The government is contemplating a tax on plastic supermarket bags. This makes me think of the words of Henry Luttrell:
O that there might in England be
A duty on hypocrisy
A tax on humbug, an excise
On solemn plausibilities.
"Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice" - Adam Smith
The government is contemplating a tax on plastic supermarket bags. This makes me think of the words of Henry Luttrell:
O that there might in England be
A duty on hypocrisy
A tax on humbug, an excise
On solemn plausibilities.
From the Daily Telegraph:
'Don't die here'
A french mayor has banned residents from dying in his village unless they own a plot at the cemetary – under threat of 'severe punishment'. The village of Sarpourenx is banned from enlarging its graveyard.
Proving that the Archbishop of Canterbury does not have a monopoly on stupid ideas, Mgr Gianfranco Girotti, a senior adviser to the Pope, has come up with an updated list of the seven deadly sins: genetic modification, carrying out experiments on humans, polluting the environment, causing social injustice, causing poverty, becoming obscenely wealthy, and taking drugs.
Junksmith prefers the Telegraph's take:
Allow us to suggest our own list of Seven Vices Best Avoided in Ecclesiastical Pronouncements: prissiness, moralising, over-familiarity, self-righteousness, babyishness, cant and, above all, banality.
Hat-tip to Tim Montgomerie at CentreRight.com.
The doctor's taken me off my antidepressants. It hasn't affected me at all, but suddenly my husband's become a complete idiot.
| Over on the Telegraph's Brassneck blog, Alex Singleton notes the pump-advertising on Weston's Casablanca beer. Its a little hostile to the Prime Minister... |
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| Add this to the campaign to ban the Chancellor from every pub in the land, and it's clear the government is losing the support of that vital British constituency: drinkers. And no, this is not an April Fool's joke. |
From GQ Travel, April 2008:
"Bringing back a bit of enjoyment to the modern day rigours of air travel - that's the main philosophy underpinning Terminal 5's launch. Whether you're skipping the country for business or pleasure, the terminal's mood is perfectly suited for a spot of pre-flight shopping..."
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Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, and Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, take a break from affairs of state. Courtesy of Boulton & Co (via Comment Central). |
The Adam Smith Institute is the UK’s leading libertarian think tank...
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