How the poor got richer

You'd never guess it from the constant wailing of the poverty lobby, but over the last half century the poor have got a whole lot richer.

To read more  go to Burning Our Money

KCC Closes money wasting TV station

Kent County Council is to close its online TV station, Kent TV. The Internet venture, which costs a reported £600,000 a year to run, will close next month.

The  blend of website and TV station, which started in 2007, is to be closed as the council prioritises spending.

Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter said, "Kent TV has proved itself to be a brave and bold innovation and we have learned a great deal from it. It has provided a source of practical, useful information for residents. And it has particularly appealed to younger residents with its Sound Clash song-writing competition; its Animate and Create animation competition and its groundbreaking soap opera Hollywould, which tackled young people's health issues.

read the full story Romney Marsh Times

Drowning in debt

The United Kingdom now has the world's worst debt problem. Yet still our talentless, venal, tribal politicians cannot grasp the damage their pathetic policies do. They scrabble around talking about cuts and investments whilst profligatly wasting hundreds of billions of pounds.

Two things are needed immediately. A 20% cut in public spending ( that's £120 billion) and a set of incentives to revitalise the private job and wealth creating sector.

Boris on Bankers

The London mayor calls on bankers to stay in the City and eschew the temptation to move to Switzerland, warning them they could face unexpected perils.


"I'm told there are parts of the Berne Canton where a man may not urinate standing up after 10 p.m. for fear of disturbing the neighbours," Johnson told a reception hosted by Japanese investment bank Nomura in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.


Full story Reuters

Ex-Dragon breathes fire

Former Dragons' Den panellist Doug Richard has called for a major overhaul of the way the government supports small businesses with ineffective schemes ditched in favour of incentives for investors.

In a damning document, the California-born businessman says the UK is plagued by "Kafkaeseque bureaucracy" so it is time for the government to step back, sweep away the burden of regulation and let entrepreneurs, the UK's "wealth creators", thrive.

Read more at Business Zone

Kent Latest Unemployment figures December 09

The Kent County unemployment rate remains at 3.3% which is below the national average of 4.1%.

Three Kent districts are still above national levels. Gravesham (4.2%), Shepway (4.6%) and Thanet (5.9%).

Ashford has suffered another small increase in unemployment since last month with a rise of 0.6% which now means that the Ashford unemployed number has risen by 47.5% since December 2008.

Anger as Government says people heavily in debt can pay off bailiffs with credit cards

Bailiffs have been given permission to collect debts by credit card from people who are already struggling with monthly bills.

read more at The Daily Telegraph