Monday, July 03, 2006
Galloway Gets Away With Grabbing Next Years Electoral Advantage
The wonderful watchdog bulldog lapdog of our local paper reports here on how the (Liberal Democrat controlled) York council has escaped being rate capped. With an enthusiasm previously reserved for Pravda it presents it as a great victory for the residents and people, quite ignoring that this means all the people who pay their tax now have to pay even more tax to the council when they could better spend that money on things they want (cars, music, drink, cigarettes, guns, food, schooling, whatever); naturally if people want to voluntarily give more money to the council then I’ve no objection and this would be the ideal solution as socialist thinking people who want the council to have more of their money would be happy; and people like myself who regard taxation as oppression could be freed.
In fact I’m surprised that the residents who wrote in requesting the council isn’t rate capped didn’t offer to make up the difference from their own money. I’d also like to know just how many of them pay the council tax in full and how many get benefits? I’m also curious as to why their views should count for so much, unless (which I doubt) there were sufficient representations so as to be a majority of the York electors.
I digress, from the article we’re told that the local Labour MP supported the Liberal Democrat controlled council in not being capped and the Labour minister agreed. The agreement not to cap is based on an understanding that there won’t be any substantial increase next year.
Now some of you dear readers will have had council elections this year, but in York these are not due until 2007, so now when next years council elections come up, the Labour MP and minister have handed the Liberal Democrats a potential election wining claim of low council tax increase. The truly beautiful quote come from Liberal Democrat council leader Steve Galloway himself where he tells us that this was the budget plan anyway, although he falls short of pointing out how it falls in nicely with the council election timing I quote from the “news”paper, (emphasis mine) quoting him:
“But Coun Galloway said the enforced lower budget next year would not be a problem. He said: “We had always planned in 2007/08 to budget on the basis of a council tax increase of less than five per cent and so the proposed nomination' will not significantly affect our plans.””
I don’t have much time for the Liberal Democrats (or Labour), but please remember if they mention low council tax rises and prudent budgeting in next year’s York council election, I’ve called it here first and who amongst you wouldn’t like to have next years rise now? I must “take my hat off” to Steve Galloway it’s a very cunning move and he’s even managed to get Labour to help him. I hope Tony Blair notices how both the local Labour MP and the minister (presumably Phil Woolas from the article) have acted, thus handing the Liberal Democrats a nice electoral advantage especially against any Labour opposition.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
In fact I’m surprised that the residents who wrote in requesting the council isn’t rate capped didn’t offer to make up the difference from their own money. I’d also like to know just how many of them pay the council tax in full and how many get benefits? I’m also curious as to why their views should count for so much, unless (which I doubt) there were sufficient representations so as to be a majority of the York electors.
I digress, from the article we’re told that the local Labour MP supported the Liberal Democrat controlled council in not being capped and the Labour minister agreed. The agreement not to cap is based on an understanding that there won’t be any substantial increase next year.
Now some of you dear readers will have had council elections this year, but in York these are not due until 2007, so now when next years council elections come up, the Labour MP and minister have handed the Liberal Democrats a potential election wining claim of low council tax increase. The truly beautiful quote come from Liberal Democrat council leader Steve Galloway himself where he tells us that this was the budget plan anyway, although he falls short of pointing out how it falls in nicely with the council election timing I quote from the “news”paper, (emphasis mine) quoting him:
“But Coun Galloway said the enforced lower budget next year would not be a problem. He said: “We had always planned in 2007/08 to budget on the basis of a council tax increase of less than five per cent and so the proposed nomination' will not significantly affect our plans.””
I don’t have much time for the Liberal Democrats (or Labour), but please remember if they mention low council tax rises and prudent budgeting in next year’s York council election, I’ve called it here first and who amongst you wouldn’t like to have next years rise now? I must “take my hat off” to Steve Galloway it’s a very cunning move and he’s even managed to get Labour to help him. I hope Tony Blair notices how both the local Labour MP and the minister (presumably Phil Woolas from the article) have acted, thus handing the Liberal Democrats a nice electoral advantage especially against any Labour opposition.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
