[Politics] Chancellor Philip Hammond's Spring Statement

[vegster]

Leave the party politics aside for a moment, and just LISTEN to the tone of the debate, the catcalls, the jeers, the interruptions, the shouting, the frequent and increasingly desperate cries of "Order, ORDER!" from the Speaker.

The House of Commons is no longer fit for purpose as a building or as chamber for debate, and the MPs that sit there need to have a long, hard look at themselves.

There are many who think Nigel Farage is a hero for exhibiting those same " Emotions " when standing up and insulting members of the European Parliament ?

 

[portslade seagull]

What a depressing Spring Statement.

Hammond treating us like idiots, listing and twisting the good stuff whilst completely ignoring the bad stuff.

As an accountant I am obliged to produce financial statements that are true and fair, and I believe the Chancellor should do the same on the economy. Listening to his speech you would never know that the public sector finances are in crisis, retail jobs are in crisis, we have long-standing rubbish productivity or that we're bottom of the G7 for growth with what little growth there is in the UK due to us riding on the coat-tails of other economies.

I don't begrudge him mentioning some good stuff like the rise in the Personal Allowance, low unemployment etc but be grown up about it and get some balance.

I hate the House of Commons as a chamber. It is confrontational, archaic, like some public school debating society with lame humour, sycophancy and boorish behaviour to the fore.

Do any of them tell the real truth. We are just puppets born to obey regardless of whom is in power

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

If he forces IR35 onto private sector contractors in Apr-19 as he did for public sector contractors in Apr-17 that could force me into early retirement - I'm only 57 ....

 

[sir albion]

Great that the economy is going so well hopefully the government can pass some of this cash on to local councils, schools and the NHS which don’t seem to be operating quite as well as they should be.

Looking forward to this fiscal growth actually helping ordinary people.

Agree although clearly it doesn't matter how good the economy is going as we still have huge cuts and this tells you that the money is going elsewhere and probably abroad to numerous places.

With our economy we shouldn't be having austerity cuts end of.....
I'd dread to think what the cuts will be like when the economy eventually slows down

 

[sahel]

Very few countries run a budget surplus and those that do are generally oil rich. The vast majority run a deficit, it's normal economics.

Prior to the financial crisis the majority of people didn't even think about "the deficit". The worldwide disaster caused by derivatives and the sub prime US housing market focused people's minds on economic affairs and gave the party who wasn't in power the opportunity to blame the one that was. Since then "cutting the deficit" and "living within our means" and all the other bullshit analogies about splurging on a credit card and having to pay it back etc have been used to advance a false argument.

It's an ideological argument not a financial one and the ideology is to screw public services, the poor, small businesses and middle income people as much as possible before they eventually snap and vote you out.

Everything else is bluster, smoke and mirrors. You've clearly fallen for the charade as have many millions of people. Doesn't make it true though.

John Redwood, that well known socialist, let the cat out of the bag last week when he wrote that he had realised years ago that the deficit did not matter. You are right of course - "deficit reduction" was a political not an economic strategy and the awful thing is that as such it worked. Have people, I wonder, yet realised that a country is NOT like a household!! ?

 

[Grombleton]

There are many who think Nigel Farage is a hero for exhibiting those same " Emotions " when standing up and insulting members of the European Parliament ?

Thankfully, the majority think he is a **** devoid of any worth or value. But i get what you mean.

 

[nicko31]

What a depressing Spring Statement.

Hammond treating us like idiots, listing and twisting the good stuff whilst completely ignoring the bad stuff.

As an accountant I am obliged to produce financial statements that are true and fair, and I believe the Chancellor should do the same on the economy. Listening to his speech you would never know that the public sector finances are in crisis, retail jobs are in crisis, we have long-standing rubbish productivity or that we're bottom of the G7 for growth with what little growth there is in the UK due to us riding on the coat-tails of other economies.

I don't begrudge him mentioning some good stuff like the rise in the Personal Allowance, low unemployment etc but be grown up about it and get some balance.

I hate the House of Commons as a chamber. It is confrontational, archaic, like some public school debating society with lame humour, sycophancy and boorish behaviour to the fore.

You speak the facts that some on here refuse to accept

 

[drew]

"A new tech business is being created in the UK every hour"

"More jobs, rising real wages, higher employment, and shrinking debt"

Did he say how many fail? There are 8760 hours in each year so that doesn't sound that many businesses!. Could be a bod sitting in his/her bedroom starting a business on the dream of one App! How many of those are successful and still going after a year?

 

[clapham_gull]

"Income inequality lower than at any time under the last Labour government"

The rich got slightly more poorer than the poor

 

[mikeyjh]

Only the Tories could celebrate the state of the economy and hint at an end to austerity on the same day they voted against giving free school meals for 1 million poor children. Nasty? Yes.

 

[BLOCK F]

Leave the party politics aside for a moment, and just LISTEN to the tone of the debate, the catcalls, the jeers, the interruptions, the shouting, the frequent and increasingly desperate cries of "Order, ORDER!" from the Speaker.

The House of Commons is no longer fit for purpose as a building or as chamber for debate, and the MPs that sit there need to have a long, hard look at themselves.

Bit like NSC, then!

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Let's not get too chipper:

An extra 1.5 million children will have been pitched into poverty by 2021 as a consequence of the government’s austerity programme, according to a study of the impact of tax and benefit policy by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

 

[ManOfSussex]

Only the Tories could celebrate the state of the economy and hint at an end to austerity on the same day they voted against giving free school meals for 1 million poor children. Nasty? Yes.

Very - 7,400 kids in East Sussex will lose a free school meal as a result.

Of course The DUP voted with The Tories on this, but Northern Ireland and the fruits of its magic money tree are protected from the cut.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Let's not get too chipper:

An extra 1.5 million children will have been pitched into poverty by 2021 as a consequence of the government’s austerity programme, according to a study of the impact of tax and benefit policy by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

I think you'll find that is completely acceptable under the heading "everybody has to do their bit" and don't forget the number of lucky people in low paid jobs who now pay no tax at all under the Conservatives...

Don't anyone take [MENTION=36]Titanic[/MENTION] too seriously. He is deliberately defending the indefensible most of the time but it does help pass the hours on NSC...

 

[beorhthelm]

Only the Tories could celebrate the state of the economy and hint at an end to austerity on the same day they voted against giving free school meals for 1 million poor children. Nasty? Yes.

ever feel mugged off when politians and interest groups highlight half a story? i know i do. this might give some perspective, if you want. quality line could apply to most stories on budget cuts "It’s about comparing two future, hypothetical scenarios, one of which is more generous than the other."

 

[BLOCK F]

ever feel mugged off when politians and interest groups highlight half a story? i know i do. this might give some perspective, if you want. quality line could apply to most stories on budget cuts "It’s about comparing two future, hypothetical scenarios, one of which is more generous than the other."

Link to a good balanced article, Beo.
I wonder how many Tory bashers will bother to read or comment on it.

 

[mikeyjh]

ever feel mugged off when politians and interest groups highlight half a story? i know i do. this might give some perspective, if you want. quality line could apply to most stories on budget cuts "It’s about comparing two future, hypothetical scenarios, one of which is more generous than the other."

I've read all about it, yes thank you. Hence while you read my post and realise that is 100% correct.