James Max in for James Whale this week on Drive.
Posted by James Whale on June 23, 2009 at 19:27PM
So, the new speaker resides...
MPs might think that the new Speaker and measures might draw a line in the sand under the MPs’ expenses fiasco. Judging by your comments it’s going to take a long time for your trust to be rebuilt and your anger to subside. Indeed the spending of public money remains a hot topic. With some of you happy to pay for the Royal family whilst others wonder why, if they generate so much private income, do they need such extensive public subsidy? Personally I don’t have much support for the republicans. Whilst on paper there are aspects to a monarchy that aren’t appealing – our Royal family, particularly the primary members, do such a good job, raise such a lot of money and provide this nation with a rich amount of history that an elected alternative would cost more and do less. Then onto Smoking. Anthony Worrall Thompson joined the discussion to ask why the smoking ban can’t be amended to allow some smoking venues. Of course anti-smokers among you were not impressed but others seem to think that perhaps the ban hasn’t quite had the desired impact. And George Clarke joined me to chat about his thoughts that plastic framed windows and net curtains should be banned. Whilst the fight against TV aerials and dishes is a step too far, I agree… but some people confuse preservation with conservation. Anyway, I’m back again tomorrow from 4pm.