I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
Voters might just think "bugger that, he's just talking his bets up...."?
I was quite impressed when my mother said she'd never heard of politicalbetting.com
Wondering if anyone really thinks that 'pushing the button ' is actually going to come into play in the next five years and should be the deciding factor in this election.
Who knows with North Korea.
You really think that the UK might nuke North Korea? You've been playing too many video games.
The other way around.
Your really think that North Korea might nuke the UK? I'll buy you an atlas for your birthday.
They are close to developing an ICBM which can reach London.
I suspect it is truer to say that they are close to developing one that can land as far away from where it is fired as is London?
But. I thought they were still struggling with California.
From Pyongyang, London and LA are roughly equidistant.
London is nearly a thousand Km nearer to Pyonyang than LA is. Great circles and all that.
Edit: Not that I subscribe to the view that North Korea is in any danger of nuking London.
Lol again. Sandpit supply your address so we can send you the atlas!
My map has London and LA within 10% of the distance from Korea. 5,520 miles from London and 5,900 miles from LA (Using Seoul as the origin)
I think we are more likely to see a Yougov and Mori and ORB and Survation failure than a polling industry failure as such, I think Comres, ICM, Kantar and Opinium will be pretty much spot on especially as they are more likely to weigh by 2015 turnout demographics. Yougov and Mori need to hope for a surge in youth turnout for Corbyn in 2017 compared to 2015 if they are to have a hope of being right
But the huge YouGov model is weighting by 2010 and 2015 turnout for the different demographic groups. If that model were applied with a higher youth turnout, the adjustment would presumably favour Labour.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
It seems odd for a minister who isn't the Chancellor to issue a previously denied taxation pledge a few days before an election. Deniable, perhaps?
Very deniable , "No Plans" is absolutely meaningless. Next week they will have plans and they will not be to help the poor.
Is it not possible that this is just a tactic to try and get tax into the news? It doesn't matter whether it is a 'believable' pledge or not, anyone thinking about it is by default going to remember the alternative. Nobody is going to think "s*t the Tories might put tax up, better vote Labour". If anything it might actually help in some demographics if people don't believe it.
I believe that's the thinking. "I have come to the TV studios to say nothing definite about our tax plans."
Wondering if anyone really thinks that 'pushing the button ' is actually going to come into play in the next five years and should be the deciding factor in this election.
Who knows with North Korea.
You really think that the UK might nuke North Korea? You've been playing too many video games.
The other way around.
Your really think that North Korea might nuke the UK? I'll buy you an atlas for your birthday.
They are close to developing an ICBM which can reach London.
I suspect it is truer to say that they are close to developing one that can land as far away from where it is fired as is London?
But. I thought they were still struggling with California.
From Pyongyang, London and LA are roughly equidistant.
London is nearly a thousand Km nearer to Pyonyang than LA is. Great circles and all that.
Edit: Not that I subscribe to the view that North Korea is in any danger of nuking London.
Their missiles are targeting York, as the history books in North Korea are somewhat out of date.
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
Just out of interest and a general question rather than related to OGH specifically. If an individual decides to campaign for a party and spends vast amounts of money on that campaign but has no direct links to the party, how is that accounted for by the Electoral Commission in terms of spend - particularly if the material is referencing a specific constituency as you say this leaflet is?
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
They come across as being written by a punter who wants the reader to help his bet win
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
Any incoming government is going to face two impossible challenges: Brexit and reducing the deficit. When you add to this the problem of meeting voter apparent expectations for improving living standards etc (they are turning their nose up at the one vaguely sensible plan to deal with these issues), you realise that no politician can possibly square all these circles. Corbyn is effectively the first of many fantasists. So its pretty much uncharted territory.
These are pretty much my own views, Niel.
Although generally left leaning, I'd marginally prefer a Conservative government because I want them to own Brexit.
'You say you have called the election because of Brexit.
Last week you said 'Leaving the EU would make us MORE prosperous'
Last year you said' Leaving the EU would make us LESS prosperous'
"What's changed?"
The British people made the decision to leave and, like a good public servant, she will do what her employers instruct
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
Nope May said there were some advantages in staying in the EU but she would see Brexit through as the British people wanted with no free movement, no 100 billion euros to the EU and departure from the single market and if she wins a majority she will have a mandate for that from the British people
Wondering if anyone really thinks that 'pushing the button ' is actually going to come into play in the next five years and should be the deciding factor in this election.
Who knows with North Korea.
You really think that the UK might nuke North Korea? You've been playing too many video games.
The other way around.
Your really think that North Korea might nuke the UK? I'll buy you an atlas for your birthday.
They are close to developing an ICBM which can reach London.
I suspect it is truer to say that they are close to developing one that can land as far away from where it is fired as is London?
But. I thought they were still struggling with California.
From Pyongyang, London and LA are roughly equidistant.
London is nearly a thousand Km nearer to Pyonyang than LA is. Great circles and all that.
Edit: Not that I subscribe to the view that North Korea is in any danger of nuking London.
Their missiles are targeting York, as the history books in North Korea are somewhat out of date.
Ur and Nineveh are worried!
Yeah but we can all agree those warmongering imperial running dogs in Nineveh deserve it.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
What to make of my 90 minute foray into Kingston and Surbiton on a balmy Thursday evening? Norra lot to be honest. Loads of folk out (school hols? still at work? But twas ever thus) and we were only calling on supposedly target/uncertain voter in a (marginal?) LibDem ward. Certainly found a number of apparent 2015 Cons moving to the LibDems but also previously uncertain/uncommitted going blue. Other members of our group had more positive encounters.
The 'resident' team felt reasonably sanguine but with caution.
I'll probably be going back on Monday.
If forced to predict (but bloody stupid to do so on such a small sample), I guess I would plump for narrow Tory hold.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
Actually lots of people had extensively thought out plans for Brexit. Like everyone else I have no idea what May's plans are but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one.
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
They come across as being written by a punter who wants the reader to help his bet win
All it proves is that there's no solidarity between punters holding rival bets (like me).
I feel vaguely betrayed by this attempt to sabotage my book.
I just read that Fallon said HR tax payers will not pay more than now.
So BASIC RATE taxpayers will pay more. Thanks, Fallon for letting it out.
There were a big exchange of posts in the middle of the night after this post of mine.
I maintain my position. Unlike GE2015, when the Tories specifically ruled out Income Tax and NIC increases, this time they have not.
Michael Fallon specifically ruled out increases for higher rate taxpayers. Therefore, taxes will be increased on BASIC RATE taxpayers.
No he didn't. He said "across the income specrum".
So another U-turn then ? If they had no intention of increasing taxes they would have said so in the manifesto like in 2015.
Not a u-turn the line has always been no intention, but they're not ruling it out unlike in 2015. That means for the short of thinking that hopefully taxes won't have to be raised but if it becomes necessary they're willing to do so. Not that they're planning to do so.
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
Just out of interest and a general question rather than related to OGH specifically. If an individual decides to campaign for a party and spends vast amounts of money on that campaign but has no direct links to the party, how is that accounted for by the Electoral Commission in terms of spend - particularly if the material is referencing a specific constituency as you say this leaflet is?
Mike's leaflets are part of the official Lib Dem campaign, there's rules/laws to stop the scenario you're talking about.
I think we all want to avoid the Americanisation of our politics where shadowy groups spend lots of money in races.
I just read that Fallon said HR tax payers will not pay more than now.
So BASIC RATE taxpayers will pay more. Thanks, Fallon for letting it out.
There were a big exchange of posts in the middle of the night after this post of mine.
I maintain my position. Unlike GE2015, when the Tories specifically ruled out Income Tax and NIC increases, this time they have not.
Michael Fallon specifically ruled out increases for higher rate taxpayers. Therefore, taxes will be increased on BASIC RATE taxpayers.
No he didn't. He said "across the income specrum".
So another U-turn then ? If they had no intention of increasing taxes they would have said so in the manifesto like in 2015.
He said income tax and the VAT pledge has already been made, so one assumes NI is going up. My guess is that NI will go up by 1p for both employees and employers and they will use the money to pay for the £8bn NHS pledge.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
There were actually *many* different visions of our new and wonderful future.
That's also a problem in its own way. But picking our route back through occupied territory to Blighty is a problem I'm happier to contend with than still being a POW.
Why are the other parties not pointing out Labour policies to increasing the tax rates does not mean increasing the tax take. Instead the government would have to try to increase government's borrowing instead.
If the government could raise the money on the market, the interest rate on the borrowing would rise, as would the interest rate on existing borrowing as it matured and had to be renewed.
More spending on higher wages for public workers and not charging for tuition fees is not free money. The borrowing has to be paid for by taxpayers over time. Live now pay later can only be sustained for a limited period oftime.
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
Just out of interest and a general question rather than related to OGH specifically. If an individual decides to campaign for a party and spends vast amounts of money on that campaign but has no direct links to the party, how is that accounted for by the Electoral Commission in terms of spend - particularly if the material is referencing a specific constituency as you say this leaflet is?
Mike's leaflets are part of the official Lib Dem campaign, there's rules/laws to stop the scenario you're talking about.
I think we all want to avoid the Americanisation of our politics where shadowy groups spend lots of money in races.
Yep as I say I wasn't referring to Mike specifically, it was just hearing of his leaflets reminded me of a question I have had for a long time.
I still don't understand how this works though. I mean I suppose someone could in theory accidently sabotage a campaign in a constituency by producing vast amounts of literature that far exceeded spending limits, thinking they were helping the candidate but in fact getting them into deep trouble. I doubt 1 in a 1000 people actually know the law on this so a candidate could find themselves in trouble when entirely innocent.
1) If in a hole stop digging. 2) A message of 'flip-flopping' can be highly damaging - as seen during the John Kerry's presidential campaign.
We already had: TM the 'Remainer' organising 'Brexit'; TM the PM saying 'no election' then calling an election; and, deviation from the brand new manifesto with the social care U-turn and on social housing.
But today: 'No increase on income tax" .... Labour supporter will be searching for their flip-flops to start waving about!
You can increase NI instead for example without a flip flop
Yes, that's the obvious rejoinder - "You've half-reversed the pledge not to pledge but what about the other half? Aren't you all over the place?"
But at this stage the issue is what to concentrate on, and I'm not sure that getting into that muddle is the priority.
If we had had no polls since the election was called, would anybody think this election was close?
At the start of the campaign, Labour were despondent. Now they might be slightly less despondent - but how many Labour activists and candidates are going "You know what, we could nick this...."? Has anybody detected a sea-change away from last month's local election results? I may have missed it, but I just don't see anyone, anywhere thinking the ground campaign mirrors the dramatic polling shifts.
On Corbyn and nukes - it feeds into the general unease on the issue of security. We are most likely not going to need nukes to use on ISIS. But Manchester happening during the campaign feeds into the general sense of the security of the nation being a deep concern. And frankly, however underwhelming you might think May has been in this campaign, as a former Home Secretary who kept us safe for 6 years, she has Corbyn beaten on every aspect of defending the Realm.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
Actually lots of people had extensively thought out plans for Brexit. Like everyone else I have no idea what May's plans are but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one.
Well yes, I suppose there must have been almost as many plans as there were voters but I really meant some kind of coherent unified plan representing the Leave consensus, and preferably published before the referendum.
1) If in a hole stop digging. 2) A message of 'flip-flopping' can be highly damaging - as seen during the John Kerry's presidential campaign.
We already had: TM the 'Remainer' organising 'Brexit'; TM the PM saying 'no election' then calling an election; and, deviation from the brand new manifesto with the social care U-turn and on social housing.
But today: 'No increase on income tax" .... Labour supporter will be searching for their flip-flops to start waving about!
You can increase NI instead for example without a flip flop
Yes, that's the obvious rejoinder - "You've half-reversed the pledge not to pledge but what about the other half? Aren't you all over the place?"
But at this stage the issue is what to concentrate on, and I'm not sure that getting into that muddle is the priority.
She was just asked just now and she gave no assurance that taxes will not be increased. I am not sure why Fallon said what he said.
BBC News 24 is running this. This will run and run.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
Actually lots of people had extensively thought out plans for Brexit. Like everyone else I have no idea what May's plans are but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one.
She's referred to the JHA opt-out and opt back in again strategy a few times in public as well as in the dinner with Juncker.
Wondering if anyone really thinks that 'pushing the button ' is actually going to come into play in the next five years and should be the deciding factor in this election.
Who knows with North Korea.
You really think that the UK might nuke North Korea? You've been playing too many video games.
The other way around.
Your really think that North Korea might nuke the UK? I'll buy you an atlas for your birthday.
They are close to developing an ICBM which can reach London.
I suspect it is truer to say that they are close to developing one that can land as far away from where it is fired as is London?
But. I thought they were still struggling with California.
From Pyongyang, London and LA are roughly equidistant.
London is nearly a thousand Km nearer to Pyonyang than LA is. Great circles and all that.
Edit: Not that I subscribe to the view that North Korea is in any danger of nuking London.
Their missiles are targeting York, as the history books in North Korea are somewhat out of date.
Ur and Nineveh are worried!
Yeah but we can all agree those warmongering imperial running dogs in Nineveh deserve it.
She could have said in a straight-forward manner that taxes will not be increased. She skirted that.
TAX BOMBSHELL
Obviously, because they want to put up NI.
She did not give any assurance about Income Tax payers other than general platitudes about what a good party the Tories are about taxes.
The Tories have form on this matter. Thatcher's denial about VAT followed by increase from 8% to 15% in just a few weeks. Major also increased NIC from 9% to 11% after denying it.
We're faced with a whole series of tough choices going forward. However the voters are clearly fatigued after ten years of s***. I can't see this ending well. We need a lucky Brexit and leader with exceptional foresight. Doesn't seem likely.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
Actually lots of people had extensively thought out plans for Brexit. Like everyone else I have no idea what May's plans are but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one.
Well yes, I suppose there must have been almost as many plans as there were voters but I really meant some kind of coherent unified plan representing the Leave consensus, and preferably published before the referendum.
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
I just read that Fallon said HR tax payers will not pay more than now.
So BASIC RATE taxpayers will pay more. Thanks, Fallon for letting it out.
There were a big exchange of posts in the middle of the night after this post of mine.
I maintain my position. Unlike GE2015, when the Tories specifically ruled out Income Tax and NIC increases, this time they have not.
Michael Fallon specifically ruled out increases for higher rate taxpayers. Therefore, taxes will be increased on BASIC RATE taxpayers.
No he didn't. He said "across the income specrum".
So another U-turn then ? If they had no intention of increasing taxes they would have said so in the manifesto like in 2015.
He said income tax and the VAT pledge has already been made, so one assumes NI is going up. My guess is that NI will go up by 1p for both employees and employers and they will use the money to pay for the £8bn NHS pledge.
Ah the old take money from the NHS (because they have to pay higher NI) to give it back trick!
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
Actually lots of people had extensively thought out plans for Brexit. Like everyone else I have no idea what May's plans are but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one.
Well yes, I suppose there must have been almost as many plans as there were voters but I really meant some kind of coherent unified plan representing the Leave consensus, and preferably published before the referendum.
Well yes there were several. My personal preference was the flexcit plan developed and published by a group headed by Dr Richard North before the referendum was even announced. It almost certainly won't happen now because of this dumb preoccupation with immigration but just because no one has told you or me about May's plan doesn't mean there wasn't or isn't one.
In the future, the threat may come from biological terrorism but that needs finance and lots of it.
if I were Kim Jong-Il, I'd work on Yersinia pestis, the old Black Death. It's a bacterium so is currently susceptible to antibiotics. But with a little genetic modification, that can be surmounted. Tweak the virulence and pathogenicity, and bingo - the perfect terror weapon.
You could inset a suicide gene so it can be controlled, possibly a vulnerability to an immunisation procedure. But again that requires finance and expertise. Even so, it's a lot cheaper than nuclear.
IS won't have the finance or the expertise, but a rogue state might have.
Edit: The only way to nullify the threat would be a nuclear response. Unless Jezza's in control, of course.
Like you, it was Major I immediately thought of when I saw the "no plans" ... that looked dangerous from the outset!
I was thinking of these, before the 1992 election, after which Major put VAT on fuel:
"We have no plans to increase VAT...there will be no VAT increase." John Major, House of Commons, 28 January 1992 "We have no plans and no need to increase the impact of VAT." John Major, The Times, 20 March 1992 "We have no plans and no need to raise extra resources from value-added tax." John Major, 23 March 1992
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
Just out of interest and a general question rather than related to OGH specifically. If an individual decides to campaign for a party and spends vast amounts of money on that campaign but has no direct links to the party, how is that accounted for by the Electoral Commission in terms of spend - particularly if the material is referencing a specific constituency as you say this leaflet is?
Mike's leaflets are part of the official Lib Dem campaign
I presume the people who said yesterday that there's no imprint are mistaken then?
I just read that Fallon said HR tax payers will not pay more than now.
So BASIC RATE taxpayers will pay more. Thanks, Fallon for letting it out.
There were a big exchange of posts in the middle of the night after this post of mine.
I maintain my position. Unlike GE2015, when the Tories specifically ruled out Income Tax and NIC increases, this time they have not.
Michael Fallon specifically ruled out increases for higher rate taxpayers. Therefore, taxes will be increased on BASIC RATE taxpayers.
No he didn't. He said "across the income specrum".
So another U-turn then ? If they had no intention of increasing taxes they would have said so in the manifesto like in 2015.
He said income tax and the VAT pledge has already been made, so one assumes NI is going up. My guess is that NI will go up by 1p for both employees and employers and they will use the money to pay for the £8bn NHS pledge.
The VAT pledge has been made. Where is the income tax pledge ? Do not spread fake news.
There is no guarantee that taxes will not be increased. Unlike Labour, where it has been clearly been mentioned that taxes will not beincreased for anyone earning less than £80000.
From the Manifesto.
"Tax
David Cameron’s tax "triple lock”, which guaranteed there would be no rise in national insurance, VAT or income tax, will be scrapped in favour of a general statement of intent to lower tax and simplify the tax system.
There will be no increase in the level of VAT.
Income tax
A commitment to raise the tax-free personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 will stay.
The Tories will also keep a commitment to raise the threshold for the 40p tax rate to £50,000 by 2020."
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
That subject will probably trend on Twitter all day #disenfranchisement
Like you, it was Major I immediately thought of when I saw the "no plans" ... that looked dangerous from the outset!
I was thinking of these, before the 1992 election, after which Major put VAT on fuel:
"We have no plans to increase VAT...there will be no VAT increase." John Major, House of Commons, 28 January 1992 "We have no plans and no need to increase the impact of VAT." John Major, The Times, 20 March 1992 "We have no plans and no need to raise extra resources from value-added tax." John Major, 23 March 1992
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
oh gawd, I can see it now, Sky and bbc running with stories of yoof complaining of "voter suppresion and intimidation" LOL.
Probably more likely the Conservatives try to do something to merge NI and Income tax. It's been talked about for so long maybe it'll actually happen. Although I still don't see how it gets around the major political challenge of basic rate taxpayers discovering that they pay 33.8% of most of their income to the Govt and higher rate tax payers pay 42%/47% on their extra. A lower gap than most people probably realise.
Well meaning, but just embarrassing. ISIS scares the sh*t out of me, and it's silly pretending otherwise.
And on his broader point ("less Islam, please") if this were a Christian bombing we'd have the archEtonian of Canterbury and all the little bishops condemning it like fury. I'm not hearing a squeak from the Mufti of Tower Hamlets or the Ayatollah of Rotherham.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
Actually lots of people had extensively thought out plans for Brexit. Like everyone else I have no idea what May's plans are but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one.
Well yes, I suppose there must have been almost as many plans as there were voters but I really meant some kind of coherent unified plan representing the Leave consensus, and preferably published before the referendum.
Well yes there were several. My personal preference was the flexcit plan developed and published by a group headed by Dr Richard North before the referendum was even announced. It almost certainly won't happen now because of this dumb preoccupation with immigration but just because no one has told you or me about May's plan doesn't mean there wasn't or isn't one.
Yes, I'm sure there were a number of good plans just as there were several good arguments in favour of Brexit, but the general pattern was of incoherence and muddle-headedness.
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
Just out of interest and a general question rather than related to OGH specifically. If an individual decides to campaign for a party and spends vast amounts of money on that campaign but has no direct links to the party, how is that accounted for by the Electoral Commission in terms of spend - particularly if the material is referencing a specific constituency as you say this leaflet is?
Mike's leaflets are part of the official Lib Dem campaign
I presume the people who said yesterday that there's no imprint are mistaken then?
She could have said in a straight-forward manner that taxes will not be increased. She skirted that.
TAX BOMBSHELL
It won't be a tax bombshell because unlike labour the tories aren't promising the moon on a stick they are committed to clearing the deficit by 2025. they don't have unfunded spending plans like the Labour party which is giving everybody freebies that the rest of us have to pay for. Under labour my corporation tax hike is going to put a strain on my business that makes me wonder if it would be worth closing down if Corbyn gets in and i bet i'm not alone in that either
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
Can one still apply for a proxy vote? Surely someone knows. Family member, living S. Essex has a job interview in Manchester at midday on Thursday.
The "promise" simply indicates that the Tories will look to raise money in lots of other places but not from income tax. There are tons of potential candidates already identified by PB'ers.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
Davis has had to be re-educated first. He's working hard but is a slow learner so its taking time...
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
How do you know?
Nobody had a plan for Brexit.
Actually lots of people had extensively thought out plans for Brexit. Like everyone else I have no idea what May's plans are but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one.
Well yes, I suppose there must have been almost as many plans as there were voters but I really meant some kind of coherent unified plan representing the Leave consensus, and preferably published before the referendum.
Probably more likely the Conservatives try to do something to merge NI and Income tax. It's been talked about for so long maybe it'll actually happen. Although I still don't see how it gets around the major political challenge of basic rate taxpayers discovering that they pay 33.8% of most of their income to the Govt and higher rate tax payers pay 41%/46% on their extra. A lower gap than most people probably realise.
The problem with NI isn't the visible part its the 13.8% invisible part called Employers NI.
When you look at any argument regarding the Gig economy or IR35 that is the but HMRC is really aiming for...
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
Can one still apply for a proxy vote? Surely someone knows. Family member, living S. Essex has a job interview in Manchester at midday on Thursday.
I think the deadline has passed. Certainly on my local council website it has.
Probably more likely the Conservatives try to do something to merge NI and Income tax. It's been talked about for so long maybe it'll actually happen. Although I still don't see how it gets around the major political challenge of basic rate taxpayers discovering that they pay 33.8% of most of their income to the Govt and higher rate tax payers pay 41%/46% on their extra. A lower gap than most people probably realise.
Yes, they don't want to be a hostage to fortune over tax - the merger of IC and NI has been talked about for ages and always put back in the too-difficult box. From seeing the reaction to trying to address social care you can understand why.
I really hope there's a large majority, so that there's an opportunity to address issues like this properly without the few that will inevitably lose out from the changes being allowed to drown out the many that would benefit from them.
The "promise" simply indicates that the Tories will look to raise money in lots of other places but not from income tax. There are tons of potential candidates already identified by PB'ers.
In that case, they could have ruled out any income tax rate increases like they did in 2015.
Any incoming government is going to face two impossible challenges: Brexit and reducing the deficit. When you add to this the problem of meeting voter apparent expectations for improving living standards etc (they are turning their nose up at the one vaguely sensible plan to deal with these issues), you realise that no politician can possibly square all these circles. Corbyn is effectively the first of many fantasists. So its pretty much uncharted territory.
These are pretty much my own views, Niel.
Although generally left leaning, I'd marginally prefer a Conservative government because I want them to own Brexit.
exactly: better that brexit is owned by the tories rather than fudged by labour which would only embolden the forces behind it. Cant bring myself to put my x in the box for the tories though.
Yep - her call is to decide what kind of Brexit it will be. She has promised to make voters more prosperous and will be judged on that.
My REALLY big issue with May is not that I disagree with her plan for Brexit. It's that she doesn't have one. She has been in post for nearly a year after the referendum result with Brexit being the totally dominant issue. She has done nothing effective in this time.
I think we have an essentially reactive government that doesn't have a great agenda - May knows she *ought* to have one because of the JAMS, but hasn't managed to work out what she can actually do about them that her party will stomach - and knows that it is going to spend the next five years reacting to events and dealing with Brexit.
Originally they were looking for specific expertise but I suspect the entry requirements are gradually slipping and soon having been on a day trip to Calais may be enough to qualify.
The people already working there are spending their time identifying even more potential issues they haven't thought of, generating the need for even more people.
I doubt that the next government will be able to anything significant other than Brexit and attempting to balance the books. Which will leave a lot of Commons time and a lot of under-employed backbenchers to make a nuisance of themselves.
The "promise" simply indicates that the Tories will look to raise money in lots of other places but not from income tax. There are tons of potential candidates already identified by PB'ers.
And all while delivering a Brexit that will make voters more prosperous.
I just read that Fallon said HR tax payers will not pay more than now.
So BASIC RATE taxpayers will pay more. Thanks, Fallon for letting it out.
There were a big exchange of posts in the middle of the night after this post of mine.
I maintain my position. Unlike GE2015, when the Tories specifically ruled out Income Tax and NIC increases, this time they have not.
Michael Fallon specifically ruled out increases for higher rate taxpayers. Therefore, taxes will be increased on BASIC RATE taxpayers.
No he didn't. He said "across the income specrum".
So another U-turn then ? If they had no intention of increasing taxes they would have said so in the manifesto like in 2015.
He said income tax and the VAT pledge has already been made, so one assumes NI is going up. My guess is that NI will go up by 1p for both employees and employers and they will use the money to pay for the £8bn NHS pledge.
Ah the old take money from the NHS (because they have to pay higher NI) to give it back trick!
Broken promise #1 – balancing the books by 2015 : Back in 2010 David Cameron pledged that “in five years’ time, we will have balanced the books”. But his Government has completely failed to deliver. As the independent Office for Budget Responsibility showed last month the deficit is set to be more than £73 billion this year.
Broken promise #2 – no top down reorganisation of the NHS: Before the 2010 General Election David Cameron repeatedly promised that there would be no top down reorganisations of the NHS. “No more pointless reorganisations," he said. But, despite opposition from health professionals, patients and the public, the Tory-led Government did impose the biggest top-down reorganisation in NHS history.
Broken promise #3 – no increase in VAT: In the days before the 2010 General Election David Cameron said he had “no plans” to increase VAT. But he broke this promise almost immediately in government, hiking VAT to 20 per cent in a move that costs a family with children £450 a year.
Broken promise #4 – no cuts to tax credits (a promise broken twice): David Cameron has twice broken his promise not to cut tax credits. In 2010, before the General Election, the Tories said Labour was wrong to claim families with incomes under £40,000 would be affected by cuts to tax credits. But families on incomes much lower than £40,000 were hit by cuts to tax credits in the last Parliament. And again, before the 2015 General Election David Cameron said he wouldn’t cut child tax credits – a promise broken in the Summer 2015 Budget.
Broken promise #5 – a new ‘compassionate Conservativism’: In his acceptance speech as Tory Party leader, 10 years ago, David Cameron spoke about wanting to “give this country a modern compassionate Conservativism that is right for our times and right for our country”. But compassionate Conservatism was never anything more than a soundbite. Instead of compassion five years’ of a Tory government has delivered the cruel and unfair Bedroom Tax and a growing reliance on food banks while at the same time cutting taxes for millionaires.
Broken promise #6 – tackling relative child poverty: In his 2006 Scarman Lecture, delivered as part of this attempt to ‘detoxify’ the Tory Party David Cameron said: “I want this message to go out loud and clear: the Conservative Party recognises, will measure and will act on relative poverty.” But following the 2015 General Election his Government has scrapped Labour’s target for tackling relative child poverty with Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith dismissing it as a flawed measure.
Broken promise #7 – most family friendly government ever: David Cameron said he wanted to deliver the most family friendly government ever – but his policies and decisions have hit families hard. His flagship childcare policy has been massively delayed and there are hundreds fewer Sure Start centres than when he took office.
Broken promise #8 – greenest government ever: David Cameron said he wanted to lead the “greenest government ever” but has completely failed to deliver. Since 2010 David Cameron’s Government has cut support for solar panels on homes, scrapped the Green Deal to help people insulate old homes, scrapped green building standards for new homes and cut support for industrial solar projects.
Broken promise #9 – well paid jobs and good careers for our young people: David Cameron used his leadership acceptance speech 10 years ago to ask what the world would look like for eight-year-olds in 10 years’ time, one term into a Tory Government by which time they would be 18. He said he wanted them to have “well-paid jobs and good careers”. But 10 years on David Cameron has let those young people down. Those about to head to university face being saddled with decades of debt as a result of the Tories’ decision to treble tuition fees. And one of the first acts of the Tory majority government was to pave the way for even higher tuition fees in some universities. Those going straight into work are facing increasingly insecurity, entrenched low pay and a rise in zero-hours contracts.
Broken promise #10 – dignity for people in their old age: His acceptance speech in December 2005 also pledged that for people over the age of 65 “their safety, their dignity in old age will be our priority”. But cuts to social care are hitting the elderly hard while his Government’s plans to introduce a cap on social care costs have been delayed until 2020.
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
Can one still apply for a proxy vote? Surely someone knows. Family member, living S. Essex has a job interview in Manchester at midday on Thursday.
I think the deadline has passed. Certainly on my local council website it has.
I thought for emergencies you could apply for a proxy vote even on the day? Though the emergency may have to be medical.
She could have said in a straight-forward manner that taxes will not be increased. She skirted that.
TAX BOMBSHELL
Obviously, because they want to put up NI.
She did not give any assurance about Income Tax payers other than general platitudes about what a good party the Tories are about taxes.
The Tories have form on this matter. Thatcher's denial about VAT followed by increase from 8% to 15% in just a few weeks. Major also increased NIC from 9% to 11% after denying it.
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
Can one still apply for a proxy vote? Surely someone knows. Family member, living S. Essex has a job interview in Manchester at midday on Thursday.
I think the deadline has passed. Certainly on my local council website it has.
You can get an emergency proxy until 5pm on polling day. A job interview halfway across the country should qualify.
I would imagine the polls we get today will continue to show a narrowing of the position. Polls taken after last night wont be available until Monday i presume. I wo der if OGH is campaigning in C&W today
Giving his hand a rest after signing all those letters to London residents telling them that "only the Libs" ... etc
Turns out I received one yesterday, here in Dore.
Very surreal getting a leaflet from Mike Smithson of politicalbetting.com telling me to vote Lib Dem to stop Labour winning Sheffield Hallam.
Just out of interest and a general question rather than related to OGH specifically. If an individual decides to campaign for a party and spends vast amounts of money on that campaign but has no direct links to the party, how is that accounted for by the Electoral Commission in terms of spend - particularly if the material is referencing a specific constituency as you say this leaflet is?
Mike's leaflets are part of the official Lib Dem campaign, there's rules/laws to stop the scenario you're talking about.
I think we all want to avoid the Americanisation of our politics where shadowy groups spend lots of money in races.
Yep as I say I wasn't referring to Mike specifically, it was just hearing of his leaflets reminded me of a question I have had for a long time.
I still don't understand how this works though. I mean I suppose someone could in theory accidently sabotage a campaign in a constituency by producing vast amounts of literature that far exceeded spending limits, thinking they were helping the candidate but in fact getting them into deep trouble. I doubt 1 in a 1000 people actually know the law on this so a candidate could find themselves in trouble when entirely innocent.
The spending limit applies only to spending authorised by the candidate.
Edit to add: Other limits apply to spending by third parties.
How much is Twitter and Facebook going to be dominated next Thursday by Da Yoof complaining "Some old bastard at the Polling Station stopped me from voting for Corbyn. Said I wasn't registered or summat. And even if I was, I don't live in Islington. These fucking old people are robbing us of our democratic rights!"
Can one still apply for a proxy vote? Surely someone knows. Family member, living S. Essex has a job interview in Manchester at midday on Thursday.
I think the deadline has passed. Certainly on my local council website it has.
The deadline was the 22nd from memory... I've always had a postal vote for such reasons (good job to as I'm firefighting a failing project in India next week)...
I just read that Fallon said HR tax payers will not pay more than now.
So BASIC RATE taxpayers will pay more. Thanks, Fallon for letting it out.
There were a big exchange of posts in the middle of the night after this post of mine.
I maintain my position. Unlike GE2015, when the Tories specifically ruled out Income Tax and NIC increases, this time they have not.
Michael Fallon specifically ruled out increases for higher rate taxpayers. Therefore, taxes will be increased on BASIC RATE taxpayers.
No he didn't. He said "across the income specrum".
So another U-turn then ? If they had no intention of increasing taxes they would have said so in the manifesto like in 2015.
He said income tax and the VAT pledge has already been made, so one assumes NI is going up. My guess is that NI will go up by 1p for both employees and employers and they will use the money to pay for the £8bn NHS pledge.
Ah the old take money from the NHS (because they have to pay higher NI) to give it back trick!
I just read that Fallon said HR tax payers will not pay more than now.
So BASIC RATE taxpayers will pay more. Thanks, Fallon for letting it out.
There were a big exchange of posts in the middle of the night after this post of mine.
I maintain my position. Unlike GE2015, when the Tories specifically ruled out Income Tax and NIC increases, this time they have not.
Michael Fallon specifically ruled out increases for higher rate taxpayers. Therefore, taxes will be increased on BASIC RATE taxpayers.
No he didn't. He said "across the income specrum".
So another U-turn then ? If they had no intention of increasing taxes they would have said so in the manifesto like in 2015.
He said income tax and the VAT pledge has already been made, so one assumes NI is going up. My guess is that NI will go up by 1p for both employees and employers and they will use the money to pay for the £8bn NHS pledge.
Ah the old take money from the NHS (because they have to pay higher NI) to give it back trick!
Over 65's don't pay NI.
There aren't that many over 65s working in the NHS I think.
May looks to be in Huddersfield. Make of that what you will.
Probably chasing after neighbouring, highly marginal Dewsbury. The Tories have absolutely no chance of displacing long-serving Barry Sheerman in rock solid Labour safe Huddersfield itself.
Comments
https://mobile.twitter.com/liamyoung/status/870931502888091648
Although generally left leaning, I'd marginally prefer a Conservative government because I want them to own Brexit.
The 'resident' team felt reasonably sanguine but with caution.
I'll probably be going back on Monday.
If forced to predict (but bloody stupid to do so on such a small sample), I guess I would plump for narrow Tory hold.
I feel vaguely betrayed by this attempt to sabotage my book.
I think we all want to avoid the Americanisation of our politics where shadowy groups spend lots of money in races.
TAX BOMBSHELL
That's also a problem in its own way. But picking our route back through occupied territory to Blighty is a problem I'm happier to contend with than still being a POW.
If the government could raise the money on the market, the interest rate on the borrowing would rise, as would the interest rate on existing borrowing as it matured and had to be renewed.
More spending on higher wages for public workers and not charging for tuition fees is not free money. The borrowing has to be paid for by taxpayers over time. Live now pay later can only be sustained for a limited period oftime.
I still don't understand how this works though. I mean I suppose someone could in theory accidently sabotage a campaign in a constituency by producing vast amounts of literature that far exceeded spending limits, thinking they were helping the candidate but in fact getting them into deep trouble. I doubt 1 in a 1000 people actually know the law on this so a candidate could find themselves in trouble when entirely innocent.
But at this stage the issue is what to concentrate on, and I'm not sure that getting into that muddle is the priority.
At the start of the campaign, Labour were despondent. Now they might be slightly less despondent - but how many Labour activists and candidates are going "You know what, we could nick this...."? Has anybody detected a sea-change away from last month's local election results? I may have missed it, but I just don't see anyone, anywhere thinking the ground campaign mirrors the dramatic polling shifts.
On Corbyn and nukes - it feeds into the general unease on the issue of security. We are most likely not going to need nukes to use on ISIS. But Manchester happening during the campaign feeds into the general sense of the security of the nation being a deep concern. And frankly, however underwhelming you might think May has been in this campaign, as a former Home Secretary who kept us safe for 6 years, she has Corbyn beaten on every aspect of defending the Realm.
BBC News 24 is running this. This will run and run.
Just because you don't rule something out that doesn't mean you are planning on that eventuality.
OK. Whatevs.
The Tories have form on this matter. Thatcher's denial about VAT followed by increase from 8% to 15% in just a few weeks. Major also increased NIC from 9% to 11% after denying it.
The rest is detail.
Like you, it was Major I immediately thought of when I saw the "no plans" ... that looked dangerous from the outset!
if I were Kim Jong-Il, I'd work on Yersinia pestis, the old Black Death. It's a bacterium so is currently susceptible to antibiotics. But with a little genetic modification, that can be surmounted. Tweak the virulence and pathogenicity, and bingo - the perfect terror weapon.
You could inset a suicide gene so it can be controlled, possibly a vulnerability to an immunisation procedure. But again that requires finance and expertise. Even so, it's a lot cheaper than nuclear.
IS won't have the finance or the expertise, but a rogue state might have.
Edit: The only way to nullify the threat would be a nuclear response. Unless Jezza's in control, of course.
should it be a suprise Labour GAIN?
"We have no plans to increase VAT...there will be no VAT increase."
John Major, House of Commons, 28 January 1992
"We have no plans and no need to increase the impact of VAT."
John Major, The Times, 20 March 1992
"We have no plans and no need to raise extra resources from value-added tax."
John Major, 23 March 1992
Edited extra bit: for those unaware, I know Nineveh was Assyrian, but the Hittites were (from the little I know) more irksome.
There is no guarantee that taxes will not be increased. Unlike Labour, where it has been clearly been mentioned that taxes will not beincreased for anyone earning less than £80000.
From the Manifesto.
"Tax
David Cameron’s tax "triple lock”, which guaranteed there would be no rise in national insurance, VAT or income tax, will be scrapped in favour of a general statement of intent to lower tax and simplify the tax system.
There will be no increase in the level of VAT.
Income tax
A commitment to raise the tax-free personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 will stay.
The Tories will also keep a commitment to raise the threshold for the 40p tax rate to £50,000 by 2020."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/conservative-manifesto-general-election-2017-key-points-policies/
Other parties could make a lot of this in the next 5 days:
Tory party: 'Tax the less-well off to subsidise the well-off'
but probably won't.
And on his broader point ("less Islam, please") if this were a Christian bombing we'd have the archEtonian of Canterbury and all the little bishops condemning it like fury. I'm not hearing a squeak from the Mufti of Tower Hamlets or the Ayatollah of Rotherham.
Not that the Remain side was very much better.
When you look at any argument regarding the Gig economy or IR35 that is the but HMRC is really aiming for...
Tories have form on this.
I really hope there's a large majority, so that there's an opportunity to address issues like this properly without the few that will inevitably lose out from the changes being allowed to drown out the many that would benefit from them.
You can have my vote for a fiver. There's a 20,000 Labour majority here, so mine's worthless anyway. Let's have more referenda.
Noticeably, THEY HAVE NOT.
Cant bring myself to put my x in the box for the tories though.
Managing Brexit is slowly consuming the civil service - they are recruiting and seconding more and more people to join or work with the Brexit department, and there are still slugs of well-paid vacancies being advertised (also extending to other gvt depts, for example: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1542458&utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Indeed).
Originally they were looking for specific expertise but I suspect the entry requirements are gradually slipping and soon having been on a day trip to Calais may be enough to qualify.
The people already working there are spending their time identifying even more potential issues they haven't thought of, generating the need for even more people.
I doubt that the next government will be able to anything significant other than Brexit and attempting to balance the books. Which will leave a lot of Commons time and a lot of under-employed backbenchers to make a nuisance of themselves.
http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Public-Sector-News/civil-service-not-even-close-to-being-ready-for-post-brexit-trade
The reason they do is obvious, too: if any lie, the honest ones get punished by the voters.
Broken promise #2 – no top down reorganisation of the NHS: Before the 2010 General Election David Cameron repeatedly promised that there would be no top down reorganisations of the NHS. “No more pointless reorganisations," he said. But, despite opposition from health professionals, patients and the public, the Tory-led Government did impose the biggest top-down reorganisation in NHS history.
Broken promise #3 – no increase in VAT: In the days before the 2010 General Election David Cameron said he had “no plans” to increase VAT. But he broke this promise almost immediately in government, hiking VAT to 20 per cent in a move that costs a family with children £450 a year.
Broken promise #4 – no cuts to tax credits (a promise broken twice): David Cameron has twice broken his promise not to cut tax credits. In 2010, before the General Election, the Tories said Labour was wrong to claim families with incomes under £40,000 would be affected by cuts to tax credits. But families on incomes much lower than £40,000 were hit by cuts to tax credits in the last Parliament. And again, before the 2015 General Election David Cameron said he wouldn’t cut child tax credits – a promise broken in the Summer 2015 Budget.
Broken promise #6 – tackling relative child poverty: In his 2006 Scarman Lecture, delivered as part of this attempt to ‘detoxify’ the Tory Party David Cameron said: “I want this message to go out loud and clear: the Conservative Party recognises, will measure and will act on relative poverty.” But following the 2015 General Election his Government has scrapped Labour’s target for tackling relative child poverty with Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith dismissing it as a flawed measure.
Broken promise #7 – most family friendly government ever: David Cameron said he wanted to deliver the most family friendly government ever – but his policies and decisions have hit families hard. His flagship childcare policy has been massively delayed and there are hundreds fewer Sure Start centres than when he took office.
Broken promise #8 – greenest government ever: David Cameron said he wanted to lead the “greenest government ever” but has completely failed to deliver. Since 2010 David Cameron’s Government has cut support for solar panels on homes, scrapped the Green Deal to help people insulate old homes, scrapped green building standards for new homes and cut support for industrial solar projects.
Broken promise #9 – well paid jobs and good careers for our young people: David Cameron used his leadership acceptance speech 10 years ago to ask what the world would look like for eight-year-olds in 10 years’ time, one term into a Tory Government by which time they would be 18. He said he wanted them to have “well-paid jobs and good careers”. But 10 years on David Cameron has let those young people down. Those about to head to university face being saddled with decades of debt as a result of the Tories’ decision to treble tuition fees. And one of the first acts of the Tory majority government was to pave the way for even higher tuition fees in some universities. Those going straight into work are facing increasingly insecurity, entrenched low pay and a rise in zero-hours contracts.
Broken promise #10 – dignity for people in their old age: His acceptance speech in December 2005 also pledged that for people over the age of 65 “their safety, their dignity in old age will be our priority”. But cuts to social care are hitting the elderly hard while his Government’s plans to introduce a cap on social care costs have been delayed until 2020.
BBC also running with the same .
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/1584355/Gordon-Brown-attacked-over-10p-tax-rate.html
or when he broke the manifesto pledge to share the proceeds of growth with pensioners and gave them a whopping 75p
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/1999/oct/13/welfarereform.society
Edit to add: Other limits apply to spending by third parties.
The Tories have absolutely no chance of displacing long-serving Barry Sheerman in rock solid Labour safe Huddersfield itself.