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January 31, 2010

The cost of politics rises to £650m under Labour

The Sunday Times highlights some key findings from Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, an expert on political finance and senior research fellow in politics at Brunel University:

  • "Payments to politicians and advisers now cost taxpayers nearly £650m a year and have been rising faster than inflation."
    "MPs’ expenses rose to £109m in the year to April 2009, an increase of 5.7%."
  • "Only the House of Lords showed restraint. Expenses and administration costs received by the 706 peers entitled to claim fell 14% to £104m last year."
  • "State funding of the regional assemblies rose by several times the rate of inflation last year. Parties at Stormont received £787,000 from the taxpayer last year, 17% more than in 2007-8. The Northern Ireland assembly now employs 485 staff — an increase of 100 in two years. At Holyrood “short money”, the term used to describe public money paid to opposition parties, increased 8% on the previous year to more than £521,000... Expense and administration spending by members of the Scottish parliament rose 8.7% to nearly £11m."

David Cameron has promised a 10% cut in the number of MPs and a 5% cut in ministers' pay.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 08:33 AM in Waste, waste and waste | | Comments (6)

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January 30, 2010

Brown accused of violence against staff in damaging new revelations

Mail_31jan You thought flying Nokias were bad?

This appears in tomorrow's Mail on Sunday:

"Sensational claims that Gordon Brown has physically attacked his staff in a series of outbursts in Downing Street - and once in America - have rocked the Government. Well-placed sources say the Prime Minister has been accused of hitting a senior adviser, pulling a secretary out of her chair and hurling foul-mouthed abuse at aides while distraught over an alleged snub by President Barack Obama. The claims, which are fiercely denied by Mr Brown's allies, are linked to a new book about Mr Brown by respected political journalist Andrew Rawnsley."

More here.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 11:36 PM in Gordon Brown | | Comments (47)

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January 29, 2010

An attempt is made to bury the very bad news that is a surge in NHS waiting times

Iain Dale has spotted an attempt to bury bad news on the day that the media is focusing on Tony Blair's evidence session at the Chilcot Inquiry.

The Government has this morning quietly released the latest NHS waiting time statistics for England which read as follows:

The number of inpatients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 13 weeks at the end of December 2009 was 57,600, an increase of 12,300 (27.3%) from November 2009, and a rise of 18,000 (45.3%) from December 2008.

The number of outpatients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 8 weeks at the end of December 2009 was 74,100, an increase of 11,700 (18.8%) from November 2009, but a rise of 26,900 (57.0%) from December 2008.

The wheels continue to fall off the Labour wagon...

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 11:19 AM in Labour failure | | Comments (51)

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Labour's headline-grabbing eco-homes tax incentive has benefitted just 24 people

One of the proposals in Gordon Brown's final Budget was to scrap stamp duty on any new property up to the value of £500,000 which is given a zero carbon rating.

Yet as today's Independent reports...

"Just 24 homebuyers have taken advantage of a high-profile scheme devised by Gordon Brown to encourage the construction of environmentally-friendly houses across the country... Mr Brown set aside £15m for the tax relief, which he hoped would “accelerate” the building of carbon-neutral homes as a key weapon in the fight against global warming."

So less than one person a month has benefitted from the scheme since October 2007 -  so few, it turns out, that details of the individual sums involved will not be disclosed by the Government lest it lead to the identification of individual properties.

Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps, who uncovered the information, has condemned the scheme as a "shocking failure":

“Gordon Brown just can’t seem to stop himself from announcing grand schemes designed to do little other than grab that day’s headline. Rather than Ministers putting all their efforts into announcing glitzy pledges in order to grab a few column inches, it would be better for them to sit down and seriously work out ways to slash the 27 per cent of carbon emissions that emanate from Britain’s homes.”

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 07:29 AM in Labour failure | | Comments (20)

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January 28, 2010

Where did all the stimulus go?

John Redwood suggested on his must-read blog yesterday afternoon that the Government should be asking itself that question: 

"Since 2005 the government has doubled central government borrowing (on its own understated figures ) from £469 billion to £922 billion – an injection of £452 billion.

"Since 2004-5 money supply (M4) has surged from £1,212 billion (£1.2tn) to £2,100bn (£2.1 tn) – it has also almost doubled. Notes and coin have gone up from £42 billion to £55 billion.

"And what has happened to real output? It is almost the same in Q4 2009 as it was in Q3 2005! No growth at all for 5 years."

Read the rest of his post here.

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 07:35 AM in Labour failure | | Comments (9)

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January 27, 2010

The Liberal Democrat MP with the smallest majority admits that she doesn't have a mind of her own

Picture 9 Sandra Gidley is the Lib Dem MP for Romsey and has a majority of a mere 125 votes. At the general election she will be challenged for the second election in a row by Caroline Nokes for the Conservatives, who is now extremely well placed to gain the seat.

And the incumbent MP certainly has a strange way of going about trying to retain the confidence of her electorate. Today there are two Opposition Day debates in the Commons on Conservative motions calling for the quality of life of those with dementia to be improved and for simpler, more reliable access to out-of-hours services and urgent care in the NHS.

I imagine the good burghers of Romsey would have expected their MP to take a view on these matters. Alas she does not. As her Twitter feed (reproduced below) records, Lib Dem MPs have been instructed to abstain on both motions - although Mrs Gidley says that she "hates not taking a view".

It would appear, therefore, that she does not have a mind of her own and is admitting that she will only do as she is told by her party whips. Not very clever when fewer than 100 of your voters can switch sides and send you packing come the election...

Picture 8

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 05:54 PM in Liberal Democrats | | Comments (19)

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Labour failed in its mission to narrow the gap between rich and poor as inequality hits a 60-year high

The National Equality Panel - appointed by the Labour Government - has today given a devastating critique of its record on inequality, As Chris Hope in the Daily Telegraph reports:

"The gulf between the richest and poorest in society is at its widest since the Second World War, an official report has found.

"The National Equality Panel, set up by ministers to investigate inequality, says there are “very large” differences in wealth between the classes. Britain is now one of the world’s most divided countries with children born into a wealthy family having far more advantages than those who are not.

"The report shows that, while gender and ethnic background are all factors in determining a child’s success, it is the social class into which they are born that is still most important. The report is an embarrassment for the Government as it shows how the gap between rich and poor has failed to narrow under Labour."

More here.

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 07:22 AM in Labour failure, Labour hypocrisy | | Comments (19)

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January 25, 2010

"The Tory party's intellectuals are clambering on the "global warming isn't caused by mankind" bandwagon with as much enthusiasm as they used to oppose the Maastricht treaty or speak up for apartheid South Africa."

That reprehensible sentence is unworthy of Jackie Ashley but she writes it in today's Guardian.

"Dear Ms Ashley,

Five things:

1. I am open to the possibility that the climate is changing and it is man-made.

2. We should improve energy efficiency and diversify energy supplies but I do not believe that we should turn the UK economy upside down in order to reduce our carbon footprint when I think it highly likely that small changes made here will be overwhelmed by what happens in India, for example (where 30% of people have no electricity), and China.

3. If we want to improve the welfare of the world's poorest we are better focusing on giving them clean water; fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS; and, in particular, lifting trade barriers.

4. A richer world is much more likely to cope with extreme weather events than one shackled by immature energy technologies.

5. I have never supported apartheid and resent what you wrote this morning. Perhaps the nasty nature of your attack suggests you may be worried about losing the intellectual argument?

Tim Montgomerie"

Posted at 07:57 AM | | Comments (68)

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"The Tory party's intellectuals are clambering on the "global warming isn't caused by mankind" bandwagon with as much enthusiasm as they used to oppose the Maastricht treaty or speak up for apartheid South Africa."

That reprehensible sentence is unworthy of Jackie Ashley but she writes it in today's Guardian.

"Dear Ms Ashley,

Five things:

1. I am open to the possibility that the climate is changing and it is man-made.

2. We should improve energy efficiency and diversify energy supplies but I do not believe that we should turn the UK economy upside down in order to reduce our carbon footprint when I think it highly likely that small changes made here will be overwhelmed by what happens in India, for example (where 30% of people have no electricity), and China.

3. If we want to improve the welfare of the world's poorest we are better focusing on giving them clean water; fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS; and, in particular, lifting trade barriers.

4. A richer world is much more likely to cope with extreme weather events.

5. I have never supported apartheid and resent what you wrote this morning.

Tim Montgomerie"

Posted at 07:53 AM in Nasty stuff | | Comments (0)

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January 24, 2010

"Avowed atheist David Miliband sends son to Church of England school"

David Miliband Today's Mail on Sunday notes that "avowed atheist" Foreign Secretary David Miliband has shunned a primary school just 80 yards from his front door in order to send his son to a Church of England school two miles away:

"Mr Miliband’s wife, Louise, started attending a church attached to the school two years before their five-year-old son gained his place. The school is nearly two miles from the couple’s home, but its grades and Ofsted reports are only marginally better than a primary school just 80 yards from their front door.

"The Milibands’ adopted son won a place at the school despite his father’s public assertion that he does not believe in God. It is understood that Mrs Miliband was brought up a Lutheran in the United States. However, the couple are following a growing trend among the middle classes to choose faith schools over other local primaries."

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 08:22 AM in Labour hypocrisy | | Comments (60)

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