Progress?

I always hope that New Year's Eve will bring something better along in its wake but sadly I am often disappointed. My golf certainly gets no better. Perhaps the trick is not to expect too much in the first place! On the political scene I do see advances on the educational, local government and welfare fronts which could well bring forth good news little by little as the year goes by. I am less certain about the medicine being applied to the economy as not only has there been a failure to cut regulation, the deficit has increased leaving us dangerously exposed if we fail to make growth in the private sector. I am also somewhat doubtful that the measures to improve the NHS will work and all the signs are that the government has backed off the root and branch reform so urgently needed. When I went to the Western Eye Hospital for the post laser check up on my eye I was told by the Consultant to come back again in 10 days but when I got the appointment letter it was for a date 3 months after my check up. This rather goes to confirm my doubts. The growth front looks problematic and no doubt Osborne is making plans to counteract any downturn which should include faster and deeper deficit reduction, a bigger cull of civil servants, a halt on wind farms, solar panels and other barmy and ridiculously expensive ideas and a reduction in taxes. I shall not hold my breath though. On the tax front the statements by both Cameron and Clegg on tax avoidance are either somewhat sinister or illiterate. There is nothing illegal or indeed immoral about tax avoidance and the idea that if there are two ways of calculating the amount of tax to be paid that one should choose the one that pays more is contrary to nature. Taxation is theft and can only be collected with the consent of the people. Those governments which overtax their people have to use strong arm tactics in recovering taxes which is clearly unacceptable.  In my view any tax rate above 33% is totally unjustified. Greeks believe the taxes they are supposed to pay are used in the main to line the pockets of the civil servants and politicians in an unjustified, even criminal, way and thus do everything to refuse payment. If the Greeks are right about their politicians and civil servants frankly who can blame them for being on a 'tax strike'.