"It started in Britain"

As the Lame duck PM keeps repeating his "it started in America" mantra, LA has a different perspective.
LA has been on the Continent for a couple of days on business, he has met people from almost all EU country's. LA took the opportunity to find out what they thought of the current situation. LA was astonished to hear, from many mouths, "It started in Britain".
He even heard on more than a couple of occasions, Europeans blaming Mr Brown personally for dragging Europe into this.

Aside from blame, it is obvious that Mr Brown is not the man to get us out of the mess.

Election now!!!!!!

LA

Why do Labour offer no local opposition

Yesterday the Tory council of Coventry (the country's 9th largest city) voted through its budget.
Left wing journalists called it controversial.
Yes there are some services ceasing and resources being diverted, yes there are some potential job losses.
It is odd however that the Labour opposition that ran the city (into the ground) for over 20 years prior to the current administration offered no alternative. No opposing budget. No constructive critique, nothing, it appears moribund.
It has basically rejected any "cuts" very vocally, but not said how it would even attempt to balance the books. Nothing, not a jot.
Opposition is about alternatives, offering nothing is not an alternative.
Will the main stream media notice this, LA doubts it, bad news gets listeners and sells papers.
It is notable that the main reason the council has problems balancing the books without service restructure, is the increasing burden of duties placed on it by central government, but with no central government funding. Gordon Brown has found this quite a wheeze. He can promise the nation all sorts of things from Westminster knowing that it will be Local Government that has to raise the tax revenue.

In terms of the budget LA is unhappy at the increased parking charges within the City, in a recession the City needs to encourage visitors not charge them more. but given the invidious position Browns withering government has left councilors LA is not sure what else they could have done.

David Cameron visited the City last week and said local government should be more Local. This must mean less Central targets and more local prioritisation.
That is true democracy, of course true democracy needs effective alternatives too, Coventry's Labour party is currently neither effective nor an alternative.

LA

Part Privitisation of Post Office, Tories must vote against!

The proposal to part privatise the Royal Mail is not viable. The only thing it will do is give a cash injection into the pension fund, and not even enough to cover the defecit.
The idea that TNT owning 30% will bring in true efficiency is not realistic. TNT's own Mail side in the UK is not efficient, LA has visited its sites and seen very wasteful oprerations. Any implementation of efficiency will be impossible with this proposed set up as there will still be a union based around a virtual monopoly. This means they can hold a gun to the nations head.
The result will be reduced services, higher prices and an abuse of monopoly. The Taxpayer will also pick up the bill for the pension scheme.
This is bad for the customer, bad for the taxpayer and bad for the country.
Break up and privitisation of the network is the only way forward.
For this reason the opposition must vote against. In this case this would not be a token gesture, it would defeat the government.
However Cameron may not wish to wound Brown any further, after all he wants top be fighting unelectable Brown on election day, any vote loss in parliament could see the PM ousted and a new Labour leadership installed.

LA

PS. If the Government feels only external investment can bring in efficiency, why have Leighton and Crozier been paid such high bonuses.
Also lets not forget 10 years ago when RM was making money, Brown as Chancelor took the money and also reduced payments to the pension fund. We reap what he sowed.

Don't just ground yobs, ground the parents too!!

Chris Grailings initiative to ground yob's is welcome.
LA like most grew up in an era when kids respected the Police and their parents.
The Police should be able to pull kids off the street for a ticking off. They should also be able to send them home.
Some of these homes though, will be empty, as anything resembling a parent will be out at a pub etc. These same parents that perpetually allow their kids to roam Ferrel around the street intimidating the law abiding, should face the same treatment. If the child is grounded, so too should the parent, to look after the little cherub, but also to make them take responsibility.

Surely this is just common sense, even the Guardian must agree.

Our economy in their hands

LA is back in the blogsphere.

So the Treasury has now said that it will start "quantitative easing" or effectively printing money.

The Treasury's forecasts on the economy have for the past few years been dreadful, its growth figures woefully inaccurate. These forecasts of the economy are the governments eyes on the economy.

Quantitative easing is the economic equivalent of open heart surgery. Very complicated and deadly to an economy if not carried out with precision.

The surgeon is the Treasury, the trouble is it has the eyesight of Mr Magoo.

Given this, if you were the patient would you undergo the op or wait a while to see it might be better to try alternatives?

Keep an eye on the heart monitor folks it may well get scary.

LA.

no post for a while

LA will not be in a position to post for a week.
Do not worry he is not sharing a cell with Damian Green.
LA

Will the Brown Curse hit Coventry

LA is well aware of the Jonah status of Gordon Browns reverse Midas touch.
Today he visits Coventry.
For the superstitious it is also Friday 13th............

Should Coventry be scared, what ill will befall the City.
LA is taking the precaution of leaving the country for a few days to avoid any , earthquake, great fire, unexploded bomb, plague etc etc!!!!

LA

LA will not take part in Government publicity stunt

LA ,has, as he said he would last year, declined an invite to "meet" a senior cabinet member tomorrow. LA believes it most likely to be the Prime Minister. Said Minister will be visiting the West Midlands.
Having last year been sumonsed to a "private meeting" with the PM which turned out to be nothing but a parade for the TV cameras, LA along with others felt hoodwinked.
LA will not do it again. There is no point in these "meetings" when the only thing the Minister will listen to is his own voice and the click of the camera.

LA has better thing to do with his time.

Lord Mandelson Bottles it

LA knows for a fact that last nights Newsnight was originally due to be the first head to head debate between Mandelson and Ken Clarke. LA is of the belief that the reason this did not happen was not down to Clarke.

Paxman and the whole production decamped to the West Midlands specifically to stage this debate in the nations industrial heartland, the only thing they couldn't get was Mandy.

Why not? Why is he hidding, he loves the TV.

Oh, perhaps even he cannt spin the facts to look favourable.


LA

Police decline to investigate Lords

It seems the Met are declining to investigate the alleged cash for legislation Lords.
The reason appears to be that it is too hard. No, really that is what they say. Why then is it not too hard to raid the office of a member of the opposition?
LA asks, have the police become a party political arm of government? Is that a product of a 12 year old regime?
LA hopes not, he does feel that a few individuals do buckle under government pressure.
Yet another reason to hope for change.
LA

The drip drip drip of sleaze

LA is wondering when Labour Grandees will step in to oust Brown or at least insist he call an election.
Today's newspapers have Jacqui Smith and her expenses in question. Lord Moonie, a man close to Brown has questions to answer over questions raised by him on defense, whilst in the pay of a US defense company.
Whether either has done anything wrong is immaterial it is the impression of sleaze that matters. It now seams, as with the dying days of the Major administration, every Sunday there is a new tit bit, a further erosion of trust in the governing party.
Surely the Labour party will have seen what happened to the Conservatives after the Major years. Are they willing to risk a decade in the wilderness. Every week Brown continues to cling to power is going to see more and more voters turn their backs on Labour. Prospects of a hung Parliament now look fanciful, but what will Labour grassroots do as they start to see the reality of a Tory landslide look more likely by the day.
LA cannot believe they are all delusional enough to think they are doing well.
LA.

Was Clarkson pressured by Beeboids

Clarkson has apologised. What for? Did Ben Elton apologise for suggesting an ailment Lady thatcher had was turning her into Satan in te 80's? No and quite rightly. Public figures have to accept ridicule. Mr Brown has objected to being portrayed as "fat" by cartoonists, no one expects them to apologise.

This whole PC agenda is now getting to be a gagging order on decent. The BBC need to stop being so sensitive and stop feeling they have to justify everything.

LA is not a comedian or entertainer so he will not say the PM is a "one eyed idiot", it would be out of place.
LA is however happy to point out the PM is a delusional leader who is ruining the country.

Come on thought police close LA down!!!!

The Clarkson effect.

So Jeremy Clarkson has called the PM a "one-eyed Scottish idiot". Uproar has followed.

LA asks why, why the uproar, Clarkson is more an entertainer than he is journalist, if a stand up comedian where to say this no one would bat an eyelid.

The truth be known, this is smoke and mirrors, it is to obscure the rest of what he said, lines such as "He keeps telling us every thing's fine and he's saved the world and we know he's lying, but he's smooth at telling us."

The trouble is people know he is on the whole telling it straight, The Emperor has no clothes!!!

The fact that our PM is also a laughing stock around the world brings shame on us as a nation.

Why does the media chose to shoot the messenger.

LA

Motor giants first big warning of inflation risk

LA has not been alone in warning that the biggest threat to our economy is long term hyperinflation. The risk is fairly low, the consequences massive.
Today GM & Ford have raised prices 5% due to the incredibly weak £.
Government said this would not happen as low demand would prevent inflation being an issue, there again they also claim Britain is best placed to deal with recession. Obviously currency dealers disagree, as do sane people.
Companies cannot just sell at a loss, they have to regulate their prices by supply and demand but also by cost.
So far we have seen wood suppliers raise prices in the UK, paper prices up around 5% and now Automotive manufacturers.

Is there anything Darling and the treasury can predict.
The only way the £ will strengthen is when the markets feel national debt and spending are realistic. this is going to take strong leadership, tough decisions and firm action.
If David Cameron is the next PM, there may be times when he is more like an Administrator than a PM as we have to settle our debts.