Brian Monteith

Scotland, United Kingdom

Telegraph & Scotsman writin' Cigar smoking' Jaguar drivin' Vino quaffin' Hibees followin' Zeppelin lovin' Wagner goin' free-marketin' Ex MEP 2019-20 & MSP 99-07

Articles

Why greater scrutiny of Reform UK will benefit Nigel Farage

6 days ago | scotsman.com | Brian Monteith

Alarm bells are ringing, klaxons are sounding the alert – Nigel Farage has visited Scotland and, cor blimey, he proved more popular than his opponents expected. There is a great deal of lazy thinking about why Farage and his Reform UK party is proving attractive to a growing number of the electorate.
Why Nigel Farage's journey to becoming Scotland's saviour may start in Hamilton next week

1 week ago | scotsman.com | Brian Monteith

Is John Swinney really the safe pair of hands that his coterie make him out to be? Has he really steadied the sinking SNP ship or is it still listing badly, floating aimlessly without an engine or rudder in a sea of public despair? Can Labour’s Anas Sarwar convince the Scottish public he should be the next First Minister?
Angela Rayner's tax demands are nothing more than naive socialist fantasies

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Brian Monteith

Bank taxes in New York are 27.9pc and in Frankfurt are 38.6pc - but in the UK are 45.8pc, meaning banks, and especially foreign ones, are discouraged from lending to UK firms. We could expect to see foreign banks reconsidering their UK operations to reduce their tax exposure and result in another consequential loss of tax revenues. 3.
Why Keir Starmer's EU deal may have already doomed Labour to election defeat

2 weeks ago | scotsman.com | Brian Monteith

According to Keir Starmer, his negotiation with the EU was supposed to reset our relationship. Announced firstly by communique as a vague ‘heads of agreement’ deal with further details to be worked out – it is not a reset, not even a retreat, it is a capitulation, an unconditional surrender that changes the relationship beyond recognition. No doubt, there will be further pain when the detail is worked out. Why should there not be?
You'd have to be mad to start a business in Labour's Britain

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Brian Monteith

Another challenge is how an increase in CGT rates makes it more difficult for start-up companies to attract and retain skilled and capable staff, who seek the prospect of a decent capital gain to compensate for the poorer job security offered by start-ups. IR35 means that it's much more difficult to bring in freelancers on a flexible basis to meet short-term needs. 4. Then there's the hugely increased bill for employers' National Insurance contributions.
Reform UK is on the rise, but don't dismiss Starmer as one-term PM

3 weeks ago | scotsman.com | Brian Monteith

You can tell when governing politicians know they are in trouble, they immediately pivot to pick up on issues that are causing their support to haemorrhage. Yesterday provided a classic example. The Prime Minister decided to turn the volume control to 11 on the subject of legal immigration, calling some new, tighter rules one of Labour’s core values.
Save our Christmas adverts from Jamie Oliver and the NGOs

1 month ago | thinkscotland.org | Brian Monteith

I REALLY should not be thinking right now of my love of Christmas mince pies, with a nice glass of Penfolds Grandfather, or maybe a fine Madeira. I know, I know, it’s only the beginning of May but some of the fun of this year’s Christmas is already under assault from the public health puritans and we need to get organised. Every year we can have a bit of a laugh catching those Christmas telly adverts and become seasoned critics of the good, the bad and the utterly saccharine.
How NGOs take your money then campaign against you

1 month ago | conservativewoman.co.uk | Brian Monteith

ARE the public finally wakening up to the great harm that unelected bodies do to our personal freedoms, economic prosperity, cultural values and safety from foreign powers or terrorists? That might seem like a long list of threats to our way of life – because it is – yet it is a simple reflection of the wide range of issues Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) lobby government over to bring about change they want.
How globally unaccountable activist NGOs ruined the trust given towards charities

1 month ago | globalbritain.co.uk | Brian Monteith

By Brian Monteith – 5 minute readARE PEOPLE finally wakening up to the great harm that NGOs do to our personal freedoms, economic prosperity, cultural values and safety from foreign powers or terrorists? That might seem like a long list of threats to our way of life – because it is – yet it is a simple reflection of the wide range of issues Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) seek to lobby government over to bring about change they want.
Rachel Reeves could save her reputation by scrapping three taxes

1 month ago | finance.yahoo.com | Brian Monteith

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, will find increasing taxes may backfire - Jonathan Brady/Pool via Reuters Fresh tax revenue data has revealed the British public’s entirely predictable response to Labour’s tax increases: Britain’s finances are under great threat, giving rise to the possibility of yet more increases to come.