Hands up all those who haven’t yet realised we, as a country, are in the greatest financial mess we have experienced for decades. Hands up all those who haven’t been slightly rankled by politicians preaching we all need to pull together in our ‘Big Society’ and work longer hours for less money. Hands up all […]
Author: westerly21
Chancellor Suspends Fuel Tax Rise But…

The chancellor’s announcement, that he is suspending his planned 3p-per-litre fuel tax increase was a welcome U-turn along his road to austerity. Despite the reduced forecourt prices of the last few weeks, its implementation would still have had a huge impact on both businesses and individuals alike. Chancellor Osborne has stated publicly he has done […]
Is Cameron Trying To Benefit From Benefits?

I really didn’t want to like what prime minister David Cameron said yesterday about the need for benefit reforms but the more I read, the more I was surprised to find myself agreeing with some of his reasoning. Normally when a member of this government starts talking ‘benefits’, it is to paint a bleak picture […]
Politicians, Tax and the Moral Argument

According to Treasury Secretary, Danny Alexander, those who use tax avoidance measures to reduce their tax liabilities are the “moral equivalent of benefit cheats” He was speaking publicly after it was reported that comedian Jimmy Carr is saving himself masses of cash by using a tax avoidance scheme called K2. It works by transferring income […]
Another Massacre In Syria; Another ‘Discussion’ At The UN
Far from being subdued by the world’s condemnation of last week’s atrocity in Syria, the forces and militiamen loyal to President Assad have carried out another massacre in his name. Reports have been surfacing of an overnight attack on a village close to the town of Hama in which another 70 to 100 Syrian women […]
Queen’s Jubilee Is It A Celebration Of Being ‘Owned’?

While walking to work the other morning, I overheard a snippet of conversation between a mother and her two young children. The children, aged about 7, were expressing their concern over being late for school and the mother replied by saying: “the teacher doesn’t own you; I own you”. At first, I smiled to myself […]
Time For The UN To Remember Its Purpose In Syria

The appalling deaths of innocent children, and other civilians, in Syria last weekend has highlighted just how dis-united the United Nations has become. In a conflict that has been permitted to rumble along for the past year, whilst governments across the globe have been critical in public but apathetic in private, it should have been […]
Not Many New Friends Are ‘Liking’ Facebook

If something sounds too good to be true, then it normally is, which segues nicely to the sale of shares in social networking site Facebook exactly a week ago. The internet is a mystery to many of us but if there is one thing that has been proved since its inception, it’s that a fool […]
‘What You Call Austerity’ – I Call A Poisoned Patient!
The Prime Minister said last week: “What you call austerity, I might call efficiency” He was appearing in a carefully stage managed re-launch of his badly bruised coalition with his trusty Lib Dem deputy, Nick Clegg, at his side. For some reason, this ‘show’ was staged at a tractor factory in Essex. I wonder if […]
A Bloody Nose For The Bully At The Polls!
There are few things in life that generate as much pleasure as watching a bully being given a bloody nose. That’s how it felt last Friday as the final results came in from across the UK, following the local elections on Thursday. The ‘Tory knows best party’ which listens only to the views of their […]