I was shocked and amazed to read Liz Smith MSP's comments regarding arson attacks in Scottish Schools
Liz said
“These figures are appalling. Scotland has nearly two arson attacks, or incidences of ‘fireraising’, in schools each day of the year. That is more than in England, a country with ten times the population!
“Scottish Conservatives want to give teachers and headteachers the powers they need to deal with violence and remove disruptive pupils. In addition, we must ensure that headteachers to ban, search for and confiscate any item they think likely to cause disruption in schools, including lighters and matches.
“School discipline is a major issue for all parents as well as for everyone in the teaching profession. These shocking statistics must be a wake up call to Fiona Hyslop and the SNP Scottish Government.”
I'm with Liz on this, something needs to be done.
Friday, 22 May 2009
Monday, 18 May 2009
No reward for failure
I note that John McFall MP seems to love the phrase "no reward for failure". Indeed his boss Gordon Brown seems to be keen on it too. Especially when they have been using it to give Bankers a metaphorical kicking.
Of course I agree with them, there should be no rewards for failure. It will be interesting to see therefore if Mr McFall, Gordon Brown and all the members of the Government will stand by their cry and accept no rewards for failure either.
After all their stewardship of the economy cannot be described as anything other than an abject failure by any measure you care to use.
Naturally, I expect this failure to be confirmed by the general public at the ballot box, sometime in the coming year.
If there are to be no rewards for failure, then none of the government MP's should be paid any pension and there certainly should be no peerages either.
Will they do the honourable thing? No I don't think so either.
Of course I agree with them, there should be no rewards for failure. It will be interesting to see therefore if Mr McFall, Gordon Brown and all the members of the Government will stand by their cry and accept no rewards for failure either.
After all their stewardship of the economy cannot be described as anything other than an abject failure by any measure you care to use.
Naturally, I expect this failure to be confirmed by the general public at the ballot box, sometime in the coming year.
If there are to be no rewards for failure, then none of the government MP's should be paid any pension and there certainly should be no peerages either.
Will they do the honourable thing? No I don't think so either.
Johnny come lately
I noted with interest that the Liberal MP for Edinburgh West has recently joined a couple of conservative led campaigns.
Firstly he joined Struan Stevenson MEP's campaign to outlaw the use of dog and cat fur in the EU. A campaign he has run tirelessly since the late 1990's. I am pleased to note that largely as a result of Struan's hard work and campaigning, the law was changed. So, it was good to see cross party support, albeit somewhat at the last minute.
The second campaign that he joined was the Conservative campaign to get justice for the Equitable life pensioners. This is a campaign that has been run by the Conservatives.
It was Conservatives who forced the Government to allow the Parliamentary Ombudsman to investigate the regulation of Equitable Life and we welcomed her report that was critical of Government regulatory failures. We were therefore pleased when he issued a press release supporting our campaign last week.
As they say, better late than never.
Firstly he joined Struan Stevenson MEP's campaign to outlaw the use of dog and cat fur in the EU. A campaign he has run tirelessly since the late 1990's. I am pleased to note that largely as a result of Struan's hard work and campaigning, the law was changed. So, it was good to see cross party support, albeit somewhat at the last minute.
The second campaign that he joined was the Conservative campaign to get justice for the Equitable life pensioners. This is a campaign that has been run by the Conservatives.
It was Conservatives who forced the Government to allow the Parliamentary Ombudsman to investigate the regulation of Equitable Life and we welcomed her report that was critical of Government regulatory failures. We were therefore pleased when he issued a press release supporting our campaign last week.
As they say, better late than never.
Saturday, 9 May 2009
MP's expenses (again)
The issue here is quite simple. Too many of our politicians are operating under a self centred and greedy approach.
What is required is a return by this minority (and it is a minority) to an attitude that "I am here to serve the public, and I will do nothing that brings the office of MP into disrepute".
If that attitude were to be held by all, you would not need to change anything.
Frankly I am sick fed up to the back teeth of MP's saying that something which looks dodgy and which appears questionable is "within the rules". As supposedly honourable members MP's should not need rules. They should do what is right.
Have they no shame? It is time for the public to speak at the ballot box. I care not whether the MP's are Labour, Liberal, Conservative or SNP, I will not defend those who abuse the system for their own personal financial gain.
I attended a recording of BBC's any questions last night (Friday 7th May). Inevitably the question was asked about expenses. It did not take long for John McFall to fail to properly condemn the abuses and to try to turn the question to the disgraced Conservative Derel Conway. The difference of course is that the Conservative party expelled Derek Conway. The Labour party have done nothing about Alistair Darling, Gordon Brown, Jacvkie Smith, and a host of others.
The whole thing stinks. Sadly it is a minority who have done this.
What is required is a return by this minority (and it is a minority) to an attitude that "I am here to serve the public, and I will do nothing that brings the office of MP into disrepute".
If that attitude were to be held by all, you would not need to change anything.
Frankly I am sick fed up to the back teeth of MP's saying that something which looks dodgy and which appears questionable is "within the rules". As supposedly honourable members MP's should not need rules. They should do what is right.
Have they no shame? It is time for the public to speak at the ballot box. I care not whether the MP's are Labour, Liberal, Conservative or SNP, I will not defend those who abuse the system for their own personal financial gain.
I attended a recording of BBC's any questions last night (Friday 7th May). Inevitably the question was asked about expenses. It did not take long for John McFall to fail to properly condemn the abuses and to try to turn the question to the disgraced Conservative Derel Conway. The difference of course is that the Conservative party expelled Derek Conway. The Labour party have done nothing about Alistair Darling, Gordon Brown, Jacvkie Smith, and a host of others.
The whole thing stinks. Sadly it is a minority who have done this.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
It's time to stop the yob culture
In the last day or so, Chelsea lost to Barcelona in a cup match. It is clear that the referee did not have a good game, but the real problem came from the apalling behaviour of the players who verbally assaulted the referee and other officials. These are men who are extremely well paid and are at the top of the profession.
These men are role models for thousands of others young and old. How then can we condone behaviour like this? What was even worse was the way that the manager seemed to excuse their behaviour.
This is symptomatic of the yob culture that permeates our society from top to bottom. There is a lack of good manners and respect, and the media are the worst cheerleaders for this.
It's time that action is taken against footballers who behave badly. The sanctions have to be severe. Maybe it's time that any player handed a yellow card should immediately be banned for a number of games, without pay. Anyone sent off shold not play for the rest of the season. Anyone sent off in two consecutive seasons should be banned for life.
Yes, the punishments are severe, but from whom much is given, much is required. It's not unreasonable to expect some discipline, respect and good manners from those paid extraordinary sums of money and whether they like it or not are role models for thousands on thousands of men and boys.
These men are role models for thousands of others young and old. How then can we condone behaviour like this? What was even worse was the way that the manager seemed to excuse their behaviour.
This is symptomatic of the yob culture that permeates our society from top to bottom. There is a lack of good manners and respect, and the media are the worst cheerleaders for this.
It's time that action is taken against footballers who behave badly. The sanctions have to be severe. Maybe it's time that any player handed a yellow card should immediately be banned for a number of games, without pay. Anyone sent off shold not play for the rest of the season. Anyone sent off in two consecutive seasons should be banned for life.
Yes, the punishments are severe, but from whom much is given, much is required. It's not unreasonable to expect some discipline, respect and good manners from those paid extraordinary sums of money and whether they like it or not are role models for thousands on thousands of men and boys.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Car Scrapping
So, we're being encouraged to scrap old polluting cars with the incentive of a £2,000 discount against a new car.
Has nobody noticed that the people who own ten year old cars are unlikely to be able to afford a new car?
Yet another example of Labour spin with no substance behind it.
Has nobody noticed that the people who own ten year old cars are unlikely to be able to afford a new car?
Yet another example of Labour spin with no substance behind it.
Who do you think you are kidding?...Mr Darling
You couldn't make it up!
Here we are in the mother and father of all recessions. The country is bankrupt and billions of pounds in debt, you'd think that the government would be worried and would be taking steps to reduce the debt so that we don't become a bankrupt state.
No, Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling continue fiddling while Britain burns. There is no attempt to reduce government spending other than some vague mention of efficiency savings. There is no attempt to raise more money from taxes. Yes, we see some increases in excise duties, and yes we see a new top rate tax of 50% for high earners.
Except that those high earners have been given a year's notice, during which time they can rearrange their finances. Chances are a good number will leave the country thus reducing the tax take when the time comes. The new higher rate isn't scheduled to come in until after the next election.
You would have thought that given the crisis we have, and according to Alistair Darling it's the worst in 60 years, that putting the finances on an even keel would be a priority. So why not introduce the higher rate tax charge now?
Could it be that it's nothing to do with the government finances and everything to do with partisan politics? Yes, setting a trap and inviting the Conservatives to repudiate the tax opening them to charges of aiding and abetting the rich.
Great! Class warfare at its best. The politics of envy lives on in New Labour.
Frankly this Labour government have completely lost the plot. It's time for them to have the courage of their convictions or get out of office and allow a new government to come in and sort out the mess, as we have in the past and as we will in the future
Here we are in the mother and father of all recessions. The country is bankrupt and billions of pounds in debt, you'd think that the government would be worried and would be taking steps to reduce the debt so that we don't become a bankrupt state.
No, Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling continue fiddling while Britain burns. There is no attempt to reduce government spending other than some vague mention of efficiency savings. There is no attempt to raise more money from taxes. Yes, we see some increases in excise duties, and yes we see a new top rate tax of 50% for high earners.
Except that those high earners have been given a year's notice, during which time they can rearrange their finances. Chances are a good number will leave the country thus reducing the tax take when the time comes. The new higher rate isn't scheduled to come in until after the next election.
You would have thought that given the crisis we have, and according to Alistair Darling it's the worst in 60 years, that putting the finances on an even keel would be a priority. So why not introduce the higher rate tax charge now?
Could it be that it's nothing to do with the government finances and everything to do with partisan politics? Yes, setting a trap and inviting the Conservatives to repudiate the tax opening them to charges of aiding and abetting the rich.
Great! Class warfare at its best. The politics of envy lives on in New Labour.
Frankly this Labour government have completely lost the plot. It's time for them to have the courage of their convictions or get out of office and allow a new government to come in and sort out the mess, as we have in the past and as we will in the future
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