The Anonymous Widower

Are Booze Cruises On The Way Back?

With Scotland likely to make it more difficult for Scottish residents to buy booze, this article indicates that booze cruises might be on their way back.

All it proves is that Newton was right.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

He may have been talking about mechanics and his laws of motion, but it also applies to the rules imposed by governments.

August 23, 2012 Posted by | News | , , , | Leave a comment

A Government Income and Expenditure Statement

I proposed one of these years ago.  It has been reported that they might bring in an Expenditure statement for taxpayers.

You’d be surprised about how much and how little some taxes raise.

An Expenditure statement is useless without an Income one.

 

March 20, 2012 Posted by | Finance, News | , , | Leave a comment

Expensive Council Number Plates

The BBC is running an item this morning about how councils have very expensive number plates on official cars.

Apparently, Essex has already sold F1 for £375,000, but it may now be worth up to £5,000,000, so it would appear they may have been short changed.

Northampton would appear to have the most valuable one and that is NH1, which could be worth £400,000.  But as they say, once sold you can’t cash in next year.

On the other hand, one person’s asset could satisfy another’s ego. So would it not be possible to lease the number plate for an appropriate amount of money?

Now, whilst we’re talking about number plates, could the lease apply to other council assets?

  1. How many expensive works of art are languishing in public hands, that people would pay to hire for a year, months or even a day?
  2. Councils have some desirable houses in valuable positions, that might be better rented than sold.
  3. Councils have some of the best car parking in the centre of towns.  It should all be rented to those who can afford to pay!
  4. The list probably goes on!

Returning to number plates, I always remember that when I lived in the Barbican BP had the plate BPO 1L on a corporate limousine.  Later I saw it on a transit mini-bus in the company’s colours.  Do they still own it? It probably wouldn’t be a good idea after the Gulf Oil Spill.

October 18, 2010 Posted by | News, World | , , | 3 Comments