Do The Scots Want The Independence Referendum?
I have a feeling that this referendum is going to be one of the most over-hyped and over-budget pieces of political theatre in these isles since nineteen-hundred and God-knows-what!
I don’t care one way or the other, as Scottish independence will probably make no difference to me personally.
If Scotland leaves the Union, it could be argued that my taxes might go down. But I doubt it, as politicians will use my taxes for other purposes!
It could also be argued that taxes will go up, as we would have less revenue from oil.
If on the other hand, Scotland votes to stay in the Union, we’d constantly have these referenda called every year or so by the Scot Nats, until they get the answer they want.
My biggest worry about this referendum though, is of all the Scots I know, few seem to be in favour of the referendum. So we may see one of the most surprising votes in history.
Politicians should be concentrating on what matters. Like creating jobs!
The Issue Too Hot For The US Presidential Candidate
This piece on the BBC talks about the subject that is not being mentioned by either of the US Presidential candidates; guns and specially the case of Trayvon Martin.
The United States must get to grips with its gun culture. It’s now starting to spill over into the UK and it’s an American import we don’t want or need.
Politicians interfere Too Much In Health Care
Not me that said that, but the view of Dame Ruth Carnall in this article about stroke care in London. This is an extract.
She went on to criticise politicians for interfering too much in health changes.
She said: “Politicians too often reduce complex medical arguments to soundbites.
“Compromise is a mistake but is hard to resist. There is a political aversion to major changes as we’ve seen with the debate over A&Es.”
But then politicians love to interfere and the sooner we get more politicians who are caring people first and politicians second, the better.
The trouble with healthcare is that for serious problems, there just isn’t the money to have super-duper unit for that problem at every hospital. So especially in places like London, cutting the number of units for each speciality is a good thing.
I would also say do we want to go back to the 1950s and 1960s, where there were loads of local general hospitals, which did everything and usually did it in a less than perfect way. I can’t remember anyone in those days, who was totally pleased with the service they got from the local hospitals in Barnet and Enfield. I, myself, have a gammy arm, which may well have been caused by substandard treatment when it was broken by the school bully.
Surely, the wonderful outcome of the Fabrice Muamba case, should be a lesson to everybody. He was probably saved by the absolutely top-class emergency treatment he revived on the pitch by a cardiologist who happened to be in the crowd and a swift removal to a cardiac hospital.
According to Dame Ruth, London now has eight major stroke units and the political delays cost seven hundred lives.
Roger Ford Was Right
For years in Modern Railways, Roger Ford has been questioning statistics and information from the Department of Transport. It emerged today, that three civil servants got their sums wrong and cost taxpayers a total of £40 million, over the Virgin Trains/First Group row about the West Coast Main line.
It is another failure of the Department, that in many peoples’ view, finds trains a rather historical method of transport.
Thpse involved have only been suspended. They should have been fired. But then I suspect they have all got a First from Oxford. If they’d got a Third in engineering from Sheffield or Exeter, they’d have got the sums right.
The Civil Service needs an Admiral Byng moment.
How Labour Claim They Will Kick Start Growth
It’s informative to put two of the BBC’s stories about the Labour conference together. Here’s the first paragraph of the main story.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls is calling for a two-year stamp duty holiday to help kick-start growth – paid for by the sale of 4G mobile frequencies.
And then you read what Nick Robinson says in this piece.
What, if anything, does Labour’s latest economic announcement tell us? Some argue almost nothing. I believe something rather more than that.
This is the case for the prosecution: Ed Balls is only telling us what he would do now if he was chancellor, not what he will do if he becomes chancellor in 2015.
By then, the proceeds of the 4G sale will not be his to spend – the money will already have been accounted for by his predecessor. The promise to increase capital spending by £3bn – if it survives into Labour’s manifesto – is also meaningless, goes the argument, unless you know what the baseline is going to be ie £3bn on top of what.
Thus, Labour is merely coming up with an eye-catching announcement which confirms what we already know – Ed Balls would spend a bit more than George Osborne if he were in office now.
That all sounds like they’re spinning again.
Basically, it’s just a load of old Balls.
Bus Pass On Rails
Modern Railways is reporting that the government is doing an experiment with First Great Western, whereby a concessionary bus-pass can effectively be used as a Senior Railcard.
I have both and it would be one less card to lose, if I had to carry just one card. The Freedom Pass also has a photograph and I have used it where a photo ID is required.
I also have to show both cards, when I go to Ipswich, by buying a ticket from the Zone 6 boundary to Ipswich, as I do the London end of the journey on my Freedom Pass.
I don’t know how many concessionary bus passes and Senior Railcards are in circulation, but abolishing the Senior Railcard and using the concessionary bus-pass wouldn’t be very affordable in these times of financial restraint.
But then the experiment may show that if those with bus-passes got rail travel with a third off, the extra revenue might pay for the scheme.
It certainly seems an idea that will eventually be implemented.
Especially, as it would be a real vote winner for the party that brought it in. Especially, if they tied up the rules, so that bus-passes worked under the same restrictions nationwide.
Gordon Brown Knew He Could Not Do PM Job
This is according to Jack Straw’s memoirs, which are reported here on the BBC.
It’s just a pity, that Prudence didn’t tell the rest of us, as we might not be in the mess we are now!
We certainly wouldn’t have two aircraft carriers on order, that we don’t need! But then how else was he to buy the Scottish votes?
Should Well-Off Pensioners Pay More Tax?
I’m not in favour of the proposal of the Liberal Democrats that well-off pensioners, like myself should pay more tax.
If the government keeps the money, it’ll only spend it on something of which I disapprove, like more quangos to employ the so-called great and good, many of whom have never done a real day’s work in their lives.
I prefer to give more than equivalent donations to charities of my choice, which I do on my birthday each year, in thanks for surviving another twelve months!
Larry On The Voice Of Russia
Apparently, it’s not just the Chief Whip that’s in trouble, but the Chief Mouser to! This article from the Voice of Russia, shows how the most important news get distributed around the world. Note the picture.
I suppose President Putin uses tigers in the Kremlin.
This post was prompted by a wonderful picture of Larry in today’s Times.
The Anonymous Widower 