Dear George Osborne.....

[mattx]

.....you don't know what you are doing. I know, why don't give your rich buddies some more tax breaks ?!

[CyberNerd]

pretty much as labour predicted: massive cuts =>double dip recession => less taxation => increased borrowing

[bossman]

pretty much as labour predicted: massive cuts =>double dip recession => less taxation => increased borrowing

 

Even I could have predicted the financial state of the country for the next 3 years it doesn't take a genuis, labour would have done exactly the same under the circumstances in fact it was Labour with the help of Maggie Thatcher (brought in the credit reform) who got us into this mess with the spend spend throw money at white elephant projects and the workshy and those who came from other countries.

 

I'm sick of the political wrangling and the steady blame that goes with it, lets get reality firmly into view and in everyone's minds so we can move on.

 

Buy now pay later credit and 120% mortgages for people who self employed coupled with the build houses by the thousands for unrealistic prices in the name of profit and the banks all in it together, no social houses built thus forcing people to rent from private unscruplious unregulated landlords.

 

How are we going to get through this, well as explained lots of people are such as me and you who pay their taxes under the PAYE scheme, it is us and the good old car driver who are supporting this country through paying their taxes that is keeping this countries head above water as we could be like other european countries where the unemployment rate has reached 40% and rising with no chance of recuperating for the next 10 to 20 years.

 

I do feel for those people affected by all this but understand this i have worked hard all my working life since 14 year's old and have seen this country go to the dog's via the do-gooders trying to make our social system better but in reality creating a Frankestillian state were some people don't give anything to the country or the economy but take out billions and those are the one's who don't work won't work and those who earn millions and don't give a damn!

 

Double dip recession i've seem it all before since the 70's and it was there again in the 80's and 90's and will keep on repeating until government's stop thinking short term and get down to the long term.

 

Rant over and @CyberNerd: this is not aimed at you but you gave me the bullets to fire............sorry!!

 

Ooh! and @mattx: you should know better than point the finger at one man even though it might seem that he is the one who is making the mistakes, at least he is trying something and not just sitting on his backside unlike many in this country who thinks the world owe's them a living.

 

I'm not having a go at you personally but it is too easy for us to point the finger like the media bandwagon, we all need to understand that this is not going to get better for a few years at least.

Edited July 25, 2012 by bossman

[speckytecky]

Yep; sadly whatever political colour almost all our politicians seem to fail to measure up. If only they would work together toward getting the country back on it's feet and stop the finger pointing trying to blame their predecessors all the time. I don't know what would work - proper coalition perhaps? Sure as heck it's about time someone got a real grip and demonstrated some much needed leadership.

[broc]

Politicians of all party persuasions seem to behave in the same way; when in power, they blame everything on their predecessors, when out of power they carp on about what the government are doing ......

 

They are all in it together

[alttab]

.....you don't know what you are doing. I know, why don't give your rich buddies some more tax breaks ?!

 

the economic environment is fairly benign. sure, there's a big output gap and 2 years of no growth in gdp. But come the next election inflation will probably settle down around the government target, private sector employment will probably be up and the infrastructure spend they're banging on about bears some fruit...there's still plenty wrong with the strategy they're pursuing, but there is enough of a deficit to see things muddle through. politicians from all sides are loathed to provide short-term stimulus that involves giving money back to the hard working majority like bossman. it's not as if labour would turn around and give him a meaningful tax holiday, they'd tinker round the edges with 2.5% off VAT (meh!), promises of infrastructure spend (like the tories) and one or two rehashes of stuff that we've already seen during the blair-brown years. Except this time they're really hampered by the deficit so it'd be a particularly feeble offering. Plus labour never offered anything for basic rate taxpayers, they are seen by all parties as easy pickings.

[mattx]

Ooh! and @mattx: you should know better than point the finger at one man even though it might seem that he is the one who is making the mistakes, at least he is trying something and not just sitting on his backside unlike many in this country who thinks the world owe's them a living.

 

I'm not having a go at you personally but it is too easy for us to point the finger like the media bandwagon, we all need to understand that this is not going to get better for a few years at least.

 

Hey don't worry :-)

But [ and this is a BIG but..... ] - this is a man who avoided £55,000 Capital Gains Tax by "flipping" his home, knocked off 10p off of income tax for the rich, is following the same austerity measures of Greece and Spain who are in the so called death spiral, and who continues to spend millions on the Olympic Games.

Him and his super rich sociopaths are creating a rich/poor divide on a scale not seen since the Victorian era. Is he really fit to be Chancellor ?

[mavhc]

It's unlikely anything anyone does makes much difference, you'd need to double/half something for it to matter.

 

And that's before you consider the 90% of stuff you can't control, as it's in another country, or stuff we can't change as it's already happened/a new law wouldn't pass.

 

Politicians of all party persuasions seem to behave in the same way; when in power, they blame everything on their predecessors, when out of power they carp on about what the government are doing

And the public votes for whoever's not in power if things are going badly, thus causing the short term thinking

 

I for one can't wait for our robot overlords, at least they can plan properly, taking into account the best interests of the planet as a whole

[SteveBentley]

Yep; sadly whatever political colour almost all our politicians seem to fail to measure up. If only they would work together toward getting the country back on it's feet and stop the finger pointing trying to blame their predecessors all the time. I don't know what would work - proper coalition perhaps? Sure as heck it's about time someone got a real grip and demonstrated some much needed leadership.

 

Abolishing the notion of political parties or at least party whips? If I vote for a particular person to be the MP for my constituency it's because I want them to vote in line with their conscience taking into account their appraisal of the wishes of the people in the constituency, not what the party whips have told them to do under threat of being kicked out of the party.

 

I'd also like to see the Speaker of the House of Commons having some sanction against MPs (particularly ministers) who continually respond to questions by blaming the previous government/other party rather than addressing the question. If "it's all the last Labour government's fault" is all you've got, you've lost the argument and you're wasting time that could be given to other debates.

[aerospacemango]

Abolishing the notion of political parties or at least party whips? If I vote for a particular person to be the MP for my constituency it's because I want them to vote in line with their conscience taking into account their appraisal of the wishes of the people in the constituency, not what the party whips have told them to do under threat of being kicked out of the party.

 

I'd also like to see the Speaker of the House of Commons having some sanction against MPs (particularly ministers) who continually respond to questions by blaming the previous government/other party rather than addressing the question. If "it's all the last Labour government's fault" is all you've got, you've lost the argument and you're wasting time that could be given to other debates.

 

This always smacks of children arguing over a broken mug....

 

"It's your fault"

"No, it's your fault"

 

Etc etc ad infinitum!!

 

The political parties are now so homogenised that it is very difficult to tell them apart..... That is the sad fact of politics in the 21st century

[sted]

tbh every political debate i see looks like kids fighting. Look at the us the republicans have basically said we wont pass anything of Obama's if thats not "im not winning so im taking my ball home" i dont know what is.

 

perhaps the whole system is so broken it needs replacing (i have no idea what with but something where elected people are accountable to the electorate/their conscience rather than their party (or their partys donators)

[TechMonkey]

What I don't understand talking to a few friends that are self employed, they are booming! & a couple of them are in luxury items. It seems because we are being told again and again by the papers that it is all doom and gloom some take it on board start shoring up the finances which causes a knock on effect. The consequence to this is where another friend works is laying off people left, right and centre but they are still taking on work, being profitable and everyone is crying out to take on more people to help out!

 

Don't get me wrong, there are issues out there, but I think a large section are self made, self perpetuating and huge blown out of proportion by the press.

[mavhc]

In my New World Order people will be in charge because they score highest on the test, but you'll be able to vote to fire them.

[SteveBentley]

And anybody who wants to be in charge is automatically disqualified

[mthomas08]

Even I could have predicted the financial state of the country for the next 3 years it doesn't take a genuis, labour would have done exactly the same under the circumstances in fact it was Labour with the help of Maggie Thatcher (brought in the credit reform) who got us into this mess with the spend spend throw money at white elephant projects and the workshy and those who came from other countries.

 

I do feel for those people affected by all this but understand this i have worked hard all my working life since 14 year's old and have seen this country go to the dog's via the do-gooders trying to make our social system better but in reality creating a Frankestillian state were some people don't give anything to the country or the economy but take out billions and those are the one's who don't work won't work and those who earn millions and don't give a damn!

 

This is exactly how I feel and I am not even hitting my 30s yet, my boss says the exact same thing and he is twice my age. Totally spot on and I am in a family between workers (me and my older sister) and living on benefits for leaving school early and having two kids that she cant even look after or bring up properly (younger sister/mother).

 

People who work should be better off then those who refuse/cant be bothered, my younger sister will claim she has it hard - taking daily trips down the town centre enjoying the summer sun. While I work mon-fri, did 3 years of courses when I left school - while doing part time work (yes 8:45am to 4:30pm course then 5pm till 12:30pm for 2 years). And I have been working full time since I finished the courses, I would have been working full time for 10 years come September and done mon - fri typical working hours since I was 16. Yet my younger sister who I have gone mental at several times left school when she was 15, met a guy had 2 kids and decided to leave him for no real reason and to get both kids and a ton of money/council 2 bed house all paid for her. She found out she would get more moeny if she dumped him - this is try FYI..... Social worker told her...

 

/rant over for me this time!

[tech_guy]

Just do what I do and insult these chinless politicians and bankers on Twitter to their faces. Still waiting for SB to kick my front door in and drag me away screaming

[Gibbo]

I really am finding it hard to believe we're in a bad financial position. I was in a Ford dealership at the weekend, they were absolutely swamped with people buying new cars. The manager said they'd never been so busy (is it new plate time or something?) and people were waiting to be served because they didn't have enough sales staff (eight).

 

Weeknights and weekends in Liverpool are full of shoppers laden down with bags of goodies.

 

Pubs and restaurants are full.

 

I'm not saying the problem doesn't exist, just that people I've seen don't seem to be letting it bother them and their spending.

 

But, just to make the point political, anyone remember Gordon Brown and the reducing of the VAT to 15% - "lets spend our way out of recession"?

 

No Gordon, lets put out money aside for a rainy day like our parents and grandparents did.

[aerospacemango]

I really am finding it hard to believe we're in a bad financial position. I was in a Ford dealership at the weekend, they were absolutely swamped with people buying new cars. The manager said they'd never been so busy (is it new plate time or something?) and people were waiting to be served because they didn't have enough sales staff (eight).

 

Weeknights and weekends in Liverpool are full of shoppers laden down with bags of goodies.

 

Pubs and restaurants are full.

 

I'm not saying the problem doesn't exist, just that people I've seen don't seem to be letting it bother them and their spending.

 

But, just to make the point political, anyone remember Gordon Brown and the reducing of the VAT to 15% - "lets spend our way out of recession"?

 

No Gordon, lets put out money aside for a rainy day like our parents and grandparents did.

 

Sadly, @Gibbo, economics has changed since our parents and grandparents day. Globalisation means that when Spain and Greece catch a cold, it soon goes round the world. I don't doubt your apocryphal story about Ford, but Brown WAS right (to an extent). Spain and Greece have had similar austerity measures to us, and they are circling the plughole, threatening to take Italy/France/Germany(?) with them. Germany may well be one of the biggest economies in the world, but they are not immune, and are getting a bit fed up of digging deep for everyone else.

 

By spending, instead of saving, you inject capital into the system. By not spending, you weaken the system.

[alttab]

I really am finding it hard to believe we're in a bad financial position. I was in a Ford dealership at the weekend, they were absolutely swamped with people buying new cars. The manager said they'd never been so busy (is it new plate time or something?) and people were waiting to be served because they didn't have enough sales staff (eight).

 

Weeknights and weekends in Liverpool are full of shoppers laden down with bags of goodies.

 

Pubs and restaurants are full.

 

I'm not saying the problem doesn't exist, just that people I've seen don't seem to be letting it bother them and their spending.

 

But, just to make the point political, anyone remember Gordon Brown and the reducing of the VAT to 15% - "lets spend our way out of recession"?

 

No Gordon, lets put out money aside for a rainy day like our parents and grandparents did.

 

you know where ideas like cutting VAT come from, they are more palatable for the politicians who [no matter the denomination] hate the idea of giving basic rate employees a big wodge of cash in the form of a tax holiday. IT's seen as money for nothing, whereas a scheme that involves giving credit towards the cost of something [think scrappage or stamp duty holiday] is much more sensible in their eyes, because it's also not leaving it up to the hardworking masses to decide how to spend their own money - the overall economic benefits seem to matter little.

 

i too see full restaurants and new plate motors, but i think it's more down to people in employment realising that they might aswell put some disposable income and what they've worked hard to save to use through enjoying one's life rather than get bogged down by a system that doesn't leave you much disposable income to begin with. The tax system is so ridiculously complicated and does so much to work against the people who fund it, then why not enjoy a week's holiday all inclusive and a nice meal out at that new place that's opened ? The govt. takes advantage if your prudent, so you'd might swell stick two fingers up at them and show their stupidity won't stop you enjoying what consumerism has to offer.

[sted]

you know where ideas like cutting VAT come from, they are more palatable for the politicians who [no matter the denomination] hate the idea of giving basic rate employees a big wodge of cash in the form of a tax holiday. IT's seen as money for nothing, whereas a scheme that involves giving credit towards the cost of something [think scrappage or stamp duty holiday] is much more sensible in their eyes, because it's also not leaving it up to the hardworking masses to decide how to spend their own money - the overall economic benefits seem to matter little.

 

its like the child tax credits surely its simpler/better to just up the appropriate peoples non taxable income rather than taking money off them then giving it back

[tech_guy]

A lot of people I know have adopted the 'sod it, I'm going to spend it' mentality because of the current situation and the fact they don't trust the banks and fear them collapsing. One of my friends now keeps his savings in a German bank account because he doesn't trust the British banking system.

[sted]

A lot of people I know have adopted the 'sod it, I'm going to spend it' mentality because of the current situation and the fact they don't trust the banks and fear them collapsing. One of my friends now keeps his savings in a German bank account because he doesn't trust the British banking system.

 

arnt deposits up to some amount (several 10s of thousands) guranteed by the government incase banks go bust?

[tech_guy]

Yes, it's up to £85k I think.

 

Hah, just tried to go to http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/safe-savings and there's too many connections lol and the page can't be loaded!

Edited July 27, 2012 by tech_guy

[Flatpackhamster]

pretty much as labour predicted: massive cuts =>double dip recession => less taxation => increased borrowing

 

Except that there haven't been massive cuts because government expenditure has risen under the Coalition government.

[aerospacemango]

Except that there haven't been massive cuts because government expenditure has risen under the Coalition government.

 

Can you back that up with facts???