Osbornes budget

[Lateralthinking1]

Something of the night

Osborne's first job was entering the names of people who had died in London into a National Health Service computer. Shortly before joining Conservative Central Office, he briefly worked for Selfridges re-folding towels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Osborne

[johnb]

I have no time for Osborne and he got every major policy decision wrong at the time of the financial crisis, when he was in opposition (mind you he might just have been playing politics - opposing for the sake of opposing).

However the recent posts that imagine him as some kind of fool are utterly misguided (or wishful thinking).

Back the the budget - I do think that taking £2b from pensioners during the course of this parliament in order to (partially) fund his other give-aways is appalling.

[Serial_Apologist]

Back the the budget - I do think that taking £2b from pensioners during the course of this parliament in order to (partially) fund his other give-aways is appalling.

This was presented by the experts of CH 4 News tonight as spreading the burden age-wise after clobbering the students last time around. I.e. it will hit the likes of me - At 66 I don't have a high-salaried career to look forward to, the studying for which I'll be supposed (I say advisedly) to be in a position to spend a lifetime paying back tens of thousands of £s.

[Lateralthinking1]

Johnb - I wouldn't say a fool. I'd say downright sinister. Your answer appears to be here. I hope it helps -

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2012/03/21/14722/

Meanwhile an alternative Prime Minister might, after all, be here -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17463207

If it sounds a bit obsessive to play the clip and pause on the Front Bench faces, I can only say that it gets better the more times that you do it.

George looks like he's had to take something, Hague appears awkwardly jolly but aged, Young's pomp caves inwards, Clegg turns into a statue before looking away, Alexander looks like a startled rabbit, Hammond looks angry, astonished and rather crackers and Cameron has two expressions - "I don't like this at all - you've got us here" and what I swear is, admittedly reluctant, respect.

[Serial_Apologist]

Johnb - I wouldn't say a fool. I'd say downright sinister. Your answer appears to be here. I hope it helps -

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2012/03/21/14722/

Meanwhile an alternative Prime Minister might, after all, be here -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17463207

If it sounds a bit obsessive to play the clip and pause on the Front Bench faces, I can only say that it gets better the more times that you do it.

George looks like he's had to take something, Hague appears awkwardly jolly but aged, Young's pomp caves inwards, Clegg turns into a statue before looking away, Alexander looks like a startled rabbit, Hammond looks angry, astonished and rather crackers and Cameron has two expressions - "I don't like this at all - you've got us here" and what I swear is, admittedly reluctant, respect.

I noticed those Tory front bench reactions when that was played on the lunchtime news. Miliband seemed to be overlarding the bread at first, but in retrospect... BTW what's Mr Speaker doing? Indicating right, or conducting an orchestra?

[DracoM]

Yup, Ed Milliband truly for the first time let them have it both barrels. Funny, witty, very hard-hitting and to my ears watching live, VERY angry too at what had been perpetrated. I think what the Govt front bench began to see as he went on were the headlines over the next weeks and months.

On a personal level I feel betrayed, robbed, and deceived. And how Clegg could sit there and let that all pass, I do not know. Every sentence of Milliband's speech drive a nail into his and the LibDems coffins. A tragedy.

[cloughie]

Anyway, if you allow a complete idiot like gormless george to run the country's finances, trouble is sure to follow.

They should have given him a tuck shop to run.

Eric Pickles would probably eat the profits!

[Serial_Apologist]

Eric Pickles would probably eat the profits!

How does he manage to get those specs on??

[Lateralthinking1]

The extent of the political misjudgement - Losing the Conservative press

The Breakfast Headlines

The Express

- Osborne Snubs Calls For Cuts in Fuel and Air Duty
- Osborne Cuts Top Rate of Tax to 45p but Leaves Pensioners Out of Pocket

The Mail

- Osborne picks the pockets of pensioners: Four million elderly will pay bill for Chancellor's tax giveaway

The Metro

- Budget 2012: Kids of today face working until they are 80-years-old
- Millions of people face the prospect of working into their seventies under plans unveiled by chancellor George Osborne

The Sun

- Gran Theft Osbo
- He's Taking Us For Fuels - Chancellor Clobbers Ordinary Brits
- Osborne's Dodgy Plan on Tax, Fuel and Pensions Have Put Your Money In The Wrong Trousers
- But At Least He's Saving Wallace and Gromit

The Telegraph

- 'Granny tax' hits five million pensioners

The Times

- George Osborne Becomes the 50p Gambler

[Stunsworth]

And how Clegg could sit there and let that all pass, I do not know

I'm sure I heard Clegg describe it as a 'Robin Hood' budget, could have misheard that though because it's difficult to see it as anything other than yet another suicide note for his party.

[amateur51]

Yup, Ed Milliband truly for the first time let them have it both barrels. Funny, witty, very hard-hitting and to my ears watching live, VERY angry too at what had been perpetrated. I think what the Govt front bench began to see as he went on were the headlines over the next weeks and months.

On a personal level I feel betrayed, robbed, and deceived. And how Clegg could sit there and let that all pass, I do not know. Every sentence of Milliband's speech drive a nail into his and the LibDems coffins. A tragedy.

Blimey Draco - Millibland on fire? I must take a look - many thanks

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

the announcement on the news this morning that Glaxo had decided as a direct response to the business friendly budget to invest in plant and the creation of 1000 jobs tells us all we need to know about wo is behind the budget and who it is for .... i rather fancy such big investment choices are not made in a hurry on marginal changes in tax except in crappy british companies .... it is the CORPOCAT class ganging up to hold their ground an take the loot baby .... all those subtly overweight men in white collared shirts at the IoD and CBI, the CIty gents etc in a word all the Dave and George Cousins even Clegg is in 'this thing of ours' .... meanwhile yer granny can go hungry ....

give us the money or else this is a corporation blatantly blackmailing the Treasury ...

Glaxo said it was motivated specifically by Chancellor George Osborne's confirmation in the Budget on Wednesday that the government would introduce so-called patent boxes.

These allow corporations to pay a lower rate of tax on profits generated from UK-owned intellectual property.

"The introduction of the patent box has transformed the way in which we view the UK as a location for new investments, ensuring that the medicines of the future will not only be discovered, but can also continue to be made here in Britain," said Glaxo chief executive Sir Andrew Witty.

"Consequently, we can confirm that we will build GSK's first new UK factory for almost 40 years."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17465090

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

succinct or what Larry Elliott in today's Graun

When the coalition government was formed just under two years ago, it had six key aims: to embed economic recovery, to cut the budget deficit, to ensure that private sector job creation would make up for cuts to the public sector headcount, to make the economy less dependent on financial services, to rebalance the economy towards exports, and to keep the financial markets sweet. Of these, only one – the last – has been achieved. Growth has slowed down, the government is borrowing far more than it expected to, the private sector has proved incapable of compensating for the cull of public sector jobs, manufacturing output has suffered, and the rebalancing has yet to occur.

[french frank]

the announcement on the news this morning that Glaxo had decided as a direct response to the business friendly budget to invest in plant and the creation of 1000 jobs tells us all we need to know about wo is behind the budget and who it is for ....

Isn't this what is needed for 'growth'? Aren't 1,000 jobs a good thing?

.... meanwhile yer granny can go hungry ....

Has everyone already forgotten the government's 'Triple Guarantee' from last year? "Under its ‘triple guarantee’, the Government is committed to increasing the [Basic State Pension in line] with earnings, CPI inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is highest."

As a result of this, pensioners will be getting an increase next month of just over 5% on the BSP, plus added increases on any of the bits and pieces that many pensioners get (pre 97 ASP, graduated Retirement Benefit), typically amounting to something like 5.5%.

That guarantee puts them in a better position than most wage earners on £24,000 or less, which is presumably the rationale for aligning the basic personal allowance.

[amateur51]

Isn't this what is needed for 'growth'? Aren't 1,000 jobs a good thing?Has everyone already forgotten the government's 'Triple Guarantee' from last year?

I think you need to be a tad careful about raising this government's promises/guarantees, whatever you want to call them, french frank.

I'll believe it when I see it. I hope that my pessimism proves to be unfounded