FRIDAY MUSIC: The Transatlantic Sessions, by JD

At long last some TV repeats worth watching! This evening (Fri 27/9/24) on BBC4 from 9pm the evening will be devoted to repeats of The Transatlantic Sessions and I believe the Beeb are currently recording a new series of programmes for broadcast in 2025 so in anticipation of an evening beside the telly with a wee dram a small sample from the archives is this week's musical offering.

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"Celebrating the rich traditions connecting Scotland, Ireland and the US, and a regular Celtic Connections highlight, our Transatlantic Sessions feature an outstanding line-up of artists, as great guest musicians and a celebrated house band explore shared roots through original material and age-old songs.

“Captivating duo Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves return on banjo and fiddle, after winning Instrumental Group of the Year and Traditional Album of the Year at the 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards.

“The house band, led by Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, features renowned Celtic and roots musicians Phil Cunningham, John Doyle, Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker, Donald Shaw, James Mackintosh and Daniel Kimbro. “A phenomenal group of musicians. . . The synchronicity and tightness of the band was incredible. . . an evening of spectacular traditional music-making from both sides of the great ocean.” (The Arts Desk)…
https://www.transatlanticsessions.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Sessions

Aragon Mill

"Waterbound" - Dirk Powell and The Transatlantic Musicians

Julie Fowlis, Kim Carnie & Karen Matheson - An Ubhal As Àirde | Hoolie 2023 | BBC ALBA

Capercaillie - Ailein Duinn (Official Music Video - 1080p50 remaster)

Skipinnish at the BBC ALBA launch

Scrap National Insurance!

The typical employee’s wage slip is something of a con.

Here’s how it works. For earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 p.a. there are deductions of income tax at 20%, employee NIC at 12% but an additional 13.8% NIC is paid by the employer.

If someone on the average salary of c. £33,000 a year gets a raise of £1,000 the worker pays £320 in tax/NIC and the employer another £138. Thus in total it costs the salary department £1,138 to give the worker £680 net.

You would have the same result if you simply paid the worker £1,138 and charged income tax at 40.25%. From this point of view basic rate taxpayers are effectively Higher Rate taxpayers!

Back in 1910 a working class man might earn £50 - £100 per year depending on his level of skill. There was as yet no National Insurance Fund and the threshold for paying income tax was £160. So no tax and no NIC for the ordinary working person!

Once you were on a lot more - £700 a year - marginal income tax was a shilling in the pound i.e. 5%. In 1909 Lloyd George introduced a super-tax for the very wealthy on £5,000+ per annum: this was an extra 2.5%, bringing the total to 7.5% on margin.

It was a different world.

And in many ways a much worse world. Lives were shorter and illness more common - hundreds of thousands suffered from TB, for example. Certain industries were more likely to be hit by cyclical unemployment which would destroy the security of working class families, so that people who had joined friendly societies or taken out life insurance might have to default on their membership and policies. The edge of destitution was always close, with its threat of the workhouse or infirmary.

So let’s bless the memory of the ‘Welsh Wizard’ who in 1911 presented Parliament with a plan for a National Insurance Fund to tackle these miseries. His introductory speech is on Hansard here. The scheme is complex and brilliantly worked-out. We must admire the intellectual quality of a Debating Chamber that could take in the details and ask penetrating questions; do we have such a one now?

The initial actuarial calculations had called for some fifteen years of extra Government funding to cover the cost of admitting older lives to the new plan, after which the State could step back and the scheme would be wholly reliant on the contributions from workers and employers.

The plan was doomed. The Bill became law in 1912 and benefits began to be paid the next year; but in 1914 a Privy Council meeting declared war on Germany.

The surplus funds designed to take care of future obligations were raided by Lloyd George to help pay the enormous costs of the conflict. Inflation doubled by 1918; then there was a slump and a few years later the Great Depression, bringing a level of unemployment for which the Fund had not been designed. Generally the nation’s finances went haywire, so that in 1934 Britain defaulted on her huge wartime loans from the United States.

Then came World War Two, with more borrowings and the forfeiture of much of our gold and overseas business holdings. Yet the postwar Welfare State was established, broke though we were; how infinitely better would our position have been had we stayed out of both global conflicts?

These are the fruits of war.

Nevertheless, for a couple of decades the post-1945 National Insurance Fund rebuilt its surplus and the system moved to pay-as-you-go, funding benefits from current contributions, while maintaining significant reserves. However, expanding welfare programs and an ageing population saw the reserves dwindle to the status of a contingency fund; we are now on ‘money in, money out.’ Pensioners who say ‘we paid in and now we are being short-changed’ have to realise it is not like a Christmas club; they must accept what the State gives them and be thankful.

So let’s dispense with the National Insurance taradiddle and charge a uniform tax of around 40%.

One advantage is that ordinary people would enjoy a much bigger tax break on voluntary pension contributions.

As for State pensioners, let all of them have the full basic State pension, and the Winter Fuel Allowance, and the bus pass and 25% ‘widow’s discount’ on Council Tax and so on. Below a certain level of income they need all of it and let’s not squabble about marginal benefits and who gets what docked and isn’t it unfair. Let them pay the same tax rate as the working people sweating for a living, but adjust the income tax threshold so that they get all the State will give them plus some extra that they have saved for themselves; then, 40% or so above that limit.

It would work out so that for example someone on a total income that is £28,756 into the 40% tax bracket would be repaying the full cost of a basic State Pension which is currently £11,02.40. Someone less wealthy would be paying a proportion, naturally.

It’s the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Dressing Sir Keir

Lord Mandelson is said to be behind the gifted-clothes hoo-ha about Lord Alli, the PM and his wife. Nonsense: this is Hamlet without the Prince.

Casey Michael in the Mail on Sunday says that Tony Blair ‘is offering extensive advice to Sir Keir Starmer behind the scenes.’ Alastair Campbell, too - maybe Ali was behind Starmer’s headline-catching visit to Italy’s Giorgia Meloni ostensibly to learn from the right-winger how to deal with immigration. Mandelson - wasn’t it Blair who mused that maybe Mandy wasn’t as good as his sofa cabinet had thought?

Blair fancies himself as an expert on presentation, though his facial expressions and gestures belong in the am-dram classic ‘The Art Of Coarse Acting.’ When George W Bush was buttering him up to obtain Britain’s support for the illegal invasion of Iraq ‘Yo Blair’ presumed to tell the President of the United States how to comport himself, for example to ‘walk wide’ so as to seem more impressive. Bush played along pro tem; he is more psychologically astute and knows how to stroke a man’s vanity; yet what was on his mind was not Richard Burton but Halliburton.

The right-wing media are playing the clothes thing all wrong. Starmer is not materialistic or sensual. What normal youth would go to a Czech Communist work camp instead of lining up half a dozen quickies in one day on an 18-30 beach holiday as a friend of mine once did?

No, I stick to my armchair analysis: Starmer is high-functioning autistic. Mothers who have sons like this despair of getting their boys to change their clothes because of the associated sensory issues that make the lads want to stick with the familiar. Melinda Gates had to force her nerd husband to abandon dressing like a scruff, otherwise Bill would have carried on with the T-shirts.

These guys live in their heads. This is why they are addicted to making models, if not computer programs then human society. If Starmer were older he’d have watched the revolutionary-leftie 1976 TV series ‘Bill Brand’ (screened in the afternoons because it was too radical for prime time) thinking ‘If not now, when?’

Enter Blair the thespian ‘national treasure’, no longer castable as the juvenile lead but taking on the role of Starmer’s director, managing him as Barrage O’Bomber and co. have managed Biden and will (if Trump can be eliminated) manage the giggly airhead ‘joyous’ Kamala.

Starmer will take stage tips; he doesn’t care, so long as he gets us to curtain down. As to costume, the common people do like a show with high production values, don’t they?

Next to leave UK? Schoolchildren!

The average fees of a British boarding school are £37,000 a year. Adding twenty per cent VAT brings that up to £44,400.

In Portugal the cost would be about 30,000 euro = under £26,000. Children can attend established ‘international schools’ to learn in their own language.

But with the prospect of the Starmer regime lasting for a decade or more, enterprising private schools might consider setting up their own establishments in or near Lisbon, Porto or the Algarve, and transfer their teaching staff there. The expense of moving and rebuilding might be more than covered by the sale of school lands and buildings in the crazily overpriced UK property market.

Nice weather, good food and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the citizenry and become fluent in a foreign language.

And the chance to escape the G*d-awful British National Curriculum.

Regular, cheap short-haul direct flights each way. Assuming there’s any reason to return.

FRIDAY MUSIC: Mark Knopfler, by JD

Some lesser known songs from MK as he explores his musical roots.

Mark Knopfler needs no introduction after a very successful career in popular music wih 'Dire Straits' 'The Notting Hillbillies' and susequently as a solo artist. He was born in Glasgow and from the age of seven he lived with his family on Tyneside. Among his lesser known solo work was an exploration of his musical roots some of which appeared on the 2009 album 'Get Lucky' and a few of those songs are included below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Knopfler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Lucky_(Mark_Knopfler_album)

Mark Knopfler - Border Reiver HD - Córdoba 2010

"The Anglo-Scottish Border counties, including Northumberland, were the home to the notorious Border Reivers, the lawless clans of the border valleys, where a lifestyle of raiding and marauding was the only way to survive. The life of the Border Reiver was not necessarily ruled by his allegiance to the English or Scottish Crowns, but more likely by his allegiance to a family surname.”

Mark Knopfler - Before gas & tv

The Trawlerman's Song by Mark Knopfler

Going Home - Royal Scots Dragoon Guards & Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler - Piper To The End:

"This song is about Knopfler's uncle Freddie ( mother side : Frederick John Laidler ) who was a piper of the 1st Battalion, Tyneside Scottish, the Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment. Freddie carried his pipes into action in World War II and was killed with fellow fighters at Ficheux, near Arras in the north of France in May 1940. He was just 20 years old."

Mark Knopfler - Sons Of Scotland

Yankee Poodle Went To Town...

... but failed to blow up the world - this time.

If you live in the Northern hemisphere and are able to read this, it is because Sir Keir Starmer has still not received permission to bomb the Russian homeland.

According to nuclear arms control expert Scott Ritter, he tried.

How can American presidents be allowed to instruct British PMs - e.g. Blair, Johnson, Sunak, Starmer - in such vital matters?

Western leaderships have been gambling that they can play ‘What’s the time, Mister Wolf?’ indefinitely and the wolf will never turn.

But on last Friday the Thirteenth - although the demonic auspices seemed favourable - it seems that utterly emphatic warnings from Moscow via back channels managed to convince some sane persons with influence in the US Administration that firing long-range missiles into Russia would trigger open war with NATO and that America’s heartland would not be exempted from retaliatory action.

The scenario if the bet goes wrong is the death of perhaps 99 per cent of the five billion people in North America, Europe, Russia, China etc. Not all from blast or radiation but also from mass starvation during a long winter caused by dust flung into the upper atmosphere, robbing vegetation of sunlight.

Time Magazine sketches a sequence of events, one that seems unstoppable once escalation begins:

What person not mad would stake the lives, not only of the armed forces but of each and every citizen in their country, against some not clearly defined material gain - say, oil and gas for a few more decades? The irrationality is so extreme that one wonders whether Sir Keir and other Western warmongers should not be made to submit to psychological assessment.

We have been spared, this time, but must take heed:

So proud and lofty is some sort of sin
Which many take delight and pleasure in
Whose conversation God doth much dislike
And yet He shakes His sword before He strike

We need a referendum on Starmer's 'Change'

Starmer’s government has saddled up for a full Parliamentary session but the question of Labour’s legitimation remains. This is not merely a new administration but one with a comprehensive socialist plan it wishes to implement. The potential impact of ‘Golden’ Brown’s grand strategy on our constitutional arrangements is arguably far greater than the Brexit issue. Labour are pushing it through on the positive assent of 20.2% of the electorate in a dangerously low turnout, and even some of those who did vote Red may be experiencing buyer’s remorse already.

If we had agreed in 2011 to introduce the Alternative Vote (AV) the turnout would likely have been far higher (as it was in the 2016 EU Referendum) and the results could have been startlingly different. Imagine for example if Reform’s 14.3% vote share was boosted by Tories who had switched to the Liberal Democrats as a plausible alternative, plus other Conservatives who had simply abstained in despair.

The disconnect between Westminster and the people is wider than ever. Starmer cannot simply equate his majority in Parliament with the popular will. The freakish General Election result might be enough for a change of train driver in the ordinary way but is not sufficient to authorise a complete change of track and destination.

In 1816 Thomas Jefferson suggested that since the world belongs to the living only, the people should be able to amend or rewrite the constitution under which they are governed, when half those alive at the last one have passed on. Unless we accept the divine right of kings and their appointed Prime Ministers, our legislative body should have the imprimatur of those from whom power originates. Of those who expressed a preference at the ballot box in July, 66.3% must be counted ‘not content.’ There must be a better system for getting general agreement to an historic decision.

Parliament itself shows us a way when electing a new Speaker of the House of Commons. A series of ballots is held, each time ejecting losers, until one candidate has more than half the votes in the last round. This method takes subsidiary preferences into account and so is a sort of Alternative Vote.

Labour has radical and, so it hopes, irreversible proposals for our system of government. Let them put those ideas to the electorate by a simple nationwide yes or no. If there is more than one such scheme put forward, let us choose and approve by AV.

The alternative is to press on regardless, blocking the escape valve in the pressure cooker with police action, propaganda and media collusion while turning up the heat. When Elon Musk said civil war in the UK is inevitable he may have been thinking about more than riotous, so-called ‘right wing’ demonstrations against unlimited migration.

We need a constitutional referendum.

……………………………..
Crossposted from Bruges Group blog.

PMQs in a nutshell, 11 September 2024

Welcome to Sir Keir’s second Question Time of the current session. The in-house video is here (start at 12:01) and the Hansard transcript here. Quentin Letts’ Parliamentary sketch in the Daily Mail noted a despondent air on the Government benches.

The PM welcomed the new statue of the late Queen Elizabeth and wished the Princess of Wales well as she completes her treatment. He heralded that afternoon’s debate introducing the Renter’s Rights Bill and was scheduled to meet President Biden in Washington to discuss foreign policy.

Torsten Bell (L) spoke of the plight of low paid and zero hours workers but was cut short by the Speaker for failing to ask a question. The PM replied that Labour was commtted to economic growth and would ‘deliver for working people.’

Rishi Sunak (C, Opposition Leader) asked the PM whether he would publish the impact assessment of cancelling the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) for 10 million pensioners. Sir Keir referred once again to the ‘£22 billion black hole’ left by the outgoing Conservative administration; pensioners would benefit from ‘ramping up’ pension credit, linking housing benefit to it and receiving pension increases via the ‘triple lock.’ Mr Sunak spoke of the Conservatives’ record on pension benefits and noted that the present Chancellor had said she would prefer it if the WFP policy did not raise any money. The PM repeated the ‘£22 billion black hole’ phrase twice more and quoted shadow ministers saying the WFP was not needed by some and should be means-tested. Mr Sunak reminded the PM of Labour’s previous estimate that withdrawing the WFP would lead to 3,850 deaths; did Labour’s latest impact assessment give higher or lower figures? The PM replied that his Government aimed to ‘stabilise the economy’ and referred again to the ‘triple lock.’ Mr Sunak noted the PM’s refusal to publish the impact assessment.

Mr Sunak then asked whether bearing in mind ‘increasing global volatility’ the PM would ‘be adopting the National Farmers Union’s recent proposal to enshrine a national food security target in law?’ Would the PM consider making the process of assessing farmland quality independent, rather than leaving it to developers who may despoil the countryside with alternative uses such as solar panels? The PM again countered with the previous government’s alleged ‘mess’ and neglect of rural issues. Mr Sunak spoke of Wales’ ‘top-down eco-targets’ that ‘hammered farmers’; would the PM assure English farmers that he would rule out such targets? The PM replied that Labour would ‘work with farmers’ across the UK to ‘support’ them; and ended with a list of other ways in which Labour was ‘building a better country for the future.’

Amanda Martin (L) asked about affordable housing in Portsmouth. Would infrastructure and community consultation be considered? The PM limited himself to restating Labour’s commitment to affordable housing and its target of building 1.5 million new houses.

Ed Davey (LD Leader) asked the PM to guarantee that every cancer patient could start treatment within 62 days. Sir Keir referred to Lord Darzi’s upcoming report on previous Conservative failure in this area and said the timeline mattered; Labour were already putting on more scanners and technology to speed up diagnosis.

Mr Davey said that LibDems had voted against the withdrawal of the Winter Fuel Payment. Would the PM reverse previous Conservative tax cuts for banks instead? Sir Keir said he would not anticipate the Budget but repeated the phrase ‘£22 billion black hole’ and Labour’s plan to make sure everyone was better off.

Patrick Hurley (L) reminded the House of the tragic killings of little girls in Southport and asked the PM to recommit to support for the town and those grieving and affected. The PM expressed his sympathy and support but also referred to ‘far-right thugs’ who had thrown things at police in London.

Nigel Farage (Reform) referred to the previous day’s early release of career criminals to make space in prison for reckless commenters on social media. Did the PM understand public anger at ‘two-tier policing and a two-tier justice system?’ Sir Keir said that the releases were necessary ‘because the last Government broke the prison system’ and had ignored warnings of the crisis.

Rachel Hopkins (L) asked the PM to explain Labour’s railway plan to deliver improvements to rail infrastructure. Sir Keir complied, saying that ‘Great British Railways will unite track and train under a single leadership. That means closer collaboration across the industry and faster, more effective decisions on critical infrastructure.’

Tessa Munt (LD) said the Conservatives had underspent the farming budget by £100 million. Would Labour do the same? She said the LibDem manifesto proposed an increase and to ‘speed up the roll-out of the new environmental land management schemes, and support profitable, sustainable and nature-friendly farming.’ The PM said the issue was important and while not pre-empting the Budget agreed to ‘protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals, make the supply chain work more fairly, and prevent shock rises in bills by switching to GB Energy.’

Luke Murphy (L) asked about overcharging and lack of maintenance by leasehold agents. Sir Keir said Labour would ‘bring the feudal leasehold system to an end’ and increase leaseholders’ rights.

Brendan O’Hara (SNP) asked about the bombing of civilian areas in Gaza and said the Government’s decision to exempt F-35 components from the arms licence suspension re Israel was against international law. Sir Keir denied this and said the priority now was a ceasefire to allow hostage release and aid delivery, and to progress towards a two-state solution.

Graeme Downie (L) asked for the Strategic Defence and Security Review team to visit defence supply sites like Rosyth and ‘ensure that the SDSR supports Britain’s security and local economies.’ The PM agreed that defence mattered in terms of security and also economic growth. The consultation would be wide and include the ‘devolved nations.’ He undertook to have the relevant Minister meet Mr Downie to discuss his local issues.

Dr Neil Hudson (C) asked the PM to confirm the previous government’s commitment to re/building medical facilities in Harlow and Epping. Sir Keir repeated what he had said on another occasion about the Conservatives’ failure to build ‘40 new hospitals’ and agreed to ‘review what we can do and put it on a sustainable, deliverable basis.’

Anneliese Midgley (L) asked Sir Keir to support the introduction of ‘Olivia’s Law,’ a measure to allow serious offenders to be forced to attend sentencing hearings in person. The PM reiterated the Government’s commitment, which was in the King’s Speech.

Blake Stephenson (C) asked Sir Keir how he would choose between heating or eating were he a pensioner on £11,350 p.a. without Winter Fuel Payment. The PM yet again cited the ‘£22 billion black hole’ and Labour’s commitment to ‘triple lock’ pension increases which would more than make up for the loss of WFP. He said the last Conservative government had lost control of inflation and fuel prices, and that Labour would stabilise the economy to prevent a repeat.

Mark Ferguson (L) asked the PM for help to authorise the use of DFMO, a drug to combat neuroblastoma, currently suffered by a child in Mr Ferguson’s constituency. Sir Keir said Labour would see that the manufacturer’s licence application was reviewed as fast as possible, and would ensure that the Health Minister would meet the child’s parents as requested.

Dame Harriett Baldwin (C) said Sir Keir’s version of socialism was to drive the wealthy from the country while allowing elderly pensioners to suffer in cold homes. Would he reverse his decision re the Winter Fuel Allowance? The PM said his choice was to ‘stabilise the economy’ and ‘when a Government lose[s] control of the economy, it is working people who pay the price.’

Paulette Hamilton (L) raised the issue of pancreatic cancer which kills quickly and asked the PM to ‘commit to reviewing the long-term cancer strategy so that we can improve diagnosis and treatment rates in this country.’ Sir Keir agreed and would say more when he dealt with Lord Darzi’s report the next day,

Louie French (C) asked the PM to ‘rule out scrapping concessionary travel fares and council tax discounts’ for pensioners. Sir Keir said he refused to pre-empt the Budget.

Kirith Entwistle (L) conveyed the thanks of the Bolton Council of Mosques for the PM’s support during the summer riots. Did he agree on ‘the importance of supporting inter-faith and community groups?’ Sir Keir concurred and thanked the police for how they dealth with the pubic disorder.

Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru) thanked the Speaker in Welsh and asked the PM why Labour were opposing the Welsh Government’s desire for new power lines to be placed underground. Sir Keir reiterated the policy to transition to renewable energy but said it had to be done in a cost-effective way.

Jessica Morden (L) asked how the Government were safeguarding jobs and securing the future of steelmaking communities in Wales in the drive towards deindustrialisation. Sir Keir acknowledged the importance of British steelmaking and related jobs and communities; the Business Secretary would provide an update to the House that afternoon.

Olly Glover (LD) asked whether the PM supported investment in railways, and whether he would meet Mr Glover to hear the case for a new railway station at Grove and Wantage. Sir Keir said that Great British Railways would work to ensure that rail investment meets the needs of communities; he would ensure that the relevant Minister would meet Mr Glover to discuss the issues in his constituency.

Crossposted from Wolves of Westminster

FRIDAY MUSIC: Skipinnish, by JD

Skipinnish is a traditional Scottish band founded in 1999 by Angus MacPhail and Andrew Stevenson.

Skipinnish’s roots are deeply entrenched in the rich musical traditions of Scotland. The band’s name, taken from the place where Angus grew up on the Island of Tiree, resonates with their strong connection to the land, sea and Gaelic culture.

Over the years, the ensemble has expanded, welcoming talented musicians who have added vibrant layers to their sound, blending voice, bagpipes, accordions, fiddles, on a rhythmical foundation of Drums, Bass and Keyboards.

Skipinnish's rise to prominence was marked by a string of successful albums and singles that showcased their unique sound and self-penned songs. Their music, often reflective of Highland landscape and culture, resonated with fans globally, earning them numerous accolades. The band’s ability to evoke the spirit of Scotland in their music has been a cornerstone of their success.

https://www.skipinnish.com/about
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipinnish

Skipinnish - ""Walking On The Waves"

Skipinnish // Eagle's Wing [Official Video]

Skipinnish - The Island [Official Video]

Last of the Hunters

Fuadaichean (Clearances) [Official Video]

Starmer and the Winter Fuel Payment

Sir Keir Starmer appears to be neither economically nor politically astute.

Economics: the vote only just passed to abolish the Winter Fuel Payment except to those on Pension Credit may end up as a net cost to the Treasury. John Redwood tweeted beforehand ‘Removing the fuel allowance from many low income pensioners will boost numbers on Pensioner Credit,’ and Starmer has committed to helping more pensioners claim PC anyway. Besides, as Rebecca Paul MP noted in Prime Minister’s Questions last week, ‘those just above the pension credit threshold… will be hardest hit;’ one pound below, you get the allowance and one pound above, you don’t; it’s a can of worms.

Party politics: Quentin Letts’ Parliamentary sketch in the Daily Mail today says ‘Labour’s newbies sat in pools of hand-wringing worry,’ as well they might, bearing in mind that the Winter Fuel Payment was an initiative of Tony Blair’s inaugural term in power. Gordon Brown’s pre-Budget speech announced it (25.11.1997) together with a cut in VAT on fuel. Yesterday Labour won the division 348:228 but seven Government ministers abstained and one Labour MP, Jon Trickett, dared to vote no, despite what Letts perceives as stern Party whipping generally. The PM can scarcely afford to show weakness so early in his premiership, yet a tree that does not bend may snap; he and his Chancellor have chosen an issue where there is no win for them.

Yet the complexities of State pensions could be presented as a magnificent historical achievement. There was a time when so many feared old age and its miserable poverty, with the shadows of the workhouse or infirmary hanging over them; no more.

Another part of our Welfare State’s achievement is to have helped people live longer. In 1974 when Harold Wilson’s Labour government began to link State pension increases to average earnings, there were an estimated 2.3 million men aged 65 and over, and 4.2 million women over 60 (the respective qualifying ages for SP at the time.) Last year those in receipt of a State Pension numbered about 12.6 million, despite recent increases in the qualifying ages, especially for women; the cohort of oldie beneficiaries has doubled. Certainly there are challenges but we must remember to celebrate this success.

Sir Keir and his team lack the wit to persuade rather than simply to command.

Published at the Bruges Group blog.

Tax the... poor? (By JD)

 

"The Beatles began recording "Taxman" in April 1966, a month after Wilson's landslide win in the 1966 general election. Coinciding with the song's creation, Harrison learned that the band members' tax obligations were likely to lead to their bankruptcy, and he was outspoken in his opposition to the government using their income to help fund the manufacture of military weapons.

"Drawing on 1960s soul/R&B musical influences, the song portrays the taxman as relentless in his pursuit of revenue and name-checks Wilson and Edward Heath, the leader of the Conservative Party. The recording includes an Indian-influenced guitar solo performed by Paul McCartney."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxman

The song includes the lyrics -

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet!

The first of those ideas is now a reality with road pricing now common in big cities and in other parts of the country. It is curious to see how artists or pop stars have the clarity of vision (also known as common sense) that is lacking in politicians: remember how Screaming Lord Sutch stood for Parliament advocating votes for teenagers, abolition of the 11 plus, passports for pets, all day opening for pubs, shops to be open on sundays. He also (in 1983) called for votes for 16 year olds which Starmer was also trying to 'sell' prior to the election.

And now with the spiteful abolition of the Winter Fuel Allowance for allegedly affluent pensioners, I find myself with the prospect of choosing between eating and heating!

Just out of interest, the Labour government is once more advocating the taxation of what they call unearned income. Does that include the Government's own income? Their income is very definitely unearned, it all comes from the people in the form of taxation!

Do not forget that income tax is theft as is inheritance tax. In fact it is demanding money with menaces, if you resist you will go to jail!

PMQs in a nutshell, 4 September 2024

Wednesday saw the first Prime Minister’s Question Time of the post-recess session. The in-house video is here and the Hansard transcript here (search page for ‘Engagements’). MailPlus subscribers can read Quentin Letts’ Parliamentary sketch here; other media comment is widely available.

The PM opened with references to the Olympics and Paralympics, the asylum seekers who drowned in the English Channel on Tuesday and the report released today on the Grenfell tower blaze.

He agreed with Bill Esterson (L) that more should be done about mental health and suicide prevention, pledging to recruit more mental health staff and to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983.

The Opposition leader Rishi Sunak tackled the PM on the decision to withdraw the Winter Fuel Allowance (later citing the scrapping of additional cost of living support) while increasing pay for train drivers and some other unionised workers. The PM countered with the ‘£22 billion black hole’ in public finances and ‘absolute chaos’ bequeathed by the outgoing Tories; he promised to help pensioners claim pension credit (which would qualify them for the allowance) and to align housing benefit and pension credit; he said the pensions ‘triple lock’ was projected to increase the State Pension by over £1,000 in the next five years. The two gentlemen sparred over the economic record of the last Government.

Mr Sunak then asked why Labour had suspended 30 licences to export arms to Israel at a time when Hamas still held 101 Israeli hostages and had just murdered six others. The PM said the decision followed legal guidance set down in 2021; while he wished to cooperate with the US they have a differen legal framework. Starmer spoke of the need for a ceasefire as well as the release of hostages; he accepted Israel’s right to self-defence.

Lloyd Hatton (L) welcomed the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge that had held asylum seekers, and asked the PM to close down other ‘unworkable gimmicks.’ The PM agreed and referred to the recent launch of the border security force and we legislation being prepared to introduce counter-terrorism powers to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey re-raised the matter of the Winter Fuel Allowance; the PM again cited the £22 billion ‘black hole’ and the need to take tough decisions to restabilise the economy. Starmer supported the LibDem campaign for more urgent action to invest in insulation and renewables to help pensioners battle cold, and repeated the pension measures he had mentioned to Mr Sunak.

Yasmin Qureshi (L) asked about the long-running campaign to review harm done by hormone pregnancy tests. The PM expressed sympathy and said the DHSS was reviewing a publication from Professor Danielsson and the Government would follow the results of that review.

Gavin Robinson (DUP) urged the need to uplift the national security grant afforded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for the protection of its officers. The PM said it was for the Justice Minister and the Executive to set the PSNI’s budget and the Chief Constable to decide how to allocate resources, but he had been talking to the Chief Constable about possible further support.

Emma Foody (Lab/Co-op) raised the matter of the extortionate resales of Oasis music band tickets; the PM said he was starting a consultation about the practice.

Harriet Cross (C) asked about the impact of proposed windfall tax increases on North Sea energy exploration. The PM referred to the Government’s commitment to transition to renewable energy while recognising that oil and gas would play their part for many years yet, and invited her and other MPs to celebrate that ‘contracts for difference’ had just secured ‘a record 131 new clean energy projects—enough to power 11 million homes—and they are the jobs of the future.’

Luke Charters (L) urged the speeding up of the planning process to get more homes built. The PM agreed and used this opportunity to remind the House of Labour’s plan to build 1.5 million new homes.

Alistair Carmichael (LD) said that a wind farm in Shetland had been paid £2 million not to generate electricity while his constituents suffered from fuel poverty; should there not be an ‘islands tariff’ for their benefit? The PM said he would make sure that a relevant Minister spoke to Mr Carmichael.

Peter Prinsley (L) asked that hospitals affected by ‘reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete’ (RAAC) be prioritised in the Government’s review of the new hospital programme. The PM agreed and said the Secretary of State would update Parliament as soon as possible.

Peter Wishart (SNP) asked why the PM had declined in popularity - was it ‘attacks on the pensioners’, child poverty, Labour cronyism or austerity? The PM noted how few SNP Members were now in the House and said he needed ‘no lectures on popularity and winning elections.’

Ashley Dalton (L) welcomed the scrapping of Ofsted’s single-word judgments on schools. How did the PM envisage a more positive relationship between Ofsted, Government and schools, and improving standards? The PM reaffirmed his commitment to the best education for all children and said that there would be a ‘richer dashboard’ for assessing school performance.

Rebecca Paul (C) also raised the matter of the Winter Fuel Allowance and the pension credit cutoff point, asking whether the PM could broaden eligibility for the allowance. The PM rehearsed points he had made earlier.

Deirdre Costigan raised the problem of crime and street drinking in town centres. The PM replied ‘We will put more police on the streets, have more effective powers to deal with antisocial behaviour, and introduce Young Futures programmes to divert young people who are getting into trouble.’

Sir Ashley Fox (C) urged the priority rebuilding of Haygrove School in Bridgwater and other structurally unsafe schools built by Caledonian Modular. The PM said the Education Minister would visit Haygrove and the Department for Education was pursuing all available avenues for redress.

Shaun Davies (L) described how public services and funding in Telford had dwindled. The PM replied ‘we will have local growth plans, improved public services and investment in transport links.’ He also said ‘we will devolve power to those with skin in the game,’ a reference to Labour’s ‘Change’ scheme for greater local democracy.

Tim Farron (LD) cited fatal accidents on the A66 road in Westmorland and was ‘concerned that the vital A66 northern trans-Pennine project, which would make the roads considerably safer’ was now under review. The PM appreciated the problem there and on other roads but said Labour had inherited a ‘broken economy’ and would report back on that review as soon as possible.

Gurinder Josan (L) asked about young people and knife crime. The PM said Labour’s mission was to halve knife crime and was doing a rapid review of the online sale of knives.

Dame Karen Bradley (C) asked the PM to guarantee that the ‘beautiful’ Staffordshire Moorlands ‘will not be forced into a devolution deal or local government reorganisation against our will?’ The PM said it was very important that local people have a say, but it was ‘equally important that we devolve to those who have skin in the game… those with skin in the game [needed to] take the decisions that are relevant to them and their area.’ [He did not clarify here the distinction between ‘local people’ and those with ‘skin in the game’ (a phrase he used three times in this session.)]

Crossposted from Wolves of Westminster