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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Labour’s deficit in the cuts “blame game” tracker drops to
politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Labour’s deficit in the cuts “blame game” tracker drops to just 4 points
One of the non-voting trackers that I’ve been monitoring closely since the coalition was formed in May 2010 has been the above one from YouGov on who is to blame for the cuts.
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This attitude is also prevalent in the media (especially BBC ) . Why do people assume everyone thinks government spending should be as much as possible?
City AM was listing some of the socialist measures that have made Venezuela such a basket case.
Amazing how similar they are to what ed is proposing. Very depressing, really.
The change Mike notes might simply reflect the fact that 'the cuts' are a lower-salience issue than before, as voters get used to the idea that, with good management, the public finances can indeed be improved without the four horsemen of the Apocalypse laying waste to the land. In fact, no-one has much noticed 'the cuts', satisfaction with public services having actually increased.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_oligarch#Oligarchs_during_Putin.27s_presidency
(badly written as it is.)
To be fair, some Conservatives were still harping on about the "Winter of Discontent" well into the 1990s.
I finally got to read Brogan's article about Cameron and the Coalition. The line has always been from Nick Clegg that the two parties would fight the 2015 GE as independent competing entities so nothing Cameron says now should surprise. I would imagine that Cameron dismissed talk of a Coalition before 2010 but he was more than willing to create the Coalition less than 24 hours after the polls closed.
The Conservatives are fighting to win an overall majority next year - fair enough. So are Labour of course - again, no problem. To take any other position risks undermining your supporters and your activists.
Stodge's Fifth Law of Politics states that the pavement of politics is littered with the manifestos of defeated parties and the promises of victorious ones.
Mr. Away, indeed. On the other hand, Caligula became emperor (Caligula means little boot, or little military sandal. His real name was Gaius).
And why the nice-to-have gimmicks at party conferences such as free school meals and marriage tax breaks are dangerous as they undermine the rationale of the Goverment.
And why talking about top rates of income tax is toxic.
The Government must resist the temptation for giveaways in the budget, or I'd have them trailing on this measure by the summer.
Presumably heading down a 'casualty of war' instead of 'murder' approach?
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/26/nick-clegg-condemns-minority-coalition-talk
I still maintain Clegg's stance of trying to mark out the Lib Dems as, above all, a party which is just interested in staying in government and will do deals with either party, is a spectacular misfire. Forget the micro-policy details of whether his policies appeal to 2010 Lib Dem voters -- the most important thing is that this sends out a signal to everyone (whatever their politicial views) that Clegg is simply a careerist who just wants to keep his snout in the trough rather than having a burning desire to fight for any principles, and that is a fatal perception for any politician/party in this age of people being so cynical about politics in the first place.
Is that David Gottleib, again?
Depends what you mean by a giveaway. If it means giving people more of their own money back, or getting rid of double taxes like stamp duty on starter homes I would disagree completely.
If it was me I'd move all the stamp duty thresholds up 100 grand, except maybe the very top one.
Getting allocated that case is the bar's equivalent of a hospital pass. Not much he can do, really, but he has to (and of course should) try.
Could be Telegraph readers, PB Unionists & Heffer fans blaming it all on Salmond for his three line 'Yours for Scotland' note to Goodwin?
A very good point, Mr 565. Whether Clegg's stance will be quite as fatal as you think (and it deserves) is a moot point. Frankly, I doubt it but the opinion polls give cause for hope.
I am with Brian Clough on this one who hated shortened or slang names and that was for footballers!!
Lots of people call me Dave, my mum calls me David, my wife calls me Dave, I don't really notice what people call me.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Cameron
http://www.election.demon.co.uk/ge1997.html
http://www.election.demon.co.uk/ge2001.html
2. Mitigating isn't defending.
It was Yeltsin who allowed the oligarchs to develop their powerbases. OK, it may have been an excusable consequence of rapid transition to a free market economy, but it was the oligarchs who ended up returning Yeltsin to power.
When Putin gradually took over he had to bring the Yeltsin oligarchs into line which he did slowly and effectively by returning the core raw material extraction industry assets to state ownership. The oligarchs who complied with Putin ended up rich exiles (Abramovich). Those who challenged his power ended up in jail (Khodorkovsky).
And Putin is not a typically corrupt Soviet style carpet bagger (at least by comparison with his predecessors and peers throughout the FSU). You won't find a string of Presidential yachts and many palaces built in his name (there is one on the Black Sea) and he doesn't flaunt his personal wealth, although to be fair a Russia President will always have access to any comfort desired.
In addition his family do not run half the industry in the country. By Russian standards (I stress again this is relative), Putin is an austere and self-denying leader. His stand against Yuri Luzhkov, Moscow's all powerful Mayor with a wife who ran the private property development industry in Moscow, was a model of the 'principled' power accretion.
Putin is by no means a saint and his exercise of power can be childish and boorish. He is also not an 'enlightened' leader in the mould of the Catherine the Great who spent her waking hours corresponding with Voltaire. He cultivates the well established image of a Russian "muzhik": a sort of man of the people. This is part a projection of KGB calculation but also undoubtedly part genuine.
For all the faults of Putin's administration, he is undoubtedly popular and respected in Russia. He may want to appear fearless but there is too much of the rational analyst in him to be foolhardy.
If he moves into the Ukraine it will not be to conquer or divide but to obtain the best hand at the poker table.
I shall need a broader chest to display them all.
This is the third you have awarded me.
10-20 years ago, yes, I'd agree. Messrs Cook, Brown, Murphy, Dewar, Smith etc. etc. Plenty key MPs from Scots constituencies (I use this rather than 'Scots MPs' for obvious reasons).
But now? I can only think of Douglas Alexander, Jim Murphy and Margaret Curran in the Shadow Cabinet, and Ms Curran's post (Sec of S for Scotland) would evaporate anyway with a Yes (eventually), while only Mr Alexander has a major post. Other than that, it's just subscriptions and lobby fodder that Scotland provides Mr Miliband, useful as those few dozen MPs are. And it's a good question whether Labour would not lose seats even after a No vote.
"The UK recovery is broadening as rising confidence gets firms investing again. Today’s second estimate of GDP left headline growth unchanged at 0.7% qoq in Q4 2013, but showed rising investment intentions are now feeding through to the hard data with business investment up 2.4% qoq in Q4. Large revisions to the back data mean that business investment is now estimated to have risen for four consecutive quarters and by more than 4% in the past six months. These early expenditure estimates are extremely unreliable, especially for investment, so we need to take the story with a pinch of salt. But rising capital expenditure fits with strong survey readings, so is likely to be describing the reality and bodes well for this year. The recovery is broadening out and with firms’ optimism in the recovery rising rapidly, 2014 is likely to see growth gradually gaining momentum."
I think what matters more is that the Conservatives will have no problems portraying themselves as tough (for the purposes of negotiation with Scotland), whereas Labour will. There's also the serious possibility the electorate will wonder what will happen if we have a Labour majority due to Scottish seats. I can't see the English being thrilled at that possibility.
I wonder if Adebolajo's counsel is as crass as he sounds?
http://tinyurl.com/phmyvft
Wonder which (conflicted) PBer this is?
'JamesB0nd • an hour ago
Racist buffoon.
Can't wait to watch you lose your stupid referendum Alex. I'll enjoy watching you humiliated, even though I'd love you to be booted out of the union along with your collapsed banks and your dole-sucking nation of schemies.'
Cuts are not a menu option at a three rosette restaurant.
By the third year of the next parliamentary term the UK will be paying £75 billion a year in debt interest, That will be higher than any departmental spending except Health and Work and Pensions.
And that figure is based on current plans for further cuts in public spending.
So there is no choice for the next government. It is cut or die.
Given the lack of options we might as well have a government which understands and believes in the need for further austerity.
If the electorate get their decision wrong, then the bill of £75 bn a year will soon appear a distant fond memory.
We cannot afford a Labour government SO.
Kazakhstan greatest country in the world.
All other countries are run by little girls.
Kazakhstan number one exporter of potassium.
Other countries have inferior potassium.
Kazakhstan home of Tinshein swimming pool.
It’s length thirty meter and width six meter.
Filtration system a marvel to behold.
It remove 80 percent of human solid waste.
Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan you very nice place.
From Plains of Tarashek to northern fence of Jewtown.
Kazakhstan friend of all except Uzbekistan.
They very nosey people with bone in their brain.
Kazakhstan industry best in the world.
We invented toffee and trouser belt.
Kazakhstan’s prostitutes cleanest in the region.
Except of course Turkmenistan’s
Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan you very nice place.
From Plains of Tarashek to northern fence of Jewtown.
Come grasp the mighty penis of our leader.
From junction with the testes to tip of its face!
A question is whether EWNI voters would have forgotten about Scottish independence come GE2015 - but that won't happen for the reasons you say, unless some sort of fudge is sorted out (and I can't see the Tories being too keen to help out Mr Miliband).
The Treasury further argued that the UK is the continuing state in international law, and so Scotland is not entitled to a share of the Bank of England, among other things.
Either Salmond has been badly advised on the consequences of this, is ignoring the advice he gets.....or is only listening to the advice he wants to hear...... Adam Tomkins, John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow
http://notesfromnorthbritain.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/the-hidden-costs-of-independence/
It'll fly through.
The currency union Salmond favours will mean the rUK having a controlling say over an independent Scotland's expenditure. His Plan B means that an independent Scotland would be unable to raise money on international markets except at exorbitant rates. A separate Scottish currency would also mean a number of years of reduced expenditure as the international markets assess Scotland's long-term prospects, viability and trustworthiness. And that leaves the Euro, which is dependent on EU membership and, moving forward, will also mean significant controls on what the Scottish government can spend. The entire article is utterly disingenuous. But then Salmond is first and foremost a nationalist. He would prefer to live in an independent Scotland where public spending is lower than it is now, than to live in a Scotland that is part of the UK.
You can keep the other Rachel.
PC Keith Wallis is now just Keith Wallis.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26358662
In slightly surprising news, a second PC, James Glanville, has been dismissed without notice over the Plebgate affair. Who he?
We'll let you know when you can put the posts down.
[Sorry LBS, mistook you for compouter]
I said today will be my last day, and it will. Why you find this so hard to grasp I do not know.
I doubt it would be sellable. I can't see a scenario under which Scotland will have more money for public spending than it has now. The only realistic way Scotland can see an increase in public spending is to remain part of the UK. For avowed nationalists, though, the symbolism of independence trumps all else.
Inside the US army's museum storage facility, which includes many works of art:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/inside-the-armys-spectacular-hidden-treasure-room
(A double flounce in less than 6 months must be a new pb record).
From what I've read poor kids are more likely to be going to school obese than starving.
And then:
"For over 140 years to ethics and values of The Co-operative Bank have set us apart."
Arf. More like "We are the same as the others, and just kidded people we were different"
On more positive news, they are going to be improving their on-line banking (which last time we used it was terrible - but we haven't used it for six months or so because it was so bad).
Yet children in Africa who do not know if there will be a next meal are in school on time without the need for truancy officers!!
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7a9637e6-9d80-11e3-a599-00144feab7de.html#ixzz2uRkFdVUk
But what does (Professor) John Kay know? Perhaps we should ask Salmond - he used to advise him after all....
I sometimes wonder what Britain would be like if, one morning, everybody woke up with the slightly mental patriotism of Romans during the Second Punic War. The enervation of prosperity is something rarely discussed, but something we should all be aware of.
It's interesting that there are plenty of poster boys for the welfare reformists. Mick Philpott, White Dee etc.
We have yet to see a poster boy for the keep the taps on left. Can't Rochdale Pioneer and co. dig up a few Oliver Twists? People do seem to personalise this...
http://news.sky.com/story/1217741/katy-perry-accused-of-blasphemy-in-new-video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIaORknS1Dk
A lot more walking and cycling would happen.
So waistlines would decrease within 6 months.
Meanwhile, Sir Tom used an article in the Sunday Times to urge Mr Salmond to back down over his refusal to name a Plan B currency.
This could include joining the euro, adopting a new currency or using the pound in the same way Panama uses the US dollar. However, the latter would mean Scotland have no central bank, control over monetary policy or lender of last resort.
“It is entirely disingenuous of our First Minister to say to us Scots, ‘don’t worry, it’ll be all right on the night’. This is the biggest decision we will ever take; we can’t take it on a wing and a prayer,” he said.
“At the very least Scots need a Plan B that is understandable, costed and feasible so we know what to expect if Plan A doesn’t work.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10551676/Ed-Miliband-warns-Scots-no-currency-union-if-I-am-Prime-Minister.html
Salmond's problem here is that there is no currency option that in the short or medium term would allow public spending in Scotland to be higher - or even the same as - it is now. Thus, obfuscation and attacking the messenger are the only viable options he has on this issue.
I would say that the link between food bank usage and obesity was, at best, tenuous in the extreme.
I would add, also, that the link if any, would be between the demand for food-banks and obesity, and the actual number of food-banks correlates poorly with demand. (It would be pushing reality in the extreme to suggest that back in 2006 only a handful of families would have used a food-bank if one had been available.)
Then again, I'm in the rather odd position of not especially liking food (or, at least, liking it far less than everyone else). The idea of comfort eating makes as little sense to me as comfort stabbing yourself in the face with a stanley knife.
Mr. Carnyx, I imagine the Secret Blog of Procopius (a long time later, but still) could be quite entertaining.
The concept of the state being a very real core of identity rather than a thing that happens to be where you're living for the moment is interesting. Once loyalty began to shift to generals and then emperors the ideals of republican Rome disintegrated and the empire crumbled.
I do wonder, should Scotland leave, whether we'll see a resurgence of the British/English identity (and whether England, Wales and Northern Ireland would hang together).
That is likely true, but I recall Brown using the 'blame the last Conservative government' rhetoric 13 years after they were last in power, so I doubt the Coalition will drop attacks on the topic.
Perhaps. And of course, whether it is rational or not, or good for rUK or not, was never the whole point, nor did it mean the threat of the unionist parties was bluff. Even if the Nats were totally right on everything they said about it, that wouldn't mean they would agree (that none of them do makes me more likely to accept their word that they genuinely don't think it is a good idea)