I quote at length from the Guardian on a new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies out today:
Britain's poorest families have suffered the most from the coalition's welfare cuts and tax rises, according to a study by the UK's leading tax and spending thinktank.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies said households were on average £1,127 a year worse off after the implementation of reforms since 2010.
Figures that assess the impact of the VAT rise to 20% and higher personal tax thresholds alongside a range of benefit cuts, found that the income of the lowest 10% of earners fell by more than 4% while the richest 10% suffered a drop of 2.6%.
The so-called squeezed middle were the least affected by cuts to tax credits and housing benefit that hit the poorest families.
I could write at length on this.
Or I could just say that this was not accident, but designer.
And that the designers deserve to be called by any and every term of abuse you care to throw at them.
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‘And that the designers deserve to be called by any and every term of abuse you care to throw at them.’
What an invitation!!
But you’re right, Richard. By design from the outset, under cover of the very first of the many, many, many lies to usher forth from Osborne’s gob, ‘we’re all in it together’.
On the Tory side then, a government of liars and charlatans, prepared to dispense with any shred of ethical and moral standing in the pursuit of a political agenda that from the outset was about promoting the interests of the wealthy and big business, whilst punishing the poor, sick and less fortunate, and destroying anything that was associated with social democracy.
On the LibDem side a party and individuals that for the first several years in government made incompetence into an art form, and gave new meaning to the phrases ‘lacking a backbone’ or ‘spineless’. A party that spent years portraying itself as alternative and progressive but when in power turned out to be nothing more than a bunch of neoliberal goons who allowed the Tories to run rings around them with their policies and approach to government, and thus make them look foolish on an almost daily basis. And all supposedly in the name of “what’s in the best interests of the country”. Yet another lie.
That’s me done.
🙂
I thought of one more. Very brief this time, and in honour of one person’s pivotal role in the passing of legislation that will come to symbolise the evil at the heart of this government:
Shirley Williams = NHS (RIP)
Indeed
Ivan I can take you back to 1971 when we (the Labour youth) debated with Shirley Williams in Ammanford, in the Miners Hall I recollect with a rather large audience. She rebuked our comments and arguments as we were too young [maybe naive] to understand the grand issues of government and economy. The Miners’ pennies and shillings built the first community hospitals on which the NHS was formed by Bevan. Shirley Williams degenerated but I am still the same ideologically, I did waver mid-way through Brown’s Chancellorship as my confidence rocked with his apparent “prudent” fiscal success. We now know it was a sham, Labour never got a grip with what we used to call the commanding heights of the economy.
My brief identities for the current bunch politicians and their acts to Britain’s poorest can be summed up:
Clegg = Bemused
Cameron = Smart arse (bring on the bash up)
Osborne = Shylock
Milliband = Hushed
Farage = Streetwise
Bennett (Green) = Beneficent
Tony B
Farage would love to be, but certainly isn’t, streetwise. His background is a public school boy from Surrey who, like so many of his ilk fell into the CoL. The “common man” stuff is as much a con as his party’s bizarre ‘pick n mix’ goody bag of policies which combine popularist pledges to cut taxes & ignore the reality of climate change with wishes to privatise the NHS, bring back capital punishment & introduce US-style liberality on gun control, which I don’t believe many people in the UK would want.
Milliband is too hushed, certainly, but especially on economic issues due to the ineptitude or cowardice of his Balls/Umunna treasury team. I’ve come to the conclusion that they can’t be as inept as they seem, I think they actually want to lose the next election because they know what’s coming. I don’t like that attitude at all. When Obama took over the US looked like a basket case. You can’t run away, you’ve gotta step up to the plate!
I think Cameron trades on his natural liveability. Women like his ‘family guy’ image, men think he’d be an OK guy to have a pint & watch cricket with, but he’s a buffoon of no known ability, holding his post only because his years at Eton convinced him he was naturally the right man for the job.
Osborne reminds me of a Victorian sterotype, Mr Doasyouwouldbedoneby. His smirk as he announces benefit cuts betrays a complete inability to empathise with those born in circumstances other than his. For reasons I hope obvious, I don’t like the Shylock comparison at all.
Agree with Clegg & Bennett.
Galloway is the furious red-faced old farmer railing at the injustice of the world over his fence.
DARN! Typos again! Or else auto-correct.
My reference to Cameron’s “liveability” should be “likeability”.
There is no such word as “liveability”, the correct one would be “vitality” anyway, TBoMK no-one doubts Cameron is alive.
@ eriugenus
Sorry to say but “There is no such word as “liveability”” is not really correct. When I was a Councillor on the London Borough of Barnet, as Councillor for Hale Ward I had in my Ward a huge estate – since sold off for housing – which was called John Grooms – an admirable charity providing help and housing for the disabled. In the best fashion, the PR spinmeisters suggested the need for a new “meaningful” name, and came up with “Livability” (Nowhere near the disaster that was “Consignia” for the Royal Mail!!! – but still only so so).
And, irony of ironies, John Grooms has a care home in the Parish to which I am attached as a Reader – see http://www.livability.org.uk/service/john-grooms-court-norwich/
On your point – “I think they actually want to lose the next election because they know what’s coming.” – then the two Eds and Chuka are certifiable, as well as cowardly politicians, for there will be nothing left for Labour to manage in the economic “nuclear Winter” that the Tories are bent on implementing. They’ll be nice and snug in their secrecy jurisdiction bunkers and nuclear shelters, while the rest of us poor blighters will be scratching around in the ruins.
It’s my belief (and Peter Hain’s new book (see http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/peter-hain-labour-must-abandon-8482233) encourages me to believe) that Labour will shift ground as the General Election nears, and call the bluff off the “austerians”. God help us if they don’t!
I hope Peter Hain is right
He wrote an excellent article in the Guardian not long ago
I just wish he’d have said it in office
I have to say that I too agree with Andrew – I do hope that Labour pulls the rabbit out of the hat and just goes for it.
However, there are some big Blairite voices in the LP who just might spoil the party – Peter Mendaciouson (Mandelson) seemed to try to do his best to put his stick into Millibands’ spokes early this month and I’m sure he won’t be the last of the (new) Old Guard who should have been called ‘Unprincipled Labour’ – never ‘new’.
I have to say though that I will be watching carefully – and I still think that of all the party’s, the Greens are the most attractive to me.
You are not alone with that last sentiment
Miliband comes from the same stable as Cameron/Osbourne/Clegg et-al.
I have more empathy for Cameron than Miliband. At least he represents the people who put him where he is. Miliband takes union money and represents the same people who put Cameron into power.
It looks like Syriza got-in at the Greek election. A VERY CLEAR message to the likes of Miliband, whose party may go the same way as the Greek also-ran faux socialist party.