Today, David Cameron will speak out against wasteful government. He will tell us just how people cannot take any more tax, and how desperate the country is for some relief from all this taxing and wasting we have become so used to under this government.
He has encouraged me in the work I have been doing on running good services in local Councils at less cost, and keeping Council Taxes down. He is now extending the message to central government as well. (See ‘Running a Conservative Council’ under Downloads – or, better, still look at what Hammersmith and Fulham are actually doing, with cuts in Council Tax two years running).
May 19, 2008
It's a pity that he has promised to match Labour's projected levels of spending (waste?) during his first government.
reply: he has not. He has promised to match Labour spending up to 2010-11. Labour is likely to be in power for most of this. Please see his excellent speech today.
May 19, 2008
Following your tax quiz, how about asking people to send in all those contradictory bureaucratic requirements which are taken up by local government, causing both expense and nuisance.
E.g. from the EU: Everything Which Can Be Mechanised Must Be (safety directive – so no chance of our opting out, and our local council has embraced this with mad male enthusiasm), and, All Damaging Noise Must Be Reduced (health directive, and ignored by our council so far, except by the noise and pollution control people – but they can only tackle private noise, not council noise.)
Reply: Good idea
May 19, 2008
I read a piece by Michael Portillo in ‘The Times’ yesterday suggesting that all the Conservatives need to do to win the next election is sit back and let Labour destroy itself. He feels that to deviate from Brown’s plan is to invite pointed questions as to what public services will be cut, or offer up policies that will be stolen. I feel that a lot can happen in two years such that Conservative electoral victory is by no means a done deal. Indeed chances are it will be a close run thing in 2010. The Conservatives should keep detailed policies under wraps to avoid their theft, but need to keep the pot of opinion poll popularity simmering into 2009 by indicating that the burden of the state – which currently feels as palpable as walking through treacle – will be reduced with the Conservatives in office. If the government is as unpopular this time next year as now then it seems unlikely to me that it could recover before May 2010.
Reply: Portillo is wrong. David Cameron is right to set out today how he will get us to live within our means -exactly what we need to hear.
May 19, 2008
Great stuff. Now that Labour has discredited itself in the eyes of the public, it is the right time to demonstrate that there is a better way, and attract a positive vote as well as a negative vote. Trying to do this before now would have led to the opposition's plans being nickeled-and-dimed into the ground. Now it is the other way round, the public want a change and will not credit criticism from those responsible for microregulation of people and businesses and the poor state of public finances and public services.
PS Everyone in politics should read John Seddon's new book "Systems Thinking in the Public Sector: The Failure of the Reform Regime and a Manifesto for a Better Way". Depending whether you are part of the problem or part of the solution you will be gutted or delighted by its message
May 19, 2008
Dear John, Should I worry?
I was perusing the World Fact Book today and discovered that my little country owes the equivalent of $10,450 billion dollars to foreigners in currencies other than the good old pound sterling.
Imagine my surprise to find that the US of A, owes only slightly more than this with an economy six times the size!
See; https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worl…
From this I am assuming that we have not only sold the family silver, but the family lock,stock and barrel. Next, I visit the fountain of classical liberal thinking, the CATO Institute, and contemplate the prime equation of macroeconomics;
Savings minus Investment equals Exports minus Imports.
Back to the World Fact Book. What!!! Current Account balance, minus $111 billion dollars! That means Johny foreigner is bankrolling us for over 300 million dollars a day, is there anything left to sell?.
See; https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worl…
Raise interest rates now! Get that pound up against the Renminby; the Rupee; the US dollar and any other petrol currency pegged to the dollar. Pray that those foreigners don't want their money back any time soon.
Reply: It's a lot of debt but I don't recognise your figures.
May 19, 2008
Oh dear seems like I will be one of the turkeys voting for Christmas. While I agree with cutting government waste – I do hope that I will be able to get employment when I am made redundent. Since the opening of the UKs borders to EU citizens I think that it will be an uphill struggle to compete in the labour market.