Today’s The Sentinel newspaper reports that workers from Staffordshire County Council and Stafford Borough Council will be treated to a free breakfast, plus numerous other taxpayer funded treats on Wednesday next week as part of continuing initiatives to make them greener and healthier. The article states that: “Employees... Read more...
A very interesting piece in yesterday's Observer reported on a damning indictment of the civil service, from one of their own. Firstly, the credentials of the critic: the Observer report states that Zenna Atkins, 42, was holder of the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2000, appointed to the... Read more...
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, is to call for an end to the "one size fits all" approach to education. In a forthcoming speech, Mr Clegg will make the case for a dramatic change in the UK's approach to schooling, outlining plans... Read more...
Araucaria araucana: a clear and present danger As explained by Thomas Hobbes more than three centuries ago, we have to put up with government so it can keep us safe. That's the deal. Which of course is why government arranges for Torquay's highly dangerous palm trees to... Read more...
With only one constituency left to declare, and only nine having voted "yes" (and one of those only doing so by 6 votes) it seems the Irish electorate have voted solidly to reject the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty. It is imperative, not only for democracy but also for any sense... Read more...
Flying in the face of their already questionable claim to “an enviable reputation for forward-thinking and fiscal discipline”, Birmingham City Council have made the front page of today’s Birmingham Post due to the fact that they are currently advertising for seven (yes seven!) ‘Assistant Directors of Finance’. Read more...
The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act has been one of the greatest innovations in British political history in the way it has opened up Government to the public, allowing us to see a great deal of what is done with our money behind closed doors. It's not perfect, it's not... Read more...
In yet another call for lower taxes from a Labour politician, Alan Milburn told a charity conference in London that the Government must shrink the size of the state and called for measures to improve social mobility, including "cutting taxes for the low paid." He said: "The old top down... Read more...
The Times reports that successful schools are going to be given the right to expand a little. This will mean more places in successful schools and a bit more pressure on poor performing schools to up their game. Unfortunately, schools have only been allowed an extremely limited amount of new... Read more...
An interesting piece by Rupert Darwall in today's Wall Street Journal explains how tax has once again become political centre-stage... "The first signs of a taxpayer revolt came last October. With Mr. Brown poised to call an election to capitalize on his momentum in the polls, the Conservatives announced they... Read more...
The Telegraph ask an important question, how should the NHS be reorganised? Government plans for new polyclinics are facing furious protests and, despite spending £1 billion, government initiatives have not offered significant increases in choice that might drive improvements in standards for patients. The problem is that the... Read more...
Now the precedent has been set, how much more will it cost taxpayers to maintain the Government's majority? There are a lot of votes coming up and a lot of unpopular and controversial measures to be discussed. If there are rebels too principled to be... Read more...
An interesting piece in the FT today reports that a House of Lords report has concluded that the Government's non-dom tax plans are "essentially unworkable", and will damage Britain's competitiveness. No great surprise there, but the Lords report also criticised the unfinished nature of much of the non-dom legislation... Read more...
This week’s non-job from South Gloucestershire Council: “Community Engagement Manager£43,596 - £47,918 Under the direction of the Head of Safer and Stronger Communities:- To lead on the development, monitoring and implementation of policies, strategies and action to engage and strengthen the diverse communities in South Gloucestershire. ... Read more...
An interesting observation made in today's FT: opponents of the Lisbon Treaty (sorry, EU Constitution), both on the Left and on the Right, are arguing that it will threaten Ireland's 12.5 per cent corporation tax regime. Leave aside for the moment the extremely important argument about whether the EU... Read more...
In yesterday’s Birmingham Post Terry Grimley wrote under the headline ‘Manchester’s public transport billions are death for Brum’, and attempts to persuade us that the northern city will win out for their additional £3billion transport funding – their present for agreeing to impose this further tax on ordinary people who... Read more...
Governments of all stripes are guilty of confusing 'activity' with 'action'. Invariably ineffective, needless 'activity' is the source of much of the waste and bureaucracy which plagues us, of a politics which diverts attention from the real problems in a flurry of initiatives and expert studies. However in the realm... Read more...
How many times this year have we seen stories of local authorities prying into our lives? First it was Poole Council using anti-terror legislation to spy on a family for weeks just to be sure they sent their child to the school in the right catchment area. Next councils were... Read more...
With so many human rights abuses around the world, the United Nations Human Rights Council should be busy reporting on issues of enforced starvation, executions of people for their lifestyle choices and the denial of the vote to huge numbers of people around the world. Instead, they have turned their... Read more...
Lest anyone think that it's only MPs and MEPs who make a pretty penny out of the taxpayer in return for their public service, a post over at Iain Dale's Diary draws our attention to Councillors' "allowances". Iain's point is of course set against a party political background, but even... Read more...
Never ever doubt the tenacity of a TPA activist and heaven help a politician who gets in their way. Over the past week TPA activists have appeared in all sorts of press coverage, from TV and radio to running stories in local papers. Stephen Picot commented here on a... Read more...
Today's FT reports that the Government have become so worried about the number of companies being driven to Ireland by high-tax Britain that they are considering supporting EU tax harmonisation. In essence, having gone a long way towards ruining our economic competitiveness with tax and red tape, they have decided... Read more...
The announcement that The Public gallery in West Bromwich would be charging £6.95 for entry, after having already cost the taxpayer around £51million, saw the West Midlands TaxPayers’ Alliance comment in the Express & Star, on BBC Radio WM and on the BBC Midlands Today news show, and now bosses... Read more...
There are few parts of the public sector where the valour, skill and professionalism of those at the sharp end contrast so strongly with the incompetence, mismanagement and bungling of the bureaucrats in overseeing them than the contrast found in Defence. It is true that the impression is made starker... Read more...