……….I have been holding off with an opinion about the thinktank that has advised northerners to move south, because they in their ‘infinite wisdom’ have arrived at the conclusion that there is little or no chance of things getting any better for anyone living north of Watford.

I have taken a few deep breaths and still can’t get beyond the thought that the people who are members of these so-called thinktanks appear to know little about life beyond their own back yards. If they want to get a true grasp of life ‘up north’ they should live the life and walk the walk. There is, apparently, a great negativity about these people, that could be changed by their mixing with the wholesome people of the north. OK, so I am in the Midlands, but am neither so blinkered, nor so inexperienced in life’s hardships as to be unaware of the difficulties  that exist for people in the terraces and back streets. I have lived the life and walked the walk. I have gone from a well to do family, to living in a 1 bedroom flat, to owning a two up, two down semi and I have run the gauntlet of life through good and bad times.

To say that there is no hope is tantamount to throwing in the towel and that is NOT what we British are about. We are a proud race and those up north are perhaps the proudest, even though they may be considered by southerners to be of least importance in the scheme of things.

Success is all  relative; not everything in life hinges upon material success and prosperity. I know full well, from experience, that money helps to grease the wheels of life and to live a life in poverty is not a happy existence. 

However, by this Thinktank publishing such tosh, they are insulting some of the strongest people in this country. To survive whilst sucking on a silver spoon is a simple task; to survive without a spoon at all is a monumental task and those who do so should be admired.

….”Nice work if you can get it”

Britain’s Olympic squad will be outnumbered two to one in Beijing by politicians, civil servants and BBC staff whose trips to China will cost the public almost £7 million, (according to the Telegraph)How obscene is that, when we have people living in poverty in this country? How ever high the cost of living rises there will always be some free-loaders who will milk the system.

Don Foster, the Liberal Democrat spokesman on culture, media and sport, said: “I’m simply staggered by the amount of money being spent by public bodies sending their staff to the Games for questionable reasons and benefits.

“The Olympics are always an incredible spectacle but that does not give people the right to waste taxpayers’ money.  Anyone who does use public funds to go on this type of trip must be held to account and made to justify exactly what they managed to achieve during their attendance in Beijing.”  Hear Hear!

……………..King’s Lynn and West Norfolk District Council has spent £450 on a scheme to provide 39 local takeaways and restaurants with new four-holed salt shakers which have been proved to reduce salt intake.

A far cheaper solution would be a circle of tinfoil in the lid, with only 4 holes in it! Change it daily in the interests of health and Bob’s your father’s brother! £450 available to spend on more vital schemes.
 

…………….Councils get new ’snooping’ powers

Homeowners must let council officials into their homes to check for - among more than a 1000 ‘offences’ - dancing bears, eco-unfriendly refrigerators or weapons of mass destruction. The list includes 430 new powers of entry brought in by Home Office ministers last week, prompting criticism from a number of different organisations including the Conservative Party.

As a member of the Liberal Democrat Party, I too think this is a step too far and am left wondering what will be the next madness perpertrated by this Labour Government.

My house deeds state that I have permission to keep pigs in my garden, but do I? No, of course not.

……..Liberal Democrats in Mansfield have welcomed the launch of the Liberal Democrats’ vision for Britain by Party Leader Nick Clegg MP. Called ‘Make it Happen’, the paper will be debated at the party’s conference in Bournemouth in September.

In ‘Make it Happen’ the Liberal Democrats say:

• They will cut taxes for ordinary families
• If your local hospital can’t see you on time, they will pay for treatment elsewhere
• They will switch taxes from people to pollution - so it pays to go green
• To improve standards in education, they will fund extra help for those who need it most
• They will put Britain at the heart of Europe to make us a force for good in the world
• They will stop ID cards so we can keep control of our privacy
• They will change the voting system so everyone’s voice counts
• They will bring communities together with local people in charge
• They will give communities a say in how offenders pay for their crimes

No resident of Mansfield has escaped the rising cost of food and fuel. The credit crunch is biting hard and local people are feeling the pinch.

Nick Clegg has set out how we Liberal Democrats can help ordinary people through cutting the taxes of those on low and middle incomes. Thousands of people in Mansfield would benefit from this.

I am delighted to be able to back ‘Make it Happen’. It sets out how the Liberal Democrats will run Britain.

If you would like to join the Liberal Democrats, please see the column on the left of page or call me, for details.

 ….and ain’t that the truth! We don’t need a European survey to inform us that our quality of life is getting worse by the day. Price rises,  working long hours for so little recompense - which in turn generates huge debt, rise in crime and the perception of crime, all add to feelings of resentment and dissatisfaction.

Commenting on today’s [Wednesday] U-Switch survey which finds that the UK is bottom in a European quality of life survey, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“It is depressing but unsurprising that while so many families struggle to make ends meet, we have one of the lowest qualities of life in Europe.”

Is it time for a change of direction? Turn to the left of this column and see how to join the LibDems….or call me. I can help.

….moves a step closer; the following story from LD website tells the story -

A Bill to give former Gurkhas indefinite leave to remain in Britain moved a step closer to becoming law after it received cross-party support in the House of Lords today.

The Immigration (Discharged Gurkhas) Bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson Lord (John) Lee, received its Second Reading today.

Commenting, Lord Lee said:

“Former Gurkhas, all of whom have laid their lives on the line for this country, deserve the right to live here in Britain after the end of their service.

“The backing this Bill received today from across the House means that we have moved one step closer to giving them that right.

“The Government must now recognise that there is support for the Gurkhas across the country and get behind the campaign to let them stay.”

…microchips on waste bins…whatever next?

Some UK local authorities are piloting a scheme whereby microchips are placed in waste bins to weigh the amount of rubbish thrown away. This is so that householders can be charged for the amount of rubbish they throw away. Now we learn that there are glitches in the workings of the ‘chips’ resulting in householders paying over the odds for the removal of their rubbish. This is in addition to the Council Tax, which I thought was supposed to include the cost of waste disposal.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I only throw away in my green household waste bin anything that I can’t recycle, such as cat litter, fire ashes, non-recyclable plastics, food waste which I can’t compost and newspapers that I have used to wrap cat litter. I have a box in my outhouse with glass bottles in it, another with old clothes.

Where will it end? Don’t you just occasionally wish for a return to the days when our bin men carried a metal dustbin on his shoulder, right from the backyard to the wagon on the street? We now have larger bins which we still manage to fill; green, blue and brown ones. Upon whose shoulders do we place the blame for all this waste?  Is it the consumer? The manufacturer? The shop? What do you say when asked ‘do you need a bag for that?’

Try saying ‘No thanks, I have brought a bag with me’. See the look of shock on their faces!! It’s worth it!

….a nuclear waste site next door? Mmmmm, thought not!

According to a story in the Telegraph, councils are to be offered jobs and other “bribes” to accept nuclear waste.

Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, urged councils and other groups to provide an “essential service to the nation” by offering sites to bury a share of Britain’s stockpile of radioactive material. Mr Benn said communities could expect jobs and “other benefits” in return for taking on a burial site. ‘Essential service to the nation’? I don’t think so!

So far as I’m concerned, there is NOTHING on God’s Earth that I need so desperately that it would encourage me to accept a nuclear landfill site in my backyard - I trust that the Independents at MDC will be of a similar mind!

The Liberal Democrats site has a really good (and Free!) screensaver telling the whole truth about the disposal of nuclear waste. Check it out, by clicking on the Liberal Democrat site, then click on Environment….you will be able to download the screensaver from there.

…..It may be surprising to those of us campaigning against the ID scheme but large numbers of the public are still not aware that there is an ID scheme at all. Even those that are aware may be confused after various false alarms in the media that have led them to believe that the scheme has been dropped. We need to raise awareness and ensure that people know that this illiberal scheme is very much going ahead.

There are lots of things you can do to tell others about the ID scheme and fight the introduction of this insidious infringement of our civil liberties and the first is to sign the pledge, accessed by clicking on the ‘button’ at the right of screen.

There is also a scheme by www.no2id.net, which will supply you with stickers and other literature.