Reducing the size of government

In the life time of the Scottish parliament the Scottish government has virtually increased in size by nearly 60%. In the new year we face a Vat rise, Council Tax rise (later this year), Fuel Tax increase and those hidden taxes we never see which we all pay for at the till point. We all work more days for government than ever before, with more bureaucracy, regulation dictating how we should or should not live our life's

As a libertarian I believe government should be kept to the the minimum, with services limited to Primary Education, Secondary Education, Protection services, road network, street cleaners, help the disabled and perhaps health care. Even those services I will sometimes argue should be left to the free market instead of being funded via Taxes.

The money paid via Taxes (I consider theft) to government is your money, and should be spent on the very basics with the rest kept in your own pockets, the very minimum should go to government. I don't consider it is the responsibility of government to fund the life style choices of others which includes further education, fund on unnecessary quangos or fund businesses.

The funding the Scottish government receives ether goes directly to the councils or to one of the the hundreds of public bodies. I have ignored the funding councils receives and have listed Government organisations funded directly by Scottish government which I consider could be abolished.

From the list below I have identified £4 billion which I personally don't consider front line services. When you also include the many millions more of public money spent on unaccountable charities, the waste with in the Council we could virtually save the Tax Payer nearly £10 billion or One Third of the Scottish budget.

With these saving Council Tax and National Insurance could virtually be printing thousands out of the poverty trap.

Government already makes up 57% of all spending, and we all now have to work more for government than ever before specially with the upcoming Tax increases. Its time the Scottish public was offered a better deal. The libertarian option would be to significantly reduce the size of government and abolish Council Tax and Income Tax.

It time to keep government off peoples backs.

Architecture and Design Scotland	£1,514,000	Non front line service
Bòrd na Gàidhlig	£5,459,000	Non front line service
Cairngorms National Park Authority	£4,925,000	Non front line service
Creative Scotland (Established 1 July 2010)	£4,925,000	Non front line service
Crofters' Commission	£3,005,000	Non front line service
Learning & Teaching Scotland	£13,747,540	Further education is a life style choice
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority	£8,252,000	Non front line service
National Galleries of Scotland	£25,774,000	Non front line service
National Library of Scotland	£21,453,000	Non front line service
National Museums of Scotland	£37,798,000	Non front line service
Police Complaints Commission for Scotland	£1,001,000	The courts responsibility
Quality Meat Scotland	NA	Non front line service
Risk Management Authority	£1,250,000	Non front line service
Royal Botanic Garden,	£12,055,000	Non front line service
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland	£6,867,000	Non front line service
Scottish Agricultural Wages Board	Not declared	Non front line service
Scottish Children's Reporter Administration	£30,105,335	Responsibility of the NHS
Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care	£18,688,000	Non front line service
Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission	£1,215,000	Non front line service
Scottish Enterprise	£318,722,000	Non front line service
Scottish Environment Protection Agency	£47,500,000	Responsibility of the legal system
Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council	£1,865,602,000	Further education is a life style choice
Scottish Natural Heritage	£66,829,000	Non front line service
Scottish Police Services Authority	£101,136,000	Non front line service
Scottish Qualifications Authority	£17,458,000	Further education is a life style choice
Scottish Social Services Council	£12,563,000	Further education is a life style choice
Skills Development Scotland	£196,673,000	Further education is a life style choice
Sportscotland	£47,000,000	Non front line service
VisitScotland	£53,186,000	Non front line service
Water Industry Commission for Scotland	not declared	Non front line service
General Teaching Council for Scotland	not declared	Non front line service
Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland	£518,645	Non front line service
Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland	£350,000	Non front line service
Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland	£17,500	Non front line service
Public Transport Users Committee for Scotland	£20,500	Non front line service
Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction	£156,604	Non front line service
Scottish Law Commission	£156,604	Non front line service
Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee	£35,000	Non front line service
Parole Board for Scotland	£1,300,000	Responsibility of prisons
Private Rented Housing Panel	£481,000	Non front line service
Scottish Charity Appeals Panel	£1,904,000	Non front line service
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd	£6,300,000	Non front line service
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd	£30,100,000	Non front line service
Scottish Futures Trust	£4,300,000	Non front line service
Scottish Water	£181,800,000	Sold Off
Accountant in Bankruptcy	£5,732,000	Non front line service
Disclosure Scotland	£3,203,000	Non front line service
Historic Scotland	£49,053,000	Non front line service
HM Inspectorate of Education	£15,924,000	Non front line service
National Archives of Scotland	£10,600,000	Non front line service
Scottish Housing Regulator	£4,700,000	Non front line service
Scottish Housing Regulator	£4,700,000	Non front line service
Scottish Public Pensions Agency	£12,900,000	Non front line service
Social Work Inspection Agency	£4,000,000	Non front line service
Student Awards Agency for Scotland	£8,520,000	Non front line service
General Register Office for Scotland	£14,700,000	Non front line service
Court of Lord Lyon	£36,000	Non front line service
Drinking Water Quality Regulator	£430,000	Non front line service
Administered by relevant Local Authority	£425,000	Non front line service
Macaulay Institute	£10,543,800	Non front line service
Moredun Research Institute	£6,957,000	Non front line service
Office of the Queens Printer	£83,262	Non front line service
Scottish Agricultural College	£15,580,500	Further education is a life style choice
Scottish Crop Research Institute	£16,529,000	Non front line service
Scottish Roadworks Commissioner	£300,000	Non front line service
Standards Commission for Scotland	£680,000	Non front line service
Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments	£69,540	Non front line service

Police are not above the law.

I would like to thank the Old Holborn for highlighting the above clip. The police are there to serve the public not the public to serve the police. Above clip shows the real hidden brutality of the police service in this country, and only cases which have been real evidence.

In Scotland the Police have more powers than south of the border including powers to arrest any one who they deem has breached the peace which can be virtually on anything or even failing to give over personal information. The police can interview you or prevent you from seeing a solicitor for the first 7 hours of any interview.

Don't try to complain about your treatment, as even on the Lothian borders police site they have a clear warning if you make what they consider "false complaint" the will prosecute you, and this in clear black and white. How can one expect the police to investigate it self, its virtually impossible for the public to be given priority over the police officer that is being complained against. The police will only be dealt with if a law is been broken and not for malpractice, which normally results in most of us losing our jobs.

Back in August 20010 a teenage drug addict died in the cells, being watched over by the police, however the police officer in question is still walking the streets, in a job and never suspended as it would happen for the rest of us.

One can make a complaint to the Police Complaints Commission for Scotland which has 14 staff members, so any complaints on any police force can never be investigated seriously specially with nearly 16,675 police officers in Scotland.

CTV cameras have now become more rampant with even special police van with cameras on top driving around the city streets of Scotland doing nothing more than harassing the general public. Courts now become so use to CTV images as evidence, that a convention is now more unlikely with out CTV, so expect even more CTV watch your ever move. Big brother is no longer a game show.

If the police don't like the look of your car or what you wear expect to be randomly stop and searched more often, over random 100,000 searches under the terrorist act with virtual no prosecutions,

As a libertarian I believe the police should have no more rights than the member of the pubic and be held to account by locally elected police constables. With the SNP polices backed by the big 3 parties the police have only obtained even more powers.

Freedom is only disappearing, reclaim your liberty.

Next meeting. 4th Of December

Last few meetings have not been well attending, however since no Scottish meeting has been arranged in the last few months, I would like to invite LPUK members to the Cloisters 26, Brougham St, Edinburgh,EH3 9JH at 2pm, Saturday the 4th of December 2010.

This is more about pushing the party forward north of the border specially with elections coming up on May 2011, please invite your friends. If you plan to attend please call my self on 07782 148 591.

Suggested Leaflet (Draft 2)

I have made changes to the suggested leaflet after members comments, if you have any further comments please post. I plan to send to print at the end of next week.

Big government is a problem

The UK government is only getting bigger, government in the last 10 years has inflated by 60%, next year VAT will increase to 20%, fuel tax is up and council tax is about to inflate. We all work more days for government than ever before. The video below highlights the problems with big government and how it always results in spending getting out of control.

The Conservative Party in power promised to reduce the size of the state, however the opposite is true and continue old labour policy of increased debts, printing money out of thin air, increase spending and even more taxes.

The Libertarian Party is currently the only party in Scotland determined to significantly reduce the size of government and keep government off citizens backs. Never before since the 2nd world war have citizens liberties been at stake and being taken away from us via the back door.

If you believe in your personal liberty, freedom from government bureaucracy telling you how you can or cannot live your life. If not happy paying so much money to government, and virtually nothing in return but other than constant waste such as the Edinburgh Tram system or even the indecisiveness of government coming to projects such as the Forth Road crossing spent on money virtually stolen from its citizens.


Its time to reclaim your liberty. Please join, volunteer and donate to the Libertarian Party.

Standing still is no longer an option.

Gregg Beaman To Stand In Oldham East For Libertarian Party

Following the welcome news that Phil Woolas now ex MP has been gound guilty of electoral wrong doing

Gregg Beaman has announced his decision to run for the Libertarian Party in Oldham East.