Saturday evening catchup

1) What is fairness? -

'I am now getting slightly weary about the debate about whether the changes (which let’s not forget need to be made) or fair or not.

Is it fair that next door there is the exact same house as what I reside in yet because they have 3 kids they get much more bang for their council tax buck? Is it fair that they have had child benefit for years when we have currently chosen not to have kids even though they clearly don’t need the money?

Is it fair that my wife and I both chose to get off our back sides and in an effort to get good jobs decide to commute around 250 miles a day? Is it fair that by doing this the £8,000 cost each will rise 3% plus RPI?'

Indeed?


2) 'Should we be sending £1.2 billion to the European Commission?' -

'Approximately 490,000 jobs are estimated to be lost due to the effects of the Coalition Government’s spending review. About seven thousand of these are likely to come from the army. Whatever you think about these proposals for reductions in public spending (I’m broadly in favour), it is a fact that we have been told that these cuts are occurring because there is no other option. There’s no-where else to find them. They’re not ideological (I wish they were); they’re unavoidable.

…So why is the budget for international aid going up by 37%? To clarify, this means that next year the Department for International Development will spend eight billion pounds. Yes, eight billion. In 2012, this will be twelve billion. This is partly due to Cameron’s pre-election promises not to reduce international aid, and partly due to the government thinking such measures would be unacceptable to the compassionate, broadly liberal public. Where, then, does the money go? Well, department running costs will be slashed by a third and aid to Russia and China will be reduced to zero. European_flag_outside_the_Commission However, last year, around £94m went to the ‘Democratic’ Republic of the Congo. £297m went to India, a country with citizens in appalling poverty, the fourth-largest economy in the world, and a space programme. £56m went to Zimbabwe. We gave Russia about £200k (which is being cut). £1.2 billion went to the European Commission. We have been giving millions of pounds to countries that have the most deplorable human rights records in the world, countries where it is doubtful that the citizens will ever see it.'

Well quite...


3) Andrew Gilligan says that 'Labour: London borough becomes 'Islamic republic' - Something that I blogged about earlier today.

'On Tower Hamlets council, we’re told, the IFE calls on allies who support its aims. It’s also accused of using its influence to help its friends rise to power. These friends include the Labour leader of the council – Lutfur Rahman.

Dispatches has been told that the IFE helped him win the support of Labour councillors.

...

Life at the Town Hall started to reflect religious practices and demands.

TED JEORY: Proceedings changed, they were adjourning more for prayer breaks, occasionally meetings cancelled during prayers, even during Ramadan as well.

And two years ago, councillors attending meetings which did go ahead during Ramadan were met with a new request, in an email from a council officer.

CLLR PETER GOLDS (Conservative), Tower Hamlets council: It suggested that all councillors should refrain from eating.

ANDREW GILLIGAN: So councillors felt they were being ordered not to eat during Ramadan.

CLLR PETER GOLDS: Yeah, and there was certainly an implication of that.

ANDREW GILLIGAN: What was your reaction to that?

CLLR PETER GOLDS: I wasn’t the councillor that raised it, but I was concerned because I do think we are, this is a multicultural borough and certainly the Muslim population is large and important but it is not the dominant culture in the borough.'

Hmmm...