Politics Today

[elginCity]

I should have added that we have a problem with low growth and productivity and something needs to be done about that. In fairness this is what Truss/Kwarteng say they are aiming to cure but even if the diagnosis is right I don't think the correct medicine has been identified.

Voluntarily putting up trade barriers to our largest trading partner, the higher costs and loss of competitiveness, has contributed to 'the problem'. Something needs to be done, you say. Do you have a particularly effective medicine in mind, other than the obvious which wouldn't please you ?

 

[DB9]

Voluntarily putting up trade barriers to our largest trading partner, the higher costs and loss of competitiveness, has contributed to 'the problem'. Something needs to be done, you say. Do you have a particularly effective medicine in mind, other than the obvious which wouldn't please you ?

Workers work longer hours, Cut most workers rights, Slash benefits for those that need them, Cut public spending to keep people like Tax payers Alliance happy, The list is endless for the "Medicine"

 

[elginCity]

Workers work longer hours, Cut most workers rights, Slash benefits for those that need them, Cut public spending to keep people like Tax payers Alliance happy, The list is endless for the "Medicine"

Some on that list might help growth and productivity, equally it could be counterproductive. Thing is, in order to sell more goods and services you need a market, and customers prepared to buy.

 

[Grecian2K]

I very much doubt it. The Conservative Party faces the prospect of going into the next election with a leader who has demonstrably failed as a Prime Minister and who the majority of her own MPs think is not up to the job. This is utterly unprecedented

The latest Savanta Poll for the Independent (taken over last weekend) seems to bear this out

Voters judged the Tories to be:
financially reckless rather than prudent by a margin of 53-24 per cent,
incompetent rather than competent by 55-26,
dishonest rather than honest by 56-20 and
divided rather than united by 62-21.

Some 68 per cent said they were out of touch with ordinary people, against 19 per cent who said they were in touch.
And 53 per cent said their policies were not driven by the UK’s national interest, compared to 30 per cent who said they were.

Alarmingly for party bosses, even among Tory voters, 54 per cent said they were divided, 54 per cent out-of-touch, 36 per cent financially reckless and 32 per cent incompetent.

Sets up next week's conference nicely!

Still doubtless Dizzi and KamiKwasi will still have some deluded acolytes (not least on this board) who will still be swearing blind that they are the best government evah!

 

[Mr Jinx]

I'll be £30 a month better off according to https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php How many people will have lost more than that on the utility price rise tomorrow? My wife will be £15 a month better off, but again wiped out by the utility rise.
I cannot see any extra spending for the vast majority of UK people.

Yes, but you would've seen the utility rise anyway, so you're still £30 a month better off than you would've been.

 

[Grecian2K]

Yes, but you would've seen the utility rise anyway, so you're still £30 a month better off than you would've been.

That's the spirit Jinxy!
Puts me in mind of the (very old!) joke concerning the bloke who was told by his doctor that he only has a few days left to live.
"But look on the bright side", said the medic. "At least it's springtime so the days are getting longer."

 

[angelic upstart]

Yes, but you would've seen the utility rise anyway, so you're still £30 a month better off than you would've been.

Yes, it means that myself and probably millions of others can put the heating on for a couple of extra evenings, which we wouldn't have before. Works out (very roughly) at £4 a day to have the heating for us now. This time last year it was about £1 a day.
Arguably, it'll cost the govt short term.

Either way, it wont help the economy.

 

[tavyred]

The Netherlands posts 17% inflation.
Bleddy Truss’s mini-budget has a lot to answer for!

 

[Mr Jinx]

The Netherlands posts 17% inflation.
Bleddy Truss’s mini-budget has a lot to answer for!

If tax cuts aren't the solution, perhaps they should put taxes up over there?!

 

[Mr Jinx]

Yes, it means that myself and probably millions of others can put the heating on for a couple of extra evenings, which we wouldn't have before. Works out (very roughly) at £4 a day to have the heating for us now. This time last year it was about £1 a day.
Arguably, it'll cost the govt short term.

Either way, it wont help the economy.

Well, at least you sound a bit grateful. I have a list of charities that the likes of G2k and art can donate their extra pay to.

One argument I heard is cutting taxes just puts more money into the public's pockets so that there's more to spend which will increase inflation further. If that's the case, and using that argument, perhaps we should increase taxes to keep inflation down. It's poppycock.