Another Stealth Tax Of Booze

Last week we had some intefering old sod come up with a plan to licence smokers.  So you can imagine my dismay this week with the announcment of a "clever plan"  to curb binge drinking mainly by teenagers and early twenty somethings.

This cunning plan entails hiking up the price of beer and spirits to a level that might deter or put out of affordability the purchase of the aforesaid to youngsters, thugs, teenagers and whatever.  This cunning plan also means that the treasury can amass another fortune to waste on government computer systems that don't work, possibly some decent armour kit for our armed forces in the east.  Who the hell procured the Warrior vehicle with a softspot on the underside?  Especially in conflicts where roadside bombs are common.

So, back to price hike on your pint, sorry, cans really.  The idea is to increase the price  of cheap canned and bottled beers and spirits that normally sell through supermarkets mainly.  Obviously the supermarkets don't want to increase the price themselves because although they might be selling at cost or below it's the additional sales that they are after.  Well, until Aunty Tesco came up with an idea that would be an advantage to them so as not to lose face and look favourably to the masses - Every little helps!.  They have approached the government to ask if they can in collusion with the other big three fix prices of alcohol.  Therefore create an even playing field for all eliminating the ongoing price war between them of beer sales.

How will this proposal to increase taxes on booze affect us, the law abiding, sensible drinkers.  It means a price hike of cannies that you have bought to sit comfortably at home to watch the footie on TV.  It will cost more to entertain your family and friends with a "Barbie" in Summer.  It will probably mean a greater chance of getting mugged by your local teeny gang at the back of the shops for your wallet so they can afford to get a disreputable adult to buy a six or 24 pack for them plus 20 fags and a box of matches.

Therefore, because of lack of parental interest or control, education and the general teenage attitude of "so what", whatever, we wanna have fun, we the majority of the population will have to pay dearly for these kids attitude.  This shouldn't happen and we can do something about it - Say no to the government and show your distaste by withdrawing votes, mass protests - they notice that quick enough!  The general population should not have to suffer for a small minority of kids who cannot even vote yet and therefore influence the policy of the country.

This government has created or encouraged more "watchdogs" than any other before them and now in trying to impress the masses they come up with scheme after scheme to give us the impression that they are on top of the game.  They think they know what we need and I am beginning to wonder if we have been infiltrated by aliens who don't quite understand human nature.  The biggest power house of thinking is not a couple of hundred suits, mainly ex-lawyers and chuck in a few "experts" but the computing power of millions of people throught the land.  They are more likely to solve a problem within a small time period than a bunch of smartly dressed stand-up comedians in Westminster.

Whatever scheme is proposed you can bet the winner is the treasury, another stealth tax, more money generated.  Wow! This is better than borrowing or even just printing it. All totally legitimate.

Money - Give Me More - I'm Worth It!

Although this isn't a Christchurch problem as far as I know it at present, but there is widespread condemnation and concerns with regard to Bournemouth councillors.  These guys have voted themselves a mega payrise of between 17% and 36%.  At the same meeting they also voted for the maximum local tax hike of 4.9% (Any higher and the government would cap the council's budget)  The same people who decide that to comply with government guidelines - which they must follow - that their employees and staff can have no more than 2.0%.  That's 2 pence in the pound or £2.00 in the hundred and that is before tax an NI deductions which this present government has quietly crept up and held at 24% in total for most workers.  An independent panel recommended the wage rise deciding that the councillors were grossly underpaid.  Maybe that is true but not in one big sweep.  If the greedy burgers of old townhall lived by what they preach they would offer to stagger the payrise in increments at least.

In defence of the payhike burger leader Cllr. MacLoughlin said that members have seen their income drop after being forced to work "part-time" in highly paid jobs.  Well my reply to that is. 1. They are not all in highly paid jobs.  2. Some will usually have a shop somewhere in the town. 3. If you want to be in politics because your conscious says "I must change things for the better for locals"  then do it full time for the common good.  Obviously the rate payers will re-imburse you for your expenses but don't expect a second income to supplement your lifestyle.  They rejected calls by Liberals for the increase to be phased in over 3 years.

Of course the fat councillors of Trumpton will have to increase council tax by the maximum without being capped to 4.9%.  A lot of that increase is to pay them thier salaries.  Now I'm no mathematician, but if you increase the cost of something by 5% and only give the purchasers an extra amount of money equivalent to 2.5% there is a shortfall on the purchasers part of 2.5%.  They have to make up the shortfall - from where?

This is why for a few years now I have come to the conclusion that to just keep up with energy, road fuel, and local tax hikes you will have to seek a higher paid job every five years just to keep up let alone save up for that holiday or replacement car.  Oh! and the designer clothes, trainers and cell phones for the kids.

It don't end there either because Dorset County will want their pound of flesh too.  Probably 4.9% too.  This is to pay for council salaries, more 4x4 BMW's for the p[olice to cruise around in, pay for meetings to discuss meetings on how to run down the Fire Service to a dangerous level.  Oh yes!  Plus fund the expansion of  Christchurch library into a popular cafe in the High Street.

Poole town too is facing 4.9% rates increase.  Like all councils they blame the government for lack of adequate funding and the government respond with poor management of finances.  Back and forth every year with no sign of improvement.  No wonder politicians are greeted with apathy and lack of interest at elections whether local or national.  Maybe that why these councillors are where they are. The same few people voting for the same councillors in rotation to break up the monotony of elections.

DNA - Database for Everyone Or Not?

  This week saw the conviction of two men of premeditated murder of young women.  The main evidence that sent them down was provided by the so-called amazing science of DNA profiling.  After sentencing there was a furore of calls for everyone to be on it.  A few prominent citizens, the bereaved families and a couple of police chiefs said that if they had everyones dna on file they would have caught at least one of these predators within hours not months.  The media jump straight on to the bandwagon and away it goes.

Now everyone talking about it again - A national database.  Yes there are many reasons and good ones too for every citizen to be on the dna database.  It means that murders, rapists and many other undesirable felons will be apprehended quickly - if we can find them.

But step back from the mass hysteria and the loudest voices.  Lets look at all the implications here.  There is still massive debate over national identity cards which will be biometric.  Iris scan and fingerprint info loaded into a microchip and the same data loaded into a database.  This ID card will apparently control immigration and entitlement to benefits - well that's the basic idea so the government tell us.

Now they also may consider due to the amount of soapbox shouting the requirement for every citizen in the country to give a sample of DNA so that in the future if you do one little misdemeanor a tiny hair, saliva or skin cells will give you away and you will get an early morning wakeup call from Mr.Plod after battering your front door down.  I told you not to drop that fag butt!  I know it sounds far fetched and maybe it is but it is a possibility if you are on file.

On an interview with a chief police officer who agreed wholeheartedly with the idea of a National DNA database said that crimes would be easier to solve and convictions more likely to be secured with the instant access to a database.  Fair comment and maybe the case.  But when asked about an innocent persons DNA being found at the scene of a crime he said it was 99% unlikely to arrest the wrong person because follow up enquiries  would eliminate them.

With that statement in mind let's look at a possible scenario if we had a national database of every man, woman and over 18's and the likely outcomes.  You have had a late night row with the wife.  You angrily stomp out of the house and go for a walk to cool down.  You don't realise it but you have been gone for hours.  You sit down on a bus stop bench to rest your weary legs.  You have met no-one on your wanderings or possibly noticed anyone in the near vicintiy.  You scratch your head and think - must go home now.

A few minutes later a young woman walks by and is suddenly pushed into the bus shelter by an assailant.  She is beaten and then strangled.  Some hours later she is discovered by a early morning passerby.  You earlier arrived home found the wife asleep in bed and decided to sleep on the sofa till mid-morning

Meanwhile scenes of crime have arrived and are painstakingly collecting samples at the murder scene.  They collect cigarette butts, hair, spit and minute strands of textile fibres.  A few days later after initial DNA and forensic tests a DNA match is found to  the hair found on the girls clothing - Yours.

Knock! Knock! Good morning Sir, We are investigating a serious crime and we have to ask you where you were last night between certain hours?  Can anyone verify this? Your wife?  "No".  Why was that Sir?  "We had a blazing row."  So you were in a foul mood then?  And so on.   You have no alibi, no witnesses to say where you were at a certain time, your hair traces found on items of her clothing and underclothes where she struggled with her attacker.  Her hands as she fell may have picked up traces of your saliva when you coughed and then spat.  Problem!

Talk your way out of that one.  Your innocent and the real culprit may not have left defineable traces possibly by accident or he is a serial stalker who knows about the technology.  Evidence from forensics and the DNA database put you in the frame.  So on the face of it your guilty.

Police say however that you should have no fear from a database because it can help elimate suspects too.  But I say there is nothing 100% foolproof so DNA is not the Golden Egg or the Jewel in the Crown but may help.

Finally given the recent government's lapse in data security with regards to benefit claimants, then Driver Licensing followed swiftly by loss of data stored on a laptop of recruits to the Armed Forces and the impending bio-passport and ID Card schemes I am wondering if we should allow these incompetetent suits with access to more data.  Especially every man, woman and child living in the country - Well, the ones who come forward and the ones we know about that are here.  The other 1.5 million ghosts meaning illegals, what about them. Call in Ghost Busters?

Last update : 23-02-2008 19:23

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