Care For The Elderly

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I’m not sure what to make of Gordon Brown’s promise outlined in the Queen’s Speech to end means testing for care at home for the most vulnerable. On the face of it, the scheme is long overdue and, certainly, Brown calls it a ‘breakthrough’.

On the other hand, Labour peer Lord Lipsey says that the announcement was a gimmick which has bypassed proposals set out in a Green paper earlier this year.

The Tories say that the government will have to cut some disability benefits to fund the proposals and the government have yet to confirm or deny this.

As always with government, this one or another, the waters are muddied and only time will tell.
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Give Her The Day Off!

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Until it was pointed out by Nick Clegg, I hadn’t realised that there was a State Opening of Parliament occurring on Wednesday when her Majesty will have to read out the Government’s latest plans for the forthcoming year.

Only, as Mr Clegg rightly points out, there won’t be a forthcoming year for this government as there will have to be a General Election within that period. He suggests that the Queen’s Speech should be cancelled and replaced with a statement about the reforms about to be implemented to ‘clean up politics’.

I think they should give the Queen the day off. And we would be saved what will essentially be a party political broadcast.
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