Dave's big society, little charities and big commerce.

For those of us old enough to remember such TV series as Quincy and MASH there was a perenniel message of the Golden Hour whereby if a seriously ill casuality was transferred to a trauma centre within an hour after resuscitation their chances of survival were greatly increased. In the Korean and Vietnam wars the use of helicopters had pioneered this before it was transferred to civilain practice.

Unfortunately the United Kingdom is very backward in introducing new technology that works. So what was available in Korea in the 1950s, in Vietnam in the 1970s is only now available in the UK via charitable donations or commercial sponsorship. It is not provided for by the Party unless in the form of the Air Sea Rescue or Coastguard service. That is right dear reader a once first world country cannot afford to provide air ambulances for its population charities do it for them instead.

So the story we refer to is about how a hairy, our affection term for our biker breathern fellow road using friends, discovered an anomaly in the way that the air ambulances provided by charitable donations are taxed on fuel. So a Mr Ken Sharpe started an epetition which has attracted over 150,000 signitures and several mentions in Parliament.

Air ambulance charity VAT in fuel.

RNLI another charity no VAT on fuel.

Both are charities and provide assistance to those in extremis often staffed by volunteers.

Commercial aviation private enterprise no VAT on fuel.

Paid staff often providing excessive luxery to those able to pay.

So we thank our hairy friends for exposing that while big profit huge consumers of fuel have 0% VAT on their fuel a charity that has to employ volunteers to raise its income to try and help injuried persons attempt to receive first world medical care NOT provided by Big Dave's State are charged a VAT premium for the priviledge of doing so.

Big Dave's big society is increasingly looking like care on the cheap and you can look after your own at your expense unless you can go private when we will give you tax breaks.

Just goes to show you always have to respect the hairies. As for Big Dave's Big Society . . .

Praise be to the Party for ensuring that when when it comes to Big Society we all have to pay and pay some more in addition to the tax we have already paid to ensure that the "State" provides its citizens with an air ambulance service.

Thanks, call me Dave and his little buddy hopalong Clegg, for showing how you expect the big Society to work for your Chancellor's benefit.