Early one recent morning when I was walking to my Parliamentary office a taxi driver stopped to tell me how pleased he was we would at last implement the referendum. He is training to be a teacher. He told me he was so fed up with Establishment and media bias and all the efforts to reverse the decision. He represents the passion and the decency behind the Brexit vote. He wanted to thank me but I felt I needed to thank him for holding true to the opportunity the vote offered.
I’m taking the day off. Feel free to write in if you wish.
Will Santa come for me?
May you all feel the excitement of Christmas.
( Here’s one I prepared earlier)
WILL SANTA COME TONIGHT?
“Will Santa come? Will Santa come tonight?” “He might. He might.
If you are good, he might.”
“Can I stay up and see?”
“No. He will not come for you or me If we do not sleep . He’s too busy to meet us all.”
“And will he come for us? If you go to sleep – he does not like fuss.”
Tonight, by the lights of the tree There is, at last, some grown up time for me.
The cake is iced. The wine is spiced .The carrots diced.
The pudding’s steamed. The brandy butter creamed.
The turkey prepared awaits. And yes, I did clean the plates.
The tree is up, the table laid, the cards are out , though the credit card’s unpaid!
So shall I soon with gifts a plenty mount the stairs to deliver twenty?
Do I dare to tread the stair?
And will it creak? And will it creak? When can I take a peek?
I need to know if they slumber before I arrive with my lumber.
If they are still awake what dreams will go? What heart might break?
Or do they know? And is their belief just all for show?
So tonight by the magic tree there is need of more time just for me.
I will wait – and struggle to keep open my eyes
And wrestle with the morality of eating Santa’s mince pies.
My adult mind is full of Christmas chores
The cooking times, and the cards through neighbours’ doors
The parties with do not drink and drive in my ears
So the night does not end in tears
Drinks that might have been – but not that cheap red
Which would give me a headache as soon as I got to bed
I was once a child too excited to sleep with a torrent of thoughts about what I might be given
Hoping that it was a toy beneath the wrapping – should I peep? –
Not more socks or hankies, preferably something to be driven
So could Santa still come for me? Drowsily I dream as if I were eight Hoping that Santa would not be late
Like every little boy there is of course a much wanted toy
So will Santa come tonight? He might, He might. If you sleep well and if you believe
Only if you believe. And only if in your family Love fills the hours you will be spending.
It could be the true Santa on the stair
Or it could be someone from an empty chair.
So will Santa come? He will. He will.
The government is now consulting on its draft local authority finance settlement for 2020-21.
An important part of this is £1bn of additional social care grant, and up to an extra £500m of social care money from increased Council tax.
Both Wokingham and West Berkshire have received poor social care grant settlements in recent years, so I look forward to some of this proposed increase coming our way.
The Government has now published it response to the Loan Charge Review.
It is changing its treatment of pre-December 2010 loans and pre-2016 where full disclosure was made and no HMRC Enquiry launched. The position remains complex and each person involved still needs to sort their affairs out with the Revenue on a case by case basis. I suggest constituents affected should read the detailed Review and response and if necessary take professional advice on it. The Government also clarifies its position on terms and timings of payments, to seek to avoid anyone’s home being at risk.
The link to the Government’s full response is below: