Wednesday March 26

Blogs

11.50am, Better Government
Matthew Sinclair:
Eco-town plans showcase politicians' ability to keep repeating their mistakes

Eco-towns are likely to prove expensive - both financially and in terms of destruction of the natural environment they are built on top of.  Unless they are stopped or seriously rethought that cost might be paid just in order to create new urban planning disasters... - Read More

11.45am, Campaign
Mark Wallace:
Gordon and Dave must publish

Sadly it seems the Commission doesn't know when to quit - a characteristic some would say is shared by its Chairman, Michael Martin... - Read More

9.10am, Burning Our Money
Mike Denham:
Dark Days For Taxpayers

Taxpayers on both sides of the Atlantic should be depressed by yesterday's decision by the US authorities to revise their Bear Stearns bail-out terms... - Read More

Media Coverage

Mark Wallace, TaxPayers' Alliance Campaign Director, appeared on South East Today last night to discuss whether Britain is becoming too benefits dependent. You can watch the programme here (7 minutes 10 seconds in).

- MPs in great claim robbery

"Matthew Elliott, head of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s an insult to use our own money to hire lawyers to keep details secret from us.

[...] The Speaker also claimed the tribunal had paid “insufficient attention to the reasonable expectations” of MPs — and “may have misdirected itself in law”.

But Mr Elliott said: “This has been dragged out at vast expense for years.

“Instead of paying lawyers at the High Court they should just hand over the information.

“We deserve to know how our money is spent." - Full Article

- Outcry over Essex Conservative councillors’ £62,000 US trip

"Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This is a gross waste of taxpayers’ money. Essex residents pay their taxes for frontline services, but while those services struggle senior politicians seem happy to swan off abroad.

“This junket is of minimal importance compared with sweeping the streets, policing the county and providing care for the vulnerable. Councillors should stop and think before going to every event they are invited to and expecting the taxpayer to pick up the tab." - Full Article

- Martin in court bid to keep MPs' perks a secret

"Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “It’s unforgivable that MPs are spending so much taxpayers’ money to keep this secret. We deserve to know how our money is spent." - Full Article

- Now PM claims "I'm the friend of Middle Britain"

"Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, also laughed off claims that Mr Brown was on the side of ordinary people.

He said: “Millions of people around the country are struggling under an unsustainable burden of council tax, on top of which they are squeezed by dozens of stealth taxes. A prime minister who was on the people’s side would be cutting taxes and relieving that burden.” - Full Article

- Maxine Carr gets boob job on NHS

"But Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This is disgusting. Why should hard working families foot the bill for this woman's plastic surgery?

"Taxpayers' money is meant to be spent on people who need and deserve help, not on criminals who never spared a thought for wider society when they committed their crimes." - Full Article