Rog T to Stand for SNP in Finchley against Mike Freer

I wrote this blog for The Finchley Times last year. Maybe the SNP will change their mind.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/search/3661228.Vote_Rog_T_in_Fincherley__cut_your_Tax_with_the_SNP/

Here's what I said then. It probably makes even more sense now !

Vote Rog T in Fincherley, cut your Tax with the SNP

By Roger Tichborne »

Do you like being robbed? I don't. Of all the stealth taxes, the one I hate most is the £4 parking charge for Barnet General hospital. Being both fit & tight fisted, I always park half a mile away and walk up the hill. I make a point of having a pint of the most expensive beer I can later, as this is still cheaper. I always say "This one's on Barnet General". I like to call this tax the "Little old Lady tax" as they don't have the option of the hike up the hill when they park. What can be done?

Over the past few weeks I've been surveying the National press. It seems that if you live in Scotland the SNP (who are now in power) have abolished hospital parking charges. Finding this quite interesting, I decided to investigate the rest of their program. My niece went to Edinburgh University. She had to get a student loan to pay for her education. All of her friends born north of the border received a grant. As to other SNP policies? Here's a few. Remove business rates from 120,000 small businesses and cuts for a further 30,000.
Replace council tax with a local income tax, with a rate set at 3p.
Cut red tape and widen access to public sector contracts for small businesses.
Substantial" investment in rail infrastructure and additional steps to tackle congestion.
Give patients legally binding waiting times.
Presumption against" centralising core hospital services and protect access to local healthcare.
Direct elections to health boards.
Phase out prescription charges.
Annual health checks and individual health plans for school pupils with a doubling in the number of school nurses.
School-based dental service.
Free school meals, starting with youngest children.
Two hours of physical education per week for every pupil and free access to council swimming pools.
More police on local streets.
More information for communities on dangerous paedophiles in their area.
Tougher controls on the sale of alcohol to those under the legal age to drink.
Taskforce to tackle organised crime.
Emphasis on tough community punishments to end short-term prison sentences.
Now looking through the program, I was suddenly struck by the fact that I agree with all of this. It is far more in line with what I want than anything being proposed by the three main parties in England. The only issue is how will the SNP pay for their program? The answer is simple, they don't. When I was researching my blog on the Olympics, I found that London subsidised the rest of the country to the tune of £22 Billion a year. Of this about £6 Billion goes to Scotland. We are paying for all of these fantastic policies, but we don't see the benefits.
If the SNP get their way and get independance, then presumably we'd have £6 Billion to make London a better place. £6 Billion would pay for a lot of free parking at Barnet Hospital. The "Little Old Lady Tax" could be abolished. My kids could get a grant to go to Uni. It seems to me that the best possible thing for London would be for us to give the SNP their wish.
What do you think? Should I join the SNP and stand in the next Election? I asked a friend of mine for an election Motto and he suggested I stand for Finchley. The slogan would make a good rap tune "Vote Rog T in Fincherly, cut your Tax with the SNP". Mind you another mate suggested that "Vote SNP and send Gordon Brown home" may get more votes.
The bad news is that I rang the SNP to ask if I could join and stand for them in Finchley and they told me to get lost !!!!