Beware the Populist Pandemic!
I got involved in a twitter conversation about vaccine roll outs today. What seems ridiculous to me is that people (particularly Brexiters) regard it as something of a competition. This is due to the UK at last getting something right during the pandemic as others try to get to grips with the vaccine distribution. Opting Out By opting out of the programme whilst still, technically, in the EU, the UK appear to have stolen a march on ...
Labour and Their Ongoing Ability to Self- Flagellate
Whilst everyone has been buried under the bunting of the alleged lockdown road map out of misery, it’s nice to see that the Labour Party remains committed to self-destructing. In the face of a calamitous Tory government, it would be understandable if Labour had galvanised themselves enough to become a serious opposition and potentially, a government in waiting. So, with that in mind, great credit must be given to all the party members who ...
Can’t Get you Out of My Head – Not the Kylie Version!
If you want to know how you came to having your political opinion (whatever your preference) and how it has evolved, can I suggest something? Watch the new documentary series by Adam Curtis, called ‘Can’t get You Out of My head’. It is a fascinating tale of geopolitical shifts that have allowed us to become the confused and some might say broken society, we are today. A series of geopolitical misjudgements, coincidence, and bad luck ...
Holidays in the Sun
I don’t know if it is me who is losing the plot or others, but what is so confusing about booking holidays? Anyone who follows the news must know by now this government hasn’t got a clue what it is doing, so why look to them to see if there is any chance of having a holiday this year? I would like a holiday this year, but I don’t know if I can have one or not, so I am not going to get all flustered about it. However, if I were in a ...
A Taxing Time for the HMRC
I got a letter from the tax office back in September. It said I hadn’t paid my monthly PAYE and CIS deductions for August. I sent them a copy of my bank statement (they won’t accept emails) proving I had paid it and forgot about it, thinking it was an oversight they would put right. In December, I got a further letter saying I still hadn’t paid it and the debt was accruing interest. I tried calling them but, because of Covid, amongst ...