Hold the nose and vote Libdem?

If there is one simple way the government can make work pay, it's increasing the amount someone can earn before the government starts taking it back off them in tax, which is why Calton is all in favour of the Libdem policy of raising the personal allowance. Leaving the lowest paid in society with more in their pockets means increased consumer spending, since low paid workers tend to spend all they earn on the necessities of life, which, in turn, benefits businesses. What's not to like? Calton could never understand why the Great Broon abolished the 10p tax rate, at a time when the personal allowance was less than £4k, thus increasing the tax take from the working poor - and he was supposed to be a Labour prime minister? Calton is hard pushed to think of a single other Libdem policy which he agrees with but it's almost worth voting for them to ensure they become part of another coalition government in order to force the other parties to increase the personal allowance to £12500. Almost.

SNP - losing touch with reality?

Calton is seriously concerned about the collective mental health of the SNP government. They seem to be increasingly losing touch with reality and are, instead, living in a world of their own making. Having tried to bully Westminster into accepting a currency union with an independent Scotland by stating that it would "make sense", they now accuse Westminster of trying to bully them now that Westminster are refusing to play the game. It seems that the SNP are so lost in their own assertions they are unable to cope when someone introduces a note of reality. Interviewed on Newsdrive today, SNP MP Stewart Hosie was completely unable to accept the fact that it looks like all three main parties at Westminster are going to give currency union the thumbs down tomorrow. He clung to the idea that it is only a bluff, like a drowning man clings to a plank of wood. Well good luck with that, Stewart. As far as Calton is concerned, Osborne, Balls and Alexander will bring some much-needed clarity to the independence debate if they rule out a currency union. Far better that we know where we stand before we vote in September, rather than believing all the SNP's assertions and Oprah-style positive thinking. It is now becoming crystal clear that the SNP are so convinced of their alternative reality that they have no plan B for an independent Scotland's currency. They cannot imagine anyone not agreeing with them. It seems to Calton that such an attitude is bordering on the delusional.

On a more positive note

It says on the right of this page that Calton is not affiliated to any political party and, just to prove it, here are a few of his current 'likes':
Ed Miliband setting his sights on employers who exploit loopholes to pay workers less and firms who only advertise job vacancies abroad.
Nigel Farage on the Syrian refugee issue.
David Cameron on pensions - given that pensioners' savings are not earning any interest, it's the least he could do.
Danny Alexander on raising the personal tax allowance, which has been a boon to low earners.
The SNP's policy of free prescriptions.
Since we are still in the season of goodwill, and the year is not that old, Calton will leave his list of 'dislikes' for another day. He is trying to strike a positive note. Happy New Year!

Tweeting is for the birds

Being of the opinion that tweeting was strictly for the youngsters, Calton has steadfastly avoided it but, having heard on the news tonight that an Eagle Owl in Inverness is tweeting, Calton has finally signed up, if only to find out what the European interloper is saying, or perhaps hooting would be a better word. (For those of you who are not familiar with birds of prey, an Eagle Owl is an owl and a Sea Eagle is an eagle. There is a big difference, not least in size. Not that Calton is crowing or anything.) It seems that the visitor to Inverness has not been very discriminate in its attacks - it has obviously not learned to recognise a politician yet. (Calton thinks that we would have heard by now if one of the victims had been the Red Squirrel of the North.) Better luck next time Owl.

Thankyou Danny

Two days in a row! This has to be something of a record when it comes to politicians listening! No sooner had Calton asked if Danny Alexander was listening than the announcement came that the red-haired one is looking to see if the fuel discount currently being applied to the islands can be extended to some parts of the mainland, in particular, the North West Highlands. The only fly in the ointment is that implementation is still dependent on agreement by the European Commission. Which makes Calton wonder, once again, why the SNP are so keen for us to remain part of the EU if we vote for independence. They are making a lot of big assumptions, not least that, under the Edinburgh Agreement, the UK Government would support the process of re-negotiating an independent Scotland's position within the EU because it is in the best interests of the people of Scotland! This smacks all too much of Oprah Winfrey-style 'if you speak positively, it will happen' nonsense rather than dealing with the actual reality, namely, that we'll only get to stay in the EU club if the other members want us to. It's certainly not going to happen just because John Swinney says so.

Thankyou George

At last! A politician who listens! Calton is really pleased to hear that George has decided to give us a break by scrapping the planned 3p increase in fuel duty. For many small businesses diesel is the main cost and so keeping the price down is crucial if we want them to survive and grow. The high cost of fuel is also hitting rural areas very hard, indeed, some parts of Scotland are turning into a petrol desert with the closure of filling stations.  There has to be a better way of subsidising petrol and diesel prices in rural areas - are you listening Danny?

It's all in the wording

While we are on the subject of rats and other rodents, Calton is pleased to see that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has a sense of humour, although Calton's favourite ginger rodent remains the much-missed Wee Red Squirrel. It is worth taking a look at his blog even now for the articles and the links under 'The truth will set us free'. Where Calton and his ginger friend diverge is on the wording of the referendum question, which Calton thinks is too biased towards the SNP. It will be interesting to see what the Electoral Commission make of it.