Clapping - a Confession

A confession – I ‘clapped for Carers’ for a couple of weeks.  Wasn’t really that comfortable doing so – it’s not really a thing the English do but I did it.

Another confession – I don’t ‘clap for Carers’ anymore.

I feel better having got that off of my chest.  But I feel so much better knowing that no one can accuse me of clapping for the NHS because I won’t do that.

I won’t clap for NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Managers (starting salary more than £58K)

I won’t clap for NHS Climate Change Managers (starting salary more than £44K)

I won’t be clapping for NHS Procurement Managers (starting salary £38K)

I won’t be clapping for the owners of private care homes.

And I won’t be clapping for Sir Simon Stevens – NHS Chief Executive (salary £190K+) or the thousands of other  highly-paid NHS ‘executives’

Indeed, I won’t be clapping for any of these people who have failed us.

And that’s what they have done.  They have failed us. 

They have failed to have sufficient PPE supplies for hospitals and care homes.  Be clear – the failures are those of the NHS ‘management’ and Care Home owners.  It is patently not the failure of the government. 

The NHS have wasted taxpayer money on virtue signaling jobs such as those above.  Think of a local NHS trust.  Now think what possible impact the Trust’s Climate Change Manager can have on the climate.  The Sun (the one in the sky not the newspaper) is the single most important determinant in the situation regarding our climate.  Not just most important but overwhelmingly dominant.  And yet, Trusts employ someone who will tell you to turn off the light when you leave a room or recycle your plastic water bottle!

The leadership of the NHS and Care Homes have feathered their own nests while neglecting their core responsibilities to their patients and their employees.

Ask yourself this – Are you aware of any, I repeat any, NHS Procurement or Supply Chain Manager – you remember, those whose job it is to ensure that the NHS is supplied with what it needs to do its job – anyone who has resigned at his or her failure?   The lure of those above national average salaries (plus of course, cosseted benefits) far outweighs integrity and basic decency on the scales of life, for these people.

Imagine for a moment, what would have happened if the Government had not stepped in?  Does anyone seriously believe that the NHS Executive would have been able to organize the Nightingale Hospitals?  Anyone? 

Some of the actions taken by the Government have maybe later found to be unnecessary – Nightingales being a case in point – but they were, and remain, a necessary contingency.  These though were built by the organizational skills of the British military. Mostly the British Army.  Not the army of Supply Chain and Procurement Managers and so called ‘professionals’ but the real Army.  They just did what they always do – they got on with it.  Give them a problem and they’ll fix it.  Give the same problem to the NHS and they advertise for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Managers and Climate Change Managers so as to ensure that all aspects address the requirements of the ‘woke’ commentariat.

And while your ire might be directed against this army of bureaucrats, please don’t lose sight of their ‘leaders’.  The Tax Payers’ Alliance (@the_tpa) advised, in April 2020, that 242 NHS ‘executives’ were on 6 figure salaries.  Supposedly they get these ‘film star’ wages because they know what they’re doing.  Well, their stellar performance has led us to the situation where the Government had to intervene and assume responsibility to get things done because the NHS ‘executives' were simply not up to the job. 

Post-Covid19, there will be some kind of public inquiry – I now have the ability to predict the plaintive calls of the Labour Party for one – remarkable, I know - it’s a gift .  This inquiry must examine and name and shame the NHS ‘executives’ who so roundly failed us.  Heads must roll and a complete re-organization of the NHS must be undertaken.  Clearly it is not fit for purpose. Note:  When these heads roll – no Golden Goodbyes, please.

These NHS ‘executives’ and indeed, throughout the organization, support a group-think that – you have to have been in the NHS, in order to work for it.  This dangerous policy has borne fruit in the recent crisis with the so called leaders – you remember, those people that are constantly on the news, saying that the NHS is underfunded, those ones – unable to perform a basic task like getting PPE to front-line carers in hospitals and GP surgeries. 

And the private sector is no better.  I occasionally sleep so I must have missed the moment when responsibility for the provision of PPE shifted from private sector employers to the State.  I’ve never heard of a construction company, knocking on the door of No. 10 and asking for their hard hats or safety boots.

Of course, if you accept that it IS the responsibility of the State to provide for private businesses, then you can be sure that the BBC and other media will give you a platform from which to whine – after all, if it’s anti-Government, then the BBC  or Sky is your man (or woman).

I could go on in the same vein but enough for now.

I started off by saying who I won’t clap for but please don’t think I am some kind of ingrate who can’t recognize the huge contribution made by individuals up and down the country.  I am talking about;

Hospital doctors and nurses

Shop workers

GPs and their staff

Dustbin men and women

Postmen and women

Delivery drivers

Government Ministers

Volunteers who tirelessly just help.

I would have liked to include teachers but it seems that they, and their Left-dominated unions, have decided that while it’s safe enough for others to work, they can’t let the opportunity to thwart the Government pass them by and so they won’t return to work.

News update November 10

IAAF and Russia doping
Lord Sebastian Coe is either being excessively polite to the Russian athletics authorities or he is not yet entirely confident that he can persuade the organisation that he now leads, the IAAF, to do the right thing.

The World Anti-Doping Association - WADA - found widespread and state-sponsored support of a programme designed to thwart efforts to root out performance enhancing and other doping, from athletics.  The crystal clear recommendation is that Russia should be banned from international athletic meetings for a period of time.  Such time would include the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics.  Consider that there is none of the usual 'bureacratese' about the WADA report - nothing about 'appropriate disciplinary action' or 'measures should be taken'.  WADA are clear - a ban.

Come on Lord Coe!  Send the world of sport a very clear message that doping is unacceptable and will be punished.  This might be harsh on any 'clean' Russian athletes but that's just tough.  Russia needs to suffer for its sins and so that the world of athletics knows, that the IAAF has teeth.

Global Warming
I don't subscribe to the fad of changing a subject title simply because the facts stubbornly refuse to support it!  So I won't be discussing the faddish 'Climate Change'

The BBC and no doubt all of their fellow travellers in the environmental lobby are sounding the alarm bells because the temperature figures for 2015 through to the end of September are 1.02C above the average for the period 1850 to 1900.  They try to slide in a comment about 'confusion' relating to earlier periods but we have seen, time and time again, that the Global Warming scaremongers have consistently fudged and fixed the numbers to suit their pseudo-science.  Always, always remember, these folks have monetary and career based vested interests in pushing the warnings.

The latest data is a joint effort from the UK Meteorological Office and the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.  The latter were heavily discredited, and remain so in many people's opinions, by their highly questionable behaviour in the Climate Gate scandal.

The BBC do have the good grace to admit that the so called El Nino weather phenomenon is also a contributory factor in the temperature increase but don't say whether or not this was present during the earlier time period - so we don't know if the data sets are comparing apples with apples!  Nothing new for the Global Warming industry!  

Refugees
Prepare yourself for a shock!

Sitting comfortably?  Okay, I'll begin.

It seems that a leading member of Daesh/ISIS has been discovered among the so called Syrian 'refugees'.  I know, what a shock, almost floored me.  Then I remembered that sensible commentators - you know, those that point out that most of the 'refugees' are in fact young men of military age and these far outnumber the relatively few families - the commentators have consistently predicted that Daesh would use the situation to infiltrate battle-hardened terrorists into Europe.

Don't be surprised at this story, when or more accurately if, you hear about it but do consider how many we don't know about!  It would be naive in the extreme, to suppose that these murderous maniacs have only slipped one killer in among the 'refugees'.  Especially when the extremely foolish Merkel, threw open the German border, to them all.

Incidentally, it seems that the 'refugees' are very fast wearing out their welcome - or in many cases have already worn it out - in Sweden, Austria and Germany. If Twitter chatter is to be believed, these countries are seeing significantly increased instances of rape and child molestation as well has attacks on Christians.  And that is before Daesh get themselves properly situated!  

Yemen
Just thought I would mention it.  It seems to have fallen off of the news agenda in recent months but the few available reports suggest that this Saudi/Iran proxy war is particularly bloody and, as is so often the case, civilians are the largest victim group.

Don't hear too much wailing and gnashing of teeth from Obama's White House though.  One senses that this will run and run.

Israel
You likely won't hear too much about what is going on in Israel either.

Palestinians - remember those people that 'right-on' countries have been rushing to recognise as a state - are entering Israel and then seeking to stab and kill random innocent Israeli civilians.  Old lady on a bus - stab her - in the name of peace!  Group standing at a bus stop - drive a car into them and then jump out and stab them, just to make sure they die - for peace, of course.

You will though, hear the usual Leftist bleating if Israel reacts by sealing off Gaza and the West Bank.  I am kind of surprised that Netanyahu hasn't done this already!

More tomorrow....

America's opportunity

On Friday, many Americans received news that they had long wished for - Speaker John Boehner is to retire his position at the end of October.

This presents the Republicans in the House of Representatives with an opportunity to come outside of the Washington Bubble and elect someone who resonates with Republican voters.  Let's not forget, when considering the candidates, that the Tea Party is Republican.  Indeed, many who follow that group, consider that they are the true keepers of Republican ideals.

The early front-runner, Kevin McCarthy, from California seem to be very much the  'establishment' candidate.  A man who can be relied upon to not rock the boat, to not confront the Obama regime - to be a good ol' boy.  Boehner without the orange perma-tan.

It would be a grave mistake for Karl Rove and Reince Preibus to push and impose 'more of the same' on Republican supporters.  The grassroots, and that doesn't just mean, the Tea Party, need to be brought back into the fold.  The Republican leadership will ignore them at their, and America's peril.

Simply put, America (and, come to that the World) cannot take another 4 years of Democrat mis-management.  There is no time for the dubious luxury of RINOs.

The clear choice should be Rep.Trey Gowdy.  He has stirred the pot by pursuing Hillary Clinton over Benghazi.  He may yet be able to bring her to book for, what was at best a serious dereliction of duty and at worst complicity in the unnecessary death of Americans and then in the reprehensible cover-up  of the background to the events.   Having opposed Boehner's debt limit measures in the past, being fundamentally against Obamacare, which he wants to repeal, wanting to limit the interfering and anti-business regulations that emanate from the Climate Change fools that run the Environmental Protection Agency and strongly in favour of a balanced budget, Gowdy demonstrates all of the characteristics that are wanted by a leader of the Republicans.  He is 'sound', as they say in Britain, on all of the issues that really matter to Republicans and right-thinking Americans.

He does seem to lack the ability to tear-up and bawl at the drop of a hat but my thinking is that this is something America can live without.

The selection of Gowdy should also help to thin out the current crop of those seeking the nomination for Republican candidate for President.  It would send a clear message to America and particularly, the Democrat Party, that the Republicans mean business.  That the Republicans are going to focus on the key issues affecting America:

• The rampant and unaffordable spending of the Obama administration and proposed by the Democrat candidates.
• The swamping of America's cities by illegal aliens.
• The weakening of America's military
• The abandonment of America's traditional allies in favour of nations that seek the very destruction of America.
• The restoration of respect for the rule of law, including the Constitution, and the protection of those that serve and enforce the law.
• Ensuring that veterans, who have loyally served America, receive the medical treatment that they need.
• That terrorism and the evils of Islam are recognised as the truly single greatest threat to the very existence of the United States and not the pseudo-science and doctored-results backed Climate Change. 
• That the education of America's future generations must emphasise the importance of the Judeo-Christian values upon which America was founded.

Of course, Gowdy probably won't be elected.  McCarthy will get the role and will continue the obeisance to Obama and in doing so, will cause continued hardship for millions of Americans and will accelerate the decline of America.  This will also cause many Republicans to move ever further away from the Republican Party and to not vote for it in 2016 - why would any Republican vote for the likes of Bush or Rubio, when a true Republican like Ted Cruz is sidelined by the establishment?


 

Ukraine, Banking and a Pink Bus

I try to write a blog every week.  Usually I cover a single, topical subject but regular readers will know that I sometimes stray off of topic.  For regular readers I say thank you.  For me this is a way to scream at the world for the idiocies that we see around us.

This has been a strange week for news. 

We have Labour’s Pink Bus for women, the Ukraine cease-fire  and the HSBC Switzerland story.  I will try and bring these into a single narrative, please bear with me.

Running throughout the week, we have had the spectacle of the USA and the UK sitting on the sidelines, while Germany and their favourite European poodle-nation, France, negotiating with Russia and a ‘dragged to the table’ Ukraine in an effort to get a ceasefire in place.  The ceasefire would be between the Ukraine government and the separatist rebels.  You will note that these separatist rebels were not involved in these talks.  Don’t worry though, they were ably represented by Russia.  If nothing else, these talks and Russia’s seeming ability to make commitments on behalf of the rebels, lays bare the fact that these separatists are in fact fully dependent upon the Russians.  It is Russian arms and Russian artillery fired by Russian soldiers  that has made advances and forced the Ukraine government to the table.  That and the appeasers in the German dominated European Union. 

In case you have forgotten, Ukraine is, in large part, in its current state because they were led up the path by the EU.  They were sweet-talked, by the EU, into rejecting an agreement that would have pushed them towards Russia and then, when Russia flexed its muscles, the EU ran away.  They, and the US and UK then embarked upon imposing sanctions against Russia and certain Russians.  Commentators regularly tell us that these sanctions are really biting.  Coupled with the collapse in the price of oil and with it the Rouble, the Russian economy is suffering (unfortunately that then means its people as well!).

So, we have a situation where Russia has made a land grab (Crimea) and has been fomenting and arming secessionist activity in Eastern Ukraine, while at the same time, the essentially feeble sanctions are finally starting to affect Russia and what is the EU reaction?  Go to the negotiating table and concede territory and legitimacy to both the rebels and Russia’s land grab, cut the throats of the Ukrainians  and then congratulate themselves on a war averted!

And what of the USA?  Good old President Obama was in Washington and given the snowfalls hitting that part of America, he was unable to attend to other presidential  duties, such as golf, and managed to make some comment on the Ukraine.  His comments, strangely, had the potential to be helpful.  He was making noises about providing the Ukraine with a re-supply of arms.  Reverting to type though, nothing came of these fine words.  Maybe it is because America is broke and cannot afford to ‘fight the good fight’ or maybe it’s because it’s President Obama – make your own mind up!

And David Cameron?  He was in the difficult position of being in electioneering mode and having to fend-off accusations that the UK was becoming irrelevant on the world stage because the UK wasn’t at these talks.  Possibly, Cameron could see where this whole shabby exercise would end and the idea of being a party to the sell-out of Ukraine, was too much for him to stomach or possibly he was focused on home-front issues.

Home-front issues, for Cameron are now all about the General Election to be held in May. 

He received a boost from Harriet Harman, Labour’s equality obsessed, deputy leader (so obsessed that rumours abound that she planned to change her name to Harriet Harperson!).  I have to use the word 'harpy' to describe her because all other thoughts and words might breach this blog’s no offensive language rule.

Anyway, this harpy has hit on the wheeze of having a pink bus which will travel around the UK, visiting marginal seats and then opening discussions with women because she claims that Labour speaks to women’s needs and wants to listen to women and their problems.  In spite of all, I repeat, all polling data suggesting that men and women rate the economy, NHS, immigration and education as high priority issues for them and their families, Harriet is expecting to be chatting aboard the, immediately and appropriately named 'Barbie Bus’, about domestic abuse as the number one issue affecting women. 

Of course domestic abuse is awful but does Labour really believe that this is the key problem facing women today?   All women?

One of the first, all-women, conversations that took place was gate-crashed by, horror of horrors, a man.  He was politely indignant that his genital arrangements caused him to be not worthy of voicing an opinion or to be listened to. 

Not sure I understand this approach by Labour.  Will women flock to the Barbie Bus and abandon the key issues that they have previously told pollsters that influence them and talk about an issue which, at the end of the day, politicians can do little about – domestic abuse.  I mean that does anyone think that more laws, from Westminster, will solve this particular problem?  Yes it is awful but of national importance?  I am reminded of President Obama's and John Kerry's claim that the number one danger facing the USA is 'climate change'.  Not Al Qaeda, not Islamic State, not illegal immigrants, not Ebola, not a jobs-absent recovery - no, climate change!  And now this fool is posting selfies all over the internet!  Boy, when Americans go for tokenism and ignore Dr Marting Luther King's comments about judging people on their character and not the colour of their skin, you go all out!

How then will this sexism play with Labour’s male voters?  Will they feel excluded and desert in droves?  Will they head to UKIP or to the Conservatives?  Or will they maybe just stay at home?  We will see.

They say in politics that you need to be lucky,  Labour got lucky and managed to get the Barbie Bus behind themselves with the breaking of the HSBC story.  This bank has a branch office in Switzerland  and – cue shock! cue horror!  Some British people had accounts there.  Labour played a good game on this one, aided as always by the ignorant and biased BBC and other media.  Labour seem to contend that any Brit  with an account in Switzerland  only has one for nefarious purposes – as in, tax evasion.  It produces no proof that this is so, it just throws the mud and some sticks.  Millions in taxes are being dodged they claim.  Even if that were true, the amounts that are being spoken of, are but a drop in the ocean relative to the spending of the current government leave alone of any future Labour government (is there something smaller than a drop in the ocean?)

Labours problem with HSBC is that while they can bang on about it, they need to be careful.  Already there are rumblings and stones being uncovered about the careful inheritance tax planning carried out by the Miliband family, following the death of the father of Ed and David.  This communist died and left the family with property that would cause the boys tax problems - as in lots of it to pay.  So they arranged for something called a deed of variation, which, if I understand correctly, allowed their now dead father to change the will and gift them parts of the property such that taxes were much reduced.  All perfectly legal but as said before, hypocrisy is rankest at the higher levels of government!

I will be absent from the UK for much of the election campaign - but of course will be voting - so my comments and this blog will be filtered through time, distance and a biased media.  Caveat emptor!

Have a good week!

Conservative campaigning

Like some others reading this, I received an e-mail yesterday, from the Conservative Party.  They wanted me to take part in a quick survey seeking my views about what was important to me and my family and what was important to the country on a range of subjects.

I responded in what I think is a conservative way and am not shy to share them with others.

The issues facing me and my family - the level of taxes, government deficit and debt and opportunities for the next generation.  I could only choose three!

Those issues (don't you just hate that word - issues?  Sounds so Tony Benn and 1960/70s socialism ) that are most important to the country tax levels, deficit and debt and the EU.

Who would I prefer as Prime Minister?  The choice is Ed Miliband or David Cameron - so no real choice, then. 

Then, I submitted the survey and received a thank you and an appeal for a donation.

The latter made me think of why I don't donate to the Conservative Party and then to wonder why I was asked these questions.

Firstly, the poll results are rarely published - and I think that there is a reason for that.  I believe that those people that bother to respond - the 'saddos' like myself - will do so along the lines I have answered.  That is, following and supporting 'traditional' Conservative values. 

One of the choices offered was 'the environment and  climate change.'  Do I care about these?  Of course I do but do I put these above the needs of my family or my country?  No!  Do I agree that the British people should be impoverished  on some less than half-baked policy that says Canute-like,  that Britain can single-handedly reduce so called green-house gas emissions in any meaningful way?  No!  Especially when we seek to do so while importing ever higher levels of mass produced Chinese goods that are made in an increasingly carbon-energy based environment!   

PS Note how it is now called 'climate change' and no longer 'man-made global warming'!  Initially I thought that this was a good sign - that science was returning to a fact-based approach to climate and, recognizing that there has been no appreciable actual warming, in recent years and that they had been hood-winked by a bunch of watermelons (green on the outside, red on the inside - read James Delingpole's book of the same name - highly entertaining and informative!) but no, the charlatans that eschew scientific practice and doctor test results and data to fit a pre-conceived premise still hold sway.  'They' have just realized that even 'they' can't get away with fooling all of the people, all of the time.  So don't change the fundamental lie, just change some of the words!

Anyway, green rage rant over.

So, I suspect that the actual purpose of the survey was to rekindle my conservative views and then seek to get me to make a donation to the Conservative Party, on the basis that this party supports the views that I have just endorsed.

That might work, if, for one minute, I actually believed that the Conservative Party did support  and share my views on low taxes or deficit and debt reduction.  But they don't.  As evidence, I offer the last 4 years.  Neither taxes nor the deficit are appreciably reduced from the levels left by the outgoing Labour party, in 2010.  Directionally, Britain is still left-leaning.

The leftist approach to politics is to push the socialist agenda, ever leftwards.  They do this by taking a great stride in that direction.  If there is concerted opposition to the extent of the leftward thrust, then they move back a little but the net position is that the policy/country has moved to the left - they step a yard to the left and retreat six inches, if you like. 

The UK Conservatives, since before the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, have been afraid to do likewise in a right-ward direction.  Since they are effectively 'professional' politicians, and the same applies, maybe even more so, to the other parties, there whole raison d'etre is about getting elected and re-elected.  So the question isn't that personal taxes are too high, the argument rages around the top rate, which actually doesn't affect too many people (and of, course doesn't raise that much income!).  The whole premise of the discussion is not about the iniquity of taxes (or theft/confiscation by the state, to give it its right name) and how they should be minimized but rather about a small and inconsequential sub-sub-part of taxation.  One, incidentally on which you might see some Conservatives wavering, on the grounds that someone earning £1M  a year can better afford to suffer higher taxes for the common good!

The Conservatives need to offer a radical platform based on traditional Conservative values.  This would require stepping a yard or two to the right - moving the ground on which the arguments are held, to the right. 

Consider Britain in 1979.  The country was very close to collapse and to the anarchy that would have followed a left-wing victory in the election.  However, Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives were elected and set about re-taking power from the union-bosses that had brought the country to the brink.  These Conservatives didn't do so in some kind of cosy and conciliatory way.  They large-stepped to the right and said this is they way the problem with unions will be addressed.  How effective was this?  Well along with the failed Miner's strike of 1984/5 the whole landscape changed.  Unions in Britain are now largely confined to the remaining state bastions - the civil service, local government and the NHS and barely present in private industry.  It is also interesting to note that having loosened the grip of the leftist unions, there has since been no mandate to undo the reforms that  the first Thatcher government brought in, nor the enhancements that they enacted, subsequently.
So in this field, at least, the leftward direction of the union agenda was halted and then moved to the right and has remained there. 

The same needs to happen in other areas but I don't get the sense that the current crop of Conservatives are the ones to do it.  It is almost that we need to experience some of the economic convulsions that have affected Greece and Italy before we can expect to see a mainstream party offering Conservative solutions.

It is quite depressing that we  might need to see riots on the streets and very high unemployment and real and deep austerity being imposed (from outside!), before we can get a Conservative view put forward - one that says, we are going to take not one but two or more steps to the right and restore the UK.  We will take back sovereignty from the EU, we will scrap green taxes that are asinine and dis-proportionately punish poorer people, we will create a wealth-generating economy that allows the individual to keep a far higher portion of what they earn and so on.   You can read more here  http://bit.ly/1lFufJL and here http://bit.ly/MCuYMt


Donate to the Conservative Party?  I think not.  To them I am just a 'swivel-eyed loony'.  They will get my vote but only because the alternatives are even more ghastly but they won't get my money!


By the way.  Read the bit about Margaret Thatcher and what the Conservatives did, again.  

These Conservatives didn't do so in some kind of cosy and conciliatory way.  They large-stepped to the right and said this is they way the problem with unions will be addressed.

See how much better it is when an 'issue' is honestly called what it is? 
 

Anti Growth Agenda

 Think back a short while, to the latest UK Budget and the weeks leading up to it.

The one thing on which all seemed to agree was the need for the budget to promote growth so as to assist in reducing the levels of unemployment and getting the UK economy off of the sick-bed.  A by-product of growth, would be the ability to reduce the UK's very high borrowing needs.

Now take a look at this video, courtesy of The Commentator blog. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NL3KNFOJ3Y

It is scary that these people are funded by UK Taxpayers (that's you and me!) and to promote a policy that is, with its anti-growth slant, in direct contradiction to the stated aims of the UK Government.  This anti-growth stance seeks to shrink the UK economy and that of the rest of the world, particularly those less developed countries.

Very worryingly, we see Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in the Coalition government spouting off and supporting the anti-growth agenda and the discredited climate change theocracy.

• What happened to 'joined-up' government?  
• Which is the Coalition's policy - Pro-Growth or Anti-Growth?  
• Climate realist or trying to put the wheels back on the broken down and dis-credited and dishonest  'man made climate change' bandwagon?

Postscript:
For those not familiar with Caroline Spelman, it was she who in 2009, during the expenses issue  it was reported that Spelman had received £40,000 for cleaning and bills for her constituency home; this was despite her husband claiming it was their main home. In 2008 she reportedly over-claimed hundreds of pounds towards her council tax.

On 6 June 2008, Spelman was the subject of controversy when it was suggested that for around twelve months from May 1997 she paid her child's nanny, Tina Haynes, from her parliamentary staffing allowance, contrary to the rule governing such allowances and fears of the misuse of them. Spelman claims that her nanny also acted as her constituency secretary and was paid from the public taxpayers' purse for this aspect of her further employment. Haynes confirms that occasionally she would answer phone calls and post documents but initially she denied such happenings when interviewed on BBC Two's  Newsnight via telephone. The accusations came at a time when Conservative Party leader David Cameron had tasked Spelman with reviewing the use of parliamentary allowances by Conservative MPs and MEPs in the wake of the Derek Conway affair.   The allegation against Spelman came shortly after two Conservative MEPs, Giles Chichester (Leader of the Conservatives in the EU Parliament) and Den Dover (Conservative Chief Whip in the EU Parliament), were forced to resign amid claims they misused their parliamentary allowances. However, Spelman was not urged to resign by party leader, David Cameron. She referred the matter pertaining to herself, her nanny and parliamentary funds toJohn Lyon the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
New revelations were exposed on the BBC's Newsnight programme that nine years previously Mrs Spelman's secretary, Sally Hammond, complained to the Conservative Party leadership that she was using Parliamentary allowances to pay her nanny and that the arrangement with the nanny was over a two year period and not one.

In March 2009, the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee ruled Mrs Spelman had misused her allowances to pay for nannying work in 1997 and 1998.

The state we're in! - Fuel, Pasties and Grannies

Where to start?

• Granny Tax?
• Fuel?
• Pasties?
• The Economy?

How about Fuel?  There is a potential strike by tanker drivers - why? - It is hard to find out the cause.  BBC Newsnight interviewed a driver who spoke of not being able to spend much time with his family, except at weekends (not sure how that differs for most of us!) and then there was some muttering about health and safety and training.  The latter seems to be the key, as far as I can ascertain.  The issue seems to be that transport companies are outsourcing deliveries and the claim is that these drivers are less well trained.  My guess is that they are also likely to not be members of the Labour-party supporting Unite union but it would be mischievous to suggest that this has any connection!

Don't mis-understand me.  I think that the government has very ineptly handled the whole issue.  The advice from Francis Maude, about storing fuel at home, was plain silly and potentially dangerous and it's retraction was to tardy.  The comments about topping-up were ill-judged and clearly unnecessary.

However, look to yourself and your neighbors - how many of us rushed sheep (or is it lemming) like to put fuel into a car?  Queuing to do so and using more fuel in the process.  I would suggest that when hysteria breaks out - all are culpable.

The incident with the woman who decanted a fuel can, inside a house, where naked flames were present, is horrific but what would we be saying, about the incident, if there had been no suggestion from the government?  I wonder if we might be questioning the common sense of the woman?  


Granny Tax?  Unless I am mistaken, the proposal is to not index-link  tax free allowances for OAPs.  Hardly a tax!  This will over time, put pensioner earnings on a par with those of everyone else, as regards taxation.  Exactly what is wrong with that?  If the Tories were really anti-OAP, they would have means-tested benefits like free bus passes and the winter-fuel allowance - it can't be right that wealthy pensioners receive these universal benefits, when they clearly don't need them!

Pasties?  Give me strength!  All this talk about ambient temperature is plain rubbish.  Tax them, level the playing field for other hot food providers and move on!

Reminder - The UK has troops on active service in Afghanistan and we have recently lost personnel to terrorist activity.  This is a newsworthy story - not fuel, pasties or grannies!  You won't see Ed Miliband and his  Labour fools having photo-ops at Brize Norton!  They are too busy scoring silly and cheap political points at Greggs!

Everything else - We still have a sick economy and growth is fragile.  I personally think that the change in Corporation Tax will have better than predicted medium to long term benefits.  The accelerated increase in personal tax allowances is very welcome and should provide some impetus (kudos to the Lib-Dems!).

My view is that the economy and its recovery should be the absolute key focus of the government.  For those government departments not in the front line (other than Treasury) then the focus must be on getting out of the way of economic growth.

• Cut Red Tape - all departments to review legislation, such as HS&E and all legislation to be costed.  Do this within a given (short) time frame - 3 months - it's that urgent!  Then repeal all that which has no net positive benefit and implement as a single, very short act of Parliament, within 12 months.
• Close Quangos (a real bonfire not a flash in the pan).  I have a list of suggestions!
• Abandon the foolish Climate Change policies which are hurting the UK consumer for no real environmental benefit (I would suggest that the contrary is true, including the very real damage to the physical environment)   
• End the Minimum Wage legislation requirements for employees under the age of 21 and then apply a sliding scale, up towards the current level, for those aged 21 to 25.  
• Escalate the repatriation of our armed services personnel from Afghanistan - complete by the end of the year.
• Vigorously oppose all additional spending by the EU Commission and scrutinize existing spend.
• Don't get distracted with un-required legislation for homosexual 'marriage' or with so called reform of the House of Lords.  These are 'navel gazing' exercises which will add nought to the economic recovery nor to making the UK a better society. 
• Do proceed with implementation of the Welfare and Health reforms.

Reminder again     We still have troops on active service and our economy is very sick.  These MUST be our priorities.