Non-taxpayers alliance

The media and parliament has been deceived by the so-called  Taxpayers' Alliance. They are widely quoted as an independent voice. To our shame the Select Committee on which I serve  PASC  called one of their spokespeople as a witness.

The Guardian reveals today that one of their directors does not pay any UK tax. He has lived in the Loire Valley for years. It's a Tory front. TPA claimed that they are "the guardian of taxpayers' money, the voice of taxpayers in the media and their representative at Westminster". Presumably that the taxpayers of the Loire Valley.

During the Labour Government of 1945-51 a organisation of hideous strident women screeched their abuse of everything the Government did. They called themselves the 'Housewives League.' When the Conservative Government was elected, they disappeared without trace, never to re-emege again.

This campaign group refuses to publish details of its income or a list of donors. The TPA have grabbed headlines and filled space on the 24 hour news agenda with blatant Tory propaganda. It's a sound bet they will evaporate into oblivion after May 7th 2010.

No stitch-up

If there is a planned stitch-up I believe I would have spotted it.

In the last election for the election of Labour's Leader in Wales there was a web of complex several stitch-ups.  I was so infuriated, I wrote a book about it named Dragons led by Poodles.. 

The system used in 1998 would not have been approved as fair by UN observers of an election in a Third World country. Procedures were wide open for manipulation.

 Information denied to (some?) candidates, scrutiny by candidates or agents of the opening or counting of ballot papers not allowed. Powerful rumours indicated a possible leak of intelligence on voting results to one side. It is alleged that Alun Michael's team were receiving daily reports of the changing vote count in the final days. A call for an explanation and investigation was contemptuously swept aside. Even worse, a draconian new rule was imposed, threatening disqualification for candidates who criticise the conduct of the poll.

The Western Mail is scraping the barrel today with a complaint that the new rules  say 

“Candidates will each be given 10 minutes to speak, there will then be approximately one hour to answer questions.

“Members attending the hustings will be able to submit questions in a written form at the venue in the 15 minutes before the start of the event. The final list of questions will be selected by the chair of the meeting and one other member of the procedure committee from among those submitted.”

That seems sensible way of ensuring an orderly meeting with time divided fairly between candidates. The newly minted rules this time are fine. In 1998, all unions who balloted their members voted for Rhodri Morgan. All those who did not plumped for Alun Michael. That fiddled the result in Alun's favour.

Now union votes will not be allowed unless they first ballot their members. All other loopholes have been closed. There is no appetite from anyone to fiddle this result.

I do not expect to have to write a second book.

Comments

[Paul Flynn]

Sackcloth and ashes. Sorry. There were 22 comments on this site. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted them. Please re-post if possible. Thanks you for them. They were very enjoyable.

[Miscellaneous]

Here are a few I managed to rescue:-

Comment:
--------
Now if we keep as quiet as possible, and take a look under this rock, you'll see a truly amazing sight.... it's one of the last remaining habitats of a species nearing total extinction - the old Trot (dinosaurus scargilliensis).

Don't touch, children. They are venomous and extremely belligerent, and will fight among themselves if there is no outsider to attack. Not very loveable, are they ? No wonder they're near extinction.

The irony is that they still think they will rule the world, but look carefully and you will see they are turning into fossils as we speak.

Commenter name: D. Attenborough
Comment: Comment:
--------
The Guardian article reveals the nature of this odious alliance.
At best hypocitical , at worst a complete joke!

Next we'll be hearing that anti poverty campaigner Bono beamed in live to the Tory conference and pleaded with them not to cut international developement spending while moving his money to a tax haven in the Netherlands.

Commenter name: patrick
--------
"At best hypocitical , at worst a complete joke!"

So it's not hypocritical for the Guardian to complain about someone paying French tax when it has dodged a hundred million pounds of tax?

Christ on a bike, you lefties have some neck.

Commenter name: Kay Tie

--------
"Yes I am using a computer KayTie, and a web browser, html having been created by one man who gave it away to everyone, nasty communist that he must be, I'm surprised you sully yourself using the product of such socialism."

Don't pretend to knowledge you don't have.

Commenter name: Kay TieComment:
--------
I don't KayTie,
Nor like you do I lie when the reality of something is at variance with what I would wish it to be.

Commenter name: HuwOS

[John]

Thats funny Kay Tie...........

Everyday 22 people die directly from alcohol
Today David Gately a high profile celebrity died due to alcohol.

Will we have the mothers and fathers of these tragic victims of alcohol petitioning the Government for the banning of alcohol as was the case with Maryon Stewart, mother of 21-year-old student Hester Stewart who died from taking GBL a legal high that the Government is set to ban. Note that in Hesters case GBL was mixed with alcohol yet her mother didn't ask for this to be banned.The Government nearly tripped over its own shoe laces in its rush to ban GBL Spice and other legal highs which will no doubt reapper on the black market contaminated with god knows what.

It is these double standards that really make me dispair. Prohbitionists only want the drugs they don't use banned. They are quite happy to allow alcohol to be used to sponser sport or glamorised in the media yet treat illegal drug users as less than human.

Their ignorance and stupidity still astounds me.

[John]

Sorry shows how much notice I take in manufactued pop music I meant to say Stephen Gately was the tragic victim of an 8 hour cocktail binge according to the papers not David.

Of course this death is tragic and my sympathies go to his friend s and family