Mostly Bollogs, I'm afraid

But occasionally, a glimmer of truth.
If you find one, please let me know.



Wednesday 28 April 2010

Plea

As both of my regular readers know, I understand very little about politics and law and most other inexact systems. I deal in facts and logic.

Here is some. I would like someone to explain something to me.

According to Millipede (for whom I have zero respect) and via John Prescott (who I secretly like) on Twitter, under Labour the tax TAKE is 37.5% of GNP (Gross National Product, I believe). This was announced proudly, because apparently under the Tories it was 40%.

And then I see on the Beeb that they have a little toy that shows you where that money goes.

Apparently over a quarter of it goes on "social protection". That's newspeak for giving away to anyone who asks for it, or in Marvospeak for propping up people who are spending more than they can afford. Anyway, my question, to which I can't find an answer, is this:

By what RIGHT do they TAKE this?

Don't give me any old cobblers about "it's the law", or "they always have done" or "they need it to make Britain brilliant". Don't give me that, because it's rubbish.

By what RIGHT? Logic applies.

Thank you.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well the obvious answer is that it's the "democratic will of the people" isn't it? They get the mandate, or permission, from us.

Problem is that not everyone who's having money taken from them has voted for it, or agreed to it, so in this case it is being forced on them.

And you can't actually vote to stop it either.

So...

Sir Henry Morgan said...

They eventually fall back on "Might is right"

John Pickworth said...

Charlotte nails it.

Its the collective will. We, the peeps, elect Governments of various hues largely on the basis of what they'll do for us... although personally I've longed after one that would promise to do FA and leave us in peace.

What happens in practice, as I'm sure you know, is that the 'other lot' complain and make much noises about the current 'evil bunch' killing all the Bluebells etc. And how if they were in power they'd spend... ermmm sorry, 'invest', lots of crisp tenners building Bluebell sanctuaries in lovely idles and marginal constituencies.

Drip, drip, drip... over time enough people are seduced and vote for the other lot at the next election and the new Government create the Dept of Bluebells, Universities and Sewerage (sorry, I've never quite understood how they cobble together these exotic Gov' Depts).

Anyhoo, once the Bluebells are thriving and then wanting to win another term in office, the Ministry of Silly Ideas come up with yet more initiatives, like say, Daffodils.

This continues until either:

a) The money runs out and the IMF deploy Agent Orange upon the Bluebell fields of Hartlepool.
b) The Evil Bunch persuades enough people that the country is drowning in bloody Bluebells and we can't afford any more.
c) The Yellow Perils convince the country that we could have a twenty fold increase in Bluebells if only we joined the Euro.
d) The unelected leader of the other lot visits Rochdale.

The problem with this system is there is little incentive to stop spending. Splashing the cash will always elicit more votes than promising to cut it.

What really escapes most people... and trust me on this, they simply don't get it... its our money! We're actually being bribed with the contents of our own wallets and purses. More worryingly, so many people now have their hands out and far fewer are coughing up that the contributors are in the minority.

Frankly, whoever wins the election, we're headed the way of Sweden.

But yeah, it does the beg the question "What right?"

Unfortunately until we write into law what the Government of the day is allowed to spend or introduce flat taxes they will continue to take our money. And there's no way ANY Government is going to offer us those restrictions on their largesse.