Last week it was reported that a review of drink-driving laws in the UK has recommended a reduction in the allowed blood alcohol level for drivers. The government must now decide whether to act on the report. Over at Lords of the Blog, Baroness Deech asks for comments, suggesting that a balance has to be [...]
It didn’t take long for our new government to face its first scandal and resignation of a minister. What’s more, after all the promise of a clean break with a new parliament, the MPs’ expenses saga has reared its ugly head again.
David Laws, a treasury minister, claimed £40,000 in rent for a second home which [...]
I have to say I find myself broadly on the side of the government in the recent row over the sacking of the government’s drug adviser. Scientific advisers are there to advise, but ultimately it’s the politicians whom we have elected to take the decisions. If we don’t like the decisions they take, we can [...]
Like many people I was in two minds about whether the BNP’s leader should appear on the BBC’s Question Time. Free speech is important, but you have to draw the line somewhere. However, after seeing Nick Griffin’s performance, I think his appearance has only made him look a fool.
I came as little surprise to discover [...]
When I go into any shop, I rarely buy anything on impulse. I go in to buy what I wanted. However, I can’t be typical. Shops spend a lot of time and effort making attractive displays to entice customers into buying things they didn’t know they needed, and they wouldn’t bother if it had no [...]
One of the protesters taking part in the G20 protests in London claimed yesterday, “The only violence I witnessed that day was police violence.” Clearly he didn’t see the pictures on TV of people smashing the windows of a bank, while crowds of other rioters looked on and cheered. I don’t think the people breaking [...]
News sources everywhere are proclaiming that Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States. Yet as Mr Obama is of mixed African-European heritage, one can state just as validly that he is the 44th white president.
A similar thing is true for Lewis Hamilton, said to be the first black Formula [...]
Whatever their view of the status of “hero” being given by the press to the British Olympic team, most people would agree that, if we’re considering them to be representing their country as opposed to chasing individual achievement, we should be congratulating the whole team. Equally, we should be proud of British people who excel [...]
Today the Chancellor finally announced what the measure would be to compensate people who have lost out due to the income tax changes. They are going to give all basic rate taxpayers an extra £120 by raising the personal tax allowance by five times that amount. That was the solution to the problem that I [...]
Last week the government seemingly did a u-turn over the scrapping of the 10 pence rate of income tax, although it is far from clear what form the compensation will take for people on lower incomes who will lose out under the new tax regime.
It’s difficult to see how the government could have thought it [...]
