Everything you ever wanted to know about British politics but were afraid to ask...

[Cyclefrance]

The extent of Labour's tax grabs was highlighted yesterday when it was revealed that every household had seen its tax burden increase by 45% since Labour came to power. The figure equates to an annual increase from around £14,000 per household in 1997 to something over £20,000 now.

Income Tax receipts had risen by £8 billion in one year to £131 billion in year 2005-2006.

Based on current legislation, some of which takes effect in coming years, predictions are that the tax burden per houshold will increase by another £2,500 per year by 2010.

I'm waiting for one of em' to just get loaded and say "ta' heck with it, we want it all... you people don't really neeed any of yer' money...".

[Cyclefrance]

Just an idea...

Sometimes the political cartoonists explain the issues in a single image far better than words ever could - so now and then I'll pop in a suitable and worthy example.

Here's one for starters


.

[Cyclefrance]

'Tough on crime - tough on the causes of crime!' - so goes the government mantra.

So today we had the embrassment of a 69 year old woman jailed for 3 months for refusing to pay her Council Tax (local government charge for local services), teh refusal being brought about by the fact that the street where she lives has transformed into a breeding ground for crime and drugs.

The woman had previously been commended by the Home Office for the work she had done to help tackle these problems in her locality.

No chance of a reduced sentence either because local government convictions don't qualify for such treatment.

Probably a good thing for the government that a mysterious benfactor paid her tax bill later today. Apparently if a third party offers to pay up the council just has to accept their payment...

[Cyclefrance]

Must have pressed the wrong button on the old calculator...

Seems that the Home Office has underestimated the number of leagl migrant workers coming to England 30-fold.

Much loved local borough of Slough (it's a town near Heathrow Airport) was shown by government figures to have recd 300 migrant workers in 2004 - but some 9000 new national insurance numbers have been issued there over the past 18 months, of which only 150 went to British nationals.

That certainly helps with planning of resources....

Cyclefrance, I am oddly cheered by your postings of the UK's political mishaps. I mean, you guys are our ancestors or cousins or something. The current mess in the US is not the American People's fault! Its sort of an inherited disorder or whatever. We're all just one huge dysfunctional family. Best wishes from across the pond!

[Cyclefrance]

Over a month has gone by, wow! - still, I have been busy with the Somme cycling and website. And I was sort of hoping that political life in the UK might have improved - fat chance! Anyway, you deserved a break from all the negative vibes material for a while - but now that's all over!

Hot off the press (leaving aside our strong stand (I don't think) on the Israel/Lebanon situation at the moment...!) - we're gonna have another 150,000 East European immigrants arriving next year. Government's finally woken up (or at least admitted) that instead of being the economic work-force that creates wealth for Britain, they are more likely going to add to the increasing burden on our services - social benefits, free-health, subsidised housing and education.

Guess I'd better prepare for another tax increase then, along with the rest of the decreasing horde of Brits that actually work and support themselves, and constitute the only true source of tax revenue that pays for all this...

[tw]

So how many times is Tony Blair going to the White House to support George Jr - and come back empty handed. When does he learn the concept of 'give and take'?

[glatt]

Originally Posted by tw

So how many times is Tony Blair going to the White House to support George Jr - and come back empty handed. When does he learn the concept of 'give and take'?

Oh, he's taking it alright.

[Cyclefrance]

Originally Posted by tw

So how many times is Tony Blair going to the White House to support George Jr - and come back empty handed. When does he learn the concept of 'give and take'?

I used to think that Tony's main agenda was to secure a 4 year EU presidency, and that his 'relationship' with GWB was a part of his game-plan to show that he was the best person equipped to deal with the US super-power.

Now I'm not so sure about that and think it more a case of wanting George to like him, and also believing that provided he achieves this then a softly softly approach will be the way to gain concessions from him.

It's strange because he shows himself to be stubborn and intransigent when he gets his teeth into anything over here. At the end of the day a lot of this is down to his inability to see deep into the consequences of his idea solutions. Too many of his grand-scale initiatives have failed to deliver yet still he goes on repeating the same mistakes. He has no real depth and that's the real problem.

[Cyclefrance]

It's more or less a case of 'crisis, what crisis?' so far as the Israel/Lebanon situation is concerned. Loads of rhetoric and promised of urgency when everyone knows that a solution is about as close as Christmas 2007 - at the earliest.

Blair proclaims he expects an immediate ceasefire within the next few days to be forthcoming via a UN resolution and then like GWB, proceeds with the more urgent business of packing his holiday suitcase and leaving our wonderful country in the clumsy hands of John Prescott.

Still, Blair assures us that he will be in close touch by phone. Wonderful.

If ever anything stinks of a behind the scenes agreement to let the Israelis get on with it unabated then this does. I am sure that's the way the Israelis must read it. And if they read it that way it's for sure that the Arab countries do also.

If anything makes you want to scream this does. Such pitiful inaction will surely come home to haunt - probably sooner than later.

And these people were voted in to protect our country and global interests - those that put their cross in the appropriate place to cause this must be feeling pretty embarassed by now. The sooner we get the opportunity to kick this lot out the better. I'm ashamed to be British.

[Cyclefrance]

Sums up Blair's interests:

[Cyclefrance]

Blair is finally buckling under the pressure - there are news reports today that he is delaying the start of his holiday by at least 3 days in order to progress a UN resolution for a cease-fire, coupled with a second for an international force that France leads.

Doesn't sound like the sort of thing that can be accomplished within a few days - so we will have to wait and see how this one progresses in the short-term timescale being advocated

[Cyclefrance]

So Tone's on his way to the Caribbean for his hols (well, almost - he's still trying to revise the UN resolution that didn't work), having done his bit to cobble together a UN resolution that satisfied the French and USA but not those that really mattered.

John Prescott has been left in charge with strict instructions not to meddle with the Middle East situation while TB's away - one has to ask on this occasion, could he do any worse...?

Meanwhile, Tony still insists that the UN resolution route is the way ahead to solve the present crisis - this in spite of the fact that there are countless preceding UN resolutions that have been ignored across the years...., so why should the next one make any difference?

[Cyclefrance]

Immigration is still out of control and now we are warned that with the growing number of immigrants, the increased demand for services (benefits) to which they are entitled will cause local taxes (council tax) to rise for those that work and pay their tax bills.

That should help promote good race relations...