dorf wrote on Aug 22
nd, 2009 at 9:46am:
If Brown granted that petition the problems would soon be solved.
Political comments may be ruled out of order in this forum. I respond to that made from a position of no loyalty to any party.
Whatever may be the merits of a new leader of the Labour Party or a new government, I fear that "the problems" will not be solved so readily.
There may well be reason to celebrate the work done by Oftel to prevent the introduction of revenue sharing and premium rate numbers, before these came in as this Conservative creation was replaced by the allegedly corrupt agent of New Labour. Sadly my knowledge of the detail of these matters does not go back that far, so I must defer to more senior members. If a Conservative government is to return to power we have been invited to consider the prospect of quangos like Ofcom being totally abolished, rather being returned to their former state. This would mean that such market intervention as there is will be made directly by government departments.
The Conservative leadership is trying hard to have throw off the ultra-liberal cloak of Thatcherism to leave its ragged remains being worn by New Labour. I cannot, however, take the prospect of a Conservative Trade Minister making an announcement about new telephone call charge price controls that seriously. Furthermore, I do not believe that this is what is being sought by many of those who have signed the petition.
As for the money taken by public services, can we really expect for net public spending to be increased by abandonment of the subsidy from revenue sharing under any future government? Whatever measures are taken to cut costs and save money in other areas, that would be the effect on the public finances of giving up revenue share; any compensatory cost saving measures that may be proposed should surely be taken anyway.
We have a very tough battle with the present government, I see no reason to suppose that on this particular issue it will be any easier with any government likely to be formed next year.