Andy Large's political miscellanea

  Dear Editor, During recent canvassing in Alsager Central for Reform UK candidate Dave Mahoney, many residents I spoke to raised concerns about the high – and still rising – level of Council Tax in the town. While I congratulate Phil Williams of the Liberal Democrats on his election victory, these doorstep conversations highlighted a broader issue: the pressure of ever-increasing taxes on households that can often ill afford them. One clear example is the continuing programme of ticketed events at Alsager Civic. From indoor boot sales to tribute bands, the venue offers a wide range of entertainments. Yet, to my understanding, the Civic has run at a loss for years. Taxpayers are effectively subsidising these activities, deepening the financial hole. Is it really appropriate for the council to operate an entertainments venue that competes directly with private sector businesses – using funds extracted from local residents by compulsion? ...

Dear Editor, It is no surprise at all to note that our local MPs (Russell and Naismith) have now declared their Labour leader to be the wrong man for the big job. It took them a lot longer than their constituents! I suppose it’s better late than never. But Labour mistook a tepid (at best) general election victory as a mandate for Communism in the UK. It is great news that the hard left are being shown the error of their ways this early in the election cycle. It is now up to our local Reform representatives to clearly and articulately spell out a programme of change for the coming years. As I noted in my letter last week, our nation is in financial peril because of the high national debt levels piled up by Marxists and socialists in all parties (Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem). For some hard-to-fathom reason, local socialists believe that robbing from the productive in society to hand to the unproductive is a viable and desirable long term incentive structure. But Bri...

Dear Editor, I would like to offer my congratulations to the Reform Party on their significant electoral breakthrough over the past few days. Their policy regarding the placement of asylum hotels is one that I believe will resonate strongly with many residents across the Congleton constituency. I also feel compelled to respond to the editorial comment following my letter last week, which suggested that increasing national debt is a positive development. On the contrary, the historical evidence suggests we are treading on very thin ice. The landmark research by economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff demonstrates a clear "threshold effect": when a nation’s gross debt exceeds 90% of its GDP, median growth rates fall dramatically. For the last twenty years, the UK has followed a perilous trajectory where debt levels have climbed relentlessly while our national productivity has stagnated. We are ...

Sir, Governments at both national and local level are failing spectacularly to control public spending. Britain’s national finances are in deepening crisis. Official debt is soaring, but the true figure – including hidden liabilities – now exceeds £12 trillion according to the TaxPayers’ Alliance, or more than £180,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.  International markets are already demanding higher interest rates on UK debt, guaranteeing years of high inflation and punishing mortgage payments for ordinary families. Yet our local Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green representatives remain almost completely silent on this unfolding disaster. They offer no serious acknowledgment of the problem, let alone any credible plan to fix it. Locally, the picture is little better. Councils seem addicted to ever-higher spending and wealth redistribution. Alsager Town Council managed a responsible zero council tax inc...