Monthly Archives: April 2009

Yesterday I spoke to someone running one of the smaller banks in the UK. He told me he lent less than he collected in deposits, for prudential reasons. He said he currently offered 2-3% on deposits, depending on size and length of time people would leave the bank with their money. He lent out at [...]

Yesterday I heard an account of where we are and what we need to do next. In the popular mode of self assessment I had hoped we would be told the financial establishment were “gutted and dissastisfied” with their performance so far. Instead, our spoeaker blamed the bankers, told us the Regulators had to do [...]

The Commons has asserted itself against the government. The hapless Gordon Brown and hopeless Home Secretary lost the vote on their treatment of the Gurkhas. It is another sign of just how much authority the Prime Minister has now lost. Just to remind you, at the last Election the British people voted for 356 Labour [...]

Last night I heard a speech by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. It was more evidence of the government’s bulging wasteline. Without a reference to the Credit Crunch or the borrowing disaster he told us he was just completing his project of hiring a Chief Scientific Adviser for every government department. With no sense of [...]

I am glad to have helped push the ID card and ID computer system to the top of the media list for spending cuts. Given the way this government does everything for political effect, they may now well cancel the ID scheme themselves “to shoot the Tory’s spending fox”. I don’t mind if they do. [...]

Yesterday was a good day for democracy – for a change. One of the few Ministers who does believe in Parliament, Jack Straw, came to the House. He had held a consultation on building 3 Titan prisons. Most people had said a big “No” to the idea. Jack has scrapped the proposal. Amazing. Simple. Couldn’t [...]

I have been thinking about what we should call Attendance Allowances for MPs. I first thought they should be ASBOs – Arrive, Swipe, Be Off. Then I realised they are LILOs – Log In, Lope Off. Do you have a better proposal?