This morning's coffee after a walk resulted in a conversation with my wife that, in turn, resulted in these tweets:
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Buy me a coffee!
It’s a terrible choice.
In fact, it is not one.
Queuing for a prescription this morning, the Sun is reporting something is going to happen with prescription charges in the budget. Has anyone heard anything?
I pray that the Sun are wrong, but somehow I doubt it.
They are going the right way to ensure there is a wipeout for labour in many constituencies in 2029. I suspect that many will remember when it comes to voting next time. I suspect they are opening the door to extremism.
Never have the hopes of so many been dashed by so few so quickly.
The last tory government was considering phasing out free prescriptions for those between 60 and state pension age. I assume the current tory government will implement that. Or do away with the whole free prescription idea all together.
#RachelReeves current proposals remind me: “UK is an extremely low saving country relative to other high-income countries — to invest more, it is necessary also to save more” @MartinWolf_ @FT (Dec 05, 2023) https://www.ft.com/content/ba5dcd88-6c55-4053-bfdb-fb2552f4d61d
This is basically the neoliberal “savings = investment” analysis which ignores the role of credit (created by banks out of thin air). In a monetary economy, saving is not necessary prior to investment.
There is a lot Martin Wolf does not comprehend
Cock-up? Tony Blair thinks Grenfell, the Blood Scandal and the Post Office are cock-ups. Here is what he said, when asked specifically about these three damning indictment of Britsih Government:
“I don’t think you’re ever going to get a situation where decisions are perfectly taken in perfect circumstances and there aren’t accidents or tragedies that occur.” (Sky News, today)
Just note these words, we cannot rely on decisions being “perfectly taken in perfect circumstances”. Grenfell, the Blood Scandal and the Post Office, were nothing to do with “perfection”. but with long drawn out deceit, dishonesty, prevarication and systematic lying – over decades. By almost everyone. I use these words in the kindest way conceivable; because much of this public and private depravity of management and, yes Government was much, much worse. Blair’s words have already been described as “despicable” (Fire Brigade Union). They are despicable, because already the stones are being turned over, and the apologists for the abusers of the defenceless are crawling out. We are all going to drown now in a sea of lies; and hide again the honest glimpse we have had, of the base depravity of British society as it really is and of the British State (where life is supposed to be nasty, brutish, and from a public spending point of view; short).
Lest We Forget.
We badly need to remember a great deal more about sacrifice – than War.
Blair was sickening in that interview – which was little more than an advert for his so-called Institute and his new book. It was not news.
News has not been newsworthy for a long time. News today is about disseminating the ‘Lie Of The Day’ for the Single Transferable Party (which is formed in the creation of the daily News Agenda by the bought and paid for Press’s leading editorial scavengers and parasites).
Surely the most dedicated Treasury official y must ask themselves if 14 years of spending austerity has transformed a poorly performing economy and society into the wreckage that we have now , that more of the same will be a disaster?
At least the City seems to recognise the scale of what investment is needed to get out of this :
https://capitalmarketsindustrytaskforce.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Capital-Markets-Of-Tomorrow-report.pdf
The CIty reort doesn’t seem to recognise that doing it by trying to rejig the markets and giving more tax breaks for investment – ( much of which is just speculation) wont do it, but at least getting the scale of investment needed out there is a first step.
That must be a first requirement – and thats what Labour has steadfastly refused to acknowledge – even compared with Libdems and Greens.
Even the IFS said Labour have hamstrung themselves . Their economic narrative is already self destructing as they contemptlate reducing spending on essentials for the third of the population who can barely afford food and shelter from week to week – as they wait months or years for medical treatment.
Labour’sr hubris following their election victory – thinking it justified their efusal to engage with the many ‘alternative’ economists – including the Murphy clan here , Mazzucato, Pettifor, Sikka, Blanchflower etc etc – and which must have clouded their judgement when they hastily withdrew the winter warmth payments – is disappearing even quicker than some of us anticipated .
Unless they rethink before the October budget they look doomed
Chance of that? Near zero. They’re doomed…..