Poll Tax was brought in to replace what was known as Rates, Council Tax was brought in to replace Poll Tax. So what your Rates were is of no relevance, Poll Tax was brought in because Rates income did not cover the expenditure, so I am not in the least surprised that Poll Tax bill was greater than your Rates bill. My Council Tax Bill has always been higher than what I was required to pay as Poll Tax.

"It was all based on scare tactics - you got old people saying things to like - there are 30 pakistanis living in one house some places and they all use the toilet and get free spectacles. Then the poor old sods dropped dead with shock when the poll tax bills arrived."

Utter Crap WLD - what was said by the old folks was perfectly true but their very legitimate gripe ran more like this (Taking your example):

"There are 30 Pakistanis living in a house exactly the same as mine. There are fifteen wage earners in that house compared to me living on my own on my pension. They have a far greater call on the services provided by the council and on those jointly funded by local and central government, yet I have to pay exactly the same amount."

Don't know how your maths is WLD but given your chosen example, under Rates and Council Tax you got two people paying, under Poll Tax you would have sixteen paying - so for arguements sake if the total amount required to run the place was divided by the number of people earning in that community or by the number of houses being lived in under which scheme do you pay less.

Your next one was absolutely priceless - So:

"Thatcher was a slight improvement on Josef Stalin and pol Pot. And I think that shows I am a reasonable man and willing to concede a point whilst debating.

What do you want to go down as though - the man who supported the nearest thing we had to Stalin and Pol Pot?"

Now what was that I said to Richard Bridge about putting words into peoples mouths? Oh yes, "old militant trade union leftist tactic". Now go back over any previous post of mine on this thread and show me where I have mentioned Joseph Stalin or Pol Pot.

So Maggie was a "slight" improvement on Joseph Stalin, Communist dictator and tyrant credited with having caused the deaths of over 20 million. A "slight" improvement on Pol Pot who killed, depending on sources between one quarter and one third of his country's population.

Absolutely frightening that with that as an illustration of your firm grip on reality that you were actually involved in education.

Richard tells us what a marvellous time it was in the 1970's, tells us all about those greedy capitalists.

- Not a single word about the mess the country was in because it was being held to ransom by totally irresponsible Trades Union Leaders.
- Not a word about the 3-day Week and the power cuts
- Not a word about the almost continuous wild-cat strikes which did more to ruin British Industry than anything
- Richard doesn't seem to be able to recall the sight of Dennis Healey and the British Government going cap in hand to the IMF for a loan to tide the nation over for six months.
- Nothing about it being in the hands of striking hospital porters as to whether or not you could be admitted to hospital
- Nothing about the rubbish left lying in the streets or the dead left unburied in the morgues.

Absolutely wonderful Richard, I recall it all vividly. I also recall who it was that took the Government of the UK out of the hands of a few unelected Trades Union Leaders and the TUC and put it back firmly in the hands of the duly elected Members of Parliament - A greengrocers daughter, mother of two, name of Margaret Thatcher.