Just a Minute
There is a Radio 4 program called Just a Minute.
I think some of the rules of this program should be applied to Prime Minister’s Question Time.
For instance the Repetition Rule. Prudence is a great man for repeating lists of things and it would leave him without his debating style.
Is It That Hot?
The roofers are now putting the roof on the new building.
It’s late October and I know it’s hot, but two of them have gone topless!
Postal Strikes Don’t Work
I’m just putting the new tax disc on my Lotus Elan. Incidentally, for the first time in some years, I’m taxing it through the winter, as I need the sun. I just need a new warm coat to go with the car. I don’t think I’ll buy it in yellow though.
I renewed the tax disc on-line after I received the demand in the post. I actually did it last Thursday in the middle of the postal strike and got the disc in the post on Saturday. So despite the two-day postal strike, the mail got through, perhaps a day late. But then it’s only the 28th of October and because of the strikes, the DVLA have given us all another five days. I also had a letter saying that.
I don’t know what percentage of vehicles are now taxed on-line, but in July 2007, Computer Weekly said it was over a third. I would be surprised if it was less than that now.
So how much has on-line purchase of tax discs cost the Post Office?
A lot!
I have a feeling too, that since the strikes of last week, the volume of junk mail I have been receiving is down.
Are these enemies of the environment coming to their senses?
I hope so!
President Blair
Prudence is backing Tony Blair for European President.
I am not a lover of Mr. Blair, but is there anybody else with as much experience to do the job? Europe needs someone who countries like the US and China will treat as an equal, so it probably means that person must come from either the UK, France, Germany or Italy.
I also feel that having a Brit in charge may help us in our tricky dealings with Europe. But I doubt it, as Britain is far too against the continent.
Incidentally, I’m not!
I’m all for joining Schengen and the Euro, but feel that we must get a stronger grip on fishing and agriculture. We must also create a coherent foreign policy to which we all sign up and then create the defence structure underneath it.
What Happened to Confidentiality?
Like most people in this country, I want a proper solution to the remuneration and expenses of our MPs. I say most, because I feel that there are some people, who just want MPs to go through the wringer again and again, as it is the latest spectator sport.
But what worries me about the two enquiries going on, is that they seem to be leaking their findings. Or at least testing the marketplace to see how they can be popular with the public and bring MPs into line.
As the title says, “What Happened to Confidentiality?”
To me though what we pay MPs is simple. We should cut their numbers and distribute seats fairly, pay those that remain more and then put all MPs under the same rules as we all are with our businesses. These rules would be enforced by Revenue and Customs.
The latter point may actually relax some rules, as say you are an MP for a distant rural constituency, you would get a lot of allowances and perhaps even pay, but someone who represented say Enfield in London, would be very much on the basics.
Years ago, when I was working for ICI, I did a job for some months, which meant that I was travelling at lunchtime between two places of work. Company rules, meant that I got a taxable bonus, because of the extra stress involved. So even in those far off days in the very early 1970s, industry recognised the stresses and strains of jobs and rewarded people accordingly.
Do we pay our MPs correctly for what they are supposed to do and the stress they suffer? Some yes, but others we don’t!
It would be interesting to also look at the rate of divorces and other problems in MPs families. As I write this, there is a local news story about a prospective candidate, who had a high-profile affair with an MP. I have no idea whether it is more than the national average, but MPs staying overnight in London, with their spouse in the constituency do seem to feature in the tabloids from time to time.
It’s a mess. And in my view, it’s a mess created because we do not pay MPs the going rate for a difficult job, that should attract the best talent in the country. More and more, it seems to attract political timeservers and yes-men, who want to get to the top, by any means possible.
There is one solution to the problem. Several countries have a political list system, where you vote for the party and then MPs are chosen proportionally. All are party hacks and all live near Parliament. It solves the expenses problem, as MPs don’t have particular constituencies, so they have few travel expenses.
Heaven save us from such a system.
Catch Them Young
The second story on BBC Breakfast News is about dealers selling cheap cigarettes out of tab-houses. It highlights how many of these cigarettes are sold to children. My friend in Addenbrooke’s is there because of a smoking related disease. And she started as a child, because the local newsagent would sell her cigarettes because that was one of the ways he could make a profit.
Unfortunately, we can’t sue him, as the shop is now shut and I have a feeling it shut because he got lung cancer. I could say that the newsagent got his just deserts, but I won’t, as nobody no matter how bad their crime deserves that.
But we must do more to stop this evil trade.
In the BBC report, they suggest higher punishments for those caught smuggling cigarettes. It probably wouldn’t work, but I’d get a lot of satisfaction to see smugglers getting banged up for a few years.
The Anonymous Widower 