Browsed by
Category: Budget

Meet the man who could win the referendum for Leave

Meet the man who could win the referendum for Leave

Comments 0 Comment

An unpopular budget could see the referendum become an opportunity to kick the government and that’s not good news for Remain. I’m not a fan of plebiscites simply because often they become a referendum not on the substantive issue of the referendum but a referendum on the Government of the day and an opportunity to give the government a kicking without the risk of a change of government. During the AV referendum, it seemed the primary reason many voters voted…

Read More Read More

The sting. How George Osborne is tackling the deficit

The sting. How George Osborne is tackling the deficit

Comments 0 Comment

Embed from Getty Images We’re all in this together, so David Cameron told us before the 2010 general election.  This assertion was received with derision by many outside the Eton-attending classes.  And sure enough, when the coalition came to power after the election, the impact of the deficit-reduction measures was felt most keenly by those at the bottom of society.  The Treasury explicitly targeted spending cuts over tax rises in the proportion of 80:20.  With most government spending being deployed…

Read More Read More

If the CON GE2015 manifesto had been specific about the tax credit change it’s arguable that they would NOT have won

If the CON GE2015 manifesto had been specific about the tax credit change it’s arguable that they would NOT have won

Comments 0 Comment

Next time it’ll harder not to be specific An interesting point was raised by an SNP MP at PMQs: “.. the reason David Cameron chose not to include this policy in his manifesto – and the reason he promised before the election not to do it – is because he knows if he had done, he would not have been elected. Pushing working families into poverty even goes against the most right wing Tory rhetoric about those mythical “benefit scroungers”….

Read More Read More

Pax Osbornia: recasting the political landscape into the 2030s

Pax Osbornia: recasting the political landscape into the 2030s

Comments 0 Comment

But he still won’t be prime minister It takes a staggering degree of self-restraint and of confidence to know that you plan to increase the minimum wage by more than 10% and to choose to say nothing about it during an election campaign. It also shows a fine level of political judgement. Had George Osborne done so, he would have been accused of panicking and of allowing Labour to set the agenda. He probably wouldn’t have been believed and if…

Read More Read More

The voters’ verdict on the impact of the budget

The voters’ verdict on the impact of the budget

Comments 0 Comment

Given the polling before the budget, the Tories might feel disappointed that the budget didn’t get more of a thumbs up from the electorate, there’s probably only one or two game changers left for the Tories, one of them is the debates, but according to reports, Ed has been preparing for a while, Dave has not. The full YouGov data tables are available here. TSE

Who Will Deliver The First Budget After The May 2015 General Election?

Who Will Deliver The First Budget After The May 2015 General Election?

Comments 0 Comment

Front page of tomorrow's @thesundaytimes, Is Ed Balls deep in trouble? pic.twitter.com/pKHv30FZir — TSE (@TSEofPB) February 21, 2015 The Sunday Times are reporting (££) that Ed Miliband has been urged to demote Ed Balls after the general election, amid simmering tensions in the Labour leadership over how to pay for a cut in university tuition fees. A shadow cabinet member said if Miliband becomes prime minister he should move the shadow chancellor and accused Balls of behaving with “contempt” towards…

Read More Read More

If Osborne gets this right today could be the game-changer that gives the Tories hope again

If Osborne gets this right today could be the game-changer that gives the Tories hope again

Comments 0 Comment

pic.twitter.com/JgiJ5y5kP1 — PolPics (@PolPics) December 5, 2013 Or it could just go plop and not make an impact We all remember that speech by Osborne at the October 2007 Tory conference that arguably changed the whole narrative and stopped Gordon Brown from going ahead with an autumn general election. In it Osborne, then shadow chancellor, called for a big easing of the inheritance tax rules which seemed to chime with the voters. It forced the then LAB chancellor, Alistair Darling,…

Read More Read More

Good to see my 14-1 shot for the LD leadership back in action AND being political

Good to see my 14-1 shot for the LD leadership back in action AND being political

Comments 0 Comment

Ex-energy secretary, Chris Huhne, says EdM's energy price cap is a bad idea pic.twitter.com/X4GW9s73jp — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) October 13, 2013 The one person who has put up green taxes is George Osborne former energy secretary Chris Huhne tells @afneil #bbcsp — DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) October 13, 2013 Huhne – the man who makes Osbo appear a political novice A long time ago when it appeared that Chris Huhne’s “little local difficulty” might not end in a criminal trial I…

Read More Read More