This depressed me hugely when I read it:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7227667.stm
Aside from the fact that it's totally unworkable in practice, it's hard to remember that this is supposed to be a LABOUR government.
Can you imagine their howls and protests if the Tories had tried to introduce this into the legislature 20 years ago?
But "New" Labour seem happy to turn the clock back 150 years.
Or base their social knowledge on that week's episode of Shameless rather than actual experience.
Or perhaps they think that the point of taxes is not to help the poor and unempowered to contribute to society and make something of themselves but to subsidise dodgy building societies and the lifestyles of MPs' Hooray Henry offspring.
Meanwhile in America we have Barack and Hillary and McCain; all talking about the importance of real change and new beginnings.
And this is the best we can do in Britain?
As I say - depressing.