30/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Gordon Brown - The Taxman Cometh
Our Prime Minister is truly a master of squeezing every penny he possibly can from anybody who has the temerity to be productive.  It never ceases to amaze me the new and devious ways he invents to get our cash.  All of our cash.  Not just the rich, not just the middle-classes, he taps each and every one of us, siphoning off huge portions of our hard-earned pounds.  It wouldn’t be so bad if he did something decent with it like actually improve our schools or hospitals.  But Labour’s idea of ‘improvement’ is to set up a body of overseers and introduce a stack of tick-box forms.  Even when he hands money to the non-productive section of society he dresses it up as a generous boon from the government.  Notice he never mentions that he has created a benefits trap.  Anybody unlucky enough to have fallen into it has little chance of ever escaping.  Another ‘client’ for the government’s ongoing social experiment.  It got me thinking.  He loves the inheritance tax because as far as Gordon is concerned you shouldn’t even be able to escape his icy grip in death.  He loves borrowing because that lets him tax people who haven’t even been born yet. 

That is our Prime Minister in a nutshell.  Tax the Womb.  Tax the Tomb.  It never ends.

Newton Here I Come!
If you’ve read any of my earlier blog entries you probably know that I am standing as the Conservative Candidate for the Roman Bank and Peckover Ward of Cambridgeshire’s County Council.  The ‘proper’ campaign starts at the end of April.  I’ve been out and about in the area since I was selected last year making sure people get to know me and I have a good understanding of the views and concerns of my neighbours in the ward.  Over the last two weeks I’ve been delivering my “In Touch” newsletter to the people of Leverington.  I’ve finished that now and this week my team and I will be in and around Newton delivering door-to-door there.  If you live in Newton and happen to see me, please do feel free to say “Hello!”  If you’ve got any views or comments, I welcome the communication!  I hope I didn’t miss anybody but if you live in Leverington and for some reason have not received your “In Touch” newsletter, please let me know and I’ll drop one in to you personally.

Posted in Labour Party, My Campaign, Cambs. County Council, Leverington, Newton | No Comments »

28/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Basic Rate Tax Increase
There are some rumours flying around that there may be a rise in the basic rate of tax coming as part of Gordon Brown’s forthcoming ‘Bribery Budget’.  The gist of it is that, in order to try and regain some of his lost popularity he might throw some tax cuts and other sweeties at the public to get them back onside.

My response that is “Good. That’s a fair thing to do.”  My question though is Could We Afford It Now? If Gordon hadn’t blown all this money on one silly scheme after another, maybe we could. In which case, I’d applaud the prime minister (which would feel really weird.)  Trouble is, we can’t afford it. So if he does it then its got to come from increased taxation elsewhere, borrowed money, or printed money, or cuts.

Now let’s be honest , it’s not going to come from cuts because Gordon is more scared of that word than the word “sorry.”  If it comes from increased taxation I guess it’ll be the rich who they try to get to pay. Good luck with that. There are a lot of highly paid accountants who might think otherwise.

If it comes from borrowed money then first you’ve got to raise it with gilts (not as easy as he thought, that) in which case its more money for our kids’ kids’ kids to pay. Well done Prime Minister. Your party want to rob from the grave AND the womb. Talk about taxing the candle at both ends.

Of course there’s always the printing press to fall back on. More false economy, devalue everyone’s money with your monopoly currency, then give it back and claim its a gift. Kinda like an evil version of Santa Claus who steals the children’s toys then repackages them and gives them back… broken.

I know I’ve made my dislike of the Prime Minister and the Labour Party clear in the past but each day I am amazed at the new levels of revulsion they make me feel.  The public won’t fall for Gordon’s gamble, even if the rumours do turn out to be true.  Will they? 

Posted in Labour Party, Credit Crunch | No Comments »

25/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

There She Blows
From some time the sceptics amongst us have believed that Gordon Brown’s economic experiment was shortly due to end in tears.  Many of the things I (and others) predicted months (or in some cases years) ago have come to pass.  Quantitative Easing (Money Printing), spiralling unemployment, plunging sterling and more.  The most significant predictation had notable failed to materialise though.  Until today.  The latest U.K. Gilt Auction failed spectacularly.  What does this mean?  It means that the government’s latest attempt to borrow a huge sum of money from lenders around the world met with a fairly clear and resounding: “No.”  This may have failed to make the headlines of our newspapers but make no mistake, it is a very important development.  It means that unless something dramatic changes, we will have to offer much more generous terms if our country wants to continue borrowing money.  We may not be able to source funds at all.  Gordon Brown has applied for a new “credit card” and the lenders have told him that they don’t consider him credit-worthy.  This affects us all.  How is the prime minister going to meet some, or even any, of his many spending promises if he can’t borrow the money to do so?  More money printing?  The U.K. is looking less and less solvent by the day.  This is a desperate situation and unfortunately the people responsible for it are the same people still in charge.  It’s a tragedy. 

Leaflets, Leaflets, Leaflets
I’ve been out over the last few days in Leverington delivering the first batch of the new Conservative “In Touch” leaflets.  These have to go all the way across the county division in which I will be standing (later this year) for a county council seat.  Walking for miles hand-delivering thousands of leaflets have shown me two things.  The first is that the people of my division are as passionate as I am about local politics.  I’ve enjoyed many personal and telephone conversations with them while en route.  The second thing, sadly, is I’m not as fit as I thought I was!  All this walking has made me feel like my bones are made of glass!  Time to start putting some hours in on the treadmill again, I reckon!  And maybe cut back on the bacon sandwiches a little!

Posted in My Campaign, Leverington, Credit Crunch | No Comments »

19/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

It’s Not Big & It’s Not Clever
I’ve got to get this off my chest.  But before I do, I need to make a few qualifications.  First of all, I strongly believe there are way too many people employed in the public sector, that some of them get too many perks and that some of them get too much pay.  It needs to be dealt with and I hope a future Conservative government stops the waste, particular on the infamous government ‘non-jobs’ (Co-Odinator in charge of Street Football et al.) which can be done by other departments and most especially the unelected, overpowered Quangos which are the bane of the country.  That said, the current trend of every jumped-up oik demanding to know the detail of every public sector employee’s pay negotation is irritating.  Some people just want to find a scapegoat they can use to divert the public attention from whatever nefarious thing they are doing (Gordon Brown is a case in point.)  Others are just trying to make themselves look important.

Just look at the headline on this week’s Fenland Citizen.  “Anger over perks silence”.  What we have here is an independent (the only independent) on the District Council who seems to think that he needs to up his profile.  Maybe he’s worried that, yet again, the local District Council is being hailed as one of the best in the country?  You’d think, being a member of it, he’d be proud… but it seems not!  Maybe he doesn’t like the fact that it keeps winning awards?  It’s almost entirely Conservative, you see.  The people in his area (Manea) may notice the fact that their Conservative District Council is actually rather excellent and choose to “complete the set” at the next election. 

Here’s the thing.  You don’t get to be rated one of the best councils in the country by employing people for tuppence.  You have to pay a fair market rate when you are going to ask a senior official to juggle millions of pounds and be responsible for an army of staff.  It’s not like you can just employ somebody from Burger King to do it (no offense to Burger King, I love ‘em) I’m all for making savings.  Hell, we need to do it now more than ever!  But it is patently false economy to make savings by trying to pick a fight with your best people, who have a track record of performing admirably year after year.  I guess that’s the job of an independent.  Make some trouble, bask in the dubious ‘limelight’ of the local press.

Rob Bridge, the council’s new Corporate Director, has replied to Mr, Archer, quoting the Data Protection Act as a reason for not answering questions about Mr Taylor.   In an email Mr. Bridge states: “In relation to the contractual and financial information about Mat Taylor, unfortunately because of the council’s Data Protection Act responsibilities I cannot give you the information you have requested. I believe that to do so would breach the second principle of the Data Protection Act.”  Don’t take my word for it.  This comes straight from the report in our fine local newspaper, the Fenland Citizen.

So that response is pretty clear, isn’t it?  Never mind that the law prevents the information being revealed and that this has been explained to Mark Archer, patiently and clearly.  Let’s not let that get in the way of a newspaper crusade which might get him a little exposure.  Call me a cynic, but I can only see this as blatant self-promotion.  Which would be okay if it was helpful.  It’s not.

Posted in Fenland District Council, Election, Conservatives | 1 Comment »

12/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Chocolate Prohibition
Apparently, a Scottish doctor is recommending we tax chocolate.  It’s ‘bad for us’ and we need to be ‘protected’ from its evil influences.  Just like alcohol, cigarettes and the like, he feels the government needs to wade bravely in and (for our own good, of course) help us make ‘the right choices’ in all matters dietary.  I can’t believe even the Labour party would be stupid enough to try this.  “How to lose half the vote overnight” a young lady colleague of mine commented today.  She was joking, but it was one of those growled, piercing-gazed jokes that don’t brook argument.  Visions of a chocolate prohibition bring to mind enclosed “sweeteasys” where very angry women gather to sell contraband and plot the overthrow of the establishment.  It would make the credit crunch look like a cakewalk!

The Great June Election Debate
You might think, by following discussions via the media, that it’s now a foregone conclusion that Gordon Brown will call an election sometime in 2010.  Not so!  A great many folk are still of the opinion that the Butcher of Threadneedle Street  and his Cabinet of Sock Puppets are hatching a devious plan.  It goes something like this:-

• Pretend I’ve Made Deal With Obama
  Spin The Obama Thing, Hope For Bounce
  Pretend I’ve Led Massive New Plan At G20
  Spin the G20 Thing, Hope For Bigger Bounce
  Massive Giveaway Budget Using Printed Money
  Spin Giveaway Budget, Hope For Megabounce
  Call Snap Election In June 2009

Gordon is surely being advised that going the “long route” to an election risks utter devastation of the Labour party.  His MPs must be pressuring him to go earlier - to limit the political bloodbath.  He’s had “bounces” before.  If his plan works he might just be able to kid enough people that something is being done that they’ll give him another.  If the G20, plus the new president of America, seem to be following his lead on the much-touted ‘global new deal’ then it’s not out of the realms of possibility that a gullible and frightened public might fall for the line.  Of course, its a house of cards that’s going to come tumbling down in spectacular fashion, but if that can be held off until after an election is won then what does the Prime Minister care?  The ruin of a nation is a small price to pay for another four years in charge of the economic wasteland that will remain.

Of course, what we hope and pray is that the British People know the spin and lies for what they are.  It’s not as if we haven’t seen enough of it to recognise the pattern.  Come June, if a snap election is called, let’s just see them gone for a long, long, long, long time.  Pretty Please, with sugar and chocolate on top.

Posted in Election, Parliament, Credit Crunch | No Comments »

09/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

The ‘REAL’ IRA
This weekend the news broke that Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar were shot dead by dissident republicans in Antrim, Northern Ireland. We had all hoped we had seen the end of these sort of horrific attacks by lunatic Irish extremists. It’s been twelve years since members of our armed forces were last subjected to this kind of assault in Northern Ireland. The question on everyone’s lips, of course, is: “Is this an isolated incident orchestrated by some fringe players, or is this the start of renewed hostility?” (Although I accept the actual words on people’s lips might not be as long-winded as that.)

There has been such progress in Northern Ireland that it would be absolutely tragic if things were allowed to deteriorate again. Our government and security forces must tread a delicate line; making sure the perpitrators are caught and properly punished, while not tarring those who want peace with the same brush. We must quickly bring these evil terrorists to justice, while taking great care to protect the optimistic peace which has developed in the troubled region. Let’s play hardball with the men who did this by all means, they deserve the heaviest penalties the court’s have available. But let’s try not to let this derail the region. That’s exact what the terrorists want.

Sorry Is The Hardest Word
My young son was a little naughty the other day and I had to put him in his room for a while to calm down and think about what he’d done. After a while I went in and we had a chat. I explained to him why what he’d done was wrong and I told him it was time to come down and apologise. I explained that this is how ‘good guys’ behaved (he’s four, this is language he ‘gets’) He did so in that earnest way that only young children really can and to be honest my heart melted. When somebody says sorry and means it, it takes a hard heart not to forgive them.

Gordon Brown could take a lesson from my Son. He can’t possibly believe he’s perfect, can he? He must accept that he is, in some part, responsible for our current economic woes. After all, he’s been at the helm in one form or another for over a decade. Now we can argue all day about just how much of it is Labour’s fault and how much of it is a ‘global phenomenon’. At this point, I’m not sure it matters. What does matter is that people all over the country are finding things very tough and are becoming very angry about the state of our nation.

I’m not suggesting that if Gordon Brown says sorry it will magically ‘fix’ everything. Of course it wont. In fact, I’m of the opinion that the current administration do not have the skills to begin the job of getting us out of our national hole. But when you apologise you don’t do it because you think it will ‘fix’ what you did wrong. You do it because its the right thing to do. If Gordon Brown expressed his sincere and genuine regret for his part in the crisis he thinks it will be a weapon that can be used against him by the opposition and the press. And he’s right. But he should still do it because that’s the way ‘good guys’ behave. Didn’t his father tell him that?

Jury Team
A new political party (organisation) was formed this weekend that made the news with some fanfare. Called JuryTeam their website says that they are:
a political movement created with the goal of making politics more accessible, politicians more accountable and political institutions more transparent.
Which is all well and good. Their ‘method’ for achieving this is apparently to avoid the need for political ‘parties’ by supporting independents across the U.K. and getting them elected. Independents are important to our political system, it is the ability for ‘anybody to stand’ that makes democracy what it is. But I’m a little sceptical as to how a group of people who may have diametically-opposed political views can possibly stand under the same ‘banner’. I can see that if a lot of JuryTeam MPs were able to get elected it would force the government in power to properly justify their actions and would hold them to account by circumventing the power of the whips. But on the flip side, doesn’t this mean the elected government will find it difficult to achieve the aims for which they were elected due to the impossible task of trying to convince a bunch of independents who all want completely different things for the country?  It seems like a bit of a ragtag idea to me, but I’m keeping an open mind about it.  Fresh ideas can’t hurt, can they?

Leverington Action Group
Road safety in our villages is something which matters greatly to all of us. Despite hard work on the part of the Conservative council there is always more we can do! That’s why it’s so great to see people united in working for safety and security in our area! In Leverington, a group of concerned homeowners are forming an action group to deal with places that are known as local trouble spots; most particularly Leverington Common. The group will act in a concerted way to represent their concerns to the District and County Councils, the police and to other relevant agencies. Led by Caroline Benincasa, assisted by veteran campaigner Tony Kiddle and my humble self, a group of dedicated villagers will make their case over the coming months to ensure something is done to reduce the problems and potential for injury in local black spots! This is the sort of positive, sensible action that gets things done. I met with the organisers of the new group last Saturday and was very impressed by their knowledge, enthusiasm and dedication. Local Activism is vital for the health and success of our society. Government should be there for a few specific national jobs, everything else is best decided at the most local level.

Posted in Parliament, Recession, Family, Leverington, Credit Crunch, Conservatives | No Comments »

05/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

A Tax On Oxygen
I’m sitting here reading the news that the Bank Of England has, today, begun its ‘Quantitative Easing’ (Printing Money.) We’ve all known it was coming. I’ve personally dreaded it because its a short-sighted and exceptionally dangerous thing to do. Trying to explain to people who aren’t interested in economics why money-printing is bad news is difficult because its easy to get bogged down in ‘clever’ terminology and mathematics. But everybody instinctively understands that you can’t conjure money from thin air. Not without serious consequences, anyway.  If you could, we all would.

The real truth about Quantitative Easing, as I’ve said before, is that it is a stealth tax. Every pound ‘printed’ devalues every other pound in the world. The more you print, the less the existing pounds are worth. So every time the government ‘invents’ another lot of cash, they are stealing directly from your pockets and from your bank accounts and from your future earnings. If you have UK Pounds stirling there is no way to avoid this stealth tax and since the Bank Of England has expressed their intention to continue printing each month this is an ongoing cumulative tax on us all. No specific one activity is being taxed, you can’t escape it and it’s not targeted at a specific industry or goods. Consequently, the best way to view it is as a tax on the air we breathe. That too would be inescapable and ongoing in the same way. I wonder if the government would get away with it if people made that comparison more often?

Campaign Launch
I’m presently working on the wording and photographs for my forthcoming campaign as County Councillor for the Roman Bank And Peckover Ward.  I’m standing (as you might guess) as a candidate for the Conservatives.  If anybody who reads this blog is interested in volunteering to help with the campaign; deliver leaflets, canvassing and other assistance, I’d gratefully welcome your help!  Give me a call on 07831 616127, or email me on me@stevetierney.org
The areas my ward includes are Wisbech North, Leverington, Gorefield, Newton and Tydd St. Giles, all in Cambridgeshire.

Posted in Gorefield, My Campaign, Wisbech, Leverington, Tydd St. Giles, Newton, Credit Crunch | No Comments »