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Rob Merrick: New tax timebomb

WITH the 10p tax fiasco finally dealt with, relieved Labour MPs consoled themselves that Gordon Brown would never repeat such a blunder. Read

Rob Merrick: The baby battle

CASE closed – the two words that sprang to mind on reading the latest research on survival rates for babies born before 24 weeks, ahead of next week’s crunch abortion vote. Read

Rob Merrick: Prime Minister still not listening

THE next few weeks will – almost as much as last week’s local election thrashing – show us just how badly Gordon Brown is going wrong. Read

Rob Merrick: Days to disaster for Gordon Brown

THE blazing Labour row over the scrapping of the 10p tax rate is a tale of Gordon Brown’s scheming to succeed Tony Blair coming back to haunt him. Read

Rob Merrick: Labour cutting corners on unemployment

IT IS bad enough that a rush to privatise welfare-to-work schemes will deprive Merseyside of a multi-million pound reward for cutting benefit bills – something I revealed earlier this year. Read

Rob Merrick: A moral dilemma

WHEN Robin Cook’s conscience would not allow him to vote for the invasion of Iraq, he was forced to resign from the Cabinet and end his political career on the backbenches. Read

Rob Merrick: Darling's Budget climbdown

MY Budget Day story read: “Drinkers and drivers of gas-guzzling cars pay to rescue poverty pledges” – which was undoubtedly true. Read

Rob Merrick: Ain’t it the tooth?

I STEELED myself, last week, for perhaps the third most financially crippling experience in life after buying a house and having kids – a trip to the dentist. Read

Darling on the rocks?

ALISTAIR DARLING is clearly on the Rocks after his bungling over that troublesome bank – but I doubt Gordon Brown is preparing to scuttle him. Read

Rob Merrick: A taxing issue

WHEN Alistair Darling delivers his first Budget next month, there will be the usual stern warnings about the need to cap the pay of public sector workers. Read

Rob Merrick: Paying the price

REPORTS condemning the Government for shackling power-starved local authorities arrive with a depressing frequency in this job. Read

Paying the police

OUR MPs should pack away their hairshirts and vote themselves a proper pay rise tomorrow – ignoring the inevitable bad headlines. Read

Donation dilemma

A LOOMING revolution in organ donation appears to show that memories of the Alder Hey scandal are fading – in Downing Street, at least. Read

An easy target

WHITEHALL targets are normally placed just behind dirty hospitals and greedy GPs in any list of alleged evils dragging down the NHS. Read

A crisis of identity

SHOULD I go to jail rather than carry a hated identity card – and will I be able to get myself locked up, even if I try? Read

Benefit claims

THE Tories are being outrageously misleading about their plans for Merseyside’s army of “sicknote” former workers – but then so is the Government Read

So many crises

WHICH of the many crises engulfing Gordon Brown – Northern Rock, “Datagate”, sleaze – will inflict the biggest damage on his fledgling Premiership? Read

Pledge still good-ish

GORDON BROWN is not poised to rip up his pledge to give Merseyside a stronger voice at the House of Commons – or so I’m told. Read

Taxing times ahead

IT SEEMS that businesses will be asked to stump up for better buses, trains and trams as the Government runs scared of angry voters. Read

The magic 8,000 voters

IN GORDON BROWN’S dreams, yesterday’s Queen’s Speech would have followed a thumping general election victory, confirming his “mandate” in No.10. Read