Why did you get married?

What is the most stupid, crass and wasteful tax proposal you've heard recently? Which one do you think is the biggest and most pointless waste of money? There is only one which really gets me spitting blood. Let me tell you why. Normally I leave this sort of thing alone, but when something is plain stupid, you just have to say.

Last week I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary. Over the 15 years we've had some difficult times, most notably losing my mother and both of my wifes parents in the space of 18 months. It is hard to say whether this brought us closer together as we were pretty close together to start with. Why did I marry her? Because it was clear to both of us that we much preferred being together than apart (we tried that as well before we got hitched). The Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has come up with the idea of an "incentive" for people to get/stay married. He's going to give them a cash bung via the tax system.

Now excuse me for asking, but isn't there meant to be a crisis in public finances. Isn't there meant to be a squeeze on the cash the Government have to spolsh around? There are many levels which make this proposed "incentive" a bad idea. The biggest one is that it will have no effect whatsoever on whether people who really like each other get or stay married. It might mean that people who have split up, stay officially married until they meet new partners, to make a few quid. It's not inconceivable that a few people who don't even know each other and have no intention of having a relationship get married to get their hands on the cash. What will it acheive? Will it stimulate the economy? Unlikely. Will it create New jobs? Unlikely. Where will it come from?  A tax on banks. Aren't these all skint and desperately trying to rebuild their balances sheets? Aren't most of them owned by the taxcpayer, so the dividends go to the treasury anyway.  Will George Osborne wake up one morning to find that all he's done with his bank tax is deprive himself of dividends?

There are plenty of other things he could have done, if he really though that taxing banks was the best way to stimulate the economy. Here's a few suggestions, feel free to let me know which ones you think might have been a better option.

a) Repaid some of the National debt, reducing the amount of interest we'll have to pay in future.
b) Electrified or built a new rail line, generating jobs, improving infrastructure and making our nation greener.
c) Built some new prisons so we could lock up more criminals and reduce all of our insurance bills and let us sleep sounder at night.
d) Given small businesses employing less than five people a tax break if they took on extra staff.
e) Built offshore wind farms to produce cheap sustainable electricity and lessen our dependence on erratic foreign supplies.
f) Given a tax break to people buyimng electric cars, to improve the economy and develop jobs within a green industry.
g) Built new council houses to help deal with the crisis of housing in our country
i) Reduce the Tax on home grown wine to stimulate the local industry

Now I've just picked a random list of proposals from various parties and candidates which I've seen over the last few weeks. I support some but not all of these proposals. Please let me know if there is anyone out there who thinks that George Osbornes proposal is better for us than any of these and why. This marriage tax bung is stupid and wasteful and just shows that George Osborne isn't up to the job (By the way, on my wedding anniversary I saw Ken Clarke being interviewed on BBC News Channel after our nice meal out, seems from his comments he's with me on this one and thinks Osborne is wrong). If you are planning to vote Tory as you think they know how to run the economy properly, think again. Whilst many Tories are posting web stories saying "Vince Cable isn't quite as marvellous as you may think" none of them have actually managed to say they have the slightest belief that George Osborne know better than Vince Cable. The reason? because they'd look like idiots before the world if they did.

Great Britain will join the Euro within 5 years

That Rog T, he's really lost the plot this time !

That's what you laugh as you read this headline. Well,I may be wrong, but I have good reason to say this.

The reason - the most powerful man in Great Britain wants us to and what he want's he gets. Who is this man? None other than Peter Mandelson. He's not a mug, our Peter. He's a very shrewd operator. He knows exactly how much of a liability Gordon Brown is. He knows that the best Labour could possibly hope for, even if they pull off a miracle, is a small majority. With rampant rebellions, nothing could get done. Great Britain PLC needs some pretty strong medicine. Like chemotherapy, that medicine will hurt nearly as much as the illness. Who better to administer the pain than David Cameron and the Tories. Let them take the blame, so long as they've not got a proper working majority, it really doesn't matter. They'll be out again in a couple of years. Then the time & conditions will be ripe for the event that will write his name amongst the political superstars.

Here's the timeline

January 2010 - Britian starts a borrowing lead recovery from recession, Labour poll ratings improve, but not enough

May 2010 - General election - Tories form a minority government propped up by Unionists

June 2010 - Brown resign's, Mandelson anoints Gordon Brown's replacement. Tories pass vicious austerity budget.

September 2010 - Camerons cutbacks start to bite. His poll ratings slump & the economy plunges into recession as the borrowing lead mini boom ends. European economies grow.

Feb 2011 - Tories lose first by-election. Hospital wards close, school rebuilding slows. New Labour leader rides high in polls.

May 2011 - One year in. Osborne resigns amid failing economy. Ken Clarke becomes Chancellor, to "save the day". Boris Johnson distances himself from Cameron, lining himself up for a post Cameron tilt at the leadership. Announces that he's standing down as mayor after term, to concentrate on being an MP.

September 2011 - Mass demonstrations as Tory cuts bite deeper. Nurses & teachers pay frozen, interest rates rise to 8%. The economy stagnates.

Jan 2012 - Mass Tory rebellions over unpopular bills, Cameron struggles to hold his divided party together. Ken Clarke takes unpopular but necessary action to stabilise the economy. Hints that the only lon term solution is the euro.

May 2012 - Ken Livingstone retakes Mayorship, from hapless Tory rival. Boris finds a safe seat. Massive Tory losses in Council election.

September 2012 - Ken Clark, Peter Mandleson & Nick Clegg announce cross party campaign to join Euro. Tories backbenchers go ballistic. Unionists withdraw from government after by-election mauling. Cameron loses no confidence motion.

October 2012 - Labour wins general election. Tories hopelessly split, Labour announce that Great Britain will join the Euro on 31st December 2013 (when everyone is partying & looking the other way).

November 2012 - New Tory leader elected.

March 2013 - Economy recovers. Labour hailed as the saviour of Great Britain, Ken Clarke ponders what a funny old world it is as he gifts a Labour government a second golden legacy.

September 2013 - RBS shares recover to £2.75, LLoyds share to £4.30. Government announces sale to fund huge program of hospital and school building. Labour takes 20% Lead.

Jan 1st 2014 - Peter Mandleson walks down to Boots to buy some tablets for his hangover. The Cashier says that will be 5 euro's your Lordship

My advice to any Tories who want to stay out of the euro - vote for Gordon Brown, you know he'll never make a decision. What about Peter Mandelson? He's not that popular in some sections of the Country, but I suspect he doesn't really care. I've long thought he's more concerned about being a chapter in our great, great, great grandchildrens history textbooks, than making people like us happy. There is really only one event that can write that chapter. I suspect that a large UKIP vote will split the anti EU vote and deliver us all up to the Euro. Quite ironic really. I suspect that is what his Lordship will enjoy most.