Monthly Archives: March 2009

Last week the Opposition wanted to use one of their days to choose the business of the House to have a debate on the economy. They were told the Chancellor was not available. They agreed to debate something else, and to debate the economy today instead. The Chancellor I hear still refuses to come. Meanwhile, [...]

When I asked the Chancellor yesterday in the House if there is some limit to how much the UK government can prudently borrow and print, he was reluctant to answer. I pointed out that if we flex the state credit card too much, we could face another run on the pound, or a buyers strike [...]

I have always been more interested in how we get out of the present mess than in how long it will take to wring an apology from the saviour of the world. The Guardian interview is, we are told, a kind of apology. The PM accepts he was responsible – well that’s progress. He regrets [...]

The Prime Minister today is proposing to help Iran build civil nuclear power stations to tackle global warming. I wonder how he will find the money to do that, given the tightness of budgets? I also wonder why he thinks the the way to tackle global warming is to build nuclear power stations in the [...]

There used to be a welcome consensus on charities in the UK. We all knew a charity when we saw one. If you were doing something to further education, or the welfare of animals, or looking after children, you were running a charity and you could claim tax exemptions. Like much else which was traditional, [...]

One of the most wasteful features of the modern life of an MP are the endless standard postcards and standard emails sent by well meaning constituents to get you to sign an EDM. On some EDMs you may receive dozens of exactly the same form of words, each one needing a reply. Constituents often do [...]