A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
Can you imagine how successful the SNP would have been had they won the referendum... then were not allowed to leave!!!!
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
Yes, it would be SNP 2015 on steroids if the government went into the next general election committed to staying in the EU and overturning the referendum result, Farage would probably end up PM!
It would tear the Tory Party apart and the leader of the Leave Tories whether it be David Davis or Boris Johnson or anyone else would be PM.
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
Can you imagine how successful the SNP would have been had they won the referendum... then were not allowed to leave!!!!
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
Correct and I speak as a remain voter! They just come across as bad losers and arrogant to boot!
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
Can you imagine how successful the SNP would have been had they won the referendum... then were not allowed to leave!!!!
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
Yes, it would be SNP 2015 on steroids if the government went into the next general election committed to staying in the EU and overturning the referendum result, Farage would probably end up PM!
Not so, actually - since they'd never do that unless there were incontrovertible proof the public had massively turned in that direction (which, of course, is improbable for reasons that have been gone into enough).
Having had a day to think about it, I think the government should do a U-turn but at the same time cancel Osborne's Class 4 elimination. No rise in NI, but also no cuts for anyone. I don't think the party should break manifesto commitments so lightly.
No one was bothered when Osborne put up my NI and broke the manifesto pledge.
I thought it had already been established by others on here that he didn't.
That said I don't consider this to be a broken manifesto pledge. We have a new post Brexit administration in place and I don't believe that they should be bound by the manifesto pledges made by a PM who is no longer even an MP.
Then go and get a new mandate with a new manifesto. The old mandate didn't include raising taxes, breaking that basic promise (especially for such a small amount of money) is a poor idea, all things considered.
How many times do you need this explained to you?
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
The government and Conservative party won it's electoral mandate with the 2015 manifesto. That's what I voted for and my representative in Enfield Southgate (David Burrowes) campaigned on it. It didn't include grammar schools, raising NI or T-Levels. The voters are getting something different to what we voted for in 2015. We elected the government to carry out it's manifesto, the elected government has reneged on some of those commitments and one very big one, it now needs a new election to renew it's mandate for the new programme. The leader's mandate is completely different to the government and party's mandate to govern
If we had new GEs every time there was some major change in position (and plenty seem to be saying this is not that big a change), we'd rarely stop having them, it is simply not practical.
No, but then I don't think parties should break their manifesto commitments so lightly. The Lib Dems getting punished for breaking their ones was heartening because it showed the people understood that breaking those basic promises was not acceptable. With Corbyn in charge of Labour, that punishment won't come. That's why Phil and Theresa are able to cut the 2015 manifesto loose and just ignore what they want to.
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
Can you imagine how successful the SNP would have been had they won the referendum... then were not allowed to leave!!!!
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
Yes, it would be SNP 2015 on steroids if the government went into the next general election committed to staying in the EU and overturning the referendum result, Farage would probably end up PM!
Not so, actually - since they'd never do that unless there were incontrovertible proof the public had massively turned in that direction (which, of course, is improbable for reasons that have been gone into enough).
It is almost certainly a hypothetical yes, even the likes of Osborne and Clegg have not gone so far as to push to overturn the referendum result
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
Can you imagine how successful the SNP would have been had they won the referendum... then were not allowed to leave!!!!
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
Yes, it would be SNP 2015 on steroids if the government went into the next general election committed to staying in the EU and overturning the referendum result, Farage would probably end up PM!
It would tear the Tory Party apart and the leader of the Leave Tories whether it be David Davis or Boris Johnson or anyone else would be PM.
Which is why it'll never happen.
It would almost certainly not happen under a Tory government, no
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
Can you imagine how successful the SNP would have been had they won the referendum... then were not allowed to leave!!!!
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
Having had a day to think about it, I think the government should do a U-turn but at the same time cancel Osborne's Class 4 elimination. No rise in NI, but also no cuts for anyone. I don't think the party should break manifesto commitments so lightly.
No one was bothered when Osborne put up my NI and broke the manifesto pledge.
I thought it had already been established by others on here that he didn't.
That said I don't consider this to be a broken manifesto pledge. We have a new post Brexit administration in place and I don't believe that they should be bound by the manifesto pledges made by a PM who is no longer even an MP.
Then go and get a new mandate with a new manifesto. The old mandate didn't include raising taxes, breaking that basic promise (especially for such a small amount of money) is a poor idea, all things considered.
How many times do you need this explained to you?
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
The government and Conservative party won it's electoral mandate with the 2015 manifesto. That's what I voted for and my representative in Enfield Southgate (David Burrowes) campaigned on it. It didn't include grammar schools, raising NI or T-Levels. The voters are getting something different to what we voted for in 2015. We elected the government to carry out it's manifesto, the elected government has reneged on some of those commitments and one very big one, it now needs a new election to renew it's mandate for the new programme. The leader's mandate is completely different to the government and party's mandate to govern
If we had new GEs every time there was some major change in position (and plenty seem to be saying this is not that big a change), we'd rarely stop having them, it is simply not practical just because of small (even if, let us assume, significant) parts of the manifesto being dropped, perhaps for good reason.
True there was no GE in ,1976 Wilson to Callahan 1990 Thatcher to Major ,2007 Blair to Brown.
It's already clear that Hammond is a left of centre CoE. If the Tories are serious about winning in 2020 (or possibly earlier), Mrs. May needs to appoint a replacement and soon.
Nonsense - Hammond in post is a reason they might win!
Entirely agree. Did we ever have a by election gain under Osborne?
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
Having had a day to think about it, I think the government should do a U-turn but at the same time cancel Osborne's Class 4 elimination. No rise in NI, but also no cuts for anyone. I don't think the party should break manifesto commitments so lightly.
No one was bothered when Osborne put up my NI and broke the manifesto pledge.
I thought it had already been established by others on here that he didn't.
That said I don't consider this to be a broken manifesto pledge. We have a new post Brexit administration in place and I don't believe that they should be bound by the manifesto pledges made by a PM who is no longer even an MP.
Then go and get a new mandate with a new manifesto. The old mandate didn't include raising taxes, breaking that basic promise (especially for such a small amount of money) is a poor idea, all things considered.
How many times do you need this explained to you?
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
The government and Conservative party won it's electoral mandate with the 2015 manifesto. That's what I voted for and my representative in Enfield Southgate (David Burrowes) campaigned on it. It didn't include grammar schools, raising NI or T-Levels. The voters are getting something different to what we voted for in 2015. We elected the government to carry out it's manifesto, the elected government has reneged on some of those commitments and one very big one, it now needs a new election to renew it's mandate for the new programme. The leader's mandate is completely different to the government and party's mandate to govern
If we had new GEs every time there was some major change in position (and plenty seem to be saying this is not that big a change), we'd rarely stop having them, it is simply not practical.
No, but then I don't think parties should break their manifesto commitments so lightly. The Lib Dems getting punished for breaking their ones was heartening because it showed the people understood that breaking those basic promises was not acceptable. With Corbyn in charge of Labour, that punishment won't come. That's why Phil and Theresa are able to cut the 2015 manifesto loose and just ignore what they want to.
The dispute seems to arise over whether one feels the commitment is indeed being broken 'lightly'.
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
Yes, it would be SNP 2015 on steroids if the government went into the next general election committed to staying in the EU and overturning the referendum result, Farage would probably end up PM!
Not so, actually - since they'd never do that unless there were incontrovertible proof the public had massively turned in that direction (which, of course, is improbable for reasons that have been gone into enough).
It is almost certainly a hypothetical yes, even the likes of Osborne and Clegg have not gone so far as to push to overturn the referendum result
In the hypothetical I am thinking of no one, not even them, would try to do so unless it was proven (somehow) it would be hugely popular. Since they would never do it unless that was the case - somehow - it follows the alternative would - somehow - not be popular enough for Farage to win in that situation.
The dispute seems to arise over whether one feels the commitment is indeed being broken 'lightly'.
Given the small sum of money this is raising then I think it is being broken very lightly, I don't even think they realised they were breaking it when they thought up the policy.
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
Your first paragraph is largely correct, almost all senior Tories did not expect a majority so made rash promises in the expectation of a continuing coalition with the LDs. Your second paragraph is a Labour Party press release, actually the economy is still growing, unemployment is low and the government has just announced billions more for social care and the NHS
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
This post does sound a bit ridiculous right now - given the current polling - but in 18 months or so I recon it'll look quite good.
The tory party will tear themselves apart when brexit gets going.
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
"Only 15% of voters trust Corbyn and his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, on the economy, compared with 44% who trust May and the chancellor, Philip Hammond" - Opinium, 18 February. How much do you expect these figures to change post-budget?
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
This post does sound a bit ridiculous right now - given the current polling - but in 18 months or so I recon it'll look quite good.
The tory party will tear themselves apart when brexit gets going.
Just like holding the referendum was supposed to lead to the Tory party tearing itself apart and the Leave vote was supposed to lead to the Tory party tearing itself apart?
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
As Copeland and Stoke showed so clearly - oh wait - no - that is total bollox!
The dispute seems to arise over whether one feels the commitment is indeed being broken 'lightly'.
Given the small sum of money this is raising then I think it is being broken very lightly, I don't even think they realised they were breaking it when they thought up the policy.
Probably because they never read the 2015 manifesto but then again did anyone ?
Thinking back two years the promises of multiple magic money trees by all the parties was much mocked.
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
Can you imagine how successful the SNP would have been had they won the referendum... then were not allowed to leave!!!!
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I don't think William and Mike really understand human nature at all. A lot of those people now getting angry about the attempts to delay and stop Brexit were Remain voters. If there is one thing people really hate it is being asked a question and then ignored, no matter which way the answered. UKIP or its successor really would have a field day.
I think this is the Bargaining phase.
- Enthusiasm - Disillusionment <--- You are here - Panic and hysteria - Hunt for the guilty - Punishment of the innocent - Reward for the uninvolved
SE NICs need reform .A huge number of very highly paid people are abusing the current system.
I think that's right. And another group who get away scot free is people who go on working after 65 (like me). Like everyone else, I benefit from a variety of things partly funded by NI, and I pay higher rate tax. Why do people like me pay not a penny in NI?
No, but then I don't think parties should break their manifesto commitments so lightly. The Lib Dems getting punished for breaking their ones was heartening because it showed the people understood that breaking those basic promises was not acceptable. With Corbyn in charge of Labour, that punishment won't come. That's why Phil and Theresa are able to cut the 2015 manifesto loose and just ignore what they want to.
Yup.
Personally, I'm in favour of this NI rise (I'm a bit baffled that Tory MPs are up in arms over this while relatively quiet on business rates, since that will have a much bigger effect on the small business owner who's just finding his/her feet), but even so, it shouldn't be that politicians can get away with breaking promises. If you win an election, you should have to govern on the basis on which you won it.
This NI increase is a total non story that has no traction outside of political circles. It is just an extremely minor tweak/ change to tax and a sensible self employed person will simply discuss it with their accountant and make whatever adjustments they need to in respect of their affairs. Most of the electorate are too ignorant to even understand what national insurance contributions are and only complete geeks even know what the 2015 conservative manifesto is. Few really care about the government cracking down on white van man.
On the broader point, Hammond is of course right that there needs to be more consistency between tax for the employed and self employed, but this discussion needs to extend to outputs (eg benefits) as well as inputs.
SE NICs need reform .A huge number of very highly paid people are abusing the current system.
I think that's right. And another group who get away scot free is people who go on working after 65 (like me). Like everyone else, I benefit from a variety of things partly funded by NI, and I pay higher rate tax. Why do people like me pay not a penny in NI?
I wouldn't say that in front of my Mum!
She is 70, a public sector worker most of her life, now works part time in a High St shop, on about £8-9ph, 14 hours a week, so cannot earn anywhere near the amount that she needs to in order to pay tax, yet is taxed on every penny because she has a pension.. that she paid into for god knows how long
You could be the man who finally stops her voting Labour! I'll give you her number
SE NICs need reform .A huge number of very highly paid people are abusing the current system.
I think that's right. And another group who get away scot free is people who go on working after 65 (like me). Like everyone else, I benefit from a variety of things partly funded by NI, and I pay higher rate tax. Why do people like me pay not a penny in NI?
Not to mention that NI is a tax on work so we have the situation where income from work is taxed at a far higher rate than other sources of income.
A PM's mandate does not come from a manifesto or from an election result. It comes from being able to command the support of the majority of the MPs in Parliament. As long as those MPs agree to whatever is being proposed then that is all the mandate a PM needs.
Would you say the same if May were removed and a new Remain PM stopped the Brexit process?
That Remain PM could only ever be a Labour moderate or LD, not a Tory, so that is not going to happen while we have a Tory majority in Parliament given most of their voters all voted Leave and would head off to UKIP like a shot if they abandoned Brexit
Do you have evidence for that? UKIP is a busted flush.
UKIP is only a busted flush because we are leaving the EU. Were that to change UKIP or another party like it would very rapidly gain a huge amount of support. Actually more liukely the Tory party would fracture and a large part of it would form the successor to UKIP - hopefully without their rather archaic views on social issues.
I reckon they would have won seats in England!
Quite. I
Yes, it would be SNP 2015 on probably end up PM!
Not so, actually
It is almost
In the hypothetical I am thinking of no one, not even them, would try to do so unless it was proven (somehow) it would be hugely popular. Since they would never do it unless that was the case - somehow - it follows the alternative would - somehow - not be popular enough for Farage to win in that situation.
Purely a mental exercise, obviously.
That depends, if say 55-60% said they want to reverse Brexit and stay in the EU and an alliance of Labour, LD and Tory Remainers and the SNP voted down Brexit in Parliament, May changed course and accepted we will stay in (she almost certainly wouldn't but she was a Remainer and this is a hypothetical and lets say close to 50% of Tory voters now opposed Brexit too) UKIP would have the Leave vote all to itself, even with just 35-40% of the vote at a subsequent general election under FPTP we could end up with a PM Farage with the Remain vote split between Labour, the LDs, Tories and SNP and UKIP having the Leave vote all to itself, much as the pro Union vote was split 3 ways in 2015 with the SNP having the independence vote all to itself
You could be the man who finally stops her voting Labour! I'll give you her number
Will she vote for Corbyn's Labour?
Probably. She cant have him at all, and prefers May.. but she is to loyal to vote for anyone else. She worked in Tower Hamlets council offices for years and knew all about the special favours for Bangladeshis/Lutfur Rahman etc... said how wrong it all was.. still voted Labour
Emma Barnett reunites David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams - the three surviving members of the Gang of Four who formed a breakaway party from Labour in 1981. Emma finds out how those politically turbulent times may relate to today's Left.
SE NICs need reform .A huge number of very highly paid people are abusing the current system.
I think that's right. And another group who get away scot free is people who go on working after 65 (like me). Like everyone else, I benefit from a variety of things partly funded by NI, and I pay higher rate tax. Why do people like me pay not a penny in NI?
The Tories are not going to take on pensioners while they represent their key source of votes.
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
"Only 15% of voters trust Corbyn and his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, on the economy, compared with 44% who trust May and the chancellor, Philip Hammond" - Opinium, 18 February. How much do you expect these figures to change post-budget?
The Labour figures, none at all, perhaps even lower than 15%. The Tory figures, around the same as they already are. I just don't think there'll be any great movement until Labour come to their senses and rid themselves of Corbyn & McDonnell. Maybe not even then if they want a far left replacement.
So this is interesting, and relevant. The EU may ACCEPT that London keeps its dominance of euro-clearing, and presumably much else, if it gets some kind of *regulatory oversight*.
France has an economy and culture where the state is highly involved in many aspects of business. Very different from the Anglo Saxon way of regulations. They just will not be a mass decampment of the city to Paris. London should worry more about New York as a rival under full Republican control I think they are about repeal a lot of regulations and cut taxes.
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
As Copeland and Stoke showed so clearly - oh wait - no - that is total bollox!
Absolute nonsense from yourself, Felix, those two byelections prove nothing.
In each case, a sizable number of electors felt under threat. In the one case, of seeing the victory of a highly eccentric right-wing candidate, so they voted Labour. In the other, the closure of the place of work of many members of their community, so they votred Conservative.
This does not prove in any way that there was support for Mrs May`s totally unsatisfactory government.
Where the main challenge came from a highly respectable critic of the current Conservative madness, as in the case of Witney and Richmond, they voted in very large numbers for the Liberal Democrat candidate.
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
As Copeland and Stoke showed so clearly - oh wait - no - that is total bollox!
Absolute nonsense from yourself, Felix, those two byelections prove nothing.
In each case, a sizable number of electors felt under threat. In the one case, of seeing the victory of a highly eccentric right-wing candidate, so they voted Labour. In the other, the closure of the place of work of many members of their community, so they votred Conservative.
This does not prove in any way that there was support for Mrs May`s totally unsatisfactory government.
Where the main challenge came from a highly respectable critic of the current Conservative madness, as in the case of Witney and Richmond, they voted in very large numbers for the Liberal Democrat candidate.
The key is the former voted Leave like the UK as a whole, the latter voted Remain
So this is interesting, and relevant. The EU may ACCEPT that London keeps its dominance of euro-clearing, and presumably much else, if it gets some kind of *regulatory oversight*.
France has an economy and culture where the state is highly involved in many aspects of business. Very different from the Anglo Saxon way of regulations. They just will not be a mass decampment of the city to Paris. London should worry more about New York as a rival under full Republican control I think they are about repeal a lot of regulations and cut taxes.
Although I expect the Democrats to take the House in 2018 so that will not last long and Trump is not exactly bosom buddies with Wall Street either
Anecdote alert: Talking to Tory Insiders, ignoring tonight's post-budget elections, they really do think May local elections will go well. Their rule of thumb for these ones is: if we are at least 35% in opinion polls and Labour are more than 10 points behind, regardless of Lib share, we will gain votes/seats/councils. I am paraphrasing slightly, but that is what they told me. Professor Curtice will be along in a month or so with his view based on sound research. Corbyn etc will be in damage limitation mode in the weeks ahead.
Tories only Mayoralty chance is West Midlands they say. What odds Andy Street, the Tory?
SE NICs need reform .A huge number of very highly paid people are abusing the current system.
I think that's right. And another group who get away scot free is people who go on working after 65 (like me). Like everyone else, I benefit from a variety of things partly funded by NI, and I pay higher rate tax. Why do people like me pay not a penny in NI?
The Tories are not going to take on pensioners while they represent their key source of votes.
If not now then when? With the current state of Labour, the Tories are the best position electorally they have been in since the mid 80s. Now is the time to make some real meaningful changes even if they prove initially unpopular with the public.
How else are we going to pay for the extra funds Hammond has announced for social care and which are urgently needed? It is not his fault Osborne and Cameron produced an Alice in Wonderland manifesto committing to no tax increases, cuts in IHT, protection of the family home as an asset and ringfenced funding for the NHS and funding for social care
It seems to have escaped your notice that Hammond and May were part of the Top Tory Team along with Cameron and Osborne. All they were interested in was winning the election. So they made all kinds of rash impossible promises, and these saw them through. The same thing happened with the EU Referendum.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
As Copeland and Stoke showed so clearly - oh wait - no - that is total bollox!
Absolute nonsense from yourself, Felix, those two byelections prove nothing.
In each case, a sizable number of electors felt under threat. In the one case, of seeing the victory of a highly eccentric right-wing candidate, so they voted Labour. In the other, the closure of the place of work of many members of their community, so they votred Conservative.
This does not prove in any way that there was support for Mrs May`s totally unsatisfactory government.
Where the main challenge came from a highly respectable critic of the current Conservative madness, as in the case of Witney and Richmond, they voted in very large numbers for the Liberal Democrat candidate.
'tis but a scratch!
Labour's vote share in Stoke fell to its lowest ever level. Centre-right parties won a record 49% in the seat. The Conservatives did better in Copeland than any governing party since WWI. Both results bear out the polling.
SE NICs need reform .A huge number of very highly paid people are abusing the current system.
I think that's right. And another group who get away scot free is people who go on working after 65 (like me). Like everyone else, I benefit from a variety of things partly funded by NI, and I pay higher rate tax. Why do people like me pay not a penny in NI?
The Tories are not going to take on pensioners while they represent their key source of votes.
I look forward to receiving my triple locked pension in 33 years time.
Something no one has mentioned so far re Brexit is bureaucratic inertia and momentum. At the moment, all UK senior civil servants will be having their objectives rewritten to take Brexit into account. We have two brand new departments whose very existence is dependent on Brexit. Across the Channel, budgets will be under review and spending plans altered to reflect the loss of UK funding.
By the time we get to October 2018, it will be impossible to stop in administrative terms. Echoes of the railway timetables of 1914...
An estimated 295,000 (5.6 per cent) of the usually resident population of Scotland held non-British nationality, an increase of 13,000 on the previous year representing no statistically significant change. 113,000 of those non-British nationals usually resident in Scotland held non-EU nationality (38.3 per cent).
Which is 182,000. I'm guessing usually resident is a good proxy for those who are eligible to vote.
Theresa May said on Thursday she will delay legislating to implement a controversial national insurance rise for self-employed workers until the autumn,
Can it be made part of our divorce settlement that Gove may only pursue a political career in Scotland?
Despite Gove being sub human Reckless scum to us Cameroons, I do find it a pity he's still not in government and his work as Justice Secretary hasn't been completed.
Theresa May said on Thursday she will delay legislating to implement a controversial national insurance rise for self-employed workers until the autumn,
The prime minister told reporters: “It won’t be part of the finance bill. That is always what happens with national insurance changes. Those elements will be brought forward in the autumn.”
Makes you wonder why it was announced now? Oh well, a U-turn (of some description) clearly underway. Perhaps the proposals will be watered down somewhat in the autumn.
"This is totally reversed from 2014 I am confident that a lot of EU nationals who voted No last time will now be fervent YES votes"
This seems like the most obvious demographic whose vote will flip en masse to Yes.
I think that's why one of the favourite Unionist memes currently (after May won't allow there to be an Indy Ref II even though she'd win it easily) is that EU nationals shouldn't be included in a franchise for any second referendum.
Two thirds of citizens in Scotland that were not born there do not hold citizenship.
Polish born = 76,000 - 1.4% of population.
Today's MORI had No six points clear before weighting, and it is ipsos-Mori (remain to win by 8, Miliband in front until a fortnight before the GE).
Although MORI's final IndyRef poll was a 2% lead for No, compared with the final 11% lead.
That's really poor, isn't it?
One thing that struck me in today's MORI was that support in Scotland to join the EU if outside the UK is wafer thin. Adjusting for their usual error, Scotland would reject EU membership on roughly the same numbers as England.
Two thirds of citizens in Scotland that were not born there do not hold citizenship.
Polish born = 76,000 - 1.4% of population.
Today's MORI had No six points clear before weighting, and it is ipsos-Mori (remain to win by 8, Miliband in front until a fortnight before the GE).
Although MORI's final IndyRef poll was a 2% lead for No, compared with the final 11% lead.
Nah Ipsos Mori's final Indyref poll gave No a 6% lead.
Ipsos MORI is delighted to be the joint closest of the final polls on the Scottish independence referendum. Our final poll for The Evening Standard put No on 53% and Yes on 47%, compared with a final result of 55% for No and 45% for Yes. This is well within the margin of error for polls of this sample size.
Two thirds of citizens in Scotland that were not born there do not hold citizenship.
Polish born = 76,000 - 1.4% of population.
Today's MORI had No six points clear before weighting, and it is ipsos-Mori (remain to win by 8, Miliband in front until a fortnight before the GE).
Although MORI's final IndyRef poll was a 2% lead for No, compared with the final 11% lead.
Nah Ipsos Mori's final Indyref poll gave No a 6% lead.
Ipsos MORI is delighted to be the joint closest of the final polls on the Scottish independence referendum. Our final poll for The Evening Standard put No on 53% and Yes on 47%, compared with a final result of 55% for No and 45% for Yes. This is well within the margin of error for polls of this sample size.
Theresa May said on Thursday she will delay legislating to implement a controversial national insurance rise for self-employed workers until the autumn,
The prime minister told reporters: “It won’t be part of the finance bill. That is always what happens with national insurance changes. Those elements will be brought forward in the autumn.”
Makes you wonder why it was announced now? Oh well, a U-turn (of some description) clearly underway. Perhaps the proposals will be watered down somewhat in the autumn.
TM gave a lengthy response to Laura Kunnesberg's question at the EU Summit in Brussels today and it is clear that it is not part of the budget and the autumn finance bill will refine any anomalies but the endorsement of the IFS and the Resolution Foundation justifying the change and that it is progressive will make it difficult to change to any great degree. I also suspect polls will find it popular and fair
You could be the man who finally stops her voting Labour! I'll give you her number
Will she vote for Corbyn's Labour?
Probably. She cant have him at all, and prefers May.. but she is to loyal to vote for anyone else. She worked in Tower Hamlets council offices for years and knew all about the special favours for Bangladeshis/Lutfur Rahman etc... said how wrong it all was.. still voted Labour
Hopefully it will be increased to the same level as employee NI.
Not having to pay 13.8% employers NI ** is enough advantage for the self-employed.
Many economists will tell you that employers NI is effectively paid by the employee as without it the employer would be able to increase the employee's pay.
You could be the man who finally stops her voting Labour! I'll give you her number
Will she vote for Corbyn's Labour?
Probably. She cant have him at all, and prefers May.. but she is to loyal to vote for anyone else. She worked in Tower Hamlets council offices for years and knew all about the special favours for Bangladeshis/Lutfur Rahman etc... said how wrong it all was.. still voted Labour
Labour was the party that defeated Rahman.
He was Labour while she was working there, she left in 07 I think.
Bangladeshi men taking their wives into the polling booth and telling them who to vote for, the same people voting every half hour, everyone knew
Theresa May said on Thursday she will delay legislating to implement a controversial national insurance rise for self-employed workers until the autumn,
The prime minister told reporters: “It won’t be part of the finance bill. That is always what happens with national insurance changes. Those elements will be brought forward in the autumn.”
Makes you wonder why it was announced now? Oh well, a U-turn (of some description) clearly underway. Perhaps the proposals will be watered down somewhat in the autumn.
If the NI proposal went to the Commons today I'm not convinced all Labour MPs would vote against it. Opposing a measure described as fair and progressive by IFS and Resolution that helps raise £2 billion for social care would not be easy for principled Labour MPs.
Reduce employees NI to 9% - the same as self-employed NI.
Then introduce a new tax of 3% to be charged on income called Overseas Aid Tax.
So no increase in income tax or national insurance as promised in the Conservative manifesto and a proper commitment to Overseas Aid as promised in the Conservative manifesto.
Then at the next election the parties can give their polices for Overseas Aid Tax.
Theresa May said on Thursday she will delay legislating to implement a controversial national insurance rise for self-employed workers until the autumn,
The prime minister told reporters: “It won’t be part of the finance bill. That is always what happens with national insurance changes. Those elements will be brought forward in the autumn.”
Makes you wonder why it was announced now? Oh well, a U-turn (of some description) clearly underway. Perhaps the proposals will be watered down somewhat in the autumn.
#OmNICshambles
Na, I don't think anyone was defending the Omnishambles budget.
Reduce employees NI to 9% - the same as self-employed NI.
Then introduce a new tax of 3% to be charged on income called Overseas Aid Tax.
So no increase in income tax or national insurance as promised in the Conservative manifesto and a proper commitment to Overseas Aid as promised in the Conservative manifesto.
Then at the next election the parties can give their polices for Overseas Aid Tax.
If the NI proposal went to the Commons today I'm not convinced all Labour MPs would vote against it. Opposing a measure described as fair and progressive by IFS and Resolution that helps raise £2 billion for social care would not be easy for principled Labour MPs.
I read it that way too.
May isn't right on this, but nor is she left - she's slap bang in the middle.
Comments
Which is why it'll never happen.
The result is that the economy is on the point of collapse, public services are being cut t the bone and beyond, we are on the point of being sold down the river to the Americans, Chinese, Arabs etc. And worst of all, from the point of view of the PB Tories, the Conservatives have lost their reputation for honesty, competence, efficiency.
People are becoming ashamed of being identified with the Conservative brand.
Purely a mental exercise, obviously.
The tory party will tear themselves apart when brexit gets going.
Thinking back two years the promises of multiple magic money trees by all the parties was much mocked.
- Disillusionment <--- You are here
- Panic and hysteria
- Hunt for the guilty
- Punishment of the innocent
- Reward for the uninvolved
Personally, I'm in favour of this NI rise (I'm a bit baffled that Tory MPs are up in arms over this while relatively quiet on business rates, since that will have a much bigger effect on the small business owner who's just finding his/her feet), but even so, it shouldn't be that politicians can get away with breaking promises. If you win an election, you should have to govern on the basis on which you won it.
On the broader point, Hammond is of course right that there needs to be more consistency between tax for the employed and self employed, but this discussion needs to extend to outputs (eg benefits) as well as inputs.
She is 70, a public sector worker most of her life, now works part time in a High St shop, on about £8-9ph, 14 hours a week, so cannot earn anywhere near the amount that she needs to in order to pay tax, yet is taxed on every penny because she has a pension.. that she paid into for god knows how long
You could be the man who finally stops her voting Labour! I'll give you her number
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08gwd5k#play
Interview starts at 09.50
Very interesting interview.
If you prefer to insult me, then expect me to respond in kind.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4298896/Terror-attack-feared-Dusseldorf.html
https://twitter.com/channel4news/status/839896328578744320
https://twitter.com/SoarAlba59/status/839942933637967872
In each case, a sizable number of electors felt under threat. In the one case, of seeing the victory of a highly eccentric right-wing candidate, so they voted Labour. In the other, the closure of the place of work of many members of their community, so they votred Conservative.
This does not prove in any way that there was support for Mrs May`s totally unsatisfactory government.
Where the main challenge came from a highly respectable critic of the current Conservative madness, as in the case of Witney and Richmond, they voted in very large numbers for the Liberal Democrat candidate.
Tories only Mayoralty chance is West Midlands they say. What odds Andy Street, the Tory?
The activists have said they were told to campaign for and briefed on THE CANDIDATES IN THESE SEATS, not the Conservative Party nationally
All the other activists have deleted their photographs from the campaign!!
The whistleblowers have gone to the old bill
Labour's vote share in Stoke fell to its lowest ever level. Centre-right parties won a record 49% in the seat. The Conservatives did better in Copeland than any governing party since WWI. Both results bear out the polling.
I am confident that a lot of EU nationals who voted No last time will now be fervent YES votes"
This seems like the most obvious demographic whose vote will flip en masse to Yes.
By the time we get to October 2018, it will be impossible to stop in administrative terms. Echoes of the railway timetables of 1914...
https://twitter.com/WikiGuido/status/839940129670189057
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/estimates-of-special-populations/population-by-country-of-birth-and-nationality
Lots of 'skilled' EU migrants that can put a kettle on and sell a sandwich.
My values were from here, which state the figure at 181,000 - http://www.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefingsAndFactsheets/S5/SB_16-86_EU_nationals_living_in_Scotland.pdf
An estimated 295,000 (5.6 per cent) of the usually resident population of Scotland held non-British nationality, an increase of 13,000 on the previous year representing no statistically significant change. 113,000 of those non-British nationals usually resident in Scotland held non-EU nationality (38.3 per cent).
Which is 182,000. I'm guessing usually resident is a good proxy for those who are eligible to vote.
http://www2.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2017/02/17/the-return-of-butskellism/
Polish born = 76,000 - 1.4% of population.
Today's MORI had No six points clear before weighting, and it is ipsos-Mori (remain to win by 8, Miliband in front until a fortnight before the GE).
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/09/pm-to-delay-introduction-of-tax-rise-for-self-employed-after-tory-rebellion
Look Long grass ....
Makes you wonder why it was announced now? Oh well, a U-turn (of some description) clearly underway. Perhaps the proposals will be watered down somewhat in the autumn.
Where are you getting the 8% figure from?
... or is your 4% figure once DKs were reallocated?
One thing that struck me in today's MORI was that support in Scotland to join the EU if outside the UK is wafer thin. Adjusting for their usual error, Scotland would reject EU membership on roughly the same numbers as England.
Brexit is like alcohol, when it comes to SIndyRef2.
It increases the desire, but decreases the performance.
Perhaps it was Comres?
Ipsos MORI is delighted to be the joint closest of the final polls on the Scottish independence referendum. Our final poll for The Evening Standard put No on 53% and Yes on 47%, compared with a final result of 55% for No and 45% for Yes. This is well within the margin of error for polls of this sample size.
https://www.ipsos-mori.com/newsevents/latestnews/1593/Scottish-Independence-Referendum-The-final-polls.aspx
I know that, I attended the party to celebrate.
TM the PM - "The NI rise is fair."
https://twitter.com/johnmcdonnellmp/status/839912841503199232
Not having to pay 13.8% employers NI ** is enough advantage for the self-employed.
Many economists will tell you that employers NI is effectively paid by the employee as without it the employer would be able to increase the employee's pay.
Bangladeshi men taking their wives into the polling booth and telling them who to vote for, the same people voting every half hour, everyone knew
Reduce employees NI to 9% - the same as self-employed NI.
Then introduce a new tax of 3% to be charged on income called Overseas Aid Tax.
So no increase in income tax or national insurance as promised in the Conservative manifesto and a proper commitment to Overseas Aid as promised in the Conservative manifesto.
Then at the next election the parties can give their polices for Overseas Aid Tax.
May isn't right on this, but nor is she left - she's slap bang in the middle.