Power to the People.
David Cameron is proposing putting details of a lot of Government expenditure and plans on the Internet, so that anybody with time on their hands can scrutinise it. It is an idea that I totally approve of. In fact, I think we need a lot more information there, so that people can have statistics to back their theories; conventional or not!
Miliband is Very Much Old Labour
Congratulations to Ed Miliband and his partner, Justine, on the birth of their son.
But the announcement of the birth with his weight in pound is very much in the past and well into Old Labour territory.
When our second son was born in the same hospital, forty years ago, his weight was given in kilograms.
So get into the present day, Mr. Miliband!
A Unique Place in the History of European Fascism
That was the said in Private Eye as they detailed how the senior figures in the odious British National Party might be bankrupted by Unilever for breaching Unilever’s copyright on a Marmite advert.
They finish the article by saying that they could be the first neo-Nazi party destroyed by the makers of a yeast extract sandwich spread.
C used to love her Marmite, but I don’t!
Hasty Legislation Often Doesn’t Work
This article entitled London landlords cash in as MPs play by the rules, also in the Independent, shows how when you do things quickly, you often don’t get the result you wanted. Before the expenses claim, this article says that the average monthly mortgage claim was £694.63. Now the average rental claim is £1,173.81.
It sounds like in order to get the morality right, we have created a system that doesn’t give the best value in all cases.
C would have thought this par for the course, as the number of times she came home complaining how the new laws about families, children, divorce and dogs were often worse than those that had been in force before.
Should Prisoners Have the Vote?
In my view, yes! Read the arguments on the BBC here.
After all, it might just help some to take some of their responsibilities seriously.
But will it make any difference?
It will to us, in that we won’t have to pay any damages to those who the European Court of Human Rights, think we have wronged.
But I doubt that the number who vote will be high!
But let’s wait until we see the statistics.
I think when we do, that this will be one of those stories that got a lot of people very heated, but in truth it won’t matter!
SAGA Backs the Time Change to Central European Time
SAGA has now backed Rebecca Harris and her Private Members Bill. Apparently 63% of over-50s back moving to Central European Time.
Well here’s one that does!
Will Britain Dance In Time to the Scottish Nationalists?
Parliament is discussing going to Central European Time today, so the BBC has a piece about the possible change from Scotland. A professor from Edinburgh University has said that Scots are generally in favour of the change to lighter evenings, but that the SNP has called the change ludicrous.
Let’s hope that every other politician feels that way about their stand.
But I’ve always felt that this very sensible move, which has so many positive energy, business, job and leisure implications will never happen, as it is in effect a vote for something that makes us closer to Europe.
Nick Clegg on Smoking
I’m not in favour of smoking, but when Nick Clegg discloses that he does on Desert Island Discs, it’s not good. Is it another case of politicians saying do as I say and not as I do?
Austin Mitchell Prepares for AV
I found this piece in The Independent, as I travelled towards Leicester. A snippet in the main article was headlined “A1 Austin takes no chances” and it described Austin Mitchell’s preparations for alternative vote.
In Australia, they call it the donkey vote. Faced with a long list of candidates to be listed in order of preference under the AV system, voters start at the top and work down.
Next year, there will be a referendum on whether to introduce AV to British elections and it was noticeable that two members of Labour’s national executive whose names began with W lost this year, The Labour MP Austin Mitchell is taking no chances. “When the system comes in I will change my name to A1 Austin,” he told MPs this week.
I know Australians, who are very intelligent, but I can understand some of their thicker countrymen voting in that way, just as I can imagine some of my countrymen. Perhaps we should put symbols by each candidate to indicate their party!
We could perhaps use one of Mrs. T’s handbags for the Tories and perhaps two aircraft carriers for NuLabor.
The Anonymous Widower 