The Telegraph reports that the government is to force councils to raise Council Tax by more than inflation so he can divert more central money to the NHS and education. Responding,

Eric Pickles, the Tory local government spokesman, said: "Council tax is starting to become unbearable. Gordon Brown is using smoke and mirrors which is shameful. But, I think people will recognise what is going on. Mr Brown has already fooled them before in this way."

Funny that. Not so bad that it deserved your attention when deciding which tax to cut last week was it, Mr Pickles? Starting to become unbearable? Your own Tory party polling showed that it was the most unbearable tax already. Only one of the mainstream parties wants seriously to address this regressive tax:

Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said: "Council tax is a particularly regressive and hated tax which has already put a massive squeeze on household incomes."

Now that should be bigger news than the Tory tax cut for about five richest per cent of dead people, don't you think? Even if I do think they want to do it the wrong way.