[Archived] Extra ! Extra ! Read All About It !

[Baz]

He's not gone because of the Welfare reforms (which he agreed to), it's down to Europe. He's been moaning about the 'fear campaigning' the remain campaign has been doing so far and yet he has come out with some ludicrous statements about the security of this country if we stay in Europe. The left will come to their own conclusion and ignore the Europe factor.

If remains win he would have gone anyway in a reshuffle, there was no way Cameron could have kept him in position.

That isn't what his statement says to me.

It says to me that he fundamentally disagrees with a program of ongoing budget cuts that are politically targetted away from the people most able to afford their loss, because they are Tory voters, and it's gotten to a point where even he cannot defend removing £3.5k a year from disabled people to pay for a tax cut for those earning over £40k.

I don't see Europe as part of this.

[dave birch]

That isn't what his statement says to me.

It says to me that he fundamentally disagrees with a program of ongoing budget cuts that are politically targetted away from the people most able to afford their loss, because they are Tory voters, and it's gotten to a point where even he cannot defend removing £3.5k a year from disabled people to pay for a tax cut for those earning over £40k.

I don't see Europe as part of this.

Baz, you could have been writing about our right wing christian fundamentalist government we have here in Australia. They won't go after those companies that avoid paying their fair share of tax, won't go after those that can afford to pay, but will cut $900,000 from a program that gives medical and other services for the homeless in Sydney. It now has to close.

Such is the apathy here, that they will probably get in at the next election on the back of middle class welfare.

We have a Prime Minister who is supposed to be small "L" liberal with some feeling towards those less fortunate, but he is hamstrung by those shameless christian fundamentalists, and he won't upset them because his main aim is to remain Prime minister.

[RibbleValleyRover]

IDS agreed with the PIP shake up (they were conceived in his department) but when there was discussion at cabinet that they would look at scrapping the idea (which is in Cameron's letter and journos have reported other sources that say it's going to be dropped) he then decided to resign. If people are going to say he has gone over PIP changes it's not because the government was going to force them but instead drop them.

Look at an article in the New Statesman tonight (not a Tory supporting paper):

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/welfare/2016/03/think-iain-duncan-smiths-resignation-masterstroke-sadly-hes-not-clever

The opening paragraph says it all:

Iain Duncan Smith spent five years in the Cabinet not resigning over cuts to disabled people's payments that did happen, before resigning over that one that won't happen. The proposed cuts to the Personal Independence Payment had already been called off following a public revolt by Conservative backbenchers, and news that the cut will be cancelled arrived in journalists' inboxes long before Duncan Smith's resignation did.

[Baz]

IDS agreed with the PIP shake up (they were conceived in his department) but when there was discussion at cabinet that they would look at scrapping the idea (which is in Cameron's letter and journos have reported other sources that say it's going to be dropped) he then decided to resign. If people are going to say he has gone over PIP changes it's not because the government was going to force them but instead drop them.

Look at an article in the New Statesman tonight (not a Tory supporting paper):

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/welfare/2016/03/think-iain-duncan-smiths-resignation-masterstroke-sadly-hes-not-clever

The opening paragraph says it all:

I don't buy that, why would he resign if the government decided not to implement budget cuts he wanted? In that case he wouldnt have been asked to find the savings, or at worst told he was making too drastic cuts, which isn't a resignation matter. He's been given a free vote on Europe, and similar to other cabinet members, he could have decided without threat his own position.

Just looks like a Osborne debriefing to journos to me.

[Baz]

Baz, you could have been writing about our right wing christian fundamentalist government we have here in Australia. They won't go after those companies that avoid paying their fair share of tax, won't go after those that can afford to pay, but will cut $900,000 from a program that gives medical and other services for the homeless in Sydney. It now has to close.

Such is the apathy here, that they will probably get in at the next election on the back of middle class welfare.

We have a Prime Minister who is supposed to be small "L" liberal with some feeling towards those less fortunate, but he is hamstrung by those shameless christian fundamentalists, and he won't upset them because his main aim is to remain Prime minister.

It's scandalous really, in the case of the UK you could almost dictate the policy as contravening the disability discrimination act.

The cuts in corporation tax is directed to try to persuade global companies to base themselves here rather than in Germany/ France etc... But ignores the fact that these companies seem to have a right to negotiate their tax rate anyway.

Stands to reason for me, that we cannot run a low tax economy (as seems wanted by Osborne/ Cameron / Johnson), lower tax rates for the better off, and have top class public services and the NHS.

With this budget I find myself £80 a year better off as the starting point for tax banding is raised. I know Im possibly in the minority on here, but Id much sooner that money go to support disabled people and the NHS, and so should every other person getting this.

[BiggusLaddus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35849065

I think this article has it right:

*He was asked to make cuts for the budget

*He reluctantly agreed but was annoyed when he found out about the capital gains tax cuts

*His dept were then ordered to publicly support the cuts and take a hard line

*Other ministers then start coming out with a softer line before it becomes clear that the cuts will be dropped.

I strongly suspect that IDS had been cut out of the loop within the government because of his support for Brexit. If that is the case then this situation would make his position untenable.

But fair pay to him for actually walking and not just keeping his mouth shut.

[K-Hod]

I must admit, the cynic in me tells me IDS has resigned over Europe and used this as a cover to make himself look better...

[Paul]

He's not gone because of the Welfare reforms (which he agreed to), it's down to Europe. n.

I don't know if this is correct or not as all I've read so far is the piece above when it popped up in my Guardian app. However as Baz said if you can @&£" off IDS you must have it wrong. I'm pleased to see a senior Tory telling Cameron and Osborne where they've gone wrong.

I'm no supporter of cuts to disability benefits but strangely in this case, again I've not seen detail and as yet I've not had to deal with a PIP, IF as I've seen reported this is about equipment purchase costs I can see the point to an extent.

However this government has already savaged services to the disadvantage and if the latest round of cuts, regardless of why the money is currently paid, reduced income it has to be stopped.

The public are often blind to the cost of cuts. For example a few weeks ago LCC, a significant user of local community care provided by the NHS, announced its annual budget. Within 48 hours local NHS trusts reopened the Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS). This scheme is effectively a redundancy package but cannot be called such. Applicants receive a sliding scale of tax free payouts to leave the NHS by March 31st.

So LCC makes cuts in social care, the NHS loses the business then pays out £0000s to senior, experienced staff who simply leave and are lost to public care. Anyone want to show me the sense in that. An understaffed NHS offering redundancy to people with 25,30 or more years experience when front line staff are at an absolute premium??

Ever wondered why Trusts employ agency staff and overseas staff? Partly because we are paying off UK employed people to balance a paper budget which is going to fail before it even begins.

It's all well and good supporting a government making these cuts but at least understand cuts in one area often cost money in another.

Another example for people, especially younger folk, are midwives. Are you aware a whole generation of midwives is missing? Underfunding of training decades back results in a gap between the younger less experienced staff and those retiring now. Whether that lack of funding is from Labour or Conservative administrations I don't know. What is clear as a nation we are not prepared to fund the services we demand and then criticise when it falls short of expectation.

What is needed is higher taxation to fund services and borrowing for investment. Our current situation is like living off a credit card and the wheels will come off at some point.

[ABBEY]

higher taxes? no thanks I pay plenty as it is .

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Did I read somewhere that the countries were the population is happiest are the countries with the highest rates of tax ?

[Mike E]

Did I read somewhere that the countries were the population is happiest are the countries with the highest rates of tax ?

Makes sense to me. Any country that looks after the vulnerable while still allowing higher earners to enjoy the fruit of their labours is bound to be happy.

Finland being a smashing example of what a proper government can do to help all its people.

[Stuart]

Did I read somewhere that the countries were the population is happiest are the countries with the highest rates of tax ?

Depends what the tax money is being spent on.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Depends what the tax money is being spent on.

Yeah, more money needs putting in to a cure for sciatica.

[Audax]

Who gets your spuds boiling? Wasn't their a thread called that? Here's a model that if one sits through the short film, one might find interesting and no, it's not what you think it will be.

http://www.rferl.org/media/video/ukraine-model/27612614.html

[Dean]

It's disturbing to me that this Tory governments (with a majority of less than 10 MPs) only effective opposition appears to be the House of Lords, and themselves.

The Labour Party leadership should be ashamed of themselves.

What does that mean? Labour's response to the appalling budget was very good.

[joey_big_nose]

Its beginning to feel like the conservatives are getting very very vulnerable.

Labour need to move on and get someone more centerist in. They could be making huge gains but McDonnell and Corbyn are stifling them.

[Baz]

What does that mean? Labour's response to the appalling budget was very good.

So good that not one news bulletin covered, or newspaper lauded it?

[Dean]

So good that not one news bulletin covered, or newspaper lauded it?

The vast majority of the media are Conservative, of course they won't report it. I think The Mirror ran it on their front page though.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

So good that not one news bulletin covered, or newspaper lauded it?

That's a surprise ! Turkey's don't vote for Christmas.

[JAL]

https://www.nao.org....-uk-banks-faqs/

.......and it was taxpayers money ( our money, my money) that saved the banks. Think I've already mentioned that

So you find a website that has "the government, public sector and taxes in the same sentence" and you think that proves some sort of point ?

Then you do a bit more research and find a couple of " hilarious emojos " You're a real comedian

You were doing better when you cut and pasted MacRoberts

So to Whom does this country owe £1.5 trillion too please ?

[jim mk2]

That's a surprise ! Turkey's don't vote for Christmas.

The Conservative-voting turkeys in Lancashire love Christmas with all the welfare cuts for the poorest trimmings and tax cuts for corporations on top.

[JAL]

Edit

[Baz]

So theres a £4.4bn black hole in the budget, Osborne hasnt got the bottle to turn up to answer questions about the budget reversal, Crabb has said there will be no more welfare cuts by this government, but theres more undisclosed welfare cuts already in last weeks budget. Crabb is refusing to answer if the 'no more welfare cuts' include the those, or not.

Absolute shambles.

[Audax]

Cold kills or causes death, I have no doubt but 9,000 people per winter (2014/2015), I doubt it.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35862763

Cold homes caused 9,000 deaths last winter, study suggests

An estimated 9,000 people died last winter in England and Wales as a result of living in a cold home, a university study has suggested.

It found a fifth of the 43,900 excess winter deaths in 2014-2015 were caused by low indoor temperatures, BBC Panorama has learned.

Cold homes increase the risk of respiratory infections, heart attacks and strokes, the researchers said.

Ministers say £1m has been invested to help those who are ill from cold homes.

'Entirely preventable'

The University College London (UCL) study calculated that 9,000 deaths was the highest number for 15 years.

Also, this rather moving story:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35834733

Fuel poverty: An anatomy of a cold home

[Paul]

Cold kills or causes death, I have no doubt but 9,000 people per winter (2014/2015), I doubt it.

Why doubt it? Modern medicine is very good at finding the cause of illness. The causes of death described in the report are very typical of illness associated with cold and damp.