I do have one modest proposal for politicians which is to checkout the British Fashion Council, an organisation of clothes importers which government consults on how to increase exports. Strange but true.

It’s a problem for British clothes manufacturers to get their old-fashioned, slow-to-deliver products into UK chain stores and according to one speaker at Fashion Expo in 2008 it can’t be done. Another trade association, the British Retail Consortium, is organising a write-in to Euro MPs about tariffs. Their form-letter states that there are no cheap European shoe factories. I know this to be untrue and could list half a dozen, but big retailers have a culture and a way of doing things all of their own which prevents people in the UK buying the shoes and clothes that they work to produce.

The modest proposal? Take UK Trade and Investment’s Grant to the British Fashion Council and spend it on UK Trade and Investment. I’m sure the wing of Somerset House that they occupy could find another tenant.

(Aside; I actually think he’s incapable of admitting error even to himself. Unlike Mrs T who did occasionally U-Turn on the qt when required)

I work in Education, the Missus is a Nurse. In both fields the extension of pointless regulation and bureaucracy is quite amazing ; reams of highly paid people laying the law down who know absolutely nothing about the subject they’re giving instructions on.

They all duplicate each other, and spend vast amounts of time and resources on internal politics (the squabbles between Social Services and CSCI are a wonder to behold). Great swathes of them need to be simply shut down.

Most of them will claim doing so will create terrible dangers. This is codswallop. All they actually do is generate paperwork. The classic example of this is Climbie/Baby-P ; all the wondrous changes simply meant the incompetence was better documented (and, of course, OFSTED thought Haringey were good, didn’t they ; because “good” is defined as compliance with targets and bureaucracy, not protecting children.).

Funnily enough I was thinking this exact point when I went out shopping here in Tokyo yesterday. Whilst converting the cost of my purchases back into pounds I realised that anyone buying in pounds is in big trouble!!

To highlight it, over Christmas I received a Sony MP3 player bought from Amazon UK. It cost 80 pounds (still available). I see it in a good priced retailer in Japan for 22,000 yen = 178 pounds at today’s rate!!

Once the currency hedges run out in the next few months and once UK retailers have to buy the new years stock you will see prices accelerate.

One of the backbenchers fronting calls for the party to support expansion, David Wilshire, the MP for Spelthorne in Surrey, has met Mr Cameron and Ms Villiers to try to change the party’s position. He has promised not to start a high-profile campaign.

“Provided that the environmental conditions can be met, which the Government has introduced, expansion should be supported,” he said.

Mr Wilshire will ensure, along with the other leading pro-expansion Tory MP Ian Taylor, that he is not in the chamber when the vote takes place on Wednesday. The number of Tories planning to abstain or vote with the Government is said to be well into double figures, which should help the Government win the vote narrowly.

I do hope you aren’t skulking at the bottom of the trench, any chance you’ll be putting your head above the parapet?

My policy is to have one single credit card ( the M&S one !), to only spend what one has and to pay it by direct debit . That means that you do not get any nasty interest charges while having the benefit of money off vouchers four times a year. Direct debit repayment is wise as you do not miss repayment dates and it forces one to live within ones means. This keeps life simple and my other cards ( loyalty ones for Boots, Iceland and Co-Op ) will produce points that can fund future expenditure thus cutting credit card bills long-term. My staff discount card at M&S also helps – one might as well use plastic in a common-sense way to suit your own interests. I impose discipline by only having a set amount of hard cash to spend via cash back so that I can meet the modest credit card bill and other direct debits etc.

I believe is good house keeping not in mindless profligacy – John Redwood is right in what he says !