JR: “Yes I favour disclosure.”

May I second E, E-P suggestion for a post, I am sure it would be appreciated.

http://lord-elvis.blogspot.com/2009/01/dont-do-it-dave.html

I do understand that it takes time to edit things out as your blog being excellent is thus very popular and so you have much to sift through. I am very grateful to you for publishing my remarks and I always enjoy your common-sense views & ideas.

Please keep up the good work and thanks once again!

I was pleased to see from your reply that you are happy with the role of economic adviser. I have tended to assume that the exclusion of your obvious intellectual and political talent from a front rank role also illustrated hostility to your analysis and ideas. I sincerely hope the word happy means that those you advise are engaged with both.

You always speak with common sense IMHO.

Have you ever wondered if this is the reason why you are not the shadow chancellor, and will most likely not ever be The Chancellor either?

IMO you would knock the spots off of both Ozzy and Old Hush Puppies.

Have you ever wondered why it is that others around you seem to have common sense when it comes to almost everything else but government finances, and especially government borrowing?

Do you believe it could have something to do with the way our current banking system has always ‘operated’ within the corridors of parliamentary power?

In your opinion why do we not simply issue and control our own money. Instead of allowing the Central Bank to do it for us, and change us all interests for the monopoly rights to do so.

Why is it I can not issue my own money notes or coins. If not myself, why can no other bank other then The Bank of England issue currency.

Is this country not as free a country as it says on the tin John?

If private and state monopoly is bad, which as a Conservative I hope you will agree with myself, that they most surly are both very bad indeed. while being potentially very much worse then that. Why is it that the most important monopoly of them all, which is the issuing of any national or international currency, is not being currently investigated by the Monopolies Commission?

These are serious questions that really do need well researched answers, not knee jerk misinformed reactions. If you still believe that The Bank of England is a truly nationalized independent or morally controlled institution, please think again.

For an intelligent man allowing some of these idiotic & offensive statements is just wrong plain & simple.

I understand your support for George Osborne but just to be clear Ken backed the VAT reduction only if there was a concerted plan to balance the books. He is very popular with a great many people and as someone who backed him in the last three leadership elections I do wonder if we would have done quite so badly in 2001 or 2005 had that fine chap been in charge. The Liberals would have won less of the anti-government protest vote as decent fair-minded people would have had a home in a sensible Tory Party that talked about better public services rather than ranting a la Alf Garnett about immigration in a disgusting fashion.

By all means back George Osborne – but indulging in petty & divisive rudeness is just uncalled for. Come on John leave the spin alone and stick to the substance
Reply: I have said nothing rude about Ken nor will I. I try to edit out personal comments against anyone, and am a bit overwhelmed at the moment by the numbers of responses.

Reply: We needed sensible change in the NHS, and Ken did well in that brief.

All I beg is this: PLEASE don’t lose the next election. I do not want to die in a Saudi Old Peoples’ Home!