Go Boris

A while ago, I berated Boris for his ridiculous and bogus remark that capping housing benefits at £400 a week would result in a form of 'Kosovo-style social cleansing' in central London. I said that this was no way to go about becoming the next Conservative Party leader.

I stand by my argument - it is morally offensive to see large families, of whatever ethnicity and however recently they have arrived in  Britain, being housed by the taxpayer in four or five bedroomed houses in expensive central London postcodes at £2000 per week. It is a symptom of deeply confused political management of a country that it allows this sort of racket.

However, I was mistaken to impugn Boris's Tory credentials as strongly as I did. He could be forgiven for campaigning as a panty-waist Coalition liberal, trying to avoid scaring the horses and generally distancing himself from anything that sounded too Conservative. Instead, he has been frank and open about his core campaign messages: "Freedom, democracy, taxpayer value and building up the sense of neighbourliness and duty towards each other". He calls himself a "tax-cutting Conservative".

Good on you, Boris. You deserve re-election and to remain the only Conservative in high public office who has got there with a majority (and from a tough, Labour-leaning city). Thank heavens a high-profile Tory is prepared to re-state the credo. The Cameron set needs to be reminded of it. They have certainly forgotten the Great Thomas jefferson maxim:

"The natural progression of things is for liberty to yield and governments to gain ground".

Jefferson is popular on this blog, and for a reason. He knew that most politicians suffer from an entirely justifiable sense of vulnerability, not least from the voters. Their inclination, therefore, is to increase their powers and feather their nests. Had he lived in these times, he would have enjoyed the irony that governments delve ever deeper into our lives and almost always tell us that it is in order to increase our security and protect our liberty. Yeah, right.

UPDATE: fuckingbollocksgate Yeah, Boris! Stick it to the Beeb! Way to go! Watch his lead increase.