This week my workplace in London’s Bloomsbury has been the victim of crime on three occasions. On Sunday a burglar broke into our offices before being frightened off by the alarm, on Monday a bike was stolen from outside our offices and on Tuesday five cars were broken into including my own. Naturally we rang the Police, but unsurprisingly they didn't want to know. This is a summary of the exchange...
Me: "So you're not going to come out then."
Police: "No sir, we don't come out for car break ins."
Me: "Not even when there are 5 cars damaged?"
Police: "No, but you are very welcome to visit any police station and report the crime, sir"
Me: "How kind."
Or words to that effect. And there you have it. This is a prime example of why many people have little confidence in the Police. If they're not willing to investigate five car break-ins, just what are they willing to do?
I am sure if I had told them someone had scrawled ‘Iain Dale’s a poof’ down the side of the car they would have been with me within five minutes so they could get their ‘hate crime’ statistics up.
Needless to say we just haven't bothered reporting it now, because there's nothing they will do about it anyway. And there's a prime example of why the crime figures aren't worth the paper they are written on.
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I am afraid I have some bad news for the people of South Norfolk. I am about to report their MP, Richard Bacon, to the Monopolies Competition. It is astonishing that one man can win so many parliamentary awards in one year! Richard has won the House Magazine Award, The Spectator Award, Conservative Home Ward and this week was voted Parliamentarian of the Year by the Political Studies Association. He’s a great example of how a backbench Member of Parliament can make a difference by effectively scrutinising legislation and holding the Executive to account. Even more tellingly, he’s been congratulated by Labour and LibDem MPs for his achievement. In an age when it’s traditional to disparage politicians of all parties, Norfolk should be proud that one of its MPs is seen by his peers as a man of substance.
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When you get your Council Tax bills next year, the chances are you’ll be paying at least 5% more than this year. The main reason is that the Government is continuing to cut its grants to areas like Norfolk and siphoning off your money to give to its mates in the Northern cities. This year that policy will cost Norfolk Council Tax payers a cool £21 million. Council Tax was never a political issue when it was at a reasonable level. People understand they have to pay for local services, but only at a fair and reasonable rate. Council Tax has become as unpopular as the Poll Tax because people aren’t getting a fair return for it. Later this month the Lyons report on local government finance will be published. I suspect it will be full of phrases like “one the one hand” and not make a firm recommendation about a replacement for Council Tax. It will look at the case for a local sales tax, a local income tax or even whether all local councils should be directly funded from the centre. Of course the truly radical approach would be to let local councils decide themselves how they should be funded and hold a local referendum. Some might even vote for a return of the Poll Tax. Now there’s a thought which will warm the cockles of a Thatcherite heart, albeit not mine.
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Well as a piece of motivational encouragement, Peter Grant’s exhortations to Norwich fans to get behind their team certainly seemed to work. City’s new manager took a bit of a risk calling Canaries fans ‘a disgrace’ for their lack of support for the team during the 1-1 draw against Hull. In fact I suspect he feared being drummed out of the County. But the fans rose to the occasion and cheered their team on. Delia must have been proud…
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Cystic fibrosis is a terrible disease and the only good thing to have come out of the news that Gordon & Sarah Brown’s new baby is afflicted with it, is that it has raised its profile. Anyone who heard the Jeremy Vine programme on Thursday lunchtime can’t have failed to be moved by the phone call from a lady whose ten year old daughter has just been diagnosed with it. The poor woman was in tears and totally distraught. Jeremy Vine handled a very difficult broadcasting situation brilliantly. Earlier in the show Nick Robinson recalled Gordon Brown holding a Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser at No 11 Downing Street two years ago. A video was shown demonstrating the effects of the disease and the Chancellor was in tears. Robinson asked his film crew to stop their cameras.
This half hour piece on the Jeremy Vine show was a brilliant example of public service broadcasting at its very best.
