The Local Government Association - paid for by you and me through local councils' membership subs - have today launched one of the most ill-advised and inappropriate advertising campaigns since Gerald Ratner (who described his own jewellery firm's produce as "crap"). Here are two of their deligthful offerings, soon to... Read more...
On Saturday (yes, Saturday), the Treasury Select Committee published its report on the 10p tax fiasco. And even though many feel this Committee is little more than a Labour mouthpiece, it lets fly: "For personal tax decisions, the sudden and final nature of Budget decisions has been... about the... Read more...
In our report Wasting Lives: a statistical analysis of NHS performance in a European context since 1981 (PDF) we showed how Gordon Brown had tested the idea that more money, without significant reform, would improve the NHS to destruction. The NHS absorbed a huge increase in funding without the long... Read more...
Further to our Chief Executive's post on CentreRight.com yesterday, giving the TPA's initial reaction to the Parliamentary Members' Estimate Committee review of MPs' expenses, a good 24 hours of robust debate have highlighted in more detail some of the good and not-so-good things about the Committee's proposals. It's worth... Read more...
It’s long been a bug bear for us that taxpayers have to fund party political ‘assistants’ for the political groups on councils. What takes the biscuit this week goes a step further. From Hackney Council, we present to you the non-job of the week: “Members’ Support Office (Frontline Councillor)... Read more...
The Governments looks set to ask private companies and charities to help run the welfare state, theTelegraph reports today. "[In a speech this evening] James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, will call on firms to help overhaul the payment of benefits" ... encouraging them to "bid to run... Read more...
£29,000 Mercedes CLK 2.7 litre company sports car - as provided to Remploy boss Remploy is a government quango set up at the end of WW2 to employ "Disabled Persons", including ex-servicemen. It originally did so by providing jobs in its own subsidised chain of factories manufacturing furniture and such... Read more...
Parliament is gearing up for its next major confrontation with the government this week, with the return to the Commons of the controversial Planning Bill. Despite a very real need for reform, the Planning Bill was a poor bit of legislation from the start, and in keeping with this... Read more...
The East Anglian Daily Times has a story today about Suffolk County Council that proves the fiasco surrounding their new Chief Executive's massive salary was far from being a one-off. Suffolk CC's Communications chief left abruptly after the County Council's Chief Executive's outrageous new salary hit the national news.... Read more...
The National Union of Teachers and Schools Minister Jim Knight have been having a right old barney today about the question of failing schools. Last week the Department for Children, Schools and Families published a list of the 638 schools that fail to educate more than 30% of their pupils... Read more...
The utter mayhem at council meetings at one town council in Shropshire has prompted the Standards Board for England to order the members of Whitchurch Town Council to attend behavioural training. Such was the pandemonium at this wayward authority that the watchdog has received 35 complaints in less than... Read more...
One of the most worrying things I came across in my investigation into Britain's quango state - UnseenGovernment -was the noticeable decline in Cabinet Office time given over to monitoring quasi-government. This was surprising, as being thegate keepers of government one might assume this to be one of their primary... Read more...
Fraser Nelson gives a clear, informed argument in favour of liberalising UK education, encouraging David Cameron not to miss this opportunity to revive Britain's ailing school system ... Read More Read more...
City council bosses in Birmingham have announced plans for four more Red Routes despite the furore over the Stratford Road route with businesses up-in-arms as trade fell due to the ‘no stopping’ policy (Birmingham Mail). The four new routes; Alcester Road, Warwick Road, Dudley Road and the Hagley Road... Read more...
Boris Johnson’s Mayoralty gave a thumbs up to London's taxpayers as it’s emerged that he’s sacked the first tranche of politically correct non-jobbers in City Hall. Gone already are the 40 copies of the Morning Star City Hall bought every single day. Now out of the door are the non-jobbers... Read more...
The right of British people to protection comes below that of a foreign national to not be deported to their country of origin. Abu Qatada preaches hate against the west and this our country. However, the very freedoms he preaches against now protect him from deportation. Not considered is... Read more...
A TPA supporter emailed in this non-job today, which we’ll leave to your own interpretation from Bristol City Council: “Sex Work Strategy Co-ordinator£27,594 - £29,726 The Safer Bristol Partnership is responsible for developing and delivering the crime and drugs agenda in Bristol's diverse, multi-cultural urban environment. This new... Read more...
Yesterday the country looked on aghast as Abu Qatada was released from prison despite being Osama Bin Laden’s “right hand man in Europe”. I blogged a few weeks ago on how the government had its priorities wrong regarding prison sentences and justice policy. Yesterday’s justice-blackout epitomised the government’s approach to... Read more...
Having reviewed the papers for the ‘non-job of the week’ over the past year, more and more of these party-political, taxpayer-funded non-jobs are cropping up. Our local branches have been highlighting their growing presence in the council jobs pages and, I’m sure you’ll agree, taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for partisan,... Read more...
Further to my post on Friday, the leaders of EU member states - including our own - have been lining up to discuss how to ignore the Irish referendum result rejecting the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty. I'm pleased to see, therefore, that EUReferendum's Richard North and Open Europe's Neil O'Brien... Read more...
The Independent on Sunday reports that David Cameron is to propose greater use of wave power: "Mr Cameron will say: "Britain's coastline is over 1,000 miles long and has some of the highest tidal ranges in the world. Tapping into this free, continually renewed energy source could, according to some... Read more...
The twin aims of increasing state surveillance and using such technology to increase taxes have taken a bit of a beating in recent days - good news for taxpayers, who would have had to foot the bill for Government's incompetent implementation of the technology and cough up for the higher... Read more...
Yesterday I took part in a BBC World Service programme to discuss aid to Africa. Read more...
Britain’s policy of ‘liberal interventionism over the past decade has asked a lot of our Armed forces. One would expect that a government intent on using their Armed Forces, would also be one that appreciated the necessity of investment and considered governance. This has not been the case however. Much... Read more...