Taxpayers Fund MP's facing criminal charges

I was just driving home when I heard on the radio that the three Labour MPs facing criminal charge (Devine, Chaytor and Morley) are to get legal aid to defend their case.

Conservative leader David Cameron said "Granting legal aid to the MPs was a complete outrage". Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said "People will be dismayed that former MP s are going to get legal aid in their expenses cases". I could not agree more. Using tax payers money for people who are wealthy and given the outrage in the public on the expenses scandle could not be timed worse for Labour.

Apparently this can only be done at some courts like Southwark Crown Court because means testing is being phased in for all the Crown Court's in England and Wales. So People can pick and choose which court to use based on which one offer legal aid, how is this right? Why not introduce this too all courts and not phase it in. The "interests of justice" test began to be phased out in January and replaced by a means test for all Crown Court cases in England and Wales but Southwark Crown Court is not yet part of the new scheme. So it did not apply to the MPs simply because the case is at Southwark Crown Court.

If conviced (this could mean a 7 year prison sentence) the judge can ask for these fee to be paid back. However this does not happen often from what I understand. I hope if conviced the judge will ensure this is paid back to the public purse.

Local Blog: Bracknell PPC's on BBC Radio Berkshire

Bracknells PPC's from 4 of the parties Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and UKIP can be heard on On BBC Berkshires Andrew Peach show. Link below

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00771bg

From 2 hours and 1 minute into the program so please fast forward to this point and check it out.

Phillip Lee was also on BBC’s ‘The Politics South Show’ This can be watched here about 50 minutes in

News of the World wrong on PS3 in prisons and Sun Cable quotes misleading

My readers will know that I don't believe what I read in the press. I find some papers are too biased and full of half truths. Heres two examples

Todays News of the World 2nd page has a Story headline 'Luxury Lags get PS3 Perk' on page two

Now have a look at the photo. Thats not a PS3 controller the so called jailbird has. Its a PS1 controller. These are worth almost nothing now (selling for 99pence on ebay). If you are going to claim that half are allowed Playstations PS3 at least show the prisoner with the right controller when mentioning the PS3 several times in the article. Prisoners are not being given PS3 at tax payers expense. They maybe given a console by friends or family or perhaps donated one. But they are not siting there playing PS3 all day.

The other Story was in the Sun on bank holiday Monday called 'Unstable Cable' Catchy it maybe but the example in the headline is taken out of context.

Where in October 2008 Vince Cable said 'It is entirely wrong for the government to stimulate the economy by yet more public spending' he was referring to the spending by the government should be on capital projects not on normal public expenditure. Where Vince Cable said in February 2009 'We believe the government stimulus is right and necessary' Vince Cable was talking about the quantitative easing program not public spending, too totally unrelated types of stimulus'. Yes Cable is not perfect but if you are going to attack him atleast use the right quotes otherwise you may as well make the story up.

Vince Cable did not disagree with quantitative easing he simply warned about not over doing it he said 'Monetary easing may prove to be necessary but will have to be managed with great skill and care'. The situation in the economy was developing and Vince Cable did change some of his views based on the changing economic situation. I don't really see what wrong with that, surely its because politicians are not allowed to be fexlible that their hands become tied for fear of being seen to 'Unstable' and therefore can't respond as required by the situation.

Todays link is to The Norfolk Blogger who has done this little video on the 'Contradiction of the Tory Marriage Tax proposal'

Don't be told how to vote

Ever since I became involved in politics I have always been surprised at the number of people that say "I'm voting for so and so because my partner told me thats who we are voting for".

Someone I know was marched down to the polling station by their mum telling them to vote Labour. The first time they didn't was during the London Mayor elections. Recently her mum said to her are "you voting Labour". "No" was the reply "there are two other parties and many other smaller parties too, I'm not voting Labour ever again!". Her mum replied "but you have to vote Labour we always do" (good reason). This discussion was ended with the comment "Mum, do you know why you vote Labour?'"to which her mum could not answer.

Same thing happened the other day when a lady who is voting for the first time asked me what all the parties stand for. Which I explain the history of the parties, their principals and I also explained Socialism and small government etc. She said her parents vote Labour so she was going to but she decided to find out about the other parties. Good for her, she is going to check out the web sites and read the leaflets. I said to her that its best to ignore the attacks by the parties on each other and read about what they are going to do.

So please people don't just vote the same way because you always have done. Read the leaflets, watch some news, see one of the TV debates and examine the websites when the manifestos are out (From Monday). You may find that you like or agree with one of the other parties or worse strongly disagree with the party you was going to vote for.

Todays link is to the Independant article which examines
Young voters: What do Britain's 18 year-olds really think of our politicians?

Local Blog Newsweek: 2 Bracknell area politics

Here is a selection of issues making headlines during the past week:

Wokingham candidate wants election lie detector tests

Heatherwood Hospital is given one month to improve by the Care Quality Commission

BENEFIT cheats have been ordered to repay more than £150,000 of over-payments made during the last year.

An extra week has been added to a public consultation on the possibility of more than 3,000 homes in Binfield and Warfield

Andrew MacKay to leave with £1.8m handshake

Bracknell Forest Council has received £106,610 under the Government’s Local Authority Business Growth Incentives (LABGI) scheme

If you know of any other local political stories then please add them in the comments below.

And my favorite international story of the week as todays link is
Greek sues over photo on 'Turkish' yoghurt in Sweden

Local Blog: Question Time and Husting events Bracknell

More details are emerging about Question Time events in Bracknell.

On Monday 12th April from 9 to 10 am  Radio Berkshire show with Andrew Peach which can be listen to on 104.1FM, 104.4FM, 95.4FM, 94.6FM. DAB and on the radio see listen live and listen again links on the top right of this page here.

The 3 main parties will be represented at Easthampstead Baptist Church from 7.45pm on Tuesday 27th April. I am waiting for details on who can attend this event.

There are also possible Question Time events being organised for the Look In which would be during the day rather than the evening and The Kerith Centre which would be open too all members of the public and be an evening event. When I get the details and if they happen I will publish them on the blog.

Don't fear a hung parliament

I was talking to a German today about coalition government and Consensus (Electoral fusion). He votes liberal in Germany.

In Germany its now the Christian Democratic Union and sister party Christian Social Union (Conservative Parties) are in power with the Free Democratic Party (the Liberal party of Germany).

I asked him how he felt about voting for a party he knew could not win but would try to be part of a coalition. He said he's not a natural liberal but feels that what they offer is more balance and sense to the main party policies in a coalition, this made it worth while voting for them.

One problem we have in Britain is not only that we are not used to coalitions but that we call it a 'hung parliament'. This use of language makes it sound like a negative thing. It's not negative, it is a chance to get agreement rather than adversarial politics. It is also a chance for Britain to have a more representative parliament which offers sensible cooperation between parties.

Much is made about the reaction of the stock markets to a hung parliament. I believe the stock markets would soon get used to a coalition when they see it working. Markets are used to coalition governments (such as Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Turkey, Israel, New Zealand, India, Switzerland plus many others, these countries have a coalition in some shape or form).

People argue that these governments are less stable. Coalitions can collapse of course. However if this happens its normally because there are too many parties involved like in Belgum where all parties receive less than 20 percent of the vote. In Holland a collapse happened when there was a fundamental disagreement over Afghanistan. However a single party in power can also be split due to a fundamental disagreement that can lead to a leadership contest or even worse a full split or collapse (although a collapse is not that common). A single party is not a guarantee of steady and stable government.

We should not fear a hung parliament but embrace it because it is not a bad thing but a refreshing change that is welcome after the expenses scandal and the required reforms. It would be a welcome breath of fresh air.


Todays link is the http://www.theskepticsguide.org/ The Skeptics Guide to the Universe is a weekly Science podcast talkshow discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view.

General election Bracknell‏

At last a general election has been called for the 6th May.

I will cover events of the election here in Bracknell as well as national issues. I believe Bracknell's battle to come second is much more interesting than the expected Conservative win as 2nd place has been getting closer every year. The Conservatives have a massive majority of 12,000 votes.

I will bring you a number of Q A with local Independent candidates as the main parties will receive plenty of exposure and I feel I need to offer my local blog readers an extra service by providing some details on local independents.

Personally as many of my readers know I will be doing my best to help out the hard working local Liberal Democrats who are standing in local elections as I feel I can make a difference there as well as helping out my local party.

I however will cover the election fairly with of course my own personal comments and feelings on the matters and will always blog my thoughts no matter what any party line is.

So what better way to kick this election off then with a song from Wokingham Independent Mark Ashwell...Enjoy

And a video from the Labservatives (and there ends any form of campaigning on this blog site).

Todays Link is Michael Heaver who is a UKIP blogger only 20 years old and was School's Question Time Student panellist in 2008. He is currently studying European Politics.

Councillor dismissed after benefit claim investigation survives Standard Committee‏

As blogged before here when Bracknell blog reported before the local papers on the dismissal of Borough Councillor Denise Whitbread from Holyport Cof E Primary School in 2008 after receiving social security benefits and after being found guilty of professional misconduct by the General Teaching Council of England (GTC) following an investigation by the Work and Pensions department and the Bracknell Borough Council.

A meeting of the referrals Sub-Committee of Bracknell Forest Council's Standards Committee have examined a complaint by the Bracknell Liberal Democrats about the conduct of Borough Councillor Denise Whitbread.

I can report that the Sub-Committee have rejected the complaint and the grounds that Denise conduct did not fall within the scope of the Code of Conduct in relation to her duties as a councillor.

Ray Earwicker, Lib Dem PPC for Bracknell, said 'it was outrageous that the Code of Conduct had been interpreted in this way. Elected representatives were also accountable to those that elected them and the community as a whole. Cllr Whitbread's action clearly served to undermine the confidence and trust that was placed in her when she was elected to serve the residents of Wildridings and Central in 2007.'

There is a possibility of an appeal by the Liberal Democrats by I guess this would result in the same conclusion by the Sub-Committee. It looks like that the only chance people will have their say on this issue will be during the next council election in 2011.

Bring back the Old Tories. Why? It's the economy stupid

I can see how the slogan 'we will cut the deficit not the NHS' would work as a guarantee. But now the Tories are promising to not increase National Insurance and some how ensure that cancer drugs that are not approved by NICE for funding reasons are still paid for. Is this some kind of magic?

It maybe right to ensure that people can get hold of cancer drugs but something else will have to be cut to pay for it. I certainly would like too see all of us get the medical drugs we need.

Once upon a time it was the Liberal Democrats who were accused of unrealistic spending plans. The Lib Dems have improved there spending ideas with paid for plans for each policy. Of course the accusation leveled at the Lib Dems was that they can promise whatever they want because they will never get in.

The Tories however have a very relistic chance of winning this general election and yet they are coming out with tax cut plans and spending guarantees. This would of course be great and I do understand that big government can be cut, which im all for. I'm all for a cut in tax too. But it can't be done for a very long time.

If the Tories want to cut as soon as they are in government then how can they make all these promises. Are the Tories not tying their hands behind their back or seting themselves up for a fall?

I don't want too see the famous Geoffrey Howe budget of 1981 which caused a short recession due to the spending cuts. But they can't promise all these guarantees on spending. Anyone who has watched the BBC programs on the Great Offices of State will realise that you don't really know how bad the situation is until your actually in office. So don't promise the earth.

When Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson came to office he also made a number of promises. His then Chancellor Jim Callaghan discovered that the balance of payments were even worse then they believed in opposition. He had to make a speech to the nation telling the public that they can't spend. Will the Tories have to do the same thing if they win?

Will will find ourselves in the crazy situation of having the Lib Dem part of a Tory/Lib Dem coalition trying to control government spending and bring in realism into the Tory plans.

While I approve of the Tories modernising their party, I think they are going a little too far on their economic promises. This time more then any other is the time to get real otherwise the Conservative Party may pay for it themselves as will the rest of us.


Todays Link is D.R.Scott's Pulp Culture. its Skeptical observations about TV, movies, sci-fi, comics, politics, Life, The Universe and Everything. There has not been any postings for a while but I just enjoyed the old ones.

Tweet Highlight #SackChrisGrayling defending the Tory party

Last night a story broke where the Observer (story here) secretly taped a conversation with (Chris Grayling Conservative shadow home secretary) suggesting that people who run bed and breakfasts in their homes should "have the right" to turn away homosexual couples.

Firstly this may of been recorded in secret but Chris Grayling was at a public meeting of a leading centre-right think tank.

Secondly just because a senior Tory says something in a misguided belief that he is defending peoples right to invite people to their own home does not mean that the whole Tory party is some how homophobic.

How can a party that backs gay civil partnerships with tax incentives be Homophobic. Last night a number of Left twitters claimed that this was 'the same old Tory party' and that 'they were all Homophobic'. You don't have to be Tory to be homophobic, im afraid there are plenty of people on all sides who still are and will remain so nomatter what legislation a government brings in.

Tories are not rushing to defend Chris Grayling See Iain Dales Blog 'Why I Have to Disagree With Chris Grayling'.

Personally I think this is a simple case. The couple have a moral disagreement with people being gay and they run a B&B from their own home. If your in your own home you can ban or exclude anyone you want. However if you decide to turn your home into a B&B. You are turning your home into a hotel and a business. In which case a business can't simply turn people away because you disagree with their practices on moral grounds. If you can't accept a minority for whatever reason in a business then you can not disciminate that minority. In which case you are in the wrong business or your should not open up your private home as a B&B.

I would also add that Chris Grayling appears to be making a number of errors of judgement and I belief there are people in the conservative party who are more suited to the Home Secretary role. Home Secretary is a very difficult job and Chris will come under much heavier scrutiny in this role. I would not sack him but if the Conservatives win the next election then I would put someone else in that difficult position because I fear Chris will not survive there long.

Todays link is http://freethinkingeconomist.com/ which is 'A voice of reason against illiberal nonsense'

Newsweek:Bracknell area politics

Reading List have asked me to add this new feature Newsweek.

Taken from Reading List: Newsweek is a catalogue of political stories culled from other local sources.

It's always worth collecting together a selection of individual news stories to compare and contrast what's being said by people on different sides,.

Here is a selection of issues making headlines during the past week:

• Top hospitals 'censured in tough new inspection regime' - Heatherwood and Wrexham Park Hospitals

• 'This is where our fight-back begins' - Labour win in Old Bracknell

•  New-look Look In is set to re-open 

• Broadmoor 'doctor sacked unfairly' 

• Cash windfall to help fill potholes 

• Wokingham Twitter fans get their first Tweetup - I hope to be there

If you know of any other local political stories then please add them in the comments below.