Monday 30 September 2013

Taxation is murder, taxation destroys lives, taxation blights lives.

Many old people die from cold because they can't afford fuel bills because of taxes on those bills. They die because the tax man has taken money from them to pay for other peoples priorities.

Many sick people die after being refused medical treatment by the NHS because NICE or their local health authority has decided a treatment is not 'cost effective', and they cannot afford private treatment for themselves. They die because the tax man has taken money from them to pay for other peoples priorities.

Many householders lives are ruined because they cannot afford house insurance because of levies/taxes put them out of reach. They suffer because the tax man demands money from them to pay for other peoples priorities.

Many youngsters whole lives are blighted because they are obliged to attend failing state schools, even though we are taxed more than enough to pay for the high quality education available in private schools. Lives are blighted because we are taxed to pay for other peoples priorities.

Given a free choice, I'd probably pay some money towards the armed forces, border control, police service, courts, fire service, medical service, I'd not pay for diversity coordinators nor climate change inspired green vanity projects.

Others may have other priorities - let them choose to pay for what they care about, and where the money is needed. I suspect key services would end up with plenty of support - loony services would not.

Those who support taxation - coercion, threat of force to take someone's own property from them - so they can use it to support their own priorities, prejudices, foibles are both selfish and arrogant - and bring misery and death to millions of innocent people.

Tuesday 24 September 2013

The Future of Europe and the EU - Made In Britain.

2015
UK Start withdrawal from the EU

2017
UK an independent country with a unique UK/EU trading/cooperation treaty

2018
UK trading widely with the whole world and the EU

2020
UK/EU treaty globally accepted as a model of international cooperation.
Other EU members choose to leave the EU and adopt the UK/EU treaty.
Other non-EU members adopt the UK/EU treaty relationship.

2025
EU has ceased to exist, former members and other countries from around the world are soverign but trading/cooperating with each other under models of the original UK/EU treaties.

Job Done.

Vision for an Independent UK - needed now.

If there were to be a referendum on our EU membership tomorrow it would almost certainly be lost - as the british people would not vote for a complete unknown. A vision of a modern independent UK is needed - people need something to actively vote for.

The UK has been a member of the EU for over 40 years, it has leached into our insitutions, traditions, law and lives. It would be foolish to think that it could be removed, that we could leave, and everything would carry on as if we had never been members.

There are many questions and issues that need to be addressed - many are likely to be contentious and divisive - even among the most ardent anti-EU campaigners.

If no such vision exists then the UK and its people is laying itself open to be hijacked, and our EU exit could lead us into something far worse.

It would be possible to spend many lifetimes discussing (arguing) over every minute detail of UK after EU - and as the EU is a moving target, the discussions may not even keep pace - the EU could create new questions issues faster than old and existing ones are addressed.

To prevent this work delaying a UK exit from the EU, I think it is vital that a mechanism is put in place to allow the people to be directly and rapidly consulted on issues arrising and to make their choice. This mechanism would be the only pre-requisit of leaving - as it could be used to settle every other matter.

The recent (happening as I type!) departure of Geoffrey Bloom as a UKIP MEP shows how important it is that UK's exit from the EU cannot be intrinsicly tied to a set of absolute polices that will always alianate one section of the public or another.

Once the UK is independent then new, better, democratic systems need to be put in place, and from there on it will be the people who decide.

The work on this new covenant between the British people and its government must start now to have any hope of being ready in time.

Monday 23 September 2013

I have had enough of Channel 4, Cathy Newman and Michael Crick trying to incite violence against #UKIP supporters.

I wrote to sussex police today:-
I am concerned that Chanel 4 News, in the persons of reporters/journalists Michael Crick and Cathy Newman are behaving in a way that is likely to provoke racial violence.

On several occasions they have used their airtime on chanel 4 to create the false impression that the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) are a racist organisation.

As someone who has been a candidate for UKIP in parliamentry and local elections, I beleive their behavour puts me and others like me at risk of attack from misguided 'anti-racists'.

These false accusations by these reporters on channel 4 cannot be allowed continue.

I await a response.

Tuesday 17 September 2013

EU Membership worth £92bn a year to the UK, equivalent to £3300 per household.

In a tweet exchange this figure was quoted to me by an EU bod (personal tweet account...).

He gave me this link to support that claim:-
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/international-trade-investment-and-development/docs/u/11-719-uk-and-single-market

I kicked the tyres... and they fell off...

Just the quick headline nonsense noted here.

In the Summary it says:-
EU countries currently trade twice as much with each other as
they would do in the absence of the Single Market. As a result, the Single
Market may be responsible for income gains in the UK between 2% and 6%,
that is between £1100 and £3300 a year per British household.
In section 2  it says:-
EU countries trade nowadays twice as much with each other as they would do in the absence of the Single Market. Given that, according to the OECD, a 10 percentage point increase in trade exposure is associated with a 4 per cent rise in income per capita, increased trade with Europe since the early 80s (around +15 percentage points) may be responsible for around 6% higher income per capita in the UK. This represents £3,300 a year per British household.
Problem is...

If the single market (established in the '80s) doubles the trade we do with the EU (an increase of 100%) - how come it has only increased by 15%?

This alone makes the document worthless nonsense(!). This is a document that  people are quoting and citing this to support our continued membership! Is there any reason to think any other data they are using is any better? No... not really...

I also can't help noticing that this £1100-£3300 per houshold - of course it doesn't go to households, it goes to Fat Euro Cats, but even if it did - would just about cover the increase in our fuel bills caused by the EU's very own Green Tax!

So even on their own best figures, the gross benefit of EU membership is entirely wiped out by their own green energy tax - every other cost of EU membership is a direct cost and drain on the wealth we in the UK create.

Thursday 5 September 2013

Observations on Universal Credit - and why Citizens Income with Flat Tax is better.

An extra 32 hours for £50? Really?

Universal Credit is an attempt to replace a number of benefits with one single benefit - simplifying the system so saving time and money.

As with all big state IT projects, the implementation is a shambles
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23963867

But if it pays of in the long run, that will be forgotten, I just saw the figures in that story and thought I'd do a little analysis...

Graph showing how universal credit would fall as earnings increased

Which looks to me to say:-

The unemployed 20 year old gets £500 a month.

If he works 48 hours a month (12/week) at minimum wage (£6.25 an hour) he earns £300 a month (more than his rent!).

But with UC he will have a total of £700 a month so his 48hrs work have made him £200 better off - thats an extra £4.17 for each hour worked.

If he works 80 hours a month (20/week) at minimum wage he earns £500 a month (almost double his rent!).

But with UC he will have a total of £750 a month so his *extra* 32 hours have rewarded him an extra £50 a month... or a measly £1.56 an hour(!).

Or :-

Monthly
HoursPayslip RatePayslip TotalUCMonthly TotalReward Per Hour WorkedReward per Extra Hour Worked
0n/a0£500£500n/an/a
48£6.25/hr£350£350£700£4.17£4.17
80£6.25/hr£500£250£750£3.13£1.56

An extra 32 hours for £50? Really?

How about this instead?

With a real 'citizens income' the figures would look something like this:-

Monthly
HoursPayslip Hourly RateTotalTax at 30%Take homeCIMonthly TotalReward Per Hour WorkedReward per Extra Hour Worked
0n/a---£500£500n/an/a
48£5.25£252£76£176£500£676£3.67£3.67
80£5.25£420£126£294£500£794£3.76£3.67

So a fixed citizens income and a flat rate tax means workers keep 70% of every single £ they earn.

To simplify even further why not just tax the employer the 30% of their total wage bill - make the wage £3.67 and not tax the employees at all? I'd like to see people try to dodge their taxes with that in place!!

Monday 2 September 2013

Why trains are crap....

No wonder the poor can't afford holidays

My Wife and I took our two sons on a short break (two nights) at a hotel-resort/spa near Tiptree in Essex - we live near Brighton.

Check in/out 12:00.

We went by Car

We loaded the car, packed a picnic set off at 10:00, had early picnic lunch arrived at 13:00. For our return two days later we left at 12:00 got home at 14:00.

It was 200 miles round trip, we got about 35mpg so 6 gallons of fuel used on the actual journey. Total cost about £40 in fuel.

So that is 2 hours each way door to door (3 with a lunch stop) - £40.

For reference: We could have hired a car and had it delivered/collected for about £100.

By Train

By train we would have lugged our stuff to the bus stop for 8:00 , got a bus to the station for £10 (for four of us), and would mean a change - with a 10 min walk at the end to get the station itself. (A taxi would be about £15)

Optimistically we may have managed to get the 9:00 from Brighton to Colchester - costing £220 (return) for all of us. With two or three changes we'd be at Colchester for 12:00

From Colchester we'd probably have needed a cab - say £15 to arrive at 13:00.

Assume return trip is similar then its a total of £20 is bus fares, £220 in train fairs and £30 for taxis (and no transport on site!).

So that is 5 hours each way (a total of 7 changes) - £270


My case rests.