His government has been hit by the international downturn, the collapse of the Northern Rock Bank, higher Government borrowing, slackening growth, higher food and oil costs. In addition he comes across as dour in marked contrast to David Cameron-the Tory leader. Also there is probably an element of English unhappiness with the fact that Brown is Scottish. This is generally not expressed publicly but is there in the background. Gordon Brown appears to lack energy and dynamism. It is as if his years as Chancellor and his obsession with securing the leadership of the Labour Party have sapped his vitality.

A Conservative victory is by no means assured in the next General Election. The party will struggle to make seat gains in Wales, Scotland and Northern England. However it is now a strong possibility.