Leftists Sacrifice Pensioners On The Altar Of Austerity

07:27 Monday 22nd April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Are many pensioners receiving too many benefits and paying too little tax? A new report from the left of centre Fabian Society suggests that might just be the case. It says middle income pensioners have typically done much better than working households in recent years. Well Tony Bonsignore is here, our business guru. Morning.
TONY BONSIGNORE: Morning.
PAUL STAINTON: I can hear pensioners across Cambridgeshire going “No”
TONY BONSIGNORE: Yes indeed. Yes indeed. And I think some politicians in Westminster will be reading this this morning and I imagine shuddering at the thought of what this will do to their vote as well. Can I give you their argument, and you can make up your own mind? Continue reading “Leftists Sacrifice Pensioners On The Altar Of Austerity”

Great Cambridge Characters – Jeffrey Archer With Sue Dougan

12:12 Friday 19th April 2013
Sue Dougan In The Afternoon
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[S]UE DOUGAN: Lord Jeffrey Archer is alongside. Good afternoon.
JEFFREY ARCHER: Good afternoon.
SUE DOUGAN: So nice to have you here ..
JEFFREY ARCHER: Thank you.
SUE DOUGAN: .. in the flesh, on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. It’s been out for some weeks now, The Best Kept Secret is your latest book, in hardback.
JEFFREY ARCHER: Well I noticed you didn’t ask me on six weeks ago. I would have been here …
SUE DOUGAN: The invite was issued.
JEFFREY ARCHER: .. like a flash.
SUE DOUGAN: Our people were talking to your people.
JEFFREY ARCHER: Our people. (THEY LAUGH).
SUE DOUGAN: But actually it’s a really good point to talk to you, because it’s been selling so very well. You were telling me, as we stand at the moment, you are number one across six countries. Continue reading “Great Cambridge Characters – Jeffrey Archer With Sue Dougan”

Cambridgeshire County Elections 2013

08:28 Friday 19th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Cambridgeshire goes to the polls in just under two weeks time, on May 2nd, to vote on who should run the County Council for the next four years. The Council responsible of course for things like social care, education and transport. So whether you realise or not, you probably use Council services each and every week. At the moment, the Conservative Party are in overall control, holding 39 of the 69 seats. But with the Coalition Government’s policies being a bit unpopular to say the least at the moment, will we see voters turning against them? Well our Election Reporter Emma Howgego joins me in the studio. Morning Emma.
EMMA HOWGEGO: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: So we’re true blue in Cambridgeshire at the moment. Is there going to be a bit of a change at Shire Hall though? Continue reading “Cambridgeshire County Elections 2013”

New Ways To Tackle Capacity Issues At Addenbrookes And Peterborough City Hospital

08:07 Thursday 18th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: The Patients Association has criticised a new initiative which uses financial incentives to cut down on bed blocking at one of Cambridgeshire’s biggest hospitals. Wards at Addenbrookes are being offered money if they manage to discharge two patients by 10am every day. Last month there was an average of 76 delayed transfers of care, with an average of 277 delayed days. Now whilst the new policy may help to ease the pressure on beds, and guard against so many cancelled operations and appointments, is it always in the best interests of the patients, especially given the strain on care in the community? Well Catherine Murphy is Chief Execuive of the Patients Association. Earlier she told me why the Association was vehemently against the idea. Continue reading “New Ways To Tackle Capacity Issues At Addenbrookes And Peterborough City Hospital”

Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two

17:42 Wednesday 17th April 2013
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]ETER SWANN: We spoke to John Bridge of Cambridgeshire’s Chamber of Commerce. He’s called for the Leader of Cambridge City Council to support plans for a widened A14, regardless of his political views. Mr Bridge says all local authorities must set aside politics to form a united front in order to convince the Government to improve that stretch of the road between Cambridge and Huntingdon. (TAPE)
JOHN BRIDGE: There’s little doubt that the A14 upgrade is the top of every business’s priorities, because they know and understand the detriment it can have on our economy, and clearly the real benefit we would derive from seeing the current problems dealt with, which is why we find it very difficult to understand that one of our local councils feels unable to support what we feel is absolutely necessary, and to my mind, has the full support of businesses and the majority of people, who desperately know and understand why it needs to be done. (LIVE)
PETER SWANN: It should just be mentioned that it was announced last week that work to widen a short stretch of the A14 between Histon and Girton will begin in 2014. But we’re talking about the larger project here. Councillor Tim Bick is the Leader at Cambridge City Council. He joins us on the show now. Evening Tim.
TIM BICK: Good evening Peter.
PETER SWANN: So first of all, just underline your position. You’ve heard what John Bridge has had to say. Are you against then any kind of redevelopment for the A14? Continue reading “Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two”

Margaret Thatcher’s Funeral In Context

08:10 Wednesday 17th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: We can speak now to Dr Richard Carr, political historian at Cambridge’s Anglia Ruskin University. Morning Richard.
RICHARD CARR: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: It’s on a par really with the funeral of Winston Churchill. Is that how this will be remembered, for some people? Continue reading “Margaret Thatcher’s Funeral In Context”

An Outline Of The Green Manifesto For Cambridgeshire

07:22 Tuesday 16th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

(TAPE OB CAMBRIDGE)
ED MILIBAND: It’s more to the seriousness with which we’re taking every part of the country. Look, in a way we’re a long way back on the County Council, and I’m not predicting we’re going to take control of the County Council. But what I am saying is we’ve got something to say to everybody right across the country. I think it’s right that we do that. And that’s what I’m determined to do.
(LIVE STUDIO)
PAUL STAINTON: With Labour admitting it’s unlikely to make much headway in Cambridgeshire, a Tory stronghold of course, maybe the Greens could capitalise on the party’s decline in fortunes. Councillor Simon Sedgwick- Jell is leading the Green Party in Cambridgeshire. Good morning.
SIMON SEDGWICK-JELL: Hiya.
PAUL STAINTON: Were you impressed with Ed’s message yesterday in Cambridge. Is he going to make serious inroads and batter the Greens and the Tories in the forthcoming elections? Continue reading “An Outline Of The Green Manifesto For Cambridgeshire”

Planned Parenthood And The Benefit Cap

[J]EREMY SALLIS: Let’s have a look at what’s happening in the headlines today. And the amount that households can claim in benefit is being capped in four London boroughs as of today. And the change will apply across England Wales and Scotland and here then in Cambridgeshire by September. The cap, which is not yet law in Northern Ireland, is set to reflect the average working household income. .. Those on disability benefits will be exempt from this new cap, along with people in receipt of Working Tax Credits, in a move designed to encourage those affected by the changes to look for a job. Now not a million miles away from this .. could be part of our discussion tomorrow, on our Big Tuesday Debate .. we are asking the question, should you have children if you can’t afford them? If you can’t afford them, should you have them? This sort of comes on the back of a TV show which has been on Channel 4 in the last few weeks called Sixteen Kids and Counting. And it looks at these families, huge families, some of whom are looking after their children .. parents, some of whom are looking after their children, working hard to support them, others. who aren’t working. And they’re asking you the taxpayer to pick up the tab. Now I’d be interested to see your opinions on that. Should your circumstances affect the amount of children you should have? Or should you say, well no, I’m not going to let society dictate how many children I can or can’t have. It isn’t China in which we live in. This is England, and so I want to have them. Or do you think, well no, that’s not fair. If you don’t .. if you can’t afford them, you shouldn’t have them. Your thoughts on tomorrow’s show from three o’clock please, on the Big Tuesday Debate, here on the Jeremy Sallis Show.

========