Month: September 2023

Time to get the sick bucket out and the mouthwash to clean the acrid taste of populist electioneering from the mouth. We know the Conservative Party took the poison of Thatcherism and has been steadily moving away from its traditional roots ever since. The need to balance public welfare and corporate profit has long since gone.

One favorite topic is the need to reduce tax – When we see the billions spaffed against the wall over the last 13 years it is hard to disagree! But the RW Media concentrates on cutting Inheritance tax, and the tax for the top earners – when did they ever publish an article which analysed the benfits of raising the threshhold fot income tax, or increasing the tax allowances for single mothers?

The Mail and Express are both pushing the anti-war on drivers mantra – I doubt that either will be campaigning to cut the tax on fuel. Councils are to be told to cut fines for motorists – how will they replace the money? Hunt has suggested that to save money, teachers could use AI to mark work. Nice idea, I hated marking with such a passion that I managed to avoid it most of the time! But does this mesan he would cut wages commensurately? Otherwise how does that save money? It would make the job more attractive, but AI would need a lot of programming to give the nuanced advice that even I managed on the rare occasion! Presumably his experience is limited to exam style marking – which would give more profits to the exam corporations like EDEXCEL and deprive teachers of the ability to top up their salaries.

Wow – I was not expecting this to develop into a rant! Even with John Mayall’s ‘Blues from Laurel Canyon’ on the speakers! I will not repeat yesterdays rant about their motorists charter – despite knowing people who love their cars as a fop to their lack of confidence.

I cannot bring myself to talk about Braverman – There are very few people I would enjoy punching – I am not a violent person – but I am developing a list! Braverman (Ok, it is never right to punch anyone, but even worse to punch a woman – Braverman remains on the list!), Rees-Mogg – whose children need to be put into care and given drugs and alcohol!), Coffrey (another woman whose face would probably absorb and dissolve a fist!), I am enjoying this vicarious fight with the Tories – Anderson , Dorries, Johnson, Hancock, Sunak, Hunt, in fact the whole Cabinet! Actual I would not want to punch them – just make them appear in a court where the charge was that they acted against the interests of the British Public!

Rather sad to see the tree cut down. I suspect there is more to this than simple vandalism. A 16 year old has been arrested and let out on bail. Why would anyone carry a fairly heavy chain saw for a fair way – just to vandaise a tree?

But it is a synonym for this government. I am surprised they have not decided to put a motorway through the gap!

An outstanding performance on QT by Lisa Nandy – why did Starmer demote her?

It is bad enough that the Conservatives seem like they would sell their children to get re-elected, but Starmer seems to be doing tne same.

Education – Private schools. Is it a better education or just a way of buying better results and introducing children into a class of people who can open doors for them. However I recognise that with their funding the education can be better than an underfunded school in a crumbling building with a high percentage of social problems. Perhaps the simple solution of making them pay VAT is too simple. Perhaps they could avoid VAT if they offered a certain percentage of scholarships to under privedged students, and also opening up their facilities to the public for a certain number of hours. After all if they are basically avoiding tax they should provide something in return?

University entrance qualifications need looking at too – we have evidence in this government of the frailty of an Oxbridge degree in terms of competence. Again I am well aware that some of our Ministers, CEO’s and MP’s have come up via comprehensives, etc. but too many seem to be there due to bought for advantage not based on merit or ability.

One million children do not have a bed of their own.- this is the class war which the rich wage on our children. Oh for a meritocracy! I taught in a rural comprehensive and to be honest I believe my children, who went to the same school, benefited from the mix of people (not so keen when my daughter made friends for a while with some scallywags! ).

Can the governmentstop pedalling lies – please? Opening up the oil field will not increase our energy security – most oil will be exported and have little impact on our domestic supply. Further evidence that profit before planet is the mantra of our government.

CEO wage rose from £15000 in 2014 to £750000 with a new appointment. 43 people at HS2 earn more than £150000 and another 73 at Netweok Rail earn the same. Private rail companies pay similar high wages. What do they all actually do for these high wages? Apart from holding down the wages of those actuallybdriving the trains? I am sure they all claim expenses too! Are similar wages paid to those who oversee the rail network?

The Daily Mail is claiming that Labour will declare a class war on day 1 of a Labour Government. They are refering mainly to the decision to remove VAT exemption from Private Schools, but if they declare war on public officials earning gross amouts of money – so be it. Doctors are told that they should not strike as they are paid well, I wonder if there were a comparison between doctors and the public servants which would require 5the greatest skills, create most stress, need greatest commitment. It is rare to hear of a doctor quitting to take a better paid job (although many also work privately, the public servants seem to swap jobs at the smell of a pay rise.

I must state that I am not against high pay per se, I am sure there are many entrepreneurs who have invested massively with time and money and provide thousands of jobs for others. In a functioning private sector (and I believe much does not function efficiently- laters), A firm paying large wages will soon be undercut by more efficient and cheaper companies. I am sure Dyson can justify his wage (whatever it is!) with the number of jobs he has created and the efficiency of his product (my Dyson vacuum did not last long though!). I am happy to pay someone with skills, or time I do not have. I am thinking here of my pension fund. The charge for managing it is not large, and if the manager can efficiently manage a large number of funds they can make a large amount – if they over charge then clients will move funds elsewhere. That is how capitalism should work in my view!

Laters – Capitalism in this country and much of the west, has become corrupted by large corporations. In America they were aware of this in 1911 when they broke up Standard Oil (which was the biggest company in the world – and then I believe became the 34 biggest companies!). It was recognised then that that the concentration of wealth was counter productive to society (actually I doubt this was the reason – but it would be nice if it was!)

Globalisation brought short term gains to western countries – at the expense of poorer countries. The wealth of many individuals is beyond obscene! If ever there was a case for nationalisation it is Musk’s empire – however good Tessla is, and competitors are catching up, Twitter or X is not booming, – just nationalise it and give hime $10 million a year for life.

In this country we are dominated by the big US companies -and no longer have the combined power of the EU to take them on – but have some corporate issues we could sort out. Water companies where there is no competition should be taken back into public ownership – same with the railways (see above!). The Post Office is more problematic – like paying for bus services on unprofitable routes. Maybe there should be a tax on all postal delivery companies with the money open to bidders to do the deliveries? How long before the posting of letters becomes obsolete? I guess a while as apparently cash is making a come back.

Corporations bid for government contracts and then sub-contract, who then sub-contract. -Governments should not allow this – it is just easy money for the rich companies – make all comanies who win government contracts 100% liabe for their success/failure. Tax avoidance by registering in Luxemburg or Dublin should be stopped. I like Amazon as it is quick and efficient – but every purchase I make in this country should be subject to UK tax – surely that is not rocket science?

The Uk has a population of about 70 million – GDP is $3.371tn. My simple economics reckons that if this money can be circulated more equitably, then everyone ends up better off? I guess I ought to shut up and make apple crumble!