The TaxPayers' Alliance - Home

Wednesday November 11

Join the Great EU Debate

 
Blogs

2.50pm, Better Government
John O'Connell:
Major's committee evidence

John Major gave evidence to the Public Administration Committee yesterday on the subject of ministerial appointments. He offered some sound suggestions to the MPs present, including reducing the number of MPs and the payroll vote (the MPs who are paid-up members of the Government or in roles attached to Government)... - Read More

10.20am, Burning our Money
Mike Denham:
Turning A False Corner

Yesterday, the front page of the Times proclaimed:

Poll shows Britons see good times around the corner
People are more optimistic about the economy than at any time for the past 18 months, according to a Populus poll for The Times today.

Which was surprising, given the tidings of doom carried elsewhere... Read More

 
ConservativeHome: Lee Rotherham: Life after the European Union - How it would benefit the British fishing industry
London Evening Standard: Being a good citizen? It's just not British
Local Government Chronicle: Council chief's salary defended
Yorkshire Post: Council attacked for recruiting 'snoopers'
The Island Pulse: Island MP Questions Public Spending On Wight
Police Oracle: 'Specialist' Road Patrol Duty
Sheffield Telegraph: Police £18m bonus outcry
Get Surrey: Guildford council's website costs 'extortionate'
Telegraph.co.uk: Council sets up scrutiny panel - to scrutinise its scrutiny panels
Ipswich Evening Star: Thirsty staff cost taxpayers thousands

Tuesday November 10

Blogs

4.10pm, European Union
Lee Rotherham:
Small Wonders

The first green light for years? That seems to be the remarkable verdict of the Court of Auditors, who have signed off the EU’s accounts (covering 2008) for the first time in a decade and a half... - Read More

3.45pm, Campaign
Peter Webb:
Surrey Campaign Diary September/October 2009

It's been a busy two months for the TPA's South West Surrey Branch. Branch Chairman Peter Webb updates us on their recent work... - Read More

1.30pm, West Midlands
Fiona McEvoy:
Talking shop 2009 - the AWM conference

Well another November brought with it another extravagant Advantage West  Midlands conference where – as usual – public sector executives vastly outnumbered the very private sector business people who create jobs in the region, and each speaker managed to identify just why the RDA model doesn’t work without actually addressing the issue... - Read More

11.30am, Economics 101
Jennifer Dunn:
We're already paying for carbon- and we're paying too much

Today yet more “the polluter should pay” rhetoric is buzzing around the British policy domain. Everyone is waiting for Lord Smith, the Environment Agency’s chairman to suggest that individuals should be given an annual carbon ration and face financial penalties if they exceed it... - Read More

11.00am, Economics 101
Matthew Sinclair:
Briefing at the US Capitol on the Emissions Trading Scheme

Daily Express: HIGHER TAXES AS HARMAN WAGES NEW WAR ON WEALTH
Daily Express: PRISONERS THREATEN RIOTS OVER PORRIDGE BREAKFAST
Daily Express: ANGER OVER THE COUNCIL BOSS ON £247,000
Daily Express: ARMY OF SNOOPS RECRUITED TO SPY ON NEIGHBOURS
BBC News Online: Council chief's salary criticised
Fenland Citizen: £230,000 salary for chief executive defended

On the radio last night...

LBC, TPA Campaign Director Mark Wallace argued against further green taxation, explaining that taxpayers already pay far more than our carbon emissions are estimated to cost

Monday November 9

New TaxPayers' Alliance book available free - order today

The new book from the TaxPayers' Alliance, Ten Years On: Britain Without the European Union by Dr Lee Rotherham is available to order free today. The book, which features a foreword by legendary Sun Political Editor Trevor Kavanagh and an epilogue by bestselling author Frederick Forsyth, paints a vivid picture of what life could be like in 2020, in a future where Britain has regained control of its own affairs from Brussels and forged a new, positive relationship with Europe.

Click here to order your free copy today.

Ten Years On lays out how such a relationship could be achieved, and investigates through a series of fictionalised interviews how life could be very, very different - if we choose it to be.

Blogs

2.30pm, European Union
Lee Rotherham:
In Dublin's fair city

Fancy a new job in the Guinness capital of the world? You have  until 2pm GMT of 25th November to put in as Director of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions... - Read More

The Sun: Trevor Kavanagh: Survive? No we'd thrive outside EU
Daily Telegraph: Jill Pay: thousands spent on entertaining and travel by Commons Serjeant at Arms
Wimbledon Guardian: Merton Council spending more money to cut costs
Daily Telegraph: Police bureaucracy pushing up 'cost per crime' statistics
Daily Record: BAILOUT BANK'S AMERICAN GIVEAWAY
London Evening Standard: Council recruits army of snoopers to spy on Londoners
Scottish Sun: You donuts
Daily Telegraph: World's fattest man 'too heavy' for life-saving surgery
City AM: Matthew Sinclair: A Tobin tax would destroy London without making the world safer
Daily Express: RBS ‘INSULTS’ UK TAXPAYERS WITH GIVEAWAYS IN THE US
Daily Mail: Anger as council chief earns £247,000 (that's £52,000 more than Gordon Brown)
Herald Scotland: Bailed-out bank is giving away cash in US
Daily Mail: World's fattest man may have life-saving operation delayed amid fears he won't fit on reinforced stretcher
iStockAnalyst.com: Bailout bank's American giveaway
London Evening Standard: 2012 Olympics budget 'now £12billion'
Daily Mail: Army of 'citizen snoopers' recruited by council to spy on neighbours
The Independent: Firefighters in six-hour rescue of pet duck
Telegraph.co.uk: Firemen launch six-hour rescue for pet duck
Crawley Observer: Henry Smith: Time to open up the books

BBC Look East, TPA Political Director Susie Squire voiced concerns about the level of council Chief Executive pay, saying that the fact that the person in charge of Essex council is on more than the Prime Minister is a scandal.

BBC Radio London, Susie discussed the pilot scheme by Harrow council to employ taxpayers to spy on each other, saying that while community spirit is good, it should not be financially incentivised.

Over the weekend,

Samizdata Blog: A free book about why Britain would be better off out of the European Union
Sunday Express: A HEAVYWEIGHT BILL FACING TAXPAYERS
Times Online: BBC staff are 'bribed' to move north
Daily Star: Gipsy cash blast
Daily Express: Crackdown on MP gravy train 'may be scaled back'
Scottish Daily Express: Taxpayers to hand 'arts tsar' £120,000
Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Council chief exec to start on £189k
Telegraph.co.uk: MPs' expenses: party leaders demand full implementation of expenses reforms
Derby Evening Telegraph: £13,000 office for job-cuts chief exec

BBC Radio Five Live, TPA Chief Executive Matthew Elliott discussed Britain hosting the next G20 meeting, saying that costs must be kept down to prevent taxpayers being left with a massive debt bill.

More 4 News, TPA Political Director Susie Squire said the Government should have more interaction with taxpayers when it comes to websites. Watch again here.

Ben Farrugia, Deputy Research Director for the TaxPayers’ Alliance, discussed the limited accountability of quangos in the South West. Watch again here.

Friday November 6

Blogs

4.15pm, European Union
Lee Rotherham:
Future Tales

An obituary this last week revealed a surprising fact. Years ago, when Dr Who was a more rubber, screaming and bright lights affair rather than a computer-generated product, one of its story lines was influenced by Britain’s joining the EEC. A friend, who has a marvellous home made semi-operational tardis in his lounge (flashing lights but only travels forward in time), informs me of the right series... - Read More

The Sun: 1 day on...MPs overturn new exes rule
Daily Express: £1⁄2M IS WASTED ON CHILDREN’S HOME...NEXT DOOR TO A RAPIST
The Scotsman: Taxpayers face £800,000 bill for parliament website revamp
Daily Express: ‘TIP-OFF BY GHOST’ SPARKS £20K HUNT FOR MURDERER
Daily Mail: Blundering council spends £500,000 on children's home next door to rapist
Daily Express: WE'RE CASTRATED SAYS MP IN EXPENSES CUT BACKLASH
MoneyNews.co.uk: Cut in spending better than VAT hike, reports specialist

BBC Daily Politics,
TPA Political Director Susie Squire discussed Barnet council’s ‘Easyjet’ style of public services, saying that while it was important for councils to have a dialogue with taxpayers about delivery, Barnet must still provide a base level of services for the council tax they are charging residents. Watch again here.

Thursday November 5

Blogs

5.00pm, West Midlands
Fiona McEvoy:
Two PAs for Coventry Council executive

The chief executive of Coventry City Council has been accused of failing to lead by example in today’s Coventry Telegraph after hiring himself a second personal assistant whilst driving administration cuts through the rest of the authority... - Read More

4.20pm, European Union
Lee Rotherham:
Death by Referendum

It has become a matter of principle as well as politics. Should a Conservative Government, were one to be elected, hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty now? - Read More

8.50am, Burning Our Money
Mike Denham:
Update On Welfare Fraud

The Department for Work and Pensions has just slipped out its annual estimate of welfare fraud (summary table above). Overall, it reckons overpayment due to fraud and error is now running at around £3bn pa, or 2.2% of benefits paid - an increase on last year's 2%... - Read More

The Mirror: £100,000 MPs
The Sun: £58m in benefits lost every week
The Telegraph: Council abandons children's home plan because of rapist
Daily Mail: MPs forced to hand back profits from sale of second homes in expenses crackdown
Daily Express: MPS: WE WANT £40,000 A YEAR PAY RISE
Scotland Courier: MPs must accept expenses shake-up
East Anglian Daily Times: Children's home with rapist as neighbour
Local Government Chronicle: Social networking at your service
Daily Record: Anger as Scots tourism chiefs spend £163k on theme park junkets
Edinburgh Evening News: John Gibson: He must talk to the birds and the bees
Belfast Telegraph: Cost-cutting Beeb blows £10,000 on entering awards
Ipswich Evening Star: Children's home with rapist as neighbour
Daily Record: REPORT DEMANDS BAN ON 2ND MORTGAGES AND HIRING FAMILY MEMBERS
Scottish Sun: Quango's £163k on staff trips

Wednesday November 4

MPs' Expenses: Kelly Report must be adopted immediately and in full

The TaxPayers' Alliance which has been at the forefront of campaigning for reform of MPs' expenses, today welcomes Sir Christopher Kelly's excellent recommendations for cleaning up Parliament. Sir Christopher's report, which draws extensively on many proposals made by the TPA, offers a practical manifesto for Parliament to begin to regain the faith of the public. However, they are still only proposals - and they must be adopted immediately and in full by MPs and the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). It would be unacceptable for the proposals to be watered down, delayed or obstructed in any way.

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“Sir Christopher has produced a firm and fair set of proposals for reforming MPs’ expenses, which do justice to taxpayers’ concerns. These rules would allow Parliament to take the first step on the road to regaining public confidence. It is now essential that his recommendations are adopted by Parliament and the new expenses Authority immediately and in full. People will not stand for another fudge or any more obstructive behaviour. The Kelly Report is the way forward for Parliament, and it must not be watered down or cherry-picked in any way.”

The TaxPayers' Alliance is encouraged that many of our recommendations have been adopted, including the abolition of the communications allowance, the banning of family members, an end to capital gains from second homes and full transparency of receipts. The full proposals we made to Sir Christopher's inquiry are available online here.

Blogs

4.45pm, Burning Our Money
Fiona McEvoy:
Non-job of the week

Well last week there were almost 500 public sector jobs advertised in the Guardian, this week there are over 500 (526 to be precise!) and a distinct overuse of the word ‘champion’ as various councils and quangos seek to hire armies of highly paid cheerleaders to ‘motivate’ their frontline workers... - Read More

2.30pm, European Union
Mark Wallace:
Where now, after Lisbon?

Now that the Lisbon Treaty has been ratified by all the EU's member states it has become law. What should be the next steps for Britain and the EU? The TPA's EU Policy Analyst Dr Lee Rotherham has written a step by step guide to what the next Prime Minister of Britain should be demanding, and how to go about it. - Read More

9.35am, Better Government
Ben Farrugia:
One to add to the list

In our recent guide to the UK's semi-autonomous public bodies (available here), we asked readers to let us know if they spotted an omission. We tried our utmost to capture all the relevant organisations, but there are just so many that it's possible we missed some... - Read More

Daily Express: EXPENSES: MPS TOLD THEY CAN NO LONGER CLAIM FOR MORTGAGES
The Guardian: Party leaders back Christopher Kelly's proposals to overhaul MPs' expenses
The Independent: Brown accepts Kelly report on MPs' expenses
FM World: Reducing waste could save £6.4bn a year
Merlin John Online: 'Becta saves more than it costs'
The Guardian: Guido Fawkes: The blogger who knows the power of gossip
The Sun: We pay mor£ and get less
RetirementHomes.com: Older persons in Edinburgh must pay tiny taxes
Deadline Scotland: Elderly grandmother pursued by council for 1p bill
Scottish Daily Express: FURY AT CAPITAL PLAN FOR GAELIC ROAD SIGNS
ConservativeHome: ToryDiary: Tory MPs' wives consult lawyers after Kelly recommends ending their Commons employment
Daily Telegraph: Public services 'cost more and deliver less'
LocalGov.co.uk: All the news that fits
Debt Fixers: 'Stealth tax' could increase consumer debt problems
Times Online: the Kelly report on MPs' expenses

BBC Radio Devon, TPA Political Director Susie Squire said that Anti Social Behaviour Orders were no substitute for frontline policing.
ITV Yorkshire, Susie Squire discussed Sir Christopher Kelly’s announcements on MPs’ expenses.
ITV Regions, Susie said that the onus was now on IPSA and individual MPs to make sure that the recommendations were implemented as soon as possible.
BBC Radio Belfast, Susie welcomed Sir Christopher’s announcements, saying that MPs family members should no longer be employed at taxpayers’ expense.

Tuesday November 3

Blogs

2.00pm, Better Government
John O'Connell:
PAC losing their cool

Another day, another damning select committee report on ICT. Today it is the turn of the National Offender Management System (NOMS) to feel the wrath of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for a poorly-run project... - Read More

1.25pm, Campaign
Susie Squire:
They'll be singing in the Valleys...

Yesterday the Welsh Assembly brought in the first tranche of reforms to Assembly Members' expenses and allowances. Having given evidence to Sir Roger Jones' Getting it Right for Wales review, I was very pleased to see the first 28 of 108 measures introduced, with no kicking and screaming... - Read More

Daily Express: NOW RBS AXES 3,700 BRANCH JOBS IN THE BATTLE TO SLASH COSTS
Daily Express: FOUR IN TEN ON HOUSING BENEFIT
Scottish Daily Express: NOW HERE'S A WHEELIE DAFT IDEA!
Daily Telegraph: MPs condemn offender-tracking IT system as 'shambles'
This Is Local London: 'Ridiculous' tyre rule leaves Kingston police deflated
Daily Record: Anger as council spends £2300 on toy wheelie bins in recycling promotion
Daily Express: ‘COUNCIL CASH FOR TOY BINS IS JUST A WASTE’
Edinburgh Evening News: Gobsmacked gran sent 1p council tax demand

Last night,
BBC Wales Tonight, TPA Political Director Susie Squire commended the Welsh Assembly on bringing in the first tranche of reforms to AMs’ expenses.

Monday November 2

Blogs

1.35pm, European Union
Lee Rotherham
A Piece of Paper

As the result of a meeting last week, a solution was announced to try to buy off remaining opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. The Czechs are to be included in Protocol 30, alongside the United Kingdom and Poland, underlining that the Charter of Fundamental Rights is to be used only when interpreting EU legislation... - Read More

1.25pm, Better Government
Ben Farrugia
Oh these troublesome priests...

The dismissal of Professor Nutt is something of a perfect storm. Resignations, public criticism, front-page news. Every one of the Government's desperate efforts to move beyond the story seems to simply bury it deeper in it... - Read More

Daily Star: YOU PAY £24M TO POLISH KIDS
Daily Express: FAMILIES FACE A £540 HIKE IN BILLS THANKS TO MEDDLING EUROCRATS
Eastern Daily Press: What price democracy?
politics.co.uk: 'Show us the money' – Garnier demands Government opens its books
Yarmouth Mercury: What price democracy?

Over the weekend,

Daily Mail: Town hall fee rises costing the average family £180 a year
Daily Mail: The quango gravy train: £1m expenses bill includes £1,000 membership of exclusive club
The Press and Journal: Community groups to be asked where £20million in cutbacks should be made
Daily Mail: Why the long faces? London celebrates 1,000 days until 2012 Olympics with bizarre set of photographs (but no one looks happy about it)
Scotland on Sunday: Saturday wake-up calls loom for late taxpayers
Sunday Mercury: Sandwell Council spends £8 million on agency staff
Sunday Express: SHAMEFUL: MSP'S TOLD 'CLAIM FOR POPPIES'
thisismoney.co.uk: Stealth taxes cost families £180 a year
Cranmer Blog: The EU’s real philosopher-guardians

BBC The Record Review, TPA Political Director Susie Squire discussed the preliminary findings of the Kelly Report, saying that it was absolutely right to ban MPs from employing their family members and bringing an end to mortgage interest payments. Watch again here.

Friday October 30

New research: Emissions Trading Scheme costs consumers £3 billion a year

Download the full report (PDF).

Blogs

5.00pm, Better Government
John O'Connell:
Peering over the parapet

All parties agree that spending cuts are required. All parties have suggested that the semi-autonomous sector is a good place to start. Cue public bodies sniping at each other, in a fraught bid to survive the cull... - Read More

11.15am, European Union
Lee Rotherham:
Your Techno-Moral Guardians

You won’t have heard of them. You wouldn’t in all likelihood recognise them if you saw them on the bus (not least as their web photos earlier today were stretched out like the victims of a passing black hole) Yet they quietly guide policy on some of the biggest issues of our day... - Read More

The Australian: Liberals lose faith in action on carbon
The Australian: A costly challenge
The Sun: Dole advisor in £75k disable con
Daily Express: 'DISABLED’ £75K BENEFIT CHEAT CAUGHT DOING A BREAK-DANCE
Radio 4BC (Australia): Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP interview
Daily Express: BARMY CAMPAIGN TO WARN POLICE: DON'T SLIP ON LEAVES
Daily Mail: Police officers warned of 'slippery leaves' and 'bright sunshine' in new seasonal safety leaflet
ConservativeHome: CentreRight: The EU Emissions Trading Scheme cost British consumers £3 billion in 2008
Guardian.co.uk: Comment is Free: Emissions trading hits the poor
GetSurrey.co.uk: Transparency 'failure' in SCC deal with leadership firm
Times Educational Supplement: Is FE counting the cost of a quango crisis?
Personneltoday.com: HR advice to police officers on seasonal hazards labelled 'patronising'
Bloomberg.com: EU Emissions Trade Cost U.K. 3 Billion Pounds, Taxpayers Say
The Oil Drum: Drumbeat: October 30, 2009
Telegraph.co.uk: Daniel Hannan: The EU isn't waiting for the Lisbon Treaty to be formally ratified
National Review Online: The Corner: Cap 'n Trade Update
American Daily: Europe’s Disastrous Climate Policy - a Lesson for Congress
Shopfloor Blog: Popping Hot Air Balloons at the Senate Cap-and-Trade Hearing

CNBC: Matthew Sinclair, TPA Research Director, discussed the TPA's new report on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works: Iain Murray, Vice-President for Strategy at the CEI, cited the TaxPayers’ Alliance in his oral testimony to the committee (video)

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works: Iain Murray, Vice-President for Strategy at the CEI, cited the TaxPayers’ Alliance in his written testimony to the committee (pdf)

Thursday October 29

Blogs

2.10pm, Campaign
Susie Squire:
Oh Lordy

It is reported today that now we have seen some strong recommendations coming out of the Kelly Inquiry, 'Peers expenses will be reduced'. Although granted not by much. The daily allowance will go from a current maximum £174 to around £140, although a final decision has not been made on this... - Read More

12.30pm, Campaign
Mark Wallace:
The EU: Tobacco hater, tobacco subsidiser

The EU has just launched the latest stage of its anti-tobacco campaign, a ludicrous and undoubtedly costly cartoon series aimed at children. "Helpers" continues the patronising and nannying trend of the EU's campaign on the issue so far, with an added dash of childhood propaganda... - Read More

11.40am, West Midlands
Fiona McEvoy:
Police warn against Screen WM film

A film backed by taxpayers via Screen West Midlands may not be screened in Birmingham on the advice of West Midlands Police according to today’s Birmingham Post... - Read More

The Argus: Sussex Police u-turn on fashion tips seminar
Daily Mail: Postal workers' three-day strike begins as union bosses warn of even longer walkouts set to cause Christmas chaos
Daily Express: FORCE SCRAPS STYLE LESSON FOR ITS WPCS
Times Higher Education: The week in higher education
Daily Express: PRISONERS SET TO POCKET £50M IN SLOPPING OUT ROW
ThisisMoney.co.uk: Post strikes on as peace talks fail
Daily Telegraph: Police officers warned to mind slippery leaves and watch for snow in winter
Southern Daily Echo: Hampshire Senate aims to be more powerful
Rochdale Online: ‘£3m to keep me alive is a waste’

Last night,

Five News, TPA Political Director Susie Squire discussed the preliminary findings of the Kelly Inquiry, saying they were encouraging and should help to prevent future abuses of taxpayers’ money.

BBC South East, TPA Political Director Susie Squire argued that women’s policing seminars should be focused on catching criminals, not fashion tips.