"Dear Sir
I see from the recent discussions within the Government that those who suffer as a result of tax changes in the budget are to be compensated (withdrawal of 10p tax rate).
The rises in fuel duty and car tax, which have been far above inflation, have cause my wife and I great hardship. We both work and both have to run cars to get to work, by working we contribute income tax and national insurance to the government. I fear that the elevated level of fuel prices and car tax will mean it is no longer financially viable for us to run cars. The location of our places of work mean that public transport is not a viable option (I cannot get to work on public transport unless I leave the night before which is clearly ridiculous and there is no public transport to my wife's place of work). I believe that we will soon have no option but to stop working and begin to claim benefits.
Are those who are suffering as a result of the rises in fuel and vehicle taxes going to be compensated in the same way as those who suffer as a result of the withdrawal of the 10p tax rate or is this compensation simply a measure to retain votes in certain other labour constituencies?
I would like you to take action to ensure that this imbalance is redressed and would like you to know that at the next election my vote will go to the party who offer the policies which are tailored to minimise the costs I incur getting to and from work."
Of course we all know the answer! And unfortunately I do have a labour MP.
Edited by Pugugly on 24/04/2008 at 09:20
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I think the title was fine as it was!
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I got up this morning intending to write to my MP about the cost of using the car. Well done, sir.
On the doorstep with the milk was a note from the supplier saying that because of cost increases in electricity, gas and road fuel the price of a pint will go up by 4p from a date later this month.
Nuff said.
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I've said it before and now again:-)
You are wasting your time about tax (and mine reading the whinges)
The Government is not raising enough tax revenue to meet its grossly extravagant spending (£15Billion for an NHS IT System that does not work).
Complain about spending and vote .
Edited by madf on 24/04/2008 at 10:23
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Agreed. When I write I will point out the waste of public revenue.
Since we're repeating ourselves, I'll say what I did yesterday. This government wastes millions on consultants then billions on implementing their impractical recommendations as madf says above.
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Iraq and the Olympics. That's all I'm saying.
Cheers
DP
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Writing to an MP may be worse than wasting time.
I once wrote to a former MP about road safety and the 70mph limit. She replied with a letter (in manuscript!) of several pages including the statement that she could see I was a Tory (a 7 letter word beginning with B was not actually included but the hint of it was there) and anything I did not like was good policy! She attached a copy of a formal letter, just written, to the Minister of Transport demanding a reduction to 60mph.
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The only way that the government is going to sit up and take notice is when we get off our backsides and protest. Moaning and whinging and writing letters does nothing. Poll Tax soon disappeared once the protests started. Although any protests should not involve any violence.
I would probably not mind the price of road tax/petrol if we had fantastic roads but we do not and they are a disgrace. I have visited places where the economics are not as good as Britain and they have great roads.
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Just for a piece of trivia on this subject of writing to politicians. About three years ago I wrote to Tony Blair expressing some of my views on transport issues which I will not bore you with now. In fairness to him I received a reply within a week, albeit from one of his "elves", explaining in some detail why the current government policy differed from my point of view and setting out reasoned arguments to support it. I still failed to agree with their standpoint but I could at least begin to understand the thinking behind it. The response was polite and in no way patronising and even if it refuted my opinion I felt that my point had at least been heard. By comparison I wrote to Gordon Brown to express a similar but updated view some months ago and have not even had my letter acknowledged. Make of that what you will. My view is that these people are employed by us and we have the right to continue to ask them to carry out their work in a manner which most benefits the population.
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I'd prefer their reasoning to be accessable to the voters in a more time-efficient manner than answering individual letters from them!
That's perhaps why they need over 200 working in the cabinet office alone?
All policies ought to be explained on websites, in libraries etc. Along-side ought to be opposition comments. That way, we don't have to watch Paxman, and might actually get to understand political issues without aggressive interruption, and even reach the end of some of their sentences.
Consultants are fine. They work well in the private sector. The problem is what the question is that politicians ask them to answer!
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The problem is what the question is that politicians ask them to answer!
Perhaps the first two should be:
1. How can we cut the civil service down to half in one year?
2. WRT motoring, but also everything else : How can we change the culture of bureaucracy so that every process is questioned - why is it necessary at all, can it be done more efficiently/differently, what can we cut out.
For motoring, they can start here
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=99
MOTORWAY CLOSURES. What can be done about them?
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The only way that the government is going to sit up and take notice is when we get off our backsides and protest. Moaning and whinging and writing letters does nothing.
Gordon's U turn over 10p tax band abolition proved that when near an election, politicians can be persuaded to perform miracles.
Buy Lee Iacocca's Book: Where Have All the Leaders Gone? In it, he says about USA
" Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming blue murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the
politicians say, "Stay the course" Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned "Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out !
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. "
IMO, same applies here in the UK.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 24/04/2008 at 22:07
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jbif,
Your right come the election they will throw in a couple of sweeteners and we all fall for it and vote them back in. Although I am now at the stage where there is no difference in the parties. They all talk SXXXE.
What is wrong with this country when you can make more on benefits than you can do working. Cut the benefits and force them out to work.
I have no issue with mothers getting decent benefits if they have kids but once they are at school there is no reason as to why they cannot get back to work. I do have issues with lazy good for nothing toe rags. My personal view on this is as follows.
1st year of unemployment then ok give decent benefits until they find a job. Come the 2nd 3rd year then it is time to start cutting benefits and get them out to work.
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Sorry for hyjacking the thread. My rant is over.
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A few posts back someone said: >>Consultants are fine. They work well in the private sector. The problem is what the question is that politicians ask them to answer!>>
You've made the point: "in the private sector" and the private sector only gets consultants in when they need. This government seems to have them in as a way of existence. Why? Because Brown and his crew are terrified of making a decision.
The NHS or Department of Transport or whatever, isn't like Tescos. The NHS has been re-organised so many times since 1997 that billions have been spent with no discernible improvement. Look at the IT fiasco now. Who benefits? Consultants. Who loses out? You and me.
Ask yourself: what does a consultant actually do? What is left to show when he's gone? I've never come across a consultant who's prepared to say that everything's ok and there's no need for change.
And someone wanted the Civil Service halved in strength. Great idea. What will all the newly unemployed actually do?
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A consultant is someone who borrows your watch, and charges you to tell you the time.
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I actually wrote to my MP at the time before we invaded Iraq to complain about the lack of debate and the seemingly apparent contradictions in the evidence. After 3 months I recived a reply saying she was a Deputy Minster , could not comment on government policy etc and it was all hunky dory and MPs had voted to go to war etc. etc..
The threat of losing their seat, excessive expenses and featherbedded pensions is about the only thing that might make them do summit. Fortunately Mr Brown is doing his best and is practising (and improving)............... at turning off his core voters by taxing them more.
:-)
Edited by madf on 24/04/2008 at 14:53
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The government has been buying voters for years now, in the form of a bloated civil service, "incapacity benefit" (highest % in Europe) and "unemployment benefit" (but 1m Poles can find work it seems)
These people realise if they don't vote labour, they may have to get off their backsides and contribute to the real economy.
The trouble is, their number is growing every day, while those supporting them face an ever increasing tax burden or are leaving the country.
May 1st is the date to send a message
MVP
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Why not petition the Prime Minister online?
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Taxes have to rise constantly to allow Ministers and MPs to continue to live in the manner to which they have become accustomed...:-)
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If only it was only they whom we pay!
Sadly, as mentioned elsewhere, there are now 500,000 MORE civil servants than in 1997, not in total, that's extra. We did need them of course!
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"there are now 500,000 MORE civil servants than in 1997"
Many of them no doubt of the kind once claimed to be recognizable by not being civil and rendering no useful service!
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Much as I'm enjoying this, and wish I could take off my mod hat and contribute... back onto motoring please!
Thanks
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