Not a single Labour politician slapped Ed Balls down, although in private both Alastair Darling and Ed Miliband have argued for a rise in VAT in cabinet.

Now Councillor Phil Smart – the Holywells Resident Councillor for Bridge Ward –  thinks we have another reason to tax those just above the minimum wage. He wants shop assistants to pay higher income taxes  to lower the train fares that people like myself and Phil Smart pay to get to work.  Both of us commute, both of us are stung by the higher fares and both of us earn above the average wage – like most commuters.

I don’t like paying higher fares, but I recognise that to get Gordon Brown’s deficit down I have to.  I also think that people like me and Phil Smart are better placed to pay to get this deficit down than a part time working mother struggling to pay child care or a pensioner with a few thousand extra a year in their work provided pension.  Phil Smart thinks that they should pay before he does.

Labour have for years been a party of white collar public sector middle managers who think that the rest of the country should revolve around them.  Phil Smart is a white collar public sector worker on an above average salary who thinks that you should continue subsidising his rail fares.

Workers of the World - Subsidise Me

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=166832928595&ref=nf

There do seem to be a quite a few people who don’t live in Ipswich who want to belong to this group, which suggests that some people have too much time on their hands.  But then there are a couple of councillors who don’t live in Bridge that suggests that they don’t think their neighbours appreciate them.

This is all very worthy.  However when I was at the Maidenhall Residents Association there were only two people who did not walk to this very well attended meeting, and Phil Smart was one of them.

So here’s a strategy for reducing demand – represent a ward that you live in.