Difficult financial year

Labour has admitted it is facing "acute cash flow problems" due to the �23.4m it has received it loans. Despite major cost cutting and debt rescheduling it is still struggling to repay two of these loans.

A statement issued by the Labour Party said it wants a future where "political parties should live within their means".

It would appear it's a bit late for that now. No wonder we live in a debt ridden society when the party in Government can't even mange its own budget successfully. I dread to think what the Government's balances are really like, given they have billions to manage!

The solution I expect will be to introduce state funding for political parties. So Labour gets itself into levels of debt it can't manage, the public has to bail them out. Great!

ITV Coup

ITV appears to of pulled off a major coup this evening with the news that Michael Grade has resigned as BBC Chairman to join ITV.

What this means for the BBC we will see.

A less attraction business location?

A CBI survey has found that Britain’s complicated and high level business taxes are making Britain a less attractive location for business.

It found 50% of business either had or were thinking about moving abroad mainly due to the taxes.

The Treasury has hit back at the survey, denying that Britain is uncompetitive due to its taxes.

“The World Bank recently found that the typical UK business faces the lowest total tax rate in the G7, the fifth lowest in the OECD,” said a Treasury spokesperson.

Now there are two things about this:

The first being that it is hardly surprising the CBI has found Britain is uncompetitive due to its taxes. It does represent British business interests after all.

The second is that the Treasury denied Britain was uncompetitive due to its taxes. It does make a fair bit of money from its taxes on business.

So surely both can’t be right. Well the answer is yes they can.

The CBI survey consulted executives in 100 top firms. There could be no taxes at all, and these people are still likely to think there is too much tax.

The Treasury quotes, "The World Bank recently.” Well how recently. Does this take into account for example the level of corporation tax, which has gone from 10th best in the OECD in 2000 to 18th in 2005. Probably not.

It's all in the detail

Proof that statistics can be made to pretty much show whatever you wish...

2012 Olympics

When the announcement was made that Britain had won the 2012 Olympics I was one of those who believed it would be a good thing for Britain and bring many benefits.

However out of all the countries in the world, I can see one who will manage to completely mess it up. That of course is Britain.

Evidence of this is already coming to light with disagreements between Ministers and the Mayor of London over the cost.

This is 6 years before the event takes place and we even start to worry about building completion deadlines!

No sorry in the volcabulary

I'm really beginning to think that Tony Blair just doesn’t know how to say the word “sorry”.

He seems to manage everything other than, with the latest example being “deep sorrow” and “profoundly shameful”.

This time it is over Britain’s involvement in the slave trade. The fact we did very nicely out of it I’m sure plays no part in the Government’s resistance to say sorry.

"Only one way to fly"

I’ve just caught up with Thursday nights Question Time.

They are discussing the BA cross women who was told to take her necklace off that had a cross on it.

David Dimbleby has just asked Sarah Teather is she is “one of one hundred MPs going to boycott British Airways.”

Her reply, “No of course not, there is no other way to fly.”

Evidently she isn’t aware of any of these then. Although as a Lib Dem, surely she shouldn’t be flying at all!

Scraping the barrel

The Labour party’s association with sleaze has grown again today with allegations that it is using councillors allowances to pay off the party’s national debt.

It isn’t unusual for a percentage of councillors allowances to go back into the local party to help pay the running costs. In fact all three of the main political parties do it.

But changes made at Labour’s Autumn conference meant a percentage of councillors allowances had to be paid into central Labour group funds, which is being used to pay off the party's debt.

In the case of the Labour party it appears public funding of political parties is already taking place. Of course Labour are so in the red, they need to raise money any way they can, espiecially now selling of peerages has been ruled out!

"The tosser within"

The Conservatives have launched a new website aimed at fighting the urge that gets us into debt. They have decided to call it “The tosser within.”

I’m very surprised by the website, it isn’t what I would expect from a political party. I even think the website looks amateurish and very cheesy! At first I thought it was some kind of hoax, pretending to be the Conservatives.

But there’s no doubting the fact there is a problem with debt in this country especially amongst younger people which this site is obviously aimed at.

Therefore anything that get’s people thinking about their financial situation must be a good thing. I’ve been on the site, I’ve taken the test and looked around. The amount of debate it’s created is sure to get many others to visit the site as well, so perhaps it will help.

The joke of EU spending

Is it really surprising that people are naturally sceptical over the EU with news like this being released all the time.

The fact the EU has had its accounts rejected for 12 years in a row is hardly likely to make people trust the EU. Especially with the huge sums of money the EU has to play with.

Now the Government wants to try and boost our trust in EU spending by releasing figures of how much the EU spends in the UK. I’m not so sure this is a good idea. The UK is a net loser, in that we pay more to the EU than we get back. So releasing figures of what is spent is more likely to make people realise what the EU costs us.

Then again, I suppose Labour encouraging people to vote UKIP is better than them voting Conservative.

Tories plan to beat debt

The Conservatives today announced their plans to tackle Britain’s personal debt culture.

The 6 point plan they have outlined is:

1. Tackle financial illiteracy

2. "Cooling-off" period on store cards

3. Greater corporate responsibility

4. Clearer information on cost of debt

5. Look at advertising code for Individual Voluntary Agreements (IVAs)

6. More competition within "door-to-door" credit firms

On the whole I agree with the 6 points. For a long time I have been in favour of teaching about finances in School. The number of people who appear to not understand their personal finances is quite appalling considering how important they are.

No need for 90 days says Goldsmith

The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith has said he is yet to be convinced that detention of terror suspects should be increased to 90 days.

He says he is yet to see any evidence to support the claim. This is interesting as the Government has always claimed there is plenty of evidence to back the need for 90 days. No doubt it will be harder for the Government to convince those to support 90 days when it comes to the vote. (The second one)

Not surprisingly the Government hasn’t commented on the Attorney General’s remarks.

Disaster in Iraq

Finally the Prime Minister has accepted the reality of what is happening in Iraq.

In an interview for the new English Al-Jazeera TV channel Sir David Frost asked the PM whether the violence in Iraq had "so far been pretty much of a disaster".

The PM replied "It has”.

Now to me that is an agreement with the question. Yet in true New Labour fashion the spin machines have gone to work. A spokeswoman has claimed, "He was simply acknowledging the question in a polite way before going on to explain his view. To portray it as some kind of admission is completely disingenuous."

I fail to see how answering the question, “It has” is an acknowledgment, not an agreement. It seems the Labour spin machine is running out of ideas!

Now let’s take up the PM’s explanation. He said, "It's not difficult because of some accident in planning. It's difficult because there's a deliberate strategy - al-Qaeda with Sunni insurgents on one hand, Iranian-backed elements with Shia militias on the other - to create a situation in which the will of the majority for peace is displaced by the will of the minority for war."

The fact we went to war because the Government ignored the majority opposed to the war of course is conveniently forgotten here.

It’s also quite obvious there is a lack of planning. Just taking what the PM has said. “It’s difficult because there’s a deliberate strategy.” So we failed to plan for the fact there would be any resistance then. Well done Mr Blair.

Should Brown be in Iraq?

Gordon Brown has turned up in Iraq today on a surprise visit to our troops in Basra.

But should he be there?

As Chancellor of the Exchequer there’s no reason within his brief to visit the country. Obviously it’s the job of the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary. Ok, so Brown has pledged £100m to help rebuild the Iraq Economy but that doesn’t require a visit to the country to do it.

But Brown isn’t there because he’s the Chancellor. He’s there because he is doing all he can to broaden his appeal out of the confines of his Treasury role to help his leadership bid.

So should the tax payer be paying for Brown’s leadership bid of the Labour Party. I think not!

Cash for Peerages investigation "significant" material

Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner John Yates has said in a letter to the Public Administration Select Committee the investigation had gained "significant and valuable material" after interviewing 90 people.

Guido has the letter on his blog.

Of course the big question is, what is meant by “significant and valuable material?”

Although it is clear from Yates’ letter that he is making progress and hasn’t experienced lots of dead end leads. So prosecutions could well be in the pipeline. Provided the CPS holds its nerve.

On another note, in the letter Yates says “I am confident security remains very tight” and that “the major developments are not in the public domain.” A nice dig at Labour and the defence it appears to be adopting.

Social Enterprise Action Plan

I like the sound of Gordon Brown’s Social Enterprise Action Plan.

Making £18m available for projects like Jamie Oliver's restaurant which is staffed by previously unemployed people sounds like a good idea.

Of course it will be good provided the money is made available and isn’t just rhetoric.

What do Tony Blair and Abu Hamza have in common?

The answer is the adopting a defence of being unable to receive a fair trial due to the negative influence the media is presenting.

According to the Telegraph and reported on both Iain Dale’s and Guido’s blogs is the suggestion that Downing Street is hiring lawyers to run the Abu Hamza defence.

Well Abu Hamza is in jail so I can’t see it being the strongest defence in the world.

It's ironice really, the once so useful media to the Blair spin machine, is now being accused of prejudging the trial. (We don't even know there will be one yet. Or does Blair know something we don't?)

What makes the scenario even more amusing is the Government accusing the Police of being the ones doing all the leaking which is feeding the media. Perhaps if the Government didn’t have such a bad reputation for leaking and spinning we might believe them. But as they don’t…

The fact it’s got to this stage clearly shows the Government is expecting a prosecution.

Blair and the Imperial March

Good post on Guido's blog quoting one of his conspirators.

I so hope it's true.

Blair building for his departure?

Very interesting post by Nick Robinson on his blog today.

He picks up on Tony Blair’s attacks on David Cameron branding him as a lightweight who will be defeated by a hard punching Labour heavyweight.

The fact Blair took the fight to Cameron and did a fairly good job of it, leads Robinson to speculate Blair could be building for an earlier departure than we think.

It is certainly the case that the only option Blair has left to go out on, is surprise. I still think he will be PM come Christmas, however he could be gone by March.

Haven't we heard it all before?

Why did I decide to watch the Queen’s Speech today? It was so boring.

It seemed to me that most of the bills presented in the speech were the same as previous years.

Bills will be introduced to tackle crime, security and anti-social behaviour. Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Blair in 1997 say he was going to be, “Tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime?” Evidently he hasn’t made any progress on that promise then.

I totally agree with David Cameron when he says the speech is, "so repetitive and hollow people feel they have heard it all before.”

The Queen must have been nearly asleep reading it. Perhaps next year the Queen should rap it or something, try to make it a bit different.

How are extremists getting into the Country?

Easy, they have a guy in the Home Office.

So much for the Government dealing with the threat of terrorism. It sounds like they should start with their own departments.

Human Rights gone too far!

The announcement today that the Home Office is to pay prisoners compensation for them having to go cold turkey whilst in prison is totally the wrong signal to send out.

The claimants have claimed it is a breach of their human rights to be forced to go cold turkey!

Since when is being forced to obey the law a breach of human rights?

This clearly shows that human rights has gone too far. Added to this is the fact you’re not supposed to be able to profit from crime. These claimants seem to have done very nicely.

This could open the door to a whole wave of claims from any prisoner who’s lawyer suggests could make a claim. I await the adverts, “Have you been imprisoned in the last 5 years… You could be entitled to compensation…”

90 day battle to return

It seems that even when Parliament votes down a policy, it doesn’t make any difference as it will just be returned to Parliament a year later.

The Government appears to be preparing to draw up new plans for 90 day detentions without charge.

The very same proposal was rejected in Parliament last year, but that doesn’t seem to of stopped the Government.

The Government of course can chose what policies it wants to introduce, but would 90 day detentions get through Parliament having already been rejected?

A lot of evidence that they are needed would have to be presented, more so than last time. I can’t see that enough has changed since last year to of changed enough minds.

Even wife didn't vote for husband?

Lib Dem Voice has picked up on voting machines used in the US midterm elections, questioning their reliability after reporting zero votes for one candidate, despite him voting for himself.

The report on CNN says candidate Randy Wooten got the news from his wife who saw the results.

"She saw my name with zero votes by it. She came home and asked me if I had voted for myself or not. I told her I did," said Wooten.

Evidently then, even his wife didn’t vote for him!

It was the Tories!

Lord Levy, Tony Blair’s personal fundraiser has said he got the idea of secret loans from the Tories.

I suppose he thinks that makes it all alright then?

It seems someone needs to mention to Lord Levy that selling of peerages is what he’s been arrested and interviewed twice for.

As far as I understand it, secret loans isn’t actually illegal just outside the moral of the law. It’s the selling of the peerages that’s illegal. So no matter how much Lord Levy wants to blame the Tories, they can hardly be blamed for Labour selling peerages.

18 to leave school?

Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, is considering raising the school leaving age from 16 to 18.

I can’t decide where I stand on the idea. Whilst believing that it is important for everyone to get a good education, there is a reason why a number of people leave school at 16. If these people were forced to stay in school until 18, wouldn’t they bring down those who wanted to be there?

Raising the school age to 18 could therefore lower the overall level of education people achieve.

Surely the best way to achieve a good education for all would be to deal with the reasons why people don’t chose to stay in school. If these are addressed there would be no need to raise the school leaving age as people would chose to stay.

Beckett is still Foreign Secretary

Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary has spoken about Iraq, warning of the consequences of withdrawing to soon.

It may just be me, but this is the first time in a while I have seen any news reported regarding the Foreign Secretary. Surely we should be seeing more of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, considering the circumstances British soldiers find themselves in in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Brown coronation a step closer

Gordon Brown’s coronation is step closer today with Alan Johnson’s announcement that he will not stand for the Labour leadership.

Therefore it is looking more and more likely that a credible candidate will not stand against Brown.

However Guido is reporting that rumours John Reid had done a deal with Gordon Brown are unfounded. So there is still a chance that Reid may put himself forward as a candidate.

Ministers to be interviewed

Five current Ministers have been sent letters requesting interviews as part of the cash for peerages investigation. Interview requests have been sent to every member of the Cabinet at the time of the 2005 General Election.

The investigation seems to be getting closer and closer to the Prime Minister. Surely it is only a matter of time.

Tory Councillor attacks Cameron and suggests violence

This is a copy of a letter sent to Bath's local paper The Chronicle.

It's from a Tory Councillor. I find the letter which suggests single mothers bring up kids who commit mayhem and even murder and “Thump a Thug” unbelievable to be publicly stated from an elected official.

It's good to know that David Cameron intends to come on strong with the criminal elements but I'm not sure that his 'Hug a Hoodie' and 'Love a Lout' will do much to win support from those vulnerable citizens who have fallen victim to out-of-control teenagers.Community service is a soft option and simply doesn't work and ASBOs are seen as badges of honour by thugs and are an expensive waste of time and resources.

We have the worst record in Europe for teenage crime and if politicians like David Cameron don't take the proverbial bull by the horns and really start to get tough with Britain's growing army of feral thugs the country will descend into total mayhem in a very short space of time.

My own ward - Lambridge - is beset with problems related to anti-social behaviour and intimidation resulting from the nefarious activities of feckless youths and not all of them from the local area.

Larkhall Square has now lost its public bench, dedictated to the memory of Jack Love, because yobs saw fit to destroy it. Why? What exactly was achieved by this act of mindless vandalism? Each time I suggest ways of reining in these thugs, I am castigated by the soft-option brigade and accused of being a martinet, or worse.

Sorry, but I come out on the side of respect, good manners and adherence to the law and wholly intolerant of what our society has become. If an undisciplined bunch of louts can find nothing better to do than destroy property and frighten the wits out of decent, law-abiding people, then clearly something needs to be done.

Soft options and kid-gloves have had no effect whatsoever and Britain is now over-run with vicious young thugs hell-bent on terrorising all and sundry and it has to stop - now.

If so many of these kids are into fast cars, go-peds and other souped-up motor vehicles, then let David Cameron instigate a scheme whereby their energies, if and when they are apprehended and hauled before the courts, are channelled into useful community work, like restoring vandalised cars, or helping to rebuild damaged walls, fences and bus shelters.

This kind of enforced activity would give them a sense of purpose and personal pride.

These kids aren't born bad, but frequently lack parental discipline in the form of a father figure, look to slovenly and oikish football 'stars' as role models, view an almost total lack of police presence on our streets as a 'go' sign to create mayhem - and sometimes murder - and end up as aimles drifters with drink and drug problems.

I can tell you now that I am tired of kow-towing to the do-gooders and refuse to yield to hoodies and other louts and know that so many others agree with me. But, what to do? Unless ordinary members of the public can actually win support from politicians, we might as well sell up and emigrate. Spare the rod and spoil the child.

Forget the latest 'Hug a Hoodie' and 'Love a Lout' themes, isn't it time to 'Thump a Thug', 'Belt a Burglar' and 'Lob a Yob'? Soft on crime, soft on the causes of crime - you bet!

CLLR BRYAN CHALKER

Quarry Rock Gardens

Claverton Down

Bath

Lord Goldsmith will 'not stand aside'

Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith has said it “would not be right” for him to stand aside if charges are brought in the cash for peerages investigation.

Instead the Attorney General has said, “my office should appoint independent senior counsel to review all the relevant material and advise on any prosecutions."

How independent would someone who is appointed by Lord Goldsmiths own office be? If it does get to the stage that the CPS consults the Attorney General, it will be very difficult for him to credibly advise against bringing prosecutions without being accused of bias.

Surely, it would have been sensible for Lord Goldsmith to of followed the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in standing aside from any involvement in the case.

Two other posts I’ve made on this subject can be found here and here.

New members to vote on leadership

Labour has chosen to waive its membership rule that restricts new members from voting in leadership contests. You use to have to be a member for a few weeks before you could vote.

Now even the newest members will be able to vote.

I wonder why the decision to change the rule has been made now. Possibly because Labour’s membership is in decline?

Yeah right?

Sounds like a case of a lawyer saying, "The only way you stand a chance of getting off, is to say your stupid!"

Election, what election?

Proof Dic Cheney isn’t interested in all that democracy and voting stuff.

Thanks to Liberal Burblings for pointing this out.

They say terrorism doesn't work?

A Muslim police officer has been removed from the Diplomatic Protection Group (which protects top public figures such as the PM) because two of his son’s, attended a mosque, associated with a Muslim cleric, who is linked with a suspected terrorist group.

I walked past a mosque today. Does that mean I couldn’t serve in the DPG because I could have bumped into a Muslim extremist?

Terrorism and the threat of it hasn’t made us paranoid in this country, has it?

**Special** 18 Doughty Street Election Night

18 Doughty Street will be broadcasting live coverage of the US mid term elections tonight from 8pm till 2pm in a special extended show.

Will the Iraq war have seriously damaged the Republicans? Will the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives. What are the implications for the race for the White House? Will George W Bush become a lame duck President?

A heavyweight panel of experts in US politics have been lined up including Simon Burns MP, and representatives from both the Republicans and Democrats abroad.

Make sure you visit 18 Doughty Street from 8:00pm for live streaming.

Iain Dale said,

"We'll be the first UK broadcaster on air with coverage of the US midterms – our coverage starts a full 4 hours ahead of the BBC. We'll be using US bloggers to find out what's happening on the ground in those key battleground states and analyzing the first results with a panel of well informed guests. It'll be a rolling six hour long programme and we're looking forward to hearing from Tim Montgomerie who has spent the last week in the US on the campaign trail."

The investigation deepens...

There was an interesting article in today’s Independent.

“Jonathan Powell, Number 10's chief of staff, will be interviewed later this month about e-mails and documents discovered in Downing Street offices that indicate Labour Party backers were offered honours in exchange for loans or donations.”

If true and it depends very much on what is meant by “indicate,” sounds as though there will be plenty of evidence to bring a prosecution. The question is how high can be proven it goes?

In relation to Lord Goldsmith and his decision over the prosecution, from the same article:

“Lord Goldsmith, 56, who was made a life peer in 1999 and appointed by Tony Blair in 2001, is usually consulted by the Crown Prosecution Service over high-profile and complex cases. He is a former donor to the party and a close political ally of Mr Blair.”

So a Peer, who has made donations to the Labour Party could be the one to decide if people should be prosecuted for giving peerages to those who have donated money. That’s the world of politics!

Reid gets along with Brown because he has to!

Quoting John Reid from the BBC’s Sunday AM he said:

"The media seem to think there are only two states for politicians.

"One is for us to be at war, and the other one is for complete capitulation and surrender by one to the other.

"Actually there is a much more normal state, that's people working together doing the job we are paid for and expected to do by the people of this country."

Sounds to me very much like the Home Secretary is saying: I get along with him because I’ve no other choice!

Saddam sentenced to death

I don’t think anybody really expected any other result than a guilty. I’m going to leave aside the ins and outs of the trial and how Saddam’s trial was handled and just focus on the sentence.

I think a mistake has been made by sentencing Saddam to death. What better way of making a martyr of him than the death sentence. On top of this is the way it will be done, hanging. Perfect, to give him that extra stature his supporters are looking for. Lethal injection surely would have been better to knock his status, as it just doesn’t hold the same significance as hanging.

I can only see this sentence providing extra determination for Saddam’s supporters and will do nothing to quell the violence in Iraq. For the sake of our soldiers (and their families) I hope I am wrong.

Attorney General to decide on honours probe?

It seems amazing that the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith could be the one who has the final decision over whether any charges are brought in the cash for peerages investigation.

The fact that the Government is being investigated and Lord Goldsmith is a Government Minister, who sits in on Cabinet meetings, will surely be a conflict of interest? The Attorney General could be deciding whether his own parties donors and possibly fellow Ministers are prosecuted.

It would be almost impossible for the Attorney General to remain neutral when making any decision due to the position he holds. We have already been given good reason to doubt the impartiality of Lord Goldsmith over his advice to the legality of the Iraq War. Remember him saying a second UN resolution was needed, then within 24 hours saying it no longer was.

Brown won't face any real challange...

The BBC is reporting that Brown will not be challenged by a serious challenger as they have accepted he cannot be beaten.

Ok, so it’s been clear to most of us that Brown would win any Labour leadership election but I still think a credible challenger should stand.

Look at the Conservative leadership bid. I think it did the party of lot of good to hold a credible election contest. Labour could surely benefit in the same way.

Lib Dems self destructing,,,

The Lib Dems appear to be falling apart at the moment with the resignation of Paul Rainger, the Director of Campaigns and David Norman, the Director of Policy and Communications. It is quite clear that Cowley Street is not a happy place and it is possible more resignations could follow.

Rumours are that the Lib Dems are deeply concerned they may have to pay back the £2.4m lent to them before the last election. Despite Ming Campbell’s denials last week on Sunday AM that the party would not be bankrupt, it has emerged that this would indeed be the case as the Lib Dems simply haven’t got the money.

It is also considered unlikely that they would be able to raise the funds through donations, as a number of the Lib Dem big donors are fans of Charles Kennedy and not prepared to support Ming in the same way.

Could it be due to this that people from some of the highest ranks of Cowley Street are resigning? Ming Campbell is on Question Time tonight. Could be interesting!

Speaker interrupts Cameron

Commons Speaker Michael Martin today at PMQs prevented David Cameron from asking the PM who he would back as the next leader of the Labour Party. The Speaker declared that Cameron had no right to ask the PM about a position in the Labour Party on the floor of the House.

I actually agree with the Speaker, PMQs should be used to ask the PM about Government affairs not party ones.

However this does work both ways. The PM shouldn’t be allowed to ask the Opposition about their policies. It is Prime Minister’s Questions after all. Let’s hope the Speaker lays down the rules equally for both sides, having set this precedent.