Close our purse strings

Prime Minister David Cameron announces that Britain will donate a further £814million of taxpayers’ money to a child vaccine programme run by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, taking the country’s total contribution to £1.5billion. He told a conference at a five-star hotel (natch) in London that people should be "proud" of the Coalition’s pledge to increase aid spending by 34 per cent to more than £12billion.

As well as being more than five times the £274million pledged by the U.S., it is more than 30 times higher than Germany’s £44million and almost 50 times the £30million given by Spain. Japan gave just £5.5million, while China gave nothing.

Raj Shah, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said that America could not afford to give more because it was facing a "very difficult budget environment".

No kidding? Our "donation" would be all very laudable if the country was not financially bankrupt. We simply cannot afford to be the world's nurse as well as its traffic warden.

Why do the "great and the good" love grandstanding with otehr people's money? Lord Coe told a radio audience that he believed most Londoners were happy to pay for the Olympic Games - he has obviously not spoken to the Londoners I know. We didn't want it and certainly don't want to pay for it.

Gordon Brown paid untold millions just so that he could have his picture taken with Nelson Mandela. Now his successor at Number 10, a millionaire many times over, is giving away more of our money at the time people are fearful of a double dip recession that will lead to more unemployed, more homeless and more misery.

Enough is enough. Charity begins at home, Mr Cameron.

Okay to ask Cameron about drugs... but not Brown?

The Labour Party is up in arms after the BBC's Andrew Marr had the temerity to ask Gordon Brown if he was on the happy pills.

Former leader Neil Kinnock told Five News: "The BBC is one of the greatest institutions in the world. They demeaned themselves, they cheapened themselves and the judgement of the journalist who asked the question has to be questioned."

So it is okay to ask David Cameron if he has taken drugs (twenty years ago) but not okay to ask the leader of the country if he does?

As usual, one rule for one...

Cameron needs to explain fully his ID card opposition

David Cameron has announced that any future Tory government will abolish the ID card scheme.

All well and good but...

He has also said that he will not offer a referendum on the EU constitution when/if he comes to power if the Irish have been conned into saying yes when they are forced to vote again.

Will Cameron say that he will abolish the ID cards no matter what, and not just abolish plans for them if they have not been introduced by the time of the next election?

Stop the fiddling...

Finally, MPs' expenses have been published.

I understand the need for a second home for honourable members who live, say, more than 50 miles from Westminster.

However, wouldn't a small flat or semi do? David Cameron has a sprawling home worth £750,000 in his Witney constituency - not to mention a large house in Notting Hill.

And why are we paying for MPs' television licences? If I have televisions in two homes, then I have to pay for two licences - why was Tony Blair allowed to claim for his second set?

The Scottish question is untenable...

The West Lothian question has again been raised. David Cameron is accused of threatening the future of the United Kingdom by suggesting that Scottish MPs should not vote on matters that affect only England.

There is no logical reason why Scottish-based MPs should have a vote on English matters (prescription charges, university tuition fees, etc) while English MPs have no say on events in Scotland.

Am I in favour of an English parliament? No.

It is not about the break-up of the Union - Labour already put that train on the track with the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland and Wales assemblies. All three are a waste of time. Why do politicians always think that the answer to a question is more politicians? It is not. We could get along equally well without the Greater London Assembly, the elected mayors, the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland and Wales assemblies. Perhaps those employed by those organisations might not, but their worries are not ours.

Stop Scottish MPs voting on purely English matters or stop giving Scotland English money.

The Daily Mail graphically illustrates the disparity.

Cameron gets it wrong... again

While the floods cause mayhem and even death, it would seem reasonable to ask the Government why so little preparation was done to combat potential disasters. After all, they are constantly banging on about climate change - the weather to you and me - and how it affects us all so having some plan about how to cope might just seem sensible.

But no, as usual, this country is caught on the hop: too much rain, the wrong kind of snow, leaves on the track, the list is endless...

So, one would imagine that opposition parties would take every opportunity to bash the Government. So what does David Cameron do? Swans off to Rwanda, while his own constituency is under water. Why? It was a longstanding commitment say aides. Nonsense, a disaster in this country and even more so one in your own constituency overrides any "longstanding commit" to foreigners. Once again, Cameron shows that the Tories are not fit for anything...