Labour MPs, unions and the energywatch quango, who are trying to cover up the Government's complicity in high energy prices, have all been lining up to demand windfall taxes on energy firms. They're wrong to do so on a number of grounds: 1) Energy companies are not responsible for... Read more...
This is a non-job special blog after being tipped off by a supporter for this job at Moray Council: “Street Football Co-ordinator£19,887 Job Purpose Working closely with partnership groups to lead the development and delivery of the street football project to improve the health and well being... Read more...
It’s the biggest issue facing households this week. That gas prices have gone up again is cause for concern, with forecasts that some gas bills will reach over £1,000 a year. At £20 a week, it’s clearly a particularly troubling for those in fixed incomes, notably pensioners. Yet this raises... Read more...
After a torrid six months contributed to more than a little by our Council Spending Uncovered campaign which revealed huge amounts of waste and excess in local government, the Local Government Association's Head of News, Richard Stokoe, has written in PR Week, making a heartfelt plea for sympathy for Town... Read more...
"As the independent gas and electricity watchdog, our mission is simple: to get the best deal we can for energy consumers." So says energywatch [sic]. And over the last 24 hours they have been sounding off mightily over the hike in British Gas prices. Indeed, Campaign Director Adam Scorer has... Read more...
Stafford Borough Council are publicising the fact that they plan to axe 8 cashier jobs, at a total saving of £80,000 per annum, ending the option for residents to make cash payments at council offices in an effort to encourage them to pay their bills by direct debit or credit... Read more...
Local councils are notorious for their foolhardy love of shiny new logos - that cost unsuspecting taxpayers tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds. Blackburn and Barrow councils in the Northwest, though, have excelled themselves by managing a new feat. Not only have both of them spent taxpayers'... Read more...
The trend continues, with another drop in government jobs on offer this week. Our non-job of the week comes from Lambeth: “Enviro-Crime Enforcement Officer£29,241 - £30,774 pa You care about the environment… More than that, you want to achieve change: make this city a cleaner, greener safer place.... Read more...
Via Iain Dale comes a very interesting blog post by Stuart King, the Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Putney. It is made particularly interesting by the fact that it shows the growing doubts about green taxes that are spreading even amongst supporters of this high-taxing Government, and even amongst people,... Read more...
The latest report from the Human Genetics Commission, the Government's official genetics advisory body, has piled on further pressure for the deletion of the one million DNA samples of innocent people held on the DNA database. It's long overdue for these samples to be deleted, for a host of reasons.... Read more...
In recent months there has been a lot of discussion about how the Government might help people facing high energy prices. The unions, politicians and various campaigners have called for a crackdown on energy companies they accuse of profiteering. Yesterday, the Renewable Energy foundation revealed that the Government's own... Read more...
David Miliband’s father was a Marxist academic who, throughout his writing career, was sceptical of the Labour Party; it wasn’t Left enough and conceded too much to vested interests, opting for a ‘Labourist’ platform with trade unions and the coalition of Christian Socialists, New Liberals and Fabians within the Labour... Read more...
I’ve added this blog as an addendum to my blog on Norwich yesterday. At one point, and only one, did my head dip for a moment. I was speaking to a chap about our campaign. He agreed with us, wanted lower taxes but then came out with a stonker: ... Read more...
The results of an inquiry into the loss of 25 million child benefit records have been released, they are reported in the Times: "The loss of 25 million child benefit records, complete with sensitive personal information, was brought about by a “woefully inadequate system” being used by staff who were... Read more...
In talking to people about lower taxes and smaller government, we all use day to day examples. High fuel taxes, high income taxes, capital gains taxation etc are all examples we campaign against. Personally, I’d like to share the first principles I take these arguments from, why I work here... Read more...
There's a great leader in the Sun this morning that throws the weight of that paper firmly behind a tax-cutting, waste-eradicating, value for money agenda: This is great news and a clear signal to Brown, Cameron and Clegg: the TPA's campaign is resonating throughout the country. People want the public... Read more...
Regular readers will be aware of our enthusiasm for crime mapping, demonstrated to great effect in the USA and espoused by Boris Johnson in the London Mayoral election - the idea that police should publish all reported crimes with type, date and current status on an online map. We're very... Read more...
Stratford-Upon-Avon, famed birthplace of William Shakespeare, is probably one of the most beautiful towns in the country, so it’s understandable that local residents would be particularly protective of its distinctive medieval streets and picturesque river views. When, in 2003, Warwickshire County Council and Advantage West Midlands-funded sub-quango World Class Stratford... Read more...
On going into the TPA's local newsagent today, I was confronted first by this sign, and then by a very apologetic shopkeeper. It is signs like this, cropping up across the country, that go a long way towards explaining the reason taxation and Government spending are so high on people's... Read more...
The sun shines on the righteous, they say, and it certainly shone for us on Friday when our Norfolk TPA branch were campaigning and petitioning Norfolk residents for lower Council Tax. The only downside was that some hoodlum stole a supporter’s handbag. Nevertheless, in a morning’s work we signed up... Read more...
This morning I've had an article, written with Chris Pope from the American Enterprise Institute, published at The American. It sets out how the current political success of the David Cameron-led Conservative Party isn't based on an embrace of environmentalism: "The recent success of the Conservative Party has owed little... Read more...
Taxpayers heading for a second bad deal? The imminent £11-12bn sale of British Energy is something taxpayers need to watch very closely, because we own 35% of the company. And our interests are in the hands of a panicky discredited government that is desperate for money. Regular readers will recall... Read more...
This video has been released to accompany the Competitive Enterprise Institute's 10,000 Commandments report on the cost of regulation in the United States. Its message is important for us as well: Regulations quietly impose an enormous burden on ordinary families. Just because the burden from regulations is less obvious than... Read more...
The SATs exam shambles, which has left huge numbers of children either without results or with results that are clearly inaccurate, has laid bare a failing that pervades the public sector far beyond just education and schools. The first issue it raises is that of effective and professional contract negotiation.... Read more...