PASTYGATE FUELS GOVERNMENT INCOMPETENCE CLAIM

It seems my concerns over the lack of political intuition inside of the Tory party as expressed in my blog on this months budget was just a taste of things to come?. No events can better illustrate how crass, irresponsible and out of touch this government really are than the happenings on what could be described as Cameron's Black Wednesday.

First Cameron himself and Francis Maude whipped up a nationwide frenzy over possible fuel shortages due to a days strike not yet announced and on which 7 days notice must be given, and then Maude suggested we all turn our homes into potential firebombs by storing fuel at home! Maude should resign for making such a stupid and dangerous comment. The Tory party made a deliberate attempt to but public sympathy against the Unite Union in the hope that some bad public bad feeling would rub off on the Labour Party.

And then of course we had pastygate. Having upset the pie eating public by slamming an additional 20% on their hot pastry based purchase, the politicians from all sides were falling over themselves to prove to us all that a daily nibble on a hot pie was an everyday occurrence.  "I bought one recently from the West Cornwall Pastie Company on Leeds Railway Station" said Cameron, leaving it to the Daily Mirror to point out that that franchise on the platform closed down five years ago! and the only other kiosk where a pasty could be bought went out of business last Friday, just after the budget.

On both counts, petrol and pies they failed miserably to get their point across and in fact acted irresponsibly and they have ended up discrediting their own fragile reputation even further. One foot note, I am told if you buy your pasty at a petrol station and pay for it cold, then warm it up in the provided microwave, then you can avoid paying the VAT at the point of sale. I remain unsure as to who is advising the government on its political strategy and media presentation, but it looks like Alastair Campbell is getting his own back. Anyone for a Pasty?

THE "CAN YOU ADAM AND EVE IT" BUDGET

I spent my lunchtime today listening to the Chancellors Budget Statement, enough to give those with the most hardiest of constitutions a stomach ache. After 8 years in the house listening to such drivel, you would have think I would have learnt my lesson, but no, I stuck it out. George Osbourne is no great orator and the story he had to tell was not a happy one. Therefore the whole experience was akin to watching the ombudsman episode of Eastenders on a Sunday, doom and gloom, greed and avarice, dodgy deals here and there all set against a background which in best Albert Square language means that the Country is still in a right “two and eight” (state) with half of the country either on the “rock and roll” (Dole) “on the floor” (poor) and over reliant on the “man from Cairo” Giro.


But what depressed me most is that here we are in one of the worst economic crisis’s the country has faced since the war all the Chancellor could concentrate his little grey cells on was reducing the higher rate of taxation for those earning over £150,000 a year and setting up means testing to withdraw Child benefit ( a universal benefit to which all contribute and all should be entitled) from households with one earner earning over £50,000 a year whilst still allowing couples earning £99,999.99p to claim it in full!

What happened to a “Budget for Growth”? where were all the measures to get Britain working again? What did he have to say about Banks who still fail to meet their lending targets to small business and then still give their senior executives massive bonuses for not meeting them? Would he announce new measures to get young people back into work? Or to kick start a still critical housing market? Perhaps he could have reduced national insurance contributions for employers taking on extra staff? Or announce tighter controls on companies still using tax avoidance schemes to siphon off their gains abroad?


But no, “Growth” (The Daily Loaf) to this government is still a dirty word, he quietly mumbled out his latest growth estimates conveniently forgetting to tell us that every estimate he has made to date has had to be downgraded and reduced, he warned us of another two years of public service cuts post 2015 if this awful government/coalition are re-elected and ripped the heart out of pensioners future plans by raising their tax bills by at least £3.2bn pounds in this governments term alone.


This Chancellor, and this government just don’t get it. They are a right bunch of Bengal Lancers (chancers) What do we care about the mansion tax and stamp duty on £2m houses when most of the country are currently struggling to pay their Burton on Trent (rent) or they are too “Boracic Lint” (skint) to pay the mortgage. What a bunch of Barclays Bankers this government really are!

JUST SAY NO

Anyone who watched the BBC Police Drama “Ashes to Ashes” will understand my concern that as a whole nation we may have been somehow transported back in time to the 1980’s The NHS is under threat from privatisation from a Tory Government, Unemployment  is at record levels, we have riots on the streets and tension between the UK and Argentina over the Falklands, and of course locally a Tory administration on Northampton Borough Council which wants to sell off our Council Housing stock!

For council housing the rot started when Margaret  Thatcher conned the country into believing that the "right to buy" council houses would create wealth and opportunity for all. Shelter ran an excellent campaign which pointed out that if the price of food had risen at the same rate as that of housing a chicken would now cost something like £25. We now have families told to use their living room as a bedroom, parents forced to share bedrooms with their children and families of five in one-bedroom accommodation told that they are not overcrowded. We have Council’s in wealthy parts of the country offloading their housing problems on poorer areas. We have a generation of sofa-surfers who do not even register on the homeless statistics. We have working people encouraged to turn on one another in competition for what little housing there is. And now we have a government that vilifies council tenants as scroungers, aided by the Mail, the Express and the Sun, in order to justify massive benefit cuts. It’s not less Council Housing we need, it is more! 

The 1980’s saw the criminal disposal of the vast bulk of the country's best council housing stock and an effective ban on new council house building. We have seen negative equity, homelessness and overcrowding rising relentlessly and house-price inflation that has put access to decent housing out of the reach of a generation. Our two Council’s Borough and County provide little service these days to tenants in Northampton, we can’t even afford street lights! But selling peoples homes from under their feet is the last straw.

The huge benefit of council housing that the some would have us forget is that it is democratic. If your council does a bad job maintaining your council homes you can vote them out. You cannot
do that to a private landlord, a bank or even a housing association. By destroying the welfare state and our rights to council homes the government Local and National are taking away democratic accountability. The Borough Council has now announced that they will spend £2m persuading,  or blackmailing council tenants to transfer to housing associations, or arms-length Housing Trusts. Housing associations can play a positive role as a minor co-operative sector, but they should not be the lead player in local social housing. 

The £2m the Council will waste on Consultation should be being spent on improvements to homes, but instead you wait and see all the propaganda sent out to tell you that only by selling out will you ever get your repairs seen to. 80% of Spring Boroughs residents are Council Tenants and the Council cannot sell your home unless they ballot you first and ask you to vote in favour of the sell out. . Like health, like social care, like education I believe that housing cannot be seen as a commodity but as an essential requirement for life. So when they ask you, I urge you all to respond, loud and clear with an unequivocal answer.

NO – OUR COUNCIL HOMES ARE NOT FOR SALE


(with thanks to Britains finest Red Top newspaper - The Morning Star)

ITS GOOD TO TALK, BUT POINTLESS IF NO ONE IS LISTENING

The Chronicle and Echo's live 'Webchat" with the Leader of Northampton Borough Council last Friday discussing the Councils controversial plans to demolish the Greyfriars Bus Station and build a new Bus interchange on the old Fish Market site was by all accounts a brave attempt at open and accountable democracy, and several people took advantage of the occasion to air their views to the Council Leader.

And at a time when the public have understandably lost trust in our politicians locally and nationally it gave us an opportunity for people to feel as if their views really counted.

Therefore the responsibility laying on `Cllr Macintosh's shoulders to answer the publics questions honestly and without the usual political spin was very great indeed.

The very first question at the very start of the webchat set the agenda nicely it read:

11:01:      Comment From Jon Knaggs  

"Has the decision been made, has the Fish Market's fate been sealed ? "

Cllr Mackintosh keen to get off to a good start and assure people that their views really did count was quick to counter:

1:02:        David Mackintosh:  

No, the planning application for the Bus Interchange will be considered at a meeting of the Borough Council’s Planning Committee in April. Members of that Committee will have the opportunity to hear from the public and finally vote to approve, reject or defer the application. Everyone will have the opportunity to go along again and make their views known

A little later on another contributor questioned once more the integrity of the process:

11:22:      Comment From Bus User  

Why are you bothering to ask us as it's obvious you have already made up your mind?

Cllr Mackintosh was a little slower in responding this time but was equally unequivocal with his answer

 11:34:     David Mackintosh:

Bus User - I am very supportive of these proposals. But the final decision will be taken by members of the Planning Committee in April and I am not a member.

That's all clear then, no decisions made, nothing will happen until the Planning Committee have met, and we all have the opportunity to make our views known?

So imagine the surprise when somebody party to Friday's webchat visited the town centre this morning and witnessed the following scenes outside the Fish Market and in Sheep Street on the site of the proposed but not yet decided upon Bus Interchange!

What on earth are you doing? he asked the workmen. Cutting down trees mate to make way for the new Bus Station. Unperturbed he phoned NBC and asked to be put through to whoever was responsible for tree works and asked the same question.

A very similar reply was given, "The whole areas coming down for the new Bus Interchange" they said, even the much acclaimed "Loo of the year" much loved by the public and Market Traders alike is to be levelled

"But it hasn't even gone before the Planning Committee yet to be decided upon" he said, "so aren't the Council jumping the gun by destroying some very fine trees?" he asked

"Nothing to do with us I am afraid,  you need to talk to Planning" they replied.

So there you have it, NO we haven't made our minds up really means YES we have, and the Planning Committee which is stuffed with Cllrs who have already spoken in the press in favour of the plan which has to decide on a number of issues including the loss of any good mature trees? has now been guzzumped by the Council who are carrying on with their plans regardless of the process.

Cllr Mackintosh has already been criticised this week for his ridiculous suggestion that a revamp of the existing Bus Station would cost a whopping £30m when we all know that to be a ridiculous estimate, but now as Leader of the Council I think he owes us either an apology for publicly misleading us all on Friday and/or an explanation as to why no one on the Council is listening to a word he says, as they are simply riding roughshod over the democratic process and sticking two fingers up to people of Northampton whilst they are at it!

Either way its a dark day for local government when the horrible truth of how the Council really operates is so easily and openly uncovered for all to see.

The Planning Committee meeting will be fun now, perhaps they should think to rename it the Post Decision, Rubber Stamp Committee?

"CANNE(S)" YOU BELIEVE IT

Regular readers of this blog will now that I have held long standing concerns over the Tory County Council's £2m annual spend on the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (previously Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited) whose board of Directors includes one Jim Harker aka Leader of the County Council. http://tonyclarkeindependent.blogspot.com/2011/09/turning-lights-on-in-some-very-dark.html

Almost a year ago I was criticised by the Leader of the Council for suggesting that the County's £2m proposed new grant to NEP had little to do with economic development but more to do with saving a few red faces at County Hall, because without the £2m grant and having lost its other regional grants from the government office East Midlands NEL could have gone bust, leaving the Council a very heavy financial liability in potential pension payouts. Utter nonsense they all cried at the time.

And yet yesterday at the County Council full budget meeting the section 151 officer (Council bean counter) finally agreed with me! Both the Lib Dem and Labour alternative budgets proposed the scrapping of this over generous grant, particularly at a time when council staff are being thrown on the dole, streets lights have been switched off and PCSO's are being cut due to the continued savage cuts on Local Government spending. So in response to Labours' proposals the 151 officers report confirmed beyond doubt that without the Councils grant then the organisation could fold and the pension cost to the council (which last year they told us wasn't a problem) would be now be considerable! Perhaps it is only a problem when the opposition propose it?

As you would expect yesterday I supported both opposition motions, after all, I am sure we could all suggest better ways in which that money could be spent, after all what exactly does NEP do? Well for a start they have nothing to do with the £200m Northampton Enterprise Zone, government cash for that initiative was secured by SEMLEP (South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership) Nor are they responsible for the £25m redevelopment plan for Northampton's Castle Station that is being led by the soon to be no more WNDC (West Northamptonshire Development Corporation) The Grovesnor Centre expansion and new bus interchange?  No that's NBC (Northampton Borough Council) and L&G (Legal and General) So what exactly do NEP do with our money? Well there is that Brussels office they run of course to the estimated tune of £300,000 a year, and a look at their 2010 accounts (then as NEL) shows that over 50% of their income is spent on administration! Not much left for driving the local economy then?

Palais de Festival

But yesterday I asked Cllr Jim Harker a few more difficult questions regarding NEL and NEP.  For a start I asked him how he could justify at a time of such savage cuts to services giving money to NEP when for at least the past 5 years they have spent untold sums on a yearly fun in the sun trip to Cannes in the South of France to promote the Rose of the Shires at the annual MIPIM conference for Real Estate Executives?

Jim got very angry at this and informed the Council that NEP had never been there (Well they couldn't have done as this years event is in March 2012 and they only changed their name at companies house from NEL to NEP last June)

He went on to tell the  Council that I had initially not even  mentioned NEL in my speech even though I used the words "NEL and NEP" in my opening statement. He said that NEL was a "separate" "independent body"to NEP even though Companies House shows clearly that Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership's date of corporation to be the 26th January 2006! and records the name change from NEL to NEP on the 1st June 2011. Two separate bodies? or just the same one? and who sat on the board of this company prior to and after the name change? You guessed it one Jim Harker.

Now gentleman Jim was keen to dismiss my concerns as "scurrilous" rumours,  he told the Council that he knew of no case of NEP officers going to Cannes,  technically correct, if we give him the benefit of doubt that the same officers went as officers of NEL even though they are one and the same. He also said that as far as he was aware NEL never went in it's penultimate year? would that be 2010? or 2009?

Either or really because amongst my scurrilous rumours were the details I gave about the event in 2009 where  guests attended a lunch to hear Kevin Mcloud from Channel 4's "Grand Designs" talk about sustainable housing details of which are here in investnorthamptonshire 2010 MIPIM web contribution http://mipim.investnorthamptonshire.co.uk/contact-us helpfully listing the names of the officers of NEL who never attended (all 8 of them)? They tell us where they can be contacted here at the Palais De Festival where the Cannes International Film Festival vies with MIPIM for floorspace http://www.palaisdesfestivals.com/sommaire.php3?lang=en or even better here at the La Mandala http://www.plage-lamandala.com/

La Mandala

As well as flights and hotel bills and swanky luncheons we can even wonder at the additional cost to NEL of the 2009 "communications strategy using digital marketing techniques including a specially designed microsite, video and email campaign and the integrated use of these digital communication tools" as provided to NEL by Ferrier Pierce Creative Group here http://www.ferrierpearce.com/portfolio/projects/47-Northamptonshire-Enterprise-Limited/

Now I had also been informed by a whistle blower in NEL/NEP that a cabinet or cabinet members had on occasion/s flew out to participate in the proceedings, I asked Jim about this and he said he personally never has done and that he knows of no other cabinet member who has done so.

So let me be clear and fair.  I am happy to take him at his word on that score and hope my informer can correct the impression they gave, if they do I will gladly inform Council of that fact and apologise for any wrong information given.  But do I care who exactly went on this annual works outing?  No not one bit, but I do care that at a time when services are being cut to the bone and when we can't even afford to turn on the street lights that we are giving £2m to a repetitious unnecessary Quango for them to spend half of it on running their administration and part of it on offices in Brussels and annual trips to Cannes on the French Riviera.

And if we can get ourselves all worked up,  rightly so about that "£3000 painting" celebrating Tory Chair Rosemary Bromwich's year as Council Chair, then what are we to make of many more thousands of pounds of Council tax payers money being used to support what even the Financial Times describes as a "famously excessive" "Jamboree" They also got it spot on about local council's though when they said in their pink paper that:

"Some things, of course, never change, including the presence of the local authorities, banging the drum for ambitious and often delayed regeneration projects. Under scrutiny for spending tightening budgets on a week away in France, it is unlikely that they will come away with much given that spending on regeneration is the last thing to return in any recovery."

"Canne" I add one other slight concern? given that all of the above fallout was recorded on the Councils webcast  http://www.northamptonshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/65967 (about 5hrs 17 minutes in ) and in front of the local press, am I alone in wondering why you are having to read this rather enlightening news here? and not in the local media?

LOCK EM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY

Is it just me, or did I detect a general feeling of glee, happiness and general well being amongst the great British public over the weekend at the news that  4 Bankers and 8 Sun Journalists had been arrested in police swoops on their homes facing allegations of either tax evasion or bribery!

It's not that we are fickle, or that we really wish them any ill, it's just gratifying in some pleasing way that these people acting as representatives of their own kind were finally getting their comeuppance.

Having personally been on the receiving end of  News International's attack dogs in the past, I can't even begin to feel sorry for them, and I feel that they should know that I am only writing this in the public interest, and that it would be far better if they told me their side of the story rather than leaving it to press to report it warts and all.

Likewise with the poor Bankers, lets have a bit more transparency from these troubled souls, after all the banks are only too keen to tell us it would be far better for us all if we let them know in advance of any difficulties we are having with our personal finances, so please don't wait for us to contact you, get in touch, talk to us, tell us why on such huge salaries you felt the need to evade income tax by stashing money away in offshore accounts. I mean I can almost understand why you didn't want to put it into a British bank at the moment, after all who trusts them?

Back to Fleet Street, or Wapping as it now is, Sun editor Trevor Kavanaugh is busy berating the local plod for "Stasi" like tactics, using his red topped rag to tell all that still had a stomach to listen, that his staff had been subject to a "Witch Hunt" and complained about their privacy being invaded at their homes, poor old soldiers! At least they will now also taste their 15 minutes of fame or infamy!

I am not sure what the collective noun is for a bunch of corrupt, seedy, greedy and unscrupulous Bankers and Red Top Hacks is?

But I am guessing they would be a brood, after all I can't remember a time when so many chickens were coming home to roost!

RUSHDEN CRIMINALS LEFT IN THE DARK

Sometimes at Council meetings Cllrs say something so bizarre or so strange that you find yourself asking, is my hearing going? surely they didn't just what they said? But in the world of Northamptonshire County Council anything is possible.


This morning at the Environment and Transport Scrutiny committee (available here if you have trouble sleeping http://www.northamptonshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/65181 ) we were supposed to be scrutinising the County Councils disastrous policy of switching off 50% of the street lights across the county. I say supposed to be because the lead officer never produced a report! He gave a verbal outline and left us even further in the dark as to what the real impact of these budget cutting decisions really are.

I complained of course and asked for a further written report and may have achieved my goal, but I also told the committee that in my mind and in the minds of local residents in Castle Ward that crime and the fear of crime have both risen since the switch off. Reports from our local Police Safer Community Team back up these claims by showing certain crimes showing significant double figure % increases against a background of wider crime figures falling. Burglary for instance year on year if my memory serves me correctly was up by over 70% in Castle Ward last month.


Other Cllrs mentioned crime rises in their areas and also the ineffectiveness of CCTV now in areas which are too dark to pick up a picture


The Tory Cllrs present didn't want to hear any of this of course, "move on" they shouted "next business" they cried, but one brave soldier went further and rose to contradict my claims. Step forward Cllr Andy Mercer, (Rushden East) not an unlikeable bloke for a Tory and usually worth listening to, but then the bombshell!


You see he disagreed with my view on the impact the big switch off may have had on rising crime and wanted to tell us all that life in Rushden is very different indeed "strange and contrasting" were the words he used. Using the local Police as his source of information he told us that crime in some areas of Rushden had gone down since the lights went out, not up, and the reason for this was, and I quote, that

"crooks can't see what they are doing"

he went on to explain his theory to us saying that there were

"places where the criminals wanted illumination"

but the street light shut off had foiled them! he told an amazed committee that because of the Councils policy on street lighting and the darker streets, that Rushden's criminal fraternity may have

"wanted to pick a lock but they had now been unable to"

Now I have always considered their to be something not quite right going on 25 miles along the A4500 and during Rushden and Diamonds FC's time in the Football League I often discussed with fellow Cobblers fans the subtle differences between Northampton folk and our country cousins from the East, but criminals who are afraid of the dark!

Surely not!

TORY RACISM ALIVE AND KICKING IN 2012

A few days ago the Government for the first time ever released figures relating to the number of foreign born people who are currently claiming working age benefits in the UK.

It's own headline figure of 371,000 soon became headline news in all the Tory Press

370,000 MIGRANTS ON THE DOLE

said the Telegraph who added:

"The migrants, who can claim unemployment, housing and incapacity benefit, are costing taxpayers billions of pounds a year."

NON EU IMMIGRANT BENEFIT SCANDAL

screamed the SUN and told us in a follow up story that:

"FURY erupted last week over the news that we are paying dole to 371,000 foreigners." 

The Daily Mail not wanting to be upstaged by its red top fellow bigots went even further

  THE FOREIGNERS BEING PAID £2 BILLION IN BENEFITS A YEAR INCLUDING 371,000 ON THE DOLE 

and then let Tory Employment Minister Chris Grayling rant on for them when he said:

Conservative general election poster 2010 Romford

"It is not acceptable that people from other countries can claim our benefits if they have not worked or paid tax in the UK. We will root out those claimants who cannot prove their immigration status and in turn they will be stripped of their benefits.

Forgive me if I don't go on to give extra blog space to some of the more rabid and reactionary comments on the web from the usual suspects responding to the Governments carefully crafted press release, but I am sure you get the picture ""bleeding immigrants coming over here, taking our jobs, the food off our table. they're taking the piss, taking advantage of hard working British folk, claiming this, claiming that, living in big houses rent free when young British couples can't even rent a flat from the council..........you get the picture I am sure.

But hang on a minute what was Chris Grayling saying about people from other countries? and those who have not worked or paid benefits in the UK?

You see it turns out that about 54% of those "foreigners" Chris Grayling is ranting on about are actually British Citizens! and most of whom have worked and paid tax here in the UK. A further 29% it seems have been given indefinite leave to remain in the UK, and others are people from the European economic union who are entitled to claim whilst working in the UK. That's right working! because despite the smokescreen a large amount of the 371,000 above are working but receiving "Top Up" benefits to subsidise the low pay of unscrupulous employers.
So just how many of those 371,000 are actually foreign migrants illegally claiming benefits and left amongst Chris Graylings targets for rooting out?  er.... just under 2500! it seems, hardly the headline we were fed is it?

In fact the deeper you dig into the figures the worse it gets for the Government Of the 5.5 million people of working age in Britain who are currently claiming benefits, yes 371,000 are foreign-born, which equates to 6.4 per cent of the total number of people on benefits. That means 6.6 per cent of working age non-UK nationals currently get a state handout, as opposed to a massive 16.6 per cent of British nationals. And not only do less foreign born claim benefits from the state but they also pay more taxes to keep the 16.6 per cent of Brit's in the life style they have become accustomed to.

The ONF data goes hand in hand with Home Office research published in 2002 to assess that people do not arrive in the UK hoping to exploit the welfare state. This research found that immigrants pay more tax that they take in benefits, which was partly explained by the age structure of the immigrant population, which is disproportionately of working age and therefore consuming less state-provided services and paying more taxes.

Furthermore, the UK isn't exactly the welfare paradise for immigrants that some newspapers seem to refer to. Asylum seekers for example are not allowed to claim normal welfare and live on a paltry amount below that which the Government states is the minimum necessary for UK benefit claimants to be able to live. Many live in destitution, sometimes homeless, especially those who are appealing their case. The Refugee Council states that, “most asylum seekers are living in poverty and experience poor health and hunger.

So what therefore lies behind this official government press release and the predictable venom spat out by the right wing press to a nation wanting to believe that their current economic woes are all the work of Johnny Foreigner"?

The answer? RACISM, PURE AND UNADULTERATED.

Conservative General Election poster 1964 Smethick

It may be less up front than this poster left from the 1964 General Election, but this Tory leopard has obviously no intention of changing its spots

Tory governments in the past have played the race card as a smokescreen to their own internally created troubles and as always the media are only too eager to distribute racist and nationalist ideas such as blaming minorities and/or immigrants for unemployment, for so-called ‘benefit fraud’ and for the lack of resources like housing school places or hospital beds. It is easy to scapegoat vulnerable minorities and this official government endorsed racism ultimately sends signals out that foreign people are fair game for wider abuse from the public.

But Hate Crime is Hate crime in my view no matter who the perpetrator and I only hope that some of the British Citizens amongst the 371,000 affected above takes on Mr Grayling and his despotic government and makes a complaint to the Police

The CPS views this type of crime very seriously and say that "it has a real and lasting effect on individuals, communities and the whole of society. By letting people know what they can expect from the CPS when we prosecute racist or religious crime, we aim to improve confidence in the criminal justice system."

They add:

"Racist and religious crime is particularly hurtful to victims as they are being targeted solely because of their personal identity, their actual or perceived racial or ethnic origin or their actual or perceived belief or faith. Black and minority ethnic victims can also be targeted because they belong to other minority groups and may experience multiple discrimination."

This shoddy coalition government including the Lib Dem's who are backing them up in Parliament, and staying noticeably silent on issues such as this above should hang their collective heads in shame.

 

MARGARET THATCHER: AN APOLOGY

In light of the stomach turning behaviour of a number of politicians and public figures who recently in the media who have felt the need to grovel and apologise for any disparaging and/or abusive comments made against Baroness Thatcher, and after witnessing them being bullied by their party leaders or the press to issue an apology for any damage or hurt caused to her reputation or pride, I hearby give notice that I unreservedly refuse to apologise in any way shape or form for any comments made by me previously, presently or in the future in respect of this poor apology for a human being.


Furthermore, in the hope of informing debate on the current press speculation regarding preperations for the Baronesses forthcoming funeral ( I guess only after she has left this mortal coil) I hearby inform all parties interested of my signature to the following HM Government public e-petition stating:

Thatcher state funeral to be privatised 

Responsible department: Cabinet Office 

In keeping with the great lady's legacy, Margaret Thatcher's state funeral should be funded and managed by the private sector to offer the best value and choice for end users and other stakeholders. The undersigned believe that the legacy of the former PM deserves nothing less and that offering this unique opportunity is an ideal way to cut government expense and further prove the merits of liberalised economics Baroness Thatcher spearheaded.

I would therefore urge all my fellow social network friends to visit the following link

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/18914

and join me in allowing such an auspicious occasion to be treated with the same free market enterprising spirit with which Mrs Thatcher herself applied to the mining communities of the United Kingdom who will forever be in her debt for allowing them to diversify their employment skills and/or spend more time at home with their families.


I furthermore inform all those music lovers who may be interested that I have dusted off my personal copy of Elvis Costello's "Tramp the dirt down" and I attach a video copy here below in "You Tube" format so that the world and his dog can be in no way confused as to my real contempt and ill feelings towards the Iron Lady and her political contribution to the British way of life.

                                     

Tony

MUSICAL INTERLUDE (COURTESY OF CAPTAIN SKA)

Do you remember that wonderful Ska based "Liar Liar" track (below) put down last year by Captain SKA in appreciation of our wonderful Coalition government?

Well Captain Ska have been very busy since and I hereby gift you for the New Year their full (to date) catalogue.

Their latest release "WHAT'S THE POINT OF NICK CLEGG" is particularly poignant.

LIAR LIAR

SHAME ON YOU

SLIPPING BACK IN TIME 

WHAT'S THE POINT OF NICK CLEGG

Captian SKA and yours truly invites you all to share the above amongst your Facebook friends and email buddies to help them understand what is being done in the coalitions name!

You can also keep up to speed with the latest news and releases via the Captain's website http://www.reverbnation.com/captainska or through their easily found Facebook and twitter pages