Delingpole's spot-on list of what he's happy for his taxes to be spent on

When James Delingpole is on form, I tend to feel a bit miffed, because he so often expresses what I believe - but he does it better. For instance, the first paragraph of his excellent post in today's Telegraph Blogs had me punching the air in agreement: "Next time I go to church and the collection plate comes round I think I'm going to wrap my small donation in a note saying: 'NB. I do not wish any of this money to go anywhere near one of your ruddy bishops.'"

Amen to that!

And then he provides  lists of the things he does and doesn't mind his taxes being spent on I agree with every item on both lists, and, as I couldn't put it any better myself, I'll simply copy and paste what he came up with:

Some things I don't (too much) mind 40 per cent of my income being spent on: 

Bullets, bombs and other military hardware to kill our enemies: but only if it's useful stuff, not pointless rubbish like FRES or those useless, insufficiently armoured vehicles we sent our men out to die in in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

A basic welfare safety net so that no one actually starves or wanders the streets shoeless. But not much more than that. 

Minimal, entry-level state healthcare. (But nothing fancy: no sex-change ops or fertility treatment or breast enlargement) 

Police who understand their job is to protect the lives and property rights of citizens, but not to act as diversity outreach consultants or the paramilitary wing of the social services industry. 

Michael Gove's Free Schools 

Grammar Schools 

Anything to do with the Queen or Prince Philip

Some things I really don't want a penny of my state-confiscated income spent on. 

Anything to do with human rights

Anything to do with health and safety 

Anything which promotes "Multiculturalism" 

Anything involving "Dame" "Suzi" "Leather" 

Any other quango 

Anything to do enforcing the 2008 Climate Change Act 

Any family on welfare enjoying a higher standard of living than any family anywhere which actually works for its money 

The salaries of trade union workers 

Most jobs in the public sector 

Pretty much everything else

It's a great article, as is the one he quotes from by Phillip Johnston suggesting the taxpayers should be given a breakdown of exactly what each pound they remit to the state is actually being spent on.

Of all the writers I regularly consume online, Delingpole makes me laugh out loud most often - and he's the one whose views my viscera are most in tune with. I wonder if I'm also "batshit mad" (a description often applied Delingpole). Of course, I can't offer manic depression as a mitigating factor - but I'm pretty sure Delingpole wouldn't use his bipolar tendencies as any form of "excuse" for his views.

Besides, I'm pretty sure the majority of adults used to think this way. And I'm sure if you scratched away several decades' worth of taxpayer-funded leftist brainwashing by lecturers, teachers, politicians, Anglican clerics, artists, "comedians", actors, local government employees and civil servants, trade unions and the broadcasting industry - the majority of us still would.

Who knows? Someday, people with sensible views might once again be considered normal.
Unlikely, I realise, given the prevalence of batshit madness these days, but one lives in hope.