If anyone would like some dog poo I can supply from my garden on a daily basis. 
 

Well, going back to a conversation you and I had about what we could have done to prevent the politicians going to war, Richard, I have to say that the gloves are now off.  Or rather, they were off once I'd dealt with the dogturd, anyhow

Where did I hear about that great prank involving sewing prawns into the lining of your victim's living room curtains? The stench quickly becomes unbearable, but not easily traced. The beauty is that, once your victim has thrown in the towel and decided to move house, the curtains go with them. 

I agree with you Anty for the most part - but it is worth remembering that the word used on numerous occasions by Boris Johnson to describe black children was exactly the one used by Enoch Powell in his "rivers of blood" speech, and one which the the unnamed party - whose leaders are despicable but not fools - would never use in public.  The contention that Boris Johnson is not a fit person to be mayor of London should not be interpreted as support for New Labour.

I agree totally about New Labour.  The 10p tax debacle is the last straw, especially since it affects those who are at the heart of Labour's traditional supporter base (Labour apparently telling its traditional supporters to go to hell in order to cut taxes in the suburbs) - but the real killer is the way in which house prices have been allowed to escalate, and now the inevitable bursting of the bubble.  A society in which house prices increase to the point where those on twice the average income is needed to buy one is not, despite what Brown and Blair appear to think, a prosperous one.  Neither is a society founded on consumer debt.  One of the greatest con-tricks perpetrated by politicians and the media is to give the illusion of prosperity while the opposite is the reality - a society in which people get into debt to buy the latest toys, and which public services are increasingly run by private spivs who drive down costs and quality; a process of which Brown has managed with enthusiasm.  Labour have at last been found out.


A lot of us are very middle England here, including me.  I for one loathe New Labour, and am disgusted at all the mainstream political parties (I am fortunate to live in one of only three parliamentary constituencies in Britain where voting for the martle-coloured party I support has a real chance of electing an MP, so at least I have some hope of helping to lob the odd rock into the pool of free-market consensus come polling day).  I also spend a lot of my time in mainland Europe, and see how the Social Democratic consensus in may of those countries has produced societies that appear to be more stable, more contented, less divided and with vastly better public services than Britain, which is - nominally at least, a richer country.  But even there the media are selling New Labour Britain as a model of prosperity

Oh, and, finally, the bendy buses are going nowhere.  Johnson can't afford to do otherwise.  He wants to reduce the congestion charge takings, cut taxes and won't want to put fares up.  In those circumstances, junking tens of millions of pounds worth of perfectly serviceable buses in pursuit of the pipe dream of a new Routemaster is not on the agenda, and never was.  Making the bendy buses into an election issue was a breathtaking piece of cynicsm. 

Referring to Gordon Browns 10p tax debacle - if this policy was used by the conservatives nobody would be at all surprised - but that it came from a party supposedly helping the lower paid i think caused all this fury!! Im a little confused though - does this supposedly u turn of his means the 10p tax stays or that it goes and he tries and thinks up alternative ways to get his votes back again!!
As for Boris - hes the only conservative imo whos not a cardboard cutout but whether he will make a better mayor than Ken is anybodys guess !!

I think it stays( the abolition that is!) but there will be more tax credits. People tend not to like getting money taken away and then given back as if it were a favour. Terrible idea! I think labour crossed a line in the sand with this one. Their absolute bedrock support are the socially consevative but pro redistributive working class ("wasters" tend not to vote in my experience.) A shame Livingstone got some of the blowback from this. His support of Blair the copper was the main blot on his mayorship, apart from that he far better than Boris IMO.
Odd to think that at one time labour used to be consdiered left by many of the European Social Democrats and  the German SPD was much admired by Roy Jenkins and Shirley Willliams as a sensible alternative to "lefty" labour, though they would now both stand left of Brown/Blair surely. It was David Owen who was a prescursor of New Labour I reckon.

Scuse me.

You earn £13,000 and get no tax credits, but if you earn £10,000 you get £1056 tax credit.

So what incentive is there to work?

The official poverty line in the UK  is earning below £16,400

So why does someone on £13,000 not qualify for tax credits?

Because the Government are so out of touch with ordinary folk.

Champagne Socialists the lot of them