Dear Chris...

He'd love to hear from you

As the spending battle reaches its climax, public sector bosses from the cops to the profs to the jolly Jack Tars, are starting to fight dirty. Cam and George need to be resolute.

The leaker of Doc Fox's letter to Cam is reportedly being tracked down by the very latest and highly sophisticated MOD drones. But given that the leaker pretty well has to be someone at the top of the MOD itself, it will be a miracle if the drones find anyone.

Still, there's no reason why we should stand by idly while the battle rages. We can help the good guys by at least showing them we're on their side.

And in that vein, the TPA has written to Energy Secretary Chris Huhne to urge the abolition of the useless £118m pa Carbon Trust. The letter neatly summarises why the Trust should be added to the quango bonfire, and the TPA suggests we all add our voices by e-mailing chris@chrishuhne.org.uk or writing to him at

Chris Huhne

Department of Energy and Climate Change

3 Whitehall Place

London

SW1A 2AW.

Well, what are you waiting for?


PS Grown-ups, eh? Of course we can all understand why Milli snr has stomped off in a huff because baby bro was given the biggest slice of cake (which of us can honestly say, etc). But the point about these people is that they're not supposed to be like the rest of us. They're the ones who reckon they are so grown-up that they deserve to be put in charge and to tell the rest of us how to behave. And talking of infantile behaviour, did you clock Milli jnrs' speech yesterday? Either he really believes all that tired old boilerplate crap about "a new generation" is actually meaningful - in which case he needs to grow up - or he thinks we'll have fogotten about the thousands of other manipulative chancers who've used exactly the same pitch - in which case he needs to grow up. Here's the benchmark performance - nobody has ever delivered it better, and to make it stick properly you have to die before your high flown promises turn sour... and not fall out with your bro:

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: eco wibble, politicos, TPA, waste

New TPA Vid

To coincide with this Year's Tax Freedom Day - the day when Britain stops working for the government and starts working for itself - the TPA has launched a new vid showing how the tax burden grinds down one young worker.

Starting work at 9am, it isn't until 1.21pm that he's earned enough to pay off the government. Only then is he free to work for himself.

PS Don't believe the TPA's numbers? Tyler is 100% confident they are spot on - largely because he was the one who calculated them. And in truth, he'd have gone further. Because if you add in the government's borrowing - which after all, is nothing more than deferred taxation - you find that our typical worker is still working for the government right up to 3.10pm (assumes 30 mins lunch break). Is it any wonder everyone's so stressed at work?

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: tax, TPA

The Debt Clock Tour

The TPA Debt Clock hits the road tomorrow:

"To highlight the crushing size of the national debt, the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) is launching a 1,300 mile tour of Britain – featuring a 7 metre long, lorry-mounted digital Debt Clock, ticking up as the Government borrows more and more money. The campaign has a simple but direct message for the nation’s politicians: “Wake up to the National Debt!”

Crucially, the Debt Clock will tour around the whole country, stopping off at national landmarks and key cities to raise awareness of the national debt amongst the taxpayers who will one day have to pick up the bill for politicians’ reckless borrowing."

The tour kicks off in London, and full details are set out on the Debt Clock website.

And remember, the government is currently borrowing nearly £0.5bn per day.

Look out for the clock in front of an expensive government building near you.

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: debt, TPA

The Final Insult

No proper blog today - Tyler's heading round to the TPA to help dissect Labour's final budget (well, it's either Labour's final budget, or Tyler's final one - if we somehow manage to re-elect this corrupt crew, Tyler's off). We'll be blogging our conclusions on the TPA site.

Meanwhile, copies of the TPA's new book How to Cut Spending (and still win an election) have arrived at the office. A rattling good read (including the Bloke's chapter on fiscal decentralisation) - place your order now.

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: TPA

Conviction Politics

By their critics shall ye know them

As you may know, the Grun has recently teamed up with IsHeStillHere? Prezza to launch an all-out attack on the TaxPayers' Alliance.

The Grun accuses the TPA of being a front for the Tory Party, and having a tax exile director. Prez accuses the TPA of being a front for the Tory Party, and eating all the pies.

The truth about the "tax-exile director" is explained by TPA chief exec Matthew Elliott here. In reality, he is Matthew's father-in-law, a retired teacher who now lives with his French wife in France and pays French taxes (which are actually higher than ours).

As for the TPA being a front for the Tory Party, Grun and Prez are stuck in the age of analogue party politics.

The TPA is not about the grubby business of getting one or other party elected to Westminster. The TPA is about something much more fundamental - it is about what used to be called conviction politics. The conviction that - whoever is in power at Westminster - Britain needs lower taxes and smaller better government. As Matthew E puts it:

"We believe in lower taxes, reformed public services and better value for taxpayers' money. We are open about being of the centre-right... But the idea that that puts us in cahoots with the Tories is laughable. You only have to read ConservativeHome to see how many grassroots supporters feel that the Tories have strayed from that agenda. I doubt that George Osborne appreciated our criticism of the Conservatives for matching Labour's spending plans or supporting the new 50p income tax rate."

The fact that the TPA is now attracting so much heat from the old left is gratifying. It is a good measure of our impact.

And for those of us who were in despair about the wibbly Tories ever breaking away from what had become known as the "New Labour settlement" on tax and spend, the TPA has brought hope. It has shown once again just what can be achieved if you've got enough conviction.

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: TPA

Hot Buttons In Bracknell

Mr and Mrs Tyler spent this morning campaigning with Iain Dale in the centre of Bracknell. As you probably know, Mr D is running in the primary election to select the town's next Conservative parliamentary candidate.

Campaigning is always interesting because you get to talk to so many complete strangers. And you get to hear what real voters are concerned about, direct from them, unadulterated by pollsters or focus group.

So what do you reckon were today's unprompted hot buttons?

Ed Miliband's epoch-shaping proposals for the forthcoming climate change summit, perhaps?

Er, no.

The latest exciting plans for Bracknell from the South East Regional Development Agency?

Nope.

Bracknell Council's latest Tweet?

No... none of the above.

Give up?

I'll tell you:

1. Gordo - unelected, incompetent, despised - "he has to go" (I paraphrase - it was generally expressed rather more colourfully)
2. Immigration - "completely out of control... I don't care what the EU says - it must be stopped"
3. Welfare scroungers - "like all these girls who keep having kids to stay on benefits and get council houses"
4. EU referendum - "we've been lied to" (nobody mentioned the Lisbon Treaty - they want a referendum on the entire deal)

OK, not a random survey, and many people didn't want anything to do with a Tory canvasser. But interesting nevertheless.

You may also be wondering why our dire economy didn't feature. The answer is that with all its high tech employers, Bracknell seems to have escaped the worst of the recession (eg unemployment on the claimant count is just 2.4%, the lowest in the South East).

The best of luck to Iain in the primary next Saturday.

PS Various correspondents have asked what we make of today's Guardian "investigation" into the TPA. The G's message seems to be that the TPA is a front for the Tory Party, funded by a bunch of tax exiles and staffed by sinister extremists. Speaking for myself, I haven't yet met any of these people. And the idea that the TPA is a Tory front is ludicrous. The whole point of why the TPA was set up - and certainly why I got involved - was that the Tory leadership had become so limp wristed on tax and spend. Which is why we have been so critical of Tory policies over these last four years (eg on "sharing the proceeds of growth"). Sure, I'm pleased that they have now picked up some of our ideas (eg some of the proposals from our recent cuts paper), but they are most certainly not pulling our strings. And I fully expect we will be a pain in the Cam/Os backside once they are in power. Yes, I happen to be a Tory Party member, but irrespective of party, the TPA is campaigning for lower taxes and smaller better government. There is a mountain to climb.

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www.gudanggrosiran.com Categories: 2010 Election, TPA