A Happy Healthy and Peaceful New Year to everyone. I hope that all those who have made New Year resolutions will be able to say in a year’s time that they have been successfully able to keep them!
2011 will bring lots of fresh challenges for many people especially those involved in the public sector as the Government’s plans to start to control the rate of increase in public spending take effect. I will refrain from making predictions as they are invariably wrong but I do hope that the economy continues to grow so in the medium term the Country might at least be in a position where the budget deficit is eliminated as the Chancellor plans.
David Nuttall 
George Osbourne and Nick Clegg said the deficit would be eliminated not ‘plans’.If that does not happen, and my bet is that it doesn’t, will you resign along with all your colleagues. Not a chance .
David, I would like to echo your sentiments regarding hoping the economy continues to grow and the country manages to get on it,s feet again so to speak. I also understand the frustration of the previous poster with regard to the smoking ban. I,ve read several reports concerning the ban which has been implemented in Spain and somewhat surprisingly they state that our bars here have increased by 14% since the ban. Obviously grossly misleading information as everywhere you look there seems to be another boarded up pub.
My question ( on behalf of my son, a non smoker who is a drayman and is currently expecting still more redundancies in the near future) is why are the conservatives not doing more to protect our local pubs. The smoking ban has been a disaster and I know you did your best by offering a sensible alternative which would have solved the problem of the current lack of patrons, but now with another rise in duty ( vat ) it is beginning to look as if the government simply want them all to close.
Not what I would expect from the Tory party and I fear both for unecessary loss of jobs, loss of communities and also a loss of faith in my long standing party.
In the midst of all the austerity measures we could all do with some good news.
Hi Sheila,
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate what you say about the VAT increase but as a Country we have to start living within our means and the tax increases are one way of closing the gap between what we spend and what the Government gets in.
As you are aware I think the Government should give pub landlords the freedom to decide for themselves whether to have a separate smoking room but the health lobby is very powerful and it is currently holding sway. Very few Labour MP’s are prepared to back the idea.
David
It wont be much of a happy new year to most of us people struggling to cope with these fuel price increases.we had to tolerate the smoking ban under labour.this goverment have not done anything to amend the smoking ban.all I have heard this christmas is people losing their jobs.I have not bothered to go anywhere this christmas because of the smoking ban.price of drinks. I suppose the fuel companies will be making their big profits again.I have become a scrooge over the years because of greedy goverments and fuel companies.No-one wants to listen to the people of this country.Only screw us of every penny we earn.