Archive for January, 2006

Lib Dem Council Tax proposals announced

I have had first site of the delayed Lib Dem Kingston Council Tax proposals. More bad news for Kingston residents. Almost 7% rise (including the GLA). On top of this they are cutting frontline services with the closure of the family archive service, reductions in the Museum opening hours and cutting staff in the libraries. [...]

A policeman with too much to say

This is an interesting piece in the Telegraph about the nonsense spputed by our chief police officer Ian Blair. Am I alone in thinking it is the job of the police to catch criminals and not act as pseudo-psychiatrists on issues that no one seems to be raising?

Higher taxes from Hughes

It is startling that there is any politician left that does not believe that taxes are not high enough already. I accept he is arguing that the better off should pay more tax but what exactly does he mean by that. More income tax, more inheritance tax, more which tax? I am a little dissapointed [...]

People to be offered =E2=80=98health MoT=E2=80=99

People to be offered ‘health MoT’

At last!! For sometime readers of this blog will have been aware of my view that one of the problems with the way this Government has approached the reform of public services is that they have spent far too long worrying about the “supply” side. It has all been about structures (as in schools currently) [...]

Can anyone disagree with incapacity benefit reform?

Doubtless some of this is the fault of the last Conservative Government but the bit I find disturbing about the idea of benefits reform is the sheer scale of the numbers involved here. There is genuine need, but can anyone be surprised that the unemployment numbers have fallen at the same time that incapacity benefit [...]

Votes ebb away from Lib Dems with poll slump to 15%

Opinion Cartoon – Daily Telegraph – 24th January 2006

Sadness for Oaten: No sympathy for his party

There has been an awful lot of sympathetic blogging bout the predicament of Mark Oaten; my blogging colleague Iain Dale amongst them. On one level, the personal and family, I can understand this. However the charge sheet relating to Mark Oaten is not a good one. He has misled his party We presume he misled [...]