Monthly Archives: April 2009

The latest figures show that consumer spending has held up reasonably well. As forecast here the savings rate is also on the rise, mainly owing to people borrowing less or repaying some debt. The public is learning to handle the new situation, by getting out of debt and by shopping around for the bargains and [...]

The BBC reminded us today that Labour calls Special Advisers (like McBride) Spads. A few years ago we were told that Spads stood in railway speak for “Signals passed at danger.” Is this connection intentional?

“Government of the people, by the people and for the people” was Lincoln’s immortal description of democracy, as he gazed on the battlefield of Gettysburg. This government would do well to rediscover that. They have picked a fight with too many largely law abiding people. They have politicised the police. They have created a nasty [...]

Labour’s policy of featherbedding public sector pensions and clobbering private sector ones is being implemented with great success. We have all admired the new way to riches – lose a lot of money for a public sector bank, get fired and pocket an enormous tax payer backed pension. Today we are reminded of the Labour [...]

Mrs Blears has noticed that some of our High Streets are in a bad way. Her answer? Make it easier to set up advice services or other public activities in other people’s property, and if all else fails to get Councils to take over empty shops by compulsion. After the banks, comes the retail sector! [...]

We need to mend our broken Parliament to stop these lies and dirty tricks. One of the more cynical lines that came from the Prime Minister when he took over was his claim that he would banish the culture of spin, and put a strong Parliament back at the centre of our political life. He [...]

What the departing Speical Adviser did was against the existing Codes. It does not take a new Code to stop this happening again.. What it will take is a complete change of approach and changes of personnel. When Cabinet members like Mr Balls and Miss Cooper spend time seeking to misrepresent Conservatives instead of answering [...]

I detect a lot of support for my view that government should offer failing banks tough love, not large subsidies. Government should be the lender of last resort to stop untimely bankruptcy, but not the feather bedder of first choice. Government should not offer so much taxpayer cash as equity and easy terms loans so [...]

At a time when the full extent of Labour’s politics of hatred is revealed, let me say something positive about others toiling in the political vineyard. For some time I have admired the work of the Taxpayers Alliance. They have brought to life the dusty subject of public spending. They are helping us win the [...]