Blogging over on Centre Right, my colleague Matthew Sinclair discusses the emasculation of the House of Commons, as shown in the current furarce (somewhere between a furore and a farce) over the Speaker. There is a serious issue here for MPs that some of them still don't seem to appreciate.... Read more...
I blame the employers We are still reeling from the latest story of DWP incompetence: "A WOMAN who claimed a bad back made it impossible for her work was employed at the SAME Government department that paid out her benefits. Twenty-four-year-old Joanne Kirman fraudulently obtained over... Read more...
The Government must be feeling pretty hard done by this morning. They kowtowed to the green movement when they were pushing for more use of biofuels. Now that the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), which requires all car fuels to include at least 2.5 per cent biofuel - rising to... Read more...
Downing St head banging According to those overworked "sources", Darling has summoned the banks to the Treasury so he can "bang heads together" over the withdrawal of competitive mortgage offers and the failure to pass on the full quarter-point Bank of England rate cut". Does anyone... Read more...
A TPA supporter has sent us this non-job he found, as well as his response below: "Considering the state of the finances and services in West Sussex and the ever increasing demand on council tax payers, I was slightly bemused to see the above advertisement in the Sunday... Read more...
TPA supporter Tony Barnes has brought to our attention yet another example of Sutton Council wasting taxpayers’ money. Last time they were guilty of increasing executive officer salaries with an extra £11k a year, taking their pay to well over £100,000 a year. Bear in mind frontline workers are pegged... Read more...
Two stories from the Telegraph today that have a common theme. The Government have 'negotiated' a plan for energy companies to help certain householders with their fuel bills: "An extra £225 million will be provided by the six biggest energy firms over the next two years to help those who... Read more...
This week I saw two sides of the grassroots campaign. The first was in Hatfield last weekend where our Hertfordshire campaigners got a stall together at the monthly Farmers Market. We handed out bumper stickers, leaflets and our playing cards to recruit people to the campaign, which we... Read more...
We've always known that, for some people at least, high taxes are motivated by a degree of envy. The unpleasant motive of wanting to bring down the successful rears its ugly head regularly, all too often translated by the law of unintended consequences into something that harms the poor. One... Read more...
In May I will have been at the TPA for a year. In that year, I have not seen anything as disgraceful as in today’s Daily Mail. Poole Council used legislation, written and sold to us on the idea it would help track terrorists, to spy on a family they... Read more...
I suppose I ought to declare an interest in this story - I not only love lower, simpler taxes, I love chocolate teacakes. Even if I didn't, though, this would stand out as a ridiculous example of the problems a complex tax system brings. The very fact that there... Read more...
Today's The Sentinel reports: "NHS managers in the Potteries needed to cut waiting lists. So they paid £10m for 10,000 minor operations at a private hospital in Burton. But they forgot to ask local people what they thought.Now - two years and £4m later - they've still only persuaded... Read more...
Worcestershire County Council certainly haven’t been shy of spending in recent years. In our latest reports on local government expenditure we found: They were in our nationwide ‘Top 20’ for publicity spending, blowing a massive £4,076,000 on self promotion. They spent £3,575,000 on middle management (those on salaries... Read more...
The IMF has caused quite a stir this week. Its latest economic and financial outlook papers ( here and here) have predicted that the credit crisis will cost $1 trillion, GDP growth will slow dramatically, and UK house prices may fall sharply. As its chart shows, UK house prices... Read more...
From Friction TV: (if the video does not display try clicking the link to go and watch it on Friction TV's website) Read more...
Croydon’s residents have just been handed a 4% Council Tax increase. Where’s it going…on the bonfire of non-jobs, of course: “Senior Internal Communications Officers x2, LONDON BOROUGH OF CROYDON £28,524 to £30,603 If so, the London Borough of Croydon could be the place for you. With seven... Read more...
Getting artsy this week, it’s the turn of Culture West Midlands. Who? Well you pay for them so you should probably know who they are: Read more...
John Redwood, MP for Wokingham, has been prominent in the field of centre right politics since his days as Margaret Thatcher's Chief Policy Officer, championing privatisation around the world. Since then he has been a cabinet minister, shadow minister and author - and is also one of Britain's leading blogging... Read more...
The Telegraph reports a BMA call for more consultants in the NHS. This is supported by research finding that consultants, the most senior and experienced doctors, produce better results in a number of areas. No one is going to dispute that, it seems pretty obvious that if your doctors... Read more...
Tax evasion is rightly a crime and honest taxpayers should not have to subsidise a criminal minority. Equally, there are sensible measures - such as simplifying the tax system - that can be taken to reduce the extent to which people can plan their way around tax (and reduce the... Read more...
Stories today, and over the weekend, illustrate how the problems with public sector management undermine attempts to keep hospitals clean and hygienic and control scandalous levels of hospital infection. There is no reason to trust politicians to deliver high quality healthcare. Control needs to be returned to professionals and patients... Read more...
"The figures show that over the past decade the number of persistent young offenders (PYOs) in England and Wales has jumped by two-thirds from 9,868 in 1997 to 16,512 in 2007. A persistent young offender is defined as "a young person aged 10 to 17 years old who has been... Read more...
The Telegraph reports a big increase in the number of complaints about the NHS: "The Healthcare Commission, the independent watchdog, investigated more than 10,000 cases last year. Complaints included cases of patients left in soiled bedding and allegations about rude nurses.The commission upheld 20 per cent of complaints, more than... Read more...
Looks like more bad news... ...public sector pensions now costing £21bn pa... As we know, most public sector pensions are unfunded- ie unlike private sector pensions, they have no backing assets and must be be paid as they come due out of current taxation. According to the latest... Read more...