The Budget!

[Monsta®]

how much do you think things will be put up this time by that thunderbird look alike darling!

petrol up buy a quid, tabs and beer up a quid and road tax up 50% fat greedy bas......

ps. how on earth has he got black eyebrows and grey hair?

[Cympil]

how much do you think things will be put up this time by that thunderbird look alike darling!

petrol up buy a quid, tabs and beer up a quid and road tax up 50% fat greedy bas......

ps. how on earth has he got black eyebrows and grey hair?

car tax will go up by 20 quid a year i reckon.

[Malcolm Robinson]

It is quite a difficult budget to forecast as on one hand with a huge deficit they need to be seen to act responsibly and do things to cut that back while at the same time, and with an imminent election, sweeten the pot for the very people who have to pay up. They already have a 1% tax increase on jobs going though! I guess the normal things will take a mildish hit but we may see a bit more discrimination within the likes of alcohol sales. Considering all the statements made by B/D the devil will be in the details of this one not the headline rates.

Anyone want a daft bet on the time it takes Darling to deliver this budget?

1hr 55m.

[Monsta®]

It is quite a difficult budget to forecast as on one hand with a huge deficit they need to be seen to act responsibly and do things to cut that back while at the same time, and with an imminent election, sweeten the pot for the very people who have to pay up. They already have a 1% tax increase on jobs going though! I guess the normal things will take a mildish hit but we may see a bit more discrimination within the likes of alcohol sales. Considering all the statements made by B/D the devil will be in the details of this one not the headline rates.

Anyone want a daft bet on the time it takes Darling to deliver this budget?

1hr 55m.

2hrs 37m 26s

bets theres a big hike in motoring! unless you've got an electric car!

[Pete]

It is quite a difficult budget to forecast as on one hand with a huge deficit they need to be seen to act responsibly and do things to cut that back while at the same time, and with an imminent election, sweeten the pot for the very people who have to pay up. They already have a 1% tax increase on jobs going though! I guess the normal things will take a mildish hit but we may see a bit more discrimination within the likes of alcohol sales. Considering all the statements made by B/D the devil will be in the details of this one not the headline rates.

Anyone want a daft bet on the time it takes Darling to deliver this budget?

1hr 55m.

1hr 56m 34sec

[Dajazar]

It is quite a difficult budget to forecast as on one hand with a huge deficit they need to be seen to act responsibly and do things to cut that back while at the same time, and with an imminent election, sweeten the pot for the very people who have to pay up. They already have a 1% tax increase on jobs going though! I guess the normal things will take a mildish hit but we may see a bit more discrimination within the likes of alcohol sales. Considering all the statements made by B/D the devil will be in the details of this one not the headline rates.

Anyone want a daft bet on the time it takes Darling to deliver this budget?

1hr 55m.

1 hr 51min 8sec

[threegee]

He's said that VAT won't go up - "at the budget" - but they've also said that there will be a spending review after the election. What sort of nonsense is that?! If they need a "spending review" why are they having a budget now? And, if you know what's going on in the economy - and after 13 years you bloody well should - why then do you need an extraordinary spending review? Catch 2010!

The answer is that they can't NOT have a budget. That would speak volumes in itself. This is simply to maintain a sense of normality, and the steady-as-she-goes illusion.

What it actually tells you is that the treasury IS considering a VAT rise, odds on to a nice round 20%. That's going to happen whoever wins the election. The other thing that's going to happen, but not happen just yet, is a tax on the banks. Gordon has screwed that one up by this International agreement thing - another GB attempt at have-your-cake-and-eat-it - so AD can't actually impose one yet. But he will try to queer the Tories pitch on this.

Gordon wants a good old fashioned pre-election give away, and Alastair and he have had a tiny disagreement here. But this time Alastair wins because he can't be sacked, and he knows he's going to lose his job anyway - so what the hell! He's only thinking about his place in history. And, that dictates that he be seen a "responsible chancellor". Even though he has made one devastating mistake after another, he's probably kidding himself that history will concur with this self-delusion, and that this will yield the lucrative directorships that most any ex-Chancellor can count on.

Thing is Mr D.: I wouldn't want to invest in any company who would be dumb enough to pay you to be on their board, and most of the small investors I know would likely feel the same. So you're going to have to rely on some little-known branch of the old boys network for a living from here on in. For his sake I hope the Edinburgh law biz is holding up during the recession. Don't you think that appearance is one of a rather expensive (aren't they all?) wise old big town solicitor Monsta? But, in this instance, one who knows b.all about economics!

How long will it take? However long it takes to say "haven't I been a great Chancellor" without actually using the words "haven't I been a great Chancellor". Not too short and not too long - just sort of steady-as-she-goes. But, hey! Can't you just smell those green shoots of recovery - even if you can't see any green quite yet?

[Malcolm Robinson]

GGG,

If we accept the need for fiscal rebalancing, belt tightening, call it whatever, then the case for a rise in VAT is probably necessary, it could produce an extra £13B a year. It will be politically sensitive no doubt but it may have to be done whoever sits in at number 11.

As well as that there now seems a general agreement the public sector has to face facts and accept deep cost cutting exercises. The Institute of Directors have published a paper outlining what it sees as possible cost restricting in this area and suggest possible savings of around £25B a year after 3 years. One area of particular concern should be public sector pensions, a black hole if there is ever one!

We need to work our way out of the fiscal nightmare we are in so there is a need to incentivise the low paid to actually work and not rely on state benefits. That means we have to make it worthwhile to work. I would be particularly keen to see micro businesses helped with regard to this. Seeing one guy getting 60 odd million for not quite blowing the place to bits is staggering!

I do take your point about having a budget and saying they will redo it later that is crazy but it exemplifies the way our current crop of politicians think and the political process we are locked into.

[Monsta®]

the budget took 1hr 34mins

[debrad65]

parents of 1 and 2 year old's are going to get £4 per week more child tax credits? this is insane!!! howay - I've got 2 kids n I know there's nappies n stuff to buy but it costs more when they are at school!!! For God's sake - it costs us well over £20 a week for school dinners, then we have milk money n compulsory trips and the rest to pay - never mind the uniforms etc..! We work hard and we can't afford the tuition fees of guitar lessons and other activities (those on dole get them free). We would be better off on the bloomin dole n it took me 6 months to save £300 for a crappy laptop for my teenage daughter for xmas n them on dole can get a voucher for a laptop for over £500 for free and internet access free for a year! The rewards of working your butt off eh!We should have a revolution - kick all the parties out n replace them with a panel of decent hard working people who know right from bloomin wrong..... aaarrrggghhhh!!!! politics drive me up the wall!!

[Monsta®]

what has darling got against cider drinkers? 10% rise while alci pops and others are only hit by a 2% rise!

[Andy Brown]

what has darling got against cider drinkers? 10% rise while alci pops and others are only hit by a 2% rise!

Seeing as it's made from apples, surely it should count as one of your 5 a day

[Pete]

Seeing as it's made from apples, surely it should count as one of your 5 a day

a like that

[threegee]

Pretty much as expected. Spent most of the time slapping himself on the back and trying to make a place for himself in history.

What was interesting was the huge difference between what he said and what is in the red book. The stamp duty holiday for properties under £250K is hedged with so many conditions (15 tests) in the small print that it will benefit very few people.

There were public spending cuts announced - obviously just the very first round - but he completely failed to mention them in his speech. These include a £4,200,000,000 cut in the NHS budget! Not the sort of thing you want to make a fuss about with an election imminent.

Three more rises in fuel duty - that's six rises in 24 months. He's phasing them because they've learnt from the fuel protests. He's hoping people wont notice that fuel should be falling in-line with falls in the wholesale oil price, and making a steady grab at the reductions. So just another Gordon Brown type stealth tax really!

The Treasury bods themselves are now on record as saying that this budget is pointless. What more needs to be said?

But I did wonder how many times he'd do a "global" - thus sustaining the brainwash. He didn't disappoint: a "global" right in the very first sentence! After the first dozen globals I lost count.

[threegee]

I'm beginning to think that there are two Alastair Darlings! The tricky dicky one who puts out a load of puff and buries the bad news in the small print that he hopes no one will read, and the honest truthful one!

Obviously the budget was presented by A. T. D. Darling, but tonight A. H. T. Darling was on the tele saying that if Labour is re-elected public spending cuts will be "tougher and deeper" than those implemented by Margaret Thatcher.

An alternative - but almost unthinkable - explanation would be that Alastair's budget speech was heavily censored by Gordo's spin doctors.

[Merlin]

Thats it Labours oot! What a vote loser taxing cider, millions ov chavs will now vote for.........errrr hold on errrrrrrrrr hold on I'm wrong, chavs can't even spell 'X' :lol:

[Malcolm Robinson]

Do Labour not have any seats in the West country?

[Symptoms]

debrad65 wrote:

"howay - I've got 2 kids n I know there's nappies n stuff to buy but it costs more when they are at school!!! For God's sake - it costs us well over £20 a week for school dinners, then we have milk money n compulsory trips and the rest to pay - never mind the uniforms etc..!"

Blimmey, at school, in uniform and still wearing nappies.

and

"We should have a revolution - kick all the parties out n replace them with a panel of decent hard working people who know right from bloomin wrong..... "

Yep, but how would we choose them ... voting perhaps or we let the guys with the biggest guns run the show. Actually, that's what happened the last time ... the guys with the biggest swords were better organised than the rest of us, until the rest of us got organised about 100 years ago.

[debrad65]

ha ha symptoms..very funny

[Andy Brown]

Do Labour not have any seats in the West country?

Not any more I bet

[Merlin]

when I was younger, many moons ago, it was drummed into me that Labour were for the workers and would fight for the workers rights. What went wrong? I am at a loss as to who gets my vote, looking at it there is nobody who I want to run this country! Also at the time it was a good thing to work you could afford to have things that those not working could not, that was the incentive to work! Now you work, you get the feeling you are penalised for doing so. Some people who work are worse off than those claiming benefits. There should be a very big difference between working and claiming benefits, alas the minimum (slave) wage put paid to that!

[Mr Darn]

I totally agree.

I currently work 32 hours, as working any more than that means i will actually be worse off to the tune of almost £3 per extra hour up to 40 hours, and £1.50 worse off for each hour after that up to 60 hours.

Only after working a 60 hour week would i recieve anything near what i do with 32 hours and benifits. and that to me is simply not worth it at £6.25 an hour!

[debrad65]

well said merlin! we work our arses off n struggle. As I said in my previous rant, it took us 6 months to save £300 for a crappy laptop for our teenage daughter for xmas and them on dole got a free grant for a £500+ one and a year's free internet! My youngest can't do music lessons n stuff at school as we can't afford the fees, but them on dole get them free and money for the instrument! The budget's giving them with kids aged 1 and 2 an extra £4 per week and it's when they at school we need money. if we weren't working, we'd get free milk, trips, help with uniform etc.. I have mates on dole n they can go on holiday n buy new tv's n one mate can eat steak! we can't even afford crisps unless they on offer! it's crazy!! my partner was recently diagnosed epileptic after several severe fits-he's classed as disabled but can't get extra money for it (but someone depressed or alcoholic can!). he also has arthritis. He can be on the sick 6 months on full pay yet he goes to work every day ill or not to provide for his kids as he's that kind of bloke n we have nowt? it's not on is it when decent hard working people are worse off than them on the dole. I too have given up on who to vote for... they all promise this n that but it rarely happens!!!!

[Merlin]

Debrad65,its election time, they will promise you the earth to get elected! Then when they do they all go back on their election promises with the excuse ' We didn't realise things were so bad due to the previous government,so we can't give you what we promised!' Taxes up, in fact everything up due to the previous administration. We need a peoples party, like Labour is supposed to be. We need to take this country by the scruff of the neck, give it a good shake and start again before it is too late, if it is not already to late! The do gooders, nanny state activists and the pocket liners should be kicked into touch.The majority of the people of this country do not want or agree with policies of the major parties, we have to have a party who listens to the people, not one who tells the people what is best for the people, while meaning this is the best to line mine and my parties pockets! If this means revolution then so be it! For too long these people have ran roughshod over the decent people of this country, the time to stand and be counted is now. These people in power must not be allowed to drag this country deeper into the mire, we are at a cross roads, the choice is now ours!

[debrad65]

Merlin I totally agree.. You are spot on!! Start your own discussion....political gripes or something and we'll forward them to all the parties!! I have too many gripes to write about People being better off on the dole than working, nanny state (ie why can't us parents go into our kids classrooms anymore? If a child is upset, why can't teacher's comfort them? If they bleed, why can't teacher's see to them? For god's sake, they've been police checked! The list is endless but we are breeding a generation of kids who won't know genuine human kindness. the nanny state has gone ott).Then there's the prices of food - our incomes don't go up to compensate do they? And the nhs etc..Too many to write at the mo!We do need a people's party-with someone like you running it who knows right from wrong! Well done for a great food for thought post

Edited March 29, 2010 by debrad65