Monthly Archives: December 2006

I will ask the technicians to look at the configuration of the system to help you all read it easily. An English Parliament. I am surprised at how many want a seperate English Parliament. That means more politicians, more advisers, more bureucrats, and many more bills for taxpayers to pay. You are already paying for [...]

Has no-one told Labour Ministers they are all responsible for every policy and action of their government? If they don’t like something, and they cannot persuade their colleagues in private to change things, they have to resign. We now see Labour Ministers rushing to distance themselves from the NHS cuts that are becoming visible. As [...]

Parliament has set a bad example again, breaking for Christmas on 19th December and not reconvening until January 8th. Now many other parts of the public sector seem to take a long Christmas break. It’s such a contrast with the private sector, where many shops opened up on Boxing Day and are open all this [...]

The government is right to worry that children who achieve the highest standards academically are often held up or let down by state schools. I am glad they at last acknowledge there is a problem. It is??a pity that their solution of vouchers for the top ten per cent in each school is such a [...]

Happy Christmas to all you bloggers. There will be no Happy Winterval on this site. There is something for all to enjoy at Christmas, especially for children who love the Christmas story of the baby Jesus, and the folklore of Santa Claus and his reindeers. Our Christmas is a blend of pagan and Christian, Victorian [...]

Yesterday when the trains were fully booked and many internal flights were cancelled, to cap it all the authorities closed two lanes and then the whole southbound M40 for the whole day. As someone trying to get to the Midlands and back that day I experienced the chaos for myself, as thousands of cars were [...]

The government and the BAA together have given air travellers a dreadful year, and they are still at it over the Christmas period. Over the last two days fog at Heathrow has created scenes reminiscent of the badly managed security measures in the summer. There are some simple steps which the government and the BAA [...]

<font size="3"><font face="Tahoma">Crisis, what crisis??, ask government ministers, as the police circle Downing Street?? over cash for peerage allegations. Crisis, what crisis? echo the Liberal democrats, as they are investigated?? for?? their biggest election donation from someone in prison for perjury facing fraud allegations.?? Crisis, what crisis? ask some Conservatives, as they look at the [...]

Today I have set out in the <em><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=NWF1F1KX543SZQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/opinion/2006/12/20/do2002.xml">Daily Telegraph</a></em> why party funding is such a problem. Politicans are just beginning to realise that people do not like the way so much money is raised from so few people, companies and Unions, but most still have have not accepted that people also dislike the way [...]

If anyone suggests spending less than Labour from taxation and public borrowing, the government always counters by saying that means they wish to cut teachers, nurses and doctors. It is a crude misrepresentation of the true debate. I know no MP who wants fewer teachers, nurses, or doctors, but I do know that many of [...]