March 11: Cameron flares at PMQs
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I can
understand why there may be a degree of nervousness in the
Conservative ranks in Kent, especially after a Times poll saw the
poll gap narrowing still further in the marginals.
For the Conservatives to be able
to form the next Government, they need a swing nationally of 6.9
per cent.
Anything less, and we are
looking at a hung Parliament.
In Kent, for the Conservatives
to win in the seven key marginal Labour-held seats, they need
swings of between 0.021 per cent (Gilingham and Rainham) to more
than six per cent in Dover.
This explains why Labour,
strangely, has become unusually bouyant in recnt days and perhaps
why Cameron seemed unusually rattled at today's PMQs - not that it
did him any harm to get red-blooded at backbench
Labour taunting over defence chiefs being Tory
supporters.
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THE issue of the salaries of
high-ranking council chiefs just won't go away.
David Cameron
has upped the ante with a pledge to identify any council manager
earning more than £58,500 - and no, I've no idea why this is the
cut off point.
I never thought - being a
believer in maximum openness and accountability where public funds
are concerned - that I'd start to think that this political
virility contest over what has been dubbbed fat-cat public sector
pay is beginning to operate on the law of diminishing returns but I
wonder.
I'd much prefer the politicians
to commit to forcing councils to publish in an easily understood
and intelligible fashion all their public expnditure on, say a
monthly basis, so people can see where all their money is
going - not just on salaries.
Still, it'd be churlish to
complain although I was amused that Mr Cameron's pledge avoided any
references to the numbers of people at County Hall earning above
that sum.
Cameron fat cat pay crackdown - read the story here
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We are compiling a comprehensive
guide to the general election in Kent and where the battle for
Downing Street is likely to be won or lost.
Postings my be a bit sporadic
for a few days as I am out filming for a special website we'll ne
launching in the run up to polling day.
More details soon on the launch
in a week or two - and how you can contribute.
Wednesday, March 10 2010
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