Fortnightly Herald Express Article

Adrian's Herald Express Article for Friday 9th January 2009

A very happy new year to all readers.

During the Christmas break I became more than a little tired of hearing and reading the opinions of so-called ‘experts’ predicting what 2009 holds for the world.

I lost count of the number of such interviews and articles proclaiming knowledge of how the financial system, world economy, political fortunes will shape up in the coming year.

Of all the millions of predictions the only guarantee we have is that someone, somewhere, will pop up in twelve months time and say I told you so. It’s just we don’t know who that someone is today.


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My priorities for 2009 will be to respond as best I can to the fears constituents are expressing to me.

More and more people are worrying about the security of their incomes whether through work, pension or savings.

It is especially challenging for people in Torbay because our economy lags behind the rest of the country.

During booms and busts our local economy has historically been slow to enjoy the good times and one the first to feel the effects in a downturn.

I have been working hard on gaining Government recognition for the funding problems Torbay has faced and for the fourth year running have helped obtain an inflation busting grant settlement from central government to fund local services.

Torbay Council has moved from receiving £57 per head less, to £33 per head more in grant than the average all purpose council. That’s worth an extra £12 million this year.

We have also had another record breaking settlement for local health services with the Torbay Care Trust receiving a cumulative cash increase of 11.5 per cent over two years, well above the national average and a reflection of some of the social realities that are at last being recognised by central government.

Indeed in this last year the Torbay PCT spent more per head of population than any other PCT in the whole South West region.

But much more needs to be done to speed up improvements to our transport connections, the vital link to attract higher quality investment and jobs to the area, and to further improve our education and training system to give people the skills they need to secure employment.

Away from the economy and public services I shall be stepping up my campaign for a 999 emergency text messaging facility, getting involved in some international work on diabetes, and championing any number of causes that are likely to present themselves over the coming months.

Many centuries ago a Chinese philosopher was recorded as saying: "May you be condemned to live in interesting times.” No predictions for 2009 but I sense we are all condemned to live in interesting times.


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There are many theories about the origins of the current global slow-down/recession/depression or however you wish to describe the current mess we have got ourselves in.

I subscribe to the one I have written about in the past which is our failure to tax land values in place of taxing incomes and enterprise in order to reduce the risks of boom and bust.

This global economic catastrophe arose because of the illusory speculative value of land that fuelled an economic boom to unsustainable heights.

Those countries with the least regulation and tax on land exchange and development activities are suffering the biggest bust.

The worst thing any government could do now would be to prop up land prices.

Sadly, there is no way out now that is not painful and unfair.

Economic activity will pick up again when land value has dropped to what sites are worth in their best current use. A fact that does not auger well for the mayoral vision to sell-off our land and property to developers.

It is a hundred years since a Liberal Government tried to introduce a land value tax, a move blocked by largely land-owning members of the House of Lords.

Perhaps now is the time to have another look at this idea, otherwise this whole sorry story will yet again repeat itself.


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I can’t understand the fuss BBC Radio Devon and BBC South West made of Plymouth Argyle’s FA Cup Third Round tie against some north London team.

It wasn’t as if Argyle had done anything to reach the third round. Unlike Torquay who had won through two rounds plus an initial qualifying round they were automatically in the draw and were picked to play against a club only 24 places above them in the league pyramid.

Torquay on the other hand had battled through to be drawn against a former cup winning club 62 places above them. This presented a much more daunting, and in my opinion newsworthy, prospect for pulling off a cup shock.

And United did it while Plymouth got stuffed. But even then the local BBC devoted more air time and space to the pilgrim’s failure to progress than the Gull’s magnificent travels towards a fifth Wembley appearance.

The fourth round draw is a good one for Torquay. Better to play the Sky blues at home than be sent to Coventry again. I made it to their old Highfield Road ground twenty years ago – it really was that long ago – to see the Gulls lose 2-0.

This Coventry City side is on a par with Blackpool whom we beat last week so all things are possible.

Perhaps now our local BBC will start to give Devon’s only premiership team the coverage they deserve. The Herald on the other hand have been magnificent in their coverage of all things Plainmoor.