Tuesday 31 July 2012

Mike Read has joined UKIP

Writer, broadcaster and TV presenter Mike Read is the latest high profile name to leave the Tories for UKIP.

Mike was welcomed aboard at the Party's South East Summer Conference in Frimley on Saturday which saw a turn-out of more than 400 supporters.

He was also among a host of speakers which included Party Leader Nigel Farage and Daily Express Political Chief Patrick O'Flynn.



Noble Cause Corruption

Psychologists have a term for the wishful thinking by which we accept any means if the end seems virtuous: ‘noble-cause corruption’…Politicians are especially susceptible to this condition. In a wish to be seen as modern, they will embrace all manner of fashionable causes. When this sets in — groupthink grips political parties, and the media therefore decide there is no debate — the gravest of errors can take root. The subsidising of useless wind turbines was born of a deep intellectual error, one incubated by failure to challenge conventional wisdom.’


http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2012/06/osborne-versus-wind-farms/

Affodable Homes - Right to Buy not a barrier

Shelter Scotland are urging the Scottish Executive to abolish the right to buy.
The reasons are ostensibly understandable - there is a shortage of affordable homes to rent. Their thinking, however, is flawed: retaining a sitting tenant (by preventing them from buying) does not create a new home or shorten the waiting list.

Allowing a council house to be bought, does not make it disappear from overall stock. The occupants who, up to the time of purchasing, are council tenants, become home owner occupiers; owners indeed, of a house bought affordably. The Right to Buy is truly an affordable home purchase scheme. Well done Mrs Thatcher.

Some reforms are necessary. For example, all revenues raised should have to be used to support further access to affordable homes. The best way, I believe, would be to turn the revenue into grants to those on the waiting lists, towards deposits for new homes - in other words, used to subsidise purchase, making purchase more affordable. A variety of ways could be devised. 

Let's stop knocking a policy that has achieved a high home ownership ratio - an advance from the time when Scotland had fewer home owners proportionately than then communist East Germany.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

British Trade

In or out of the EU, Britain would still trade with the other EU countries.  The UK is the biggest customer of many of these countries. So they would still trade with us.

Moreover, data produced last week shows that we are now increasing our trade with the rest of the expanding world.

We should foster our Commonwealth ties and trade. 

We should leave the EU - switch back from political subservience to free trade.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Weakness

David Cameron is at his weakest when Clegg sits him down beside him to show their happy solidarity.


Monday 16 July 2012

Gutless MPs, MSPs and MEPs.

I have said more than once that there are too many MPs, MSPs and MEPs who continue to suck up to their party whips instead of having any real integrity, the courage to refuse the whip, leave the offending party and represent the true interests of their constituency...mind you, perhaps they are wiser - I lost my council seat because I stuck to that principle. Does your MP whinge about his/her own party's policies but still sup with the devils? I could name a few such gutless wretches.
Mike Scott-Hayward
Chairman
UK Independence Party Scotland
07917365197/01334655040

Monday 2 July 2012

The Courier - July 2: Unreasonable to suggest a conflict of interest on windfarm applications

The Courier - July 2: Unreasonable to suggest a conflict of interest on windfarm applications

Got a bite!

It would be great if all Community Council Chairmen were indeed impartial and fair; we all know many are the most involved!

The fault lies with a dichotomy of organisations - CDTs usurp CCs. If both are to exist, they should be seperate, but small communities do have too few actual activists. That, though, should not be allowed to be an excuse for allowing conflcits of conscious and/or interest.