What a stunt!

Caroline Flint has hit the ground running. Only a few days into her new job as Housing Minister and she's already upholding the dishonourable New Labour tradition of attacking the weakest members of society in order to grab a few headlines.

Unfortunately, I'm sure that some people in social housing may well be distressed by the 'initiative'. Believing it to be a policy that will see the light of day rather than the self-serving pandering of a vicious little attention whore.

I leave it to that bastion of social justice The Daily Telegraph to give the final word

Honest MP - shocker!!

Step forward Ben Wallace (Cons), who has just made his expenses public. And very dull reading they make too (which is rather how it should be). No other MP has yet followed his example. From which we can only assume they have something to hide.

Maybe you might want to email your MP and ask them if they'll be following Ben's example?

Are you local?

Bumptious Little Englanders are a-froth at the planned closures of rural schools. They're decrying the decision as yet another nail in the coffin of 'our British way of life'.

The reality of course is that 90% of the UK population live in urban areas. I don't think we should have to subsidise the 'Good Life' fantasies of the other 10%. Educating children in rural schools is far more expensive than in cities or towns.

If people want to keep open a school with 20 pupils, they should meet the costs themselves via increased Community Charge bills. I suspect people will be less vociferous in their support once they have to pay their way.