For a change I watched a bit of Newsnight this evening, where it appears that Labour is redundant because they just drag out two Tories with opposing views to discuss a Lib Dem idea. I’m equivocal about this ‘mansion tax’. There are good things about it and bad thing. I think that taxing property or [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Politics'
The Geek Manifesto
February 28th, 2012 · 2 Comments · Life, Politics
Over the weekend I finished reading an advance copy of The Geek Manifesto by Mark Henderson that Amazon sent me. The book is to be published in May and more information about it can be found at www.geekmanifesto.co.uk Amazon don’t really encourage lengthy reviews, so what I wrote only scratches at the surface of what [...]
Scotland for the Scottish?
January 26th, 2012 · 2 Comments · Politics
I popped home at lunchtime today, put the news on TV and saw Salmond doing his speech live. I realised that I don’t really have an opinion on Scottish independence. I don’t know if it would be a good thing for Scotland or if it would be a good thing for the rest of the [...]
Tags: Scotland
The Hawth: under new management
January 5th, 2012 · 2 Comments · Politics
There is something just a little bit worrying about the way the deal for outsourcing the management of the Hawth theatre has been rushed through. I know that not everybody shares the objections in principle (the principle being that any savings will end up coming at the expense of staff and by ramping up prices) [...]
Tags: Hawth
Tax loophole closes, but not one of the big holes
November 9th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics
Typical isn’t it? The government finally get round to closing a tax loophole, like we all want, but it turns out to be the one tax loophole that most of us have probably used – the low value consignment relief that means CD, DVDs and other things ordered from Amazon, Play and other online traders [...]
Tags: Taxation
Time flies at the Crawley Observer
October 26th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Life, Politics
Breakfast was made much more amusing today courtesy of the Crawley Observer and what the youth of today would no doubt call an epic fail. In such a busy environment as the Obby offices maybe it does only feel like a few months since May 2010…
Tags: Doh!·Local Papers
The Eurovote
October 24th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics
What a good evening it has been this evening. In the early evening Jayne and I watched Cop Out on DVD (v. amusing. Both enjoyed it, and it only cost three quid) then I listened to the end of the West Ham game on Radio Five Live Extra (One-nil to the Hammers) and rounded it [...]
Is this the big society?
October 15th, 2011 · 7 Comments · Politics
When Cameron and Maude started going on about the big society the closest we could get to working out what they meant was that some functions of the public sector would be done by ordinary citizens and/or charities. We presumed it meant things like parents running the after-school club at the local primary. It turns [...]
Council house building in Sussex
October 14th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics
A little plug for an event that may interest some people. The Crawley Independent Tenants Association is hosting a public meeting as part of the campaign for new council house building. This meeting is in Friary Hall, Crawley (by the bus station) on October 19th at 7:30pm. The invited speakers are Norman Baker MP, John [...]
Tags: Housing
Won’t somebody please think of the children?
October 12th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics
David Cameron’s latest big idea is truly inspiring. Well I’m inspired anyway. He has been persuaded by some religious charity that ISPs should make subscribers opt-in to being able to view sexually explicit websites.
Tags: Religion
