Wednesday 18 January 2012

Ripp-Ed Off

Ed Miliband has 'been speaking to the Daily Telegraph', so we are informed by Robert Winnett and Mary Riddell, at least according to the print edition. MilibandE states we have to call time on the surcharge culture; that it is about rules that government set; that car parking charges at railway stations should be capped, along with season tickets and other fares; that on bank charges a new watchdog should have the power to intervene and outlaw excessive fees.


If it is time to take action on the surcharge culture perhaps a start could be made with the public subsidy for food and drink in the Palace of Westminster, perhaps a start could be made with the public subsidy paid to employ what are not even second-rate politicians.


If season ticket and other fares are to be capped, perhaps MilibandE would like to publicly state that, should by some quirk of fate he became Prime Minister, he will not impose the 'user-pays' principle when it is introduced by the European Union?


At a time when it is generally accepted that the public sector is bloated and needs trimming, in true socialist fashion all MilibandE can suggest is yet another watchdog be created, one funded by the public.


Lastly - and most importantly - MilibandE states that ultimately its about the rules government sets - err, what?! So in electing a political party based on a piece of incomplete fiction (they call it a mandate), one that only contains broad outlines of policy, we get dictated to by rules government set? And people say we do not live under a democratised dictatorship?


And this idiot wants to end the rip-off of the public when the greatest rip-off merchants are the section of our society of which he is a member!

5 comments:

cosmic said...

Miliband's got to find something to say.

His real problem is that there really isn't any point to the Labour party. They're not about anything anymore, apart from the banal blandishment of "a fairer society".

"Rip-off Britain" is a hardly perennial which has been around for at least 20 years.

I agree that government spending is the biggest rip-off. Spending other people's money on things they probably don't want and with no incentive to get value for money and no consequences for screwing it up.

WitteringsfromWitney said...

c: Agreed, which is why we need a variant of direct democracy!

Stuart said...

I think I left pretty much the same feelings on the DT comment for that very story. Lets start by cutting tax which is just a millstone around a nations neck.

WitteringsfromWitney said...

S: It is a post left over from late last night, so consequently have not read any comments yet.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget Council ripoffs when it comes to overcharging car parking, enviro-ripoffs, and fines on non-payment of bills.