Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Crewe and Nantwich by-election on 22 May








Or so the BBC says.

And Iain Dale is not impressed:
It's unprecedented to call a by election before the funeral of the previous MP has taken place.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My name is Paul Thorogood and I'm the candidate for the Cut Tax On Petrol And Diesel party and I'm standing in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election.

To the voters of Crewe and Nantwich: You are about to make history. Thursday's by-election is effectively the first referendum in the UK on whether the Government should Cut Tax On Petrol And Diesel.
1. Like me you are probably sick and tired of paying so much for petrol. The Government blames the high prices on the state of the world oil markets but the fact is that for every £1 spent at the fuel pump about 70p is tax. We pay the highest taxes on fuel in Europe. If the Government had the political will they could reduce the terrible burden now faced by low income families, OAPs, the disabled, anyone who needs their car to get to work and the British haulage industry.

2. Every time the voters of Crewe and Nantwich go to a petrol station to fill up their cars between now and the election they’ll be reminded about why I’m standing as a candidate.

3. A vote for me is a chance to bloody the nose of the Labour Party over the terrible way they are handling the economy – especially taxation and spending. The 10p tax band debacle just being another example.

4. I want VAT abolished on fuel as it is effectively a tax on a tax and I want the current tax on diesel (57p per litre) and petrol (about 50p per litre) halved so it is in line with the average fuel duty in Europe.

5. I often get asked how can the Government afford it? But you are asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is how can low-income families, OAPs and hauliers afford the prices being demanded at the pumps?

6. Another argument I often hear is if the Government doesn’t take revenue from fuel, they’ll need to take it from somewhere else. WRONG! This Government has wasted billions over the last ten years including £12.4billion on the infamous NHS computers that never worked , £2.35billion on tarting up the MoD's London HQ, £2.3billion on consultants to tell civil servants how to do their jobs and the £3.3billion the military presence in Iraq costs every year.


7. They’re about to waste £10billion on the identity card scheme and £30billion on the replacement of the Trident missile system. Also much has been swallowed up in bureaucracy, with costly and often pointless managers, boards and quangos creating and chasing artificial targets.


8. Blockades don't work. The ballot box does. Vote for PAUL THOROGOOD. The UK is counting on you - don't waste this chance. It's over to you...

Anonymous said...

How can my party Cut Tax On Petrol And Diesel be considered green?

Well want a stratgey of less stick and more carrot. We aim to spend billions more of the revenue from motorists on public transport to increase and improve train and bus services and subsidise the cost of fares. This will encourage motorists to use their cars less. The Labour Party doesn't want us to get out of cars - the Government NEEDS the tax we pay on fuel to finance their expensive policies such as the introduction of identity cards (£10billion), the £12billion already wasted on the infamous NHS computer system that never worked, and the planned replacement of the Trident missile system (£30billion). By the year 2020 it is predicted that Labour's policy of increasing tax on fuel every year will NOT have reduced the number of cars on our roads - in fact it will have risen from 26million to 31million. A different approach is needed.





We recognise that the current Labour Government, and indeed Conservative ones before that, have steadily increased the taxation on motorists and hauliers but the amount spent on improving roads and public transport has shrunk. This needs to change. Until the lion’s share of tax levied from fuel is spent on improving public transport, the British people and UK companies will not reduce their use of cars or lorries as a way of moving themselves or goods around as their is often no viable public transport alternative.