Monthly Archives: October 2011

           I have been asking a few Ministers to tell me how much current public spending  has gone up by so far under this government. So far no-one has been able to tell me it has gone up by £56 billion or 9.3%, 2011-12 compared to 2009-10.  They have seemed rather suprised by the [...]

              We hear that the EU is working away at a solution to the Euro crisis. It comprises three main elements – more capital for banks, bigger write-offs on Greek debts, and a huge support fund to bail out any other country or bank that needs subsidy.              If the package lives up to [...]

              The liberal media tends to call anyone “right” as a term of abuse for people they disagree with.  The “right” within the Conservative party is a term used  to describe a wide range of people, often with very different views on issues.             There are, for example, right wing  liberals, and right wing [...]

                       The Prime Minister was correct to seek the facts on Dr Fox before making a judgement. Dr Fox himself decided to resign as he reflected on the facts that were emerging about his case. The Prime Minister need not worry about the “backlash from the right” that the media have been trying to [...]

             I have written before that for centuries one of the main aims of UK foreign policy has been to avoid one single power dominating the continent of Europe. The question today is why has the modern Foreign Office changed its mind on this fundamental issue? Why is it now UK government policy to [...]

           The Care Quality Commission Report yesterday was shocking.  I would be interested to hear comments on other experiences of the quality of care in hospitals, especially for the elderly. Why have there been such serious lapses in nursing standards?

The UK government – Coalition Ministers, senior officials, the Bank, the FSA and the rest – buy the argument that a collapse of the Euro would do untold damage to Euroland, and therefore to us, given the trade we do with Europe. Their predecessors took a similar view of the Exchange Rate Mechanism. They spent [...]