Is the BBC worth the increase in license fee?
First of all, let me reiterate: I am a Fool. Forgive me if my comments may sound idiotic. Should I be forced to pay a license fee to the BBC, if I have a TV but I do not watch the BBC? In this country, apparently so. Most people would look at me askance and [...]
Speaker to step down
It is expected that Mr. Michael Martin will be making a speech announcing his plans to step down as Speaker of the Commons. It is not expected that he will announce this step as “immediate”, but we will have to wait and see. He has been blamed for the furore over the MPs expenses, but, [...]
Why fear the BNP?
In all the expenses furore, many – including politicians and political analysts – have claimed that people are losing trust in their MPs. As a result, there is a fear that the top three political parties will lose votes, making room for smaller parties. Amidst this fear, these same critics are voicing anxiety about the [...]
Will the members of the Fees Office show themselves?
Everybody’s targeting the MPs right now, but what about the Fees Office? They were the ones who were supposed to scrutinise the claims and determine right or wrong. Of course, they based their judgments on the “rules” as established by Parliament, but didn’t these individuals exercise any moral responsibility to taxpayers? Who are the guilty [...]
Who have acquitted themselves well?
After days of criticism of MPs, it’s time to give a hand to those who did not abuse the second home allowance. That’s not to say they might not have written off other expenses, but at least they are spared this humiliation. Let’s hear it for: Martin Salter, Celia Barlow, Geoffrey Robinson, Kelvin Hopkins, Fiona [...]
New rules for politicians cum benefits cheats
I know I said I didn’t want to say any more about MPs expenses, but reports this weekend in the Daily Telegraph have prompted me to suggest some changes in the expense system. I know Sir Stuart Bell has already mentioned that an independent body will be set up to oversee the MPs expenses, but [...]
What are words for?
Enough has been said about MPs expenses, so the new list of questionable expenses published in the Daily Telegraph is getting tiresome. I will not defend any of them but I’m not going to concentrate on criticising them, either. No, I’d like to focus on comments made by politicians and political bloggers. Gordon Brown: “MPs [...]
Is nepotism appropriate for politics?
Mr. Derek Conway decided to add his “two-cents’ worth” to the debates in the Commons. He, of course, complained about having to return money for employing his sons, as well as comparing his case to that of others. Now, he claimed to have employed his sons, but the evidence did not show his sons did [...]
Still talking about 50p tax
The chancellor’s budget is still being debated. And the biggest talk is the 50p tax on the wealthy. How is the budget going to affect you? Well, personally, it won’t affect me yet. And I doubt if in this next year it will affect me much. Why? Because I’m one of those 2 million unemployed [...]
What’s so bad about ID cards?
There is lots of criticism for David Cameron and his party regarding their plans to restore the economy. The Labour party accuse him of wanting to cut public spending, while the Liberal Democrats say he is “bottling” tough decisions. People, the government and the public, do not like to hear about “thrift”. The idea that [...]
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