Saturday 30 June 2012

How to Save the Country


Just some random thoughts on how one could save the country bring in/spend less money without having to butcher social provision and wage war against the Poor, and to introduce social justice, and fairness to things such as debt problems.

It is very simple. Don’t Vote Tory or Lib Dem. Simples. Smile with tongue out


More seriously, some ideas:

  • Scrap Trident.
  • Cut VAT down to about 11%. If things are cheaper, people will buy more. 1000 items @ 11% must surely bring in more money than 500 items @ 17%

    Other EU Nations have a higher VAT rate than us, but items are generally cheaper.
  • All Ombudsmen, especially the OFT, to be given real teeth, and the ability, and indeed a legal requirement to levy far higher fines, and indeed, to be legally obliged to investigate all complaints against a company, not wait till they have 10,000 before acting.
  • The complete removal and dismantling of the Bailiff system, to be replaced with the humane system of Northern Ireland. The NI System is also far more effective.
  • Introduction of Local Income Tax to replace Council Tax. Under an LIT system, research has shown that most households would actually be paying a good chunk less per month, under a well designed LIT system. The savings alone in not having to administer Council Tax, to go to court, to chase debtors, contract with Bailiffs are astonishing – it would also mean no more Council Tax benefit, and the costs of administering that – LIT is removed from wage at source.
  • A hefty 30% government tax on Bank Penalty charges (it has been proven that penalty charges a vastly, to the tune of thousands of % higher than the actual cost to a bank of the reasons for issuing one, the banks are making billions in free money out of them, so let the taxpayer have a slice – the banks would not be allowed to increase charges to cover this, they would have to swallow it and shut the hell up)
  • Parking fines, speeding tickets – no more having to send money/pay by card. once issued you have 60 days to pay, if you have not paid within 60 days, the Court will attach your earnings instead, but at fair rates. On Benefits - £3 in Work up to 20 grand PA £10 a week and so on. No Bailiff’s remember, but this new system will be fairer, far cheaper to run, and wont cost the finee hundreds of pounds in bailiff/enforcement charges, this system would also massively increase collection rates, and speed it all up
  • The end of taxpayer’s subsidiary's for bars and restaurants in the Houses of Parliament.
    • The creation of Legislation specifically, and purely to deal with Local and Central government contracting. For example, far heavier penalties for failing to meet delivery schedules, a requirement that the Official dealing with the taxpayers side of the contract is fully qualified, trained and experienced in the service that is being negotiated – so a DWP Official dealing with an IT Contract to implement a new IT System, would themselves be a qualified systems programmer. Possibly the creation of a very small “Contracts Ombudsmen” to oversee taxpayer service contracts*

      State Contracting is a lucrative enough business, and the Contractors are taking the piss, they have so many ways of slowing down, and borking whatever they are implementing to make even more money. I would also consider “Monopoly” regulation.
    • * The Contracts Ombudsmen would also have a sideline in checking out contracts offered by private corporations to the public, to ensure they are fair.
  • More to come
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Friday 29 June 2012

A couple of Songs


Below, find a cover of Where is my Mind by the Pixies, the original being one of my fave songs of all time, and the original video for Lucretia my Reflection by Sisters of Mercy, possibly my no 1 song, and usually my ring tone when I have a phone that can play MP3’s.

 

Just love the driving drums.

Friend’s Blogs

Do check out Michael and Mandy’s blogs as linked on the right Smile

Warning: May contain Panda’s!

thumbs-up

STD Testing for Benefits Claimants?


A young woman in a news article this week said that she was sent onto the Mandatory Work programme by the DWP, and at her first appointment with the provider, A4E, her advisor, who going by the norm for these companies, will have absolutely no prior qualifications or experience in getting people back into work, and is very likely not particularly intelligent…

Think redundant travel agents given a bit of power – these muppets think that “having a job” is some sort of qualification that empowers them to dispense advice, even to people with a dozen more qualifications and 20 years more in the employment market than them.

So, the nasty little prat this particular girl found herself dealing with demanded the gobsmacked young lady go and get herself tested for Chlamydia, but provided no explanation as to why. I hope she sues them. Sadly at the moment, there is no more information on the incident than that presented, other than the Lady went to her MP to complain.

Link to article that mentions it (It is a general article on how, once again the Providers are completely and utterly failing their contractual obligations)

http://www.channel4.com/news/exclusive-a4e-finds-jobs-for-3-5-per-cent-of-job-seekers

Hello and Welcome

Hello and welcome to my Insanity, err, I mean my new Blog it is the older one, but cunningly redesigned with very nearly the same logo and layout, but subtly different enough so don't go trundling off to Trading Standards just yet! :P .


Here be a place for random thoughts, rants and anything else that tickles my fancy, or indeed fancies my tickle.

Expect Daleks, Monsters, Nature, Space, Ghosts and complex theories on things you have no interest in. There shall be Anti Tory, Liberal Democrat and Government Diatribes. Marvel at strange pictures, and be amused and cheered by my razor sharp wit and cutting edge humour.

If you look carefully below you can see the invisible picture of Aberystwyth I took earlier, it is a brilliant and wicked new smart phone app I have invented. its called "Nothingthereagram".


I suspect that I shall become a billionaire from this excellent and novel idea, there is surely a gap in the market! :)