Tag Archives: Eric Pickles

Whose referendum?

Posted on January 18, 2014 by ianchisnall

Twitter broke the news this week that Brighton & Hove Council intend to set a Council Tax level of 4.75% for 2014/15. This exceeds the 2% limit set by Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Local Government. The implication of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brighton & Hove, Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Pictures at an Parliament

Posted on January 15, 2014 by ianchisnall

Over a 20 year period, Parliament has spent £250,000 on paintings of some of the MPs and Lords as part of efforts to document the work of the institution. This was discovered through a Freedom of Information request by the Evening Standard as reported … Continue reading →

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Bags and Fags

Posted on November 28, 2013 by ianchisnall

This morning two stories have reappeared, both are based on decisions taken personally by David Cameron and both relate to attempts to impact our  behaviour. They show an incoherence at the heart of our Government. This morning it appears that David Cameron is reconsidering his earlier decision to abort the … Continue reading →

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How not to run a charity

Posted on September 2, 2013 by ianchisnall

The charitable sector is generally held in high regard by the population at large, but it is not perfect and there are some examples of charities and their Trustees acting in a manner that is in conflict with all reasonable … Continue reading →

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Bone is at it again

Posted on August 10, 2013 by ianchisnall

I wrote last weekend following comments made by Peter Bone MP in the light of the appalling campaign by the Home Office using advertising vans. Yesterdays World At One on Radio 4 once again reflected on this campaign, partly because … Continue reading →

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Size and breadth affects all of us

Posted on August 9, 2013 by ianchisnall

The Conservative party is being dragged kicking and screaming to admit that their individual membership has fallen to its lowest ever level, possibly as low as 100,000 people as reported in yesterdays Independent and this morning on Radio 4. The fact … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two not so fine lines

Posted on July 31, 2013 by ianchisnall

In the world of modern business idiom, the concept of a fine line between a great idea and a foolishness, lateral thinking, that no idea is to stupid to suggest will be recognised by many people. However these concepts are intended to … Continue reading →

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Payments By Results – Parliamentary Style

Posted on July 12, 2013 by ianchisnall

The debate about MPs pay and rations is inevitably focusing on the money, but perhaps we need to try to step back and focus on value. About 10 years ago I took my car to a garage for an MOT … Continue reading →

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Oh what a tangled web…

Posted on July 11, 2013 by ianchisnall

This week in Parliament Natascha Engel, Labour MP for North East Derbyshire who I have a great deal of respect for, asked a couple of questions. She is an active MP who asks lots of questions, but these two and their answers deserve … Continue reading →

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A tale of 3 budget outcomes

Posted on July 8, 2013 by ianchisnall

The recently announced spending round 2015/6 provided us with a range of decisions that reveal the values and priorities of our Government. I have focused on three small spending areas (their combined budget is half the size of this years overspend by Eric Pickles … Continue reading →

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