The budget

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Are you suggesting communism as an alternative, because that’s always turned out great?

Or a third way? Which I’d be happy to listen to.

Bit of a movement towards mutuals at the moment. Nationwide Building Society is buying stock-exchange-listed Virgin Money and Coventry Building Society is in exclusive talks to acquire the Co-operative Bank from its private equity owners.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Bit of a movement towards mutuals at the moment. Nationwide Building Society is buying stock-exchange-listed Virgin Money and Coventry Building Society is in exclusive talks to acquire the Co-operative Bank from its private equity owners.

It's like I've been saying all along, British business keeps going and, although we are squeezed by the government, we keep going too - just about. As in, despite government.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Are you suggesting communism as an alternative, because that’s always turned out great?

Or a third way? Which I’d be happy to listen to.

The alternative to the failed privatisations that, at best, haven’t created genuinely competitive markets and at worst require further public subsidy in any case isn’t “communism”.

It’s a “red” herring.

[Mr K]

The budget went down well then....

Labour lead at 28pts
Westminster voting intention:

LAB: 46% (+1)
CON: 18% (-2)
REF: 13% (+1)
LDEM: 10% (-)

via
@PeoplePolling
, 07 Mar

[Ken W]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

It's a shit budget because it does not address any of the root causes of our problems nor does help the people at the low end of income.

I am 81 and the budget will not help.
All of the PMs shouild try living solely on a state pension

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Ken W

I am 81 and the budget will not help.
All of the PMs shouild try living solely on a state pension

... in Winnersh!

[Ken W]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

... in Winnersh!

Yes in Winnersh

Originally Posted by Mr K

The budget went down well then....

I doubt it made much difference either way.

[Ken W]

Originally Posted by Paul

I doubt it made much difference either way.

It was rubbish

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Paul

I doubt it made much difference either way.

Given that the intention was to ' buy votes', then that's a failure.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Mr K

Given that the intention was to ' buy votes', then that's a failure.

I’d be interested to see underlying data to the polls. Are they not moving full stop or is there movement in there with no overall change?

A 4% cut in “tax” for working people but not pensioners should, in normal times, move some dials. However perhaps this lot so incompetent they’ve lost everyone that’d be motivated by such things already and their vote is really at the floor of true believers, people who hate “socialism” and those that don’t understand economics.

Abolishing NI and recouping that revenue from income tax or VAT would be quite a move against the interests of traditional Tory voters.

[Sephiroth]

My inner self really hates them. Nothing in the budget to tackle the housing crisis. Rather than build more houses, they go for the soft target, such as people with second homes whose Council Tax will double in 2025 so that the wretched councils can waste even more of our money.

Yeah yeah; I can already see what some of you are thinking: most people don’t have second homes. But that’s not the point. Instead of building more houses, take them away from those who have a spare house. How Trotsky/Marx is that? From the Conservatives!

A shit budget from an even shitter government.

[Inactive Digital]

I don't think this budget deserved to change the polling.

People aren't daft. Those of us who have benefitted from the 4% NI cuts this year know that, however welcome it is to household finances, it's an election bribe. In 2015 or 2017 it could have worked, but people know this is a desperate measure from a government that no longer has the goodwill of the general public to make such a pre-election giveaway work.

Only 12 months ago we were being told that NI cuts were unaffordable. Well the economy must be going great guns now if suddenly we can afford a 4% cut...

Instead of short term sticking plasters, what we need is a truly radical long term plan for growth over the next 50 years, along with the investment to support that.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Inactive Digital

Instead of short term sticking plasters, what we need is a truly radical long term plan for growth over the next 50 years, along with the investment to support that.

Politicians are only interested in the next 5 years , and then only in the last year having filled their boots in the first 4 years.

People are daft, to put it politely, when it comes to voting. They vote on whether the leader is a bit of a laugh/ has charisma (hence Boris), or how the self interested media tell them to. A benevolent dictatorship might be better all round. A least there's a bit of stability/ long term planning

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

My inner self really hates them. Nothing in the budget to tackle the housing crisis. Rather than build more houses, they go for the soft target, such as people with second homes whose Council Tax will double in 2025 so that the wretched councils can waste even more of our money.

Yeah yeah; I can already see what some of you are thinking: most people don’t have second homes. But that’s not the point. Instead of building more houses, take them away from those who have a spare house. How Trotsky/Marx is that? From the Conservatives!

A shit budget from an even shitter government.

A ≠ B

How does increasing someone’s Council Tax on a Second Home become taking the Second Home away from them?