It is now an archive for my newspaper and magazine pieces. My blog can now be read at: www.spectator.co.uk/stephenpollard
Politics, economics and culture from the master. Unmissable.
Melanie Phillips home page
Melanie Phillips' peerless blog. Read, and learn.
Daniel Finkelstein's Times Comment Central
A daily must-read.
Tim Worstall
Lots of interesting nibbles - and a ruthless swatter of economic gibberish.
Harry's Place
Must-read left of centre blog from writers who understand the threat to the West.
Clive Davis
Always interesting selection of culture and politics, from an Anglo-American bent.
Samizdata
Libertarian blog, packed every day.
Norm's blog
The thoroughly sensible thoughts of renowned left-wing academic Norman Geras, Professor of Government at Manchester. And cricket, too.
Public Interest
Peter Briffa's inimitable take on The Yazzmonster and other assorted demons.
Reform
The public sector reform group; their website is an invaluable source of data and ideas.
Centre for the New Europe
The leading European public policy think tank.
Developed by:
| May | 02 |
| 2007 |
"Tories are promising tax and spending cuts up and down the country if they win. Rightwing ideologues took over Hammersmith and Fulham a year ago from a well-run Labour group, cutting council tax by 3p, cutting £14.4m from children's services, housing, care for the frail and charity grants and closing a mental health centre. Tory Walsall is cutting vulnerable children's services, so is Swindon, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. The list of cuts elsewhere is long, but for those with short memories, that's what Conservatives usually do".Interesting. Maybe they're worth voting for after all.
MessageSpace
My goodness, yes! Let's have no more of those services for vulnerable children.
'No more care for the frail' is another powerful vote winner.
What services? What care? You mean, let's cut back on the endless bureaucracy, don't you, and more jobs in the Council that will discuss care and services.
Briffa and Pollard are purporting to take Toynbee at her word. She says, among other things, that "Tory Walsall is cutting vulnerable children's services". They see this policy, as summarised by Toynbee, as reason to vote Conservative. Nobody mentioned bureaucracy.
"Rightwing ideologues took over Hammersmith and Fulham a year ago"
Took over? What did they do? Stage a coup and install a military junta? I think what Polly Pot means is that 'the Conservative party was elected'.
"a well-run Labour group"
So well-run that the voters chucked them out, apparently, in favour of right-wing 'ideologues'
Democracy, eh Polly?