Osborne will neither move nor be moved, for the same reason Balls won't. Both are ambitious, and being moved would make the party that did it look like they were conceding the economic argument.
Labour would say "He's done such a good job he's been fired!" and the Conservatives would attack Labour for having three shadow chancellors: "How many will it take before they find someone with credibility?"
They'd say that, but I doubt the downside would last more than a couple of news cycles. What really matters is how the new person looks during the campaign. The voters will vote based on who they think is better, not what the fact that they have the job tells them about the person who used to have it.
Lucky GO isn't prompted for in the polling booth. A Labour comfort poll...
When the economy is growing, order books are filling, employment is up - let's find something negative to talk about - the CoE's branding...
. He said We're all in this together, but it's clear we're not.
True. The rich are now paying more income tax than under Labour - even though their share of total income has fallen.....
That is because they have much more money and whether most of them are paying more is doubtful, too many of them use tax dodges rather than paying their fair share.
Since the coalition has been much more aggressive in going after "tax dodges" than Labour ever were it is likely that the rich can make less use of them. Even assuming they are used to the same amount as under Labour the rich's share of income tax has risen under the coalition - one of the consequences of taking the poor out of tax.....meanwhile the rich's share of income has fallen......
They talk big but we have not seen any real evidence.
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
Bit like running an ad campaign and seeing if sales go up
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Don't worry, I am sure if there is a poll showing a good UKIP score everyone will just dismiss it anyway
But its surely not propaganda if people consider voting for a small party because they read a leaflet?
I never said swamp canvassing, I don't even know what that means. I think its more a case of putting leaflets through doors etc... Is that swamp?
The construction/services AND manufacturing PMIs are all around 60....
Growth in everything....
Its the relative proportions which matter.
If industrial production grows but retail sales grows more then it means the economy is becoming even more unbalanced.
If exports grow but imports grow more then it means the economy is becoming even more unbalanced.
Since 2000 we have had the economy grow increasingly unbalanced:
From 2000 to 2007 the economy grew but became more unbalanced In 2008 and 2009 the economy shrank and became more unbalanced From 2010 to now the economy grew but became more unbalanced
Do you see the pattern here ?
And is there any evidence to suggest its going to change because without that fundamental pattern changing all further economic growth does it make things worse.
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
I never said swamp canvassing, I don't even know what that means. I think its more a case of putting leaflets through doors etc... Is that swamp?
If you are trying to find out what will happen in an election you either 1) try to replicate that election where alI Parties canvas or 2) since this is virtually unexecutable, don't do any canvassing at all - only canvassing for one party makes the poll worthless and a waste of money........
Given that it seems the whole poll was tainted by putting class questions (did rich people benefit the most) at the beginning I'd take the results with a pinch of salt. The dog whistle was deafening. I wonder if the designer of the poll was a signed up member of the Labour Party?
After all only the filfhy rich would support a filthy rich Chancellor like George Osborne now wouldn't they? Polling in this country is truly going down the drain.
PS And I don't support the Tories and won't be voting for them in 2015.
Quote of the day on Order -Order ..Maggie haters and Lefties look away now.. ..Mandela about M Thatcher "She is an enemy of apartheid...we have much to thank her for.."
Just because Labour are talking about the cost of living doesn't mean it isn't a problem, at least at this moment in time. The question is whether you do short term things like Miliband's fantasy freeze or you set up the economy for long term growth, which will filter through in due course (and the government can defend itself on the short term if pressed, talking about fuel duty and council tax).
And anyone getting complacent in the Labour ranks should read about the Progress focus groups. The government are currently unpopular, but don't be fooled that the voters will go flocking to a distrusted Labour party. At least the government is in a position to change things, and will be judged accordingly in 2015.
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Don't worry, I am sure if there is a poll showing a good UKIP score everyone will just dismiss it anyway
And if it's based on UKIP canvassing the sample ahead of the poll they'd be right to.
Quote of the day on Order -Order ..Maggie haters and Lefties look away now.. ..Mandela about M Thatcher "She is an enemy of apartheid...we have much to thank her for.."
Yep, Maggie was single-handedly responsible for Madiba's release! She left office 7 months after he left prison!
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Not a bad way to confirm your target seats though is it? And its reasonable to assume that UKIP like all parties will swamp their target seats come election time.
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Not a bad way to confirm your target seats though is it? And its reasonable to assume that UKIP like all parties will swamp their target seats come election time.
Not really - it proceeds from the curious assumption that the other parties won't swamp canvass....GIGO.....
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
I never said swamp canvassing, I don't even know what that means. I think its more a case of putting leaflets through doors etc... Is that swamp?
If you are trying to find out what will happen in an election you either 1) try to replicate that election where alI Parties canvas or 2) since this is virtually unexecutable, don't do any canvassing at all - only canvassing for one party makes the poll worthless and a waste of money........
I am a party politics novice, but it seems like the sensible thing to do to me.
If UKIP get a decent percentage and other parties say "Yeah but they were putting leaflets out beforehand", I don't think it will matter a bit. People would laugh at that argument. The other three parties are on the tv everyday and are ingrained in the public consciousness, they don't need to advertise in the same way
I suspect if UKIP want to find out a bit more about immigration and attitudes to it they could get on the District Line and come down a few stops to Barking and East Ham.
Other thoughts: - the economy. I've tried to keep myself informed on this and have been aided by those recalling the forecasts of the June 2010 emergency budget and some research on productivity and how it is continuing to at best stagnate and at worse to actually decline.
So we have more people in work than before working more hours than ever before yet productivity is in decline. To be fair, even Allister Heath gave the Autumn Statement two cheers:
For me, the key point of Heath's critique is that private consumption is again leading the way so this "recovery" will be like all the others and will ultimately fail. What of an investment-led or export-driven recovery which would be ultimately more sustainablke ? Labour have nothing to say on this but those critiquing Osborne from the other side of the fence do make valid points which supporters of Osborne can't brush off so easily.
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
I never said swamp canvassing, I don't even know what that means. I think its more a case of putting leaflets through doors etc... Is that swamp?
If you are trying to find out what will happen in an election you either 1) try to replicate that election where alI Parties canvas or 2) since this is virtually unexecutable, don't do any canvassing at all - only canvassing for one party makes the poll worthless and a waste of money........
I am a party politics novice, but it seems like the sensible thing to do to me.
If UKIP get a decent percentage and other parties say "Yeah but they were putting leaflets out beforehand", I don't think it will matter a bit. People would laugh at that argument. The other three parties are on the tv everyday and are ingrained in the public consciousness, they don't need to advertise in the same way
Also, do the Tories in those seats have any activists left or have they all given up / died / defected to UKIP? Only UKIP having a presence on the ground might turn out to be the right way to simulate a campaign...
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Don't worry, I am sure if there is a poll showing a good UKIP score everyone will just dismiss it anyway
And if it's based on UKIP canvassing the sample ahead of the poll they'd be right to.
haha every poll where UKIP does well is dismissed anyway!
They are trying to find out where to target in the next election, what are they meant to do ?Guess?!
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Not a bad way to confirm your target seats though is it? And its reasonable to assume that UKIP like all parties will swamp their target seats come election time.
Not really - it proceeds from the curious assumption that the other parties won't swamp canvass....GIGO.....
Well I really don't see the major parties swamping Hornchurch. The Tories have a 16.000 majority.
In any case how else are UKIP to assess their progress and support retention if they don't poll?
Big UKIP canvassing going on in Hornchurch and Upminster today. I think it is because there is going to be an opinion poll in the area soon...
Strange how left leaners on here constantly point out statistics and data to prove how immigration is great, and dismisses anyone who says their life is being made worse because of it as dealing in meaningless racist anecdotes, but are basing their whole economic argument on the stats being meaningless and it all being aboiut how people are feeling personally..
Flexible attitude I must say!
So Ukip swamp canvass a seat then get a marginals poll done ? Hmmm....
Wouldn't that be a good idea?
It depends on whether you are seeking "truth" or "propaganda"
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
Don't worry, I am sure if there is a poll showing a good UKIP score everyone will just dismiss it anyway
And if it's based on UKIP canvassing the sample ahead of the poll they'd be right to.
"UKIP if you want to. The lady's NOT for kipping!"
In truth, the question is how much real canvassing is going to be done ? Standing on Hornchurch High Street with a stall and a megaphone and nabbing passers-by isn't canvassing. Is the aim to knock on say 1,000 doors in the constituency today ? Have UKIP identified potential targets for next year's local elections and will be working those with door-knocking and leaflets or is this more about publicity ?
ack to the economy - the more I think about this the more I think the occupant of 11 Downing Street after May 2015 is going to face as difficult as agenda as George Osborne. Interest rates will have to rise and possibly quickly with all that follows while the figures show that the deficit remains inbherently structural and hasn't really been tackled by the Coalition.
I know from talking to a couple of senior Finance officers in local authorities that they think 2015-16 will be horrendous whoever is in Government with real-term cuts in public spending of an order not seen in this Parliament and that we are "in a holding pattern" as one described it pending the next GE.
My own view is that Holland may be a very good bet - what people often neglect in the WC is that if you're a decent side being in a tough group can be a good thing; if you're going to be good enough to win it (or get to the latter stages), you have to be backed to get out of a group no matter how tough, and they waltzed through qualifying.
Spain are also arguably in transition - Xavi is not the player he was and he's so key to the way they play that even with others taking up the slack they may struggle to dominate in the way they have done in previous international tournaments. Australia are rubbish so it's also not quite as deathly as the group initially looks. Chile have some wonderful players but aren't great at the back.
There's also the Surinam connection, which may mean that the Dutch are more amenable to South America than other northern European sides. I find it unbelievable that they're so low in the betting.
In truth, the question is how much real canvassing is going to be done ? Standing on Hornchurch High Street with a stall and a megaphone and nabbing passers-by isn't canvassing. Is the aim to knock on say 1,000 doors in the constituency today ? Have UKIP identified potential targets for next year's local elections and will be working those with door-knocking and leaflets or is this more about publicity ?
ack to the economy - the more I think about this the more I think the occupant of 11 Downing Street after May 2015 is going to face as difficult as agenda as George Osborne. Interest rates will have to rise and possibly quickly with all that follows while the figures show that the deficit remains inbherently structural and hasn't really been tackled by the Coalition.
I know from talking to a couple of senior Finance officers in local authorities that they think 2015-16 will be horrendous whoever is in Government with real-term cuts in public spending of an order not seen in this Parliament and that we are "in a holding pattern" as one described it pending the next GE.
As far as I know it was leafleting... but I live in the constituency and haven't got one!
The problem that all sides face is how to replace an economic system that is broken. The solution to unregulated markets drowning themselves in unrepayable debt is not more unregulated markets. Nor is the solution to drowning in debt more debt. So thats both left and right knackered regardless of party affiliation.
And we have various elephants in the room laying down so much dung that we can't ignore them any longer. Globalisation has killed western industry and they're just getting going. Medical progress spends large amounts of money keeping us all alive longer which makes the welfare state enacted in various forms across Europe unaffordable. The second world economies are becoming first world, demanding basic resources that we have made scarcer, ramming the price up beyond a price our economies can afford.
In a way I respect Osborne for his honesty about retirement ages. However from the people I talk to this has gone down like a lead balloon. Why? Not because the elite like Osborne will retire long before 69 as I will, but because there aren't enough jobs to keep us employed now, never mind when we all have to work longer. People are talking in fear about the punitive way this government treats the unemployed/underemployed/economically inactive/sick/disabled. Where I live NPower have just axed hundreds of jobs (but the workers can choose to relocate to Bangalore....) so unemployment and its fear are very real things.
That is now. Wind forward 20 years, let globalisation work its magic and transfer more jobs to the new first world, then tell me where all these jobs are coming from to keep us in work to 69. We can't afford pensions, I know that. But as we won't have jobs either that means millions ending their career unemployed - and we all know what that means from experience. Balls doesn't need to have solutions to these problems to win the election (because he doesn't) - he just needs to show that he understands the fear of these problems in a way that Osborne never can.
I think that you are right in your third paragraph. All parties have delayed implementing austerity so as not to have deepened the recession, and it is increasingly clear that Osborne/Alexander have masterfully done this, but it does mean cuts yet to come.
Have your LGO finance officers reckoned with this though:
In effect much out of Hospital care will be funded by the NHS rather than local govt, this is long overdue integration of services (largely the work of Norman Lamb), but it does mean that LGO's will need to find their economies elsewhere.
In truth, the question is how much real canvassing is going to be done ? Standing on Hornchurch High Street with a stall and a megaphone and nabbing passers-by isn't canvassing. Is the aim to knock on say 1,000 doors in the constituency today ? Have UKIP identified potential targets for next year's local elections and will be working those with door-knocking and leaflets or is this more about publicity ?
ack to the economy - the more I think about this the more I think the occupant of 11 Downing Street after May 2015 is going to face as difficult as agenda as George Osborne. Interest rates will have to rise and possibly quickly with all that follows while the figures show that the deficit remains inbherently structural and hasn't really been tackled by the Coalition.
I know from talking to a couple of senior Finance officers in local authorities that they think 2015-16 will be horrendous whoever is in Government with real-term cuts in public spending of an order not seen in this Parliament and that we are "in a holding pattern" as one described it pending the next GE.
If UKIP are targeting Hornchurch and Upminster they need a new strategist.
Nope, outside of a few constituencies in which there's the perfect scenario of a low Con majority, unenthusiastic Lab vote and God help the Lib Dems, they haven't got a hope of winning a seat.
The main issue for UKIP outside of these areas I'd imagine is broadening their base so that they don't just seem like the golf club bores' party and can build support for the inevitable fudge on the EU whoever is in power.
My own view is that Holland may be a very good bet - what people often neglect in the WC is that if you're a decent side being in a tough group can be a good thing; if you're going to be good enough to win it (or get to the latter stages), you have to be backed to get out of a group no matter how tough, and they waltzed through qualifying.
Spain are also arguably in transition - Xavi is not the player he was and he's so key to the way they play that even with others taking up the slack they may struggle to dominate in the way they have done in previous international tournaments. Australia are rubbish so it's also not quite as deathly as the group initially looks. Chile have some wonderful players but aren't great at the back.
There's also the Surinam connection, which may mean that the Dutch are more amenable to South America than other northern European sides. I find it unbelievable that they're so low in the betting.
I think there is a great bet at a massive price in the World Cup which I shall reveal once I am on!
Now I am off to play up front for Hornchurch Vets FC... comeback as a striker after 12 years in midfield!
OT. Just heard that the writer and philosopher Colin Wilson has died. His output ranged from the genius to the truly awful but the gems in his work and the ideas he developed more than made up for the trash. A much under-rated author (except by himself perhaps).
Some truth in there, but also a lot of misconceptions. For example the NPower redundancies will be worse if Milibands energy price freeze goes through. If power companies maintain their profits by economising on new investment and by their own wage freezes and redundancies then my cheaper electricity will be at the cost of a power workers wage packet. A workingg class bloke will suffer so a middle class doctor can spend his money on wine rather than heating. Such is the indiscriminant result of a poorly though through policy.
Demographic change is not a bad thing, interms of life years remaining our population has been getting younger. Spijker has done some interesting work on this: http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/08/09/hlth-soc-care/
The problem that all sides face is how to replace an economic system that is broken. The solution to unregulated markets drowning themselves in unrepayable debt is not more unregulated markets. Nor is the solution to drowning in debt more debt. So thats both left and right knackered regardless of party affiliation.
And we have various elephants in the room laying down so much dung that we can't ignore them any longer. Globalisation has killed western industry and they're just getting going. Medical progress spends large amounts of money keeping us all alive longer which makes the welfare state enacted in various forms across Europe unaffordable. The second world economies are becoming first world, demanding basic resources that we have made scarcer, ramming the price up beyond a price our economies can afford.
In a way I respect Osborne for his honesty about retirement ages. However from the people I talk to this has gone down like a lead balloon. Why? Not because the elite like Osborne will retire long before 69 as I will, but because there aren't enough jobs to keep us employed now, never mind when we all have to work longer. People are talking in fear about the punitive way this government treats the unemployed/underemployed/economically inactive/sick/disabled. Where I live NPower have just axed hundreds of jobs (but the workers can choose to relocate to Bangalore....) so unemployment and its fear are very real things.
That is now. Wind forward 20 years, let globalisation work its magic and transfer more jobs to the new first world, then tell me where all these jobs are coming from to keep us in work to 69. We can't afford pensions, I know that. But as we won't have jobs either that means millions ending their career unemployed - and we all know what that means from experience. Balls doesn't need to have solutions to these problems to win the election (because he doesn't) - he just needs to show that he understands the fear of these problems in a way that Osborne never can.
If all that's happening in Hornchurch & Upminster is some leafletting then first it's not canvassing and second we could be talking about 5-6 people at most who could easily deliver 2,000 leaflets in a day.
If you're going to do a whole constituency in a day (30,000 doors or thereabouts), I did it once with 10 deliverers though it's hard going. Get 20 out and it's quite achievable in a suburban area - NOT, I stress, in the more rural constituencies when delivering 50 leaflets can take hours.
My own view is that Holland may be a very good bet - what people often neglect in the WC is that if you're a decent side being in a tough group can be a good thing; if you're going to be good enough to win it (or get to the latter stages), you have to be backed to get out of a group no matter how tough, and they waltzed through qualifying.
Spain are also arguably in transition - Xavi is not the player he was and he's so key to the way they play that even with others taking up the slack they may struggle to dominate in the way they have done in previous international tournaments. Australia are rubbish so it's also not quite as deathly as the group initially looks. Chile have some wonderful players but aren't great at the back.
There's also the Surinam connection, which may mean that the Dutch are more amenable to South America than other northern European sides. I find it unbelievable that they're so low in the betting.
I think there is a great bet at a massive price in the World Cup which I shall reveal once I am on!
Now I am off to play up front for Hornchurch Vets FC... comeback as a striker after 12 years in midfield!
Lucky GO isn't prompted for in the polling booth. A Labour comfort poll...
When the economy is growing, order books are filling, employment is up - let's find something negative to talk about - the CoE's branding...
. He said We're all in this together, but it's clear we're not.
True. The rich are now paying more income tax than under Labour - even though their share of total income has fallen.....
That is because they have much more money and whether most of them are paying more is doubtful, too many of them use tax dodges rather than paying their fair share.
Since the coalition has been much more aggressive in going after "tax dodges" than Labour ever were it is likely that the rich can make less use of them. Even assuming they are used to the same amount as under Labour the rich's share of income tax has risen under the coalition - one of the consequences of taking the poor out of tax.....meanwhile the rich's share of income has fallen......
They talk big but we have not seen any real evidence other than some wittering from Osborne. Lots of hot air and their chums and big business are carrying on regardless. It is always certain that under Tories the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, they are just on steroids this time.
So Vodafone started 10 years ago and nothing to do with present Government who have accepted a reduced payment with 5 years to pay. Not exactly cracking the whip.
Reuters - The US have to do the work, do not see any UK part in it
My own view is that Holland may be a very good bet - what people often neglect in the WC is that if you're a decent side being in a tough group can be a good thing; if you're going to be good enough to win it (or get to the latter stages), you have to be backed to get out of a group no matter how tough, and they waltzed through qualifying.
Spain are also arguably in transition - Xavi is not the player he was and he's so key to the way they play that even with others taking up the slack they may struggle to dominate in the way they have done in previous international tournaments. Australia are rubbish so it's also not quite as deathly as the group initially looks. Chile have some wonderful players but aren't great at the back.
There's also the Surinam connection, which may mean that the Dutch are more amenable to South America than other northern European sides. I find it unbelievable that they're so low in the betting.
I think there is a great bet at a massive price in the World Cup which I shall reveal once I am on!
I hear Roger is predicting an Australia-Costa Rica final.
Lucky GO isn't prompted for in the polling booth. A Labour comfort poll...
When the economy is growing, order books are filling, employment is up - let's find something negative to talk about - the CoE's branding...
. He said We're all in this together, but it's clear we're not.
True. The rich are now paying more income tax than under Labour - even though their share of total income has fallen.....
That is because they have much more money and whether most of them are paying more is doubtful, too many of them use tax dodges rather than paying their fair share.
Since the coalition has been much more aggressive in going after "tax dodges" than Labour ever were it is likely that the rich can make less use of them. Even assuming they are used to the same amount as under Labour the rich's share of income tax has risen under the coalition - one of the consequences of taking the poor out of tax.....meanwhile the rich's share of income has fallen......
They talk big but we have not seen any real evidence.
Just means so many at the bottom are either jobless or part time , whilst the fat cats are secure , mere statistics to prove how unequal this country is. Rich coining it in whilst the poor cannot even make enough to pay tax. Only a Tory could see total inequality such as that as good.
Lucky GO isn't prompted for in the polling booth. A Labour comfort poll...
When the economy is growing, order books are filling, employment is up - let's find something negative to talk about - the CoE's branding...
. He said We're all in this together, but it's clear we're not.
True. The rich are now paying more income tax than under Labour - even though their share of total income has fallen.....
That is because they have much more money and whether most of them are paying more is doubtful, too many of them use tax dodges rather than paying their fair share.
Since the coalition has been much more aggressive in going after "tax dodges" than Labour ever were it is likely that the rich can make less use of them. Even assuming they are used to the same amount as under Labour the rich's share of income tax has risen under the coalition - one of the consequences of taking the poor out of tax.....meanwhile the rich's share of income has fallen......
They talk big but we have not seen any real evidence other than some wittering from Osborne. Lots of hot air and their chums and big business are carrying on regardless. It is always certain that under Tories the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, they are just on steroids this time.
So Vodafone started 10 years ago and nothing to do with present Government who have accepted a reduced payment with 5 years to pay. Not exactly cracking the whip.
Reuters - The US have to do the work, do not see any UK part in it
Vodafone has been an endless saga. the last government did a shockingly bad tax deal which the current one has been unpicking.
On Swiss bank accounts perhaps I picked up the wrong story. But if you look at the autumn statement you will see that there was an announcement that the deal they put in place raised £750m or so. (Admitted less than forecast when it was set up, but that initial estimate was always something of a finger in the air).
There is always more to do, and I am a little chocked by the willingness of wealthy individuals to tax plan quite so aggressively (I'm thinking here particularly about income planning; trusts are less of an issue because to make it work it involves giving capital away). I regularly get approached by "advisers" with their latest scheme and invariably tell then to f*** off.
The problem that all sides face is how to replace an economic system that is broken. The solution to unregulated markets drowning themselves in unrepayable debt is not more unregulated markets. Nor is the solution to drowning in debt more debt. So thats both left and right knackered regardless of party affiliation.
And we have various elephants in the room laying down so much dung that we can't ignore them any longer. Globalisation has killed western industry and they're just getting going. Medical progress spends large amounts of money keeping us all alive longer which makes the welfare state enacted in various forms across Europe unaffordable. The second world economies are becoming first world, demanding basic resources that we have made scarcer, ramming the price up beyond a price our economies can afford.
In a way I respect Osborne for his honesty about retirement ages. However from the people I talk to this has gone down like a lead balloon. Why? Not because the elite like Osborne will retire long before 69 as I will, but because there aren't enough jobs to keep us employed now, never mind when we all have to work longer. People are talking in fear about the punitive way this government treats the unemployed/underemployed/economically inactive/sick/disabled. Where I live NPower have just axed hundreds of jobs (but the workers can choose to relocate to Bangalore....) so unemployment and its fear are very real things.
That is now. Wind forward 20 years, let globalisation work its magic and transfer more jobs to the new first world, then tell me where all these jobs are coming from to keep us in work to 69. We can't afford pensions, I know that. But as we won't have jobs either that means millions ending their career unemployed - and we all know what that means from experience. Balls doesn't need to have solutions to these problems to win the election (because he doesn't) - he just needs to show that he understands the fear of these problems in a way that Osborne never can.
Superb post , but it will be over the heads of most of the entrenched Tories on here, Labour may be crap but they only need to be thought to be less crap than the Nasty party.
Lucky GO isn't prompted for in the polling booth. A Labour comfort poll...
When the economy is growing, order books are filling, employment is up - let's find something negative to talk about - the CoE's branding...
. He said We're all in this together, but it's clear we're not.
True. The rich are now paying more income tax than under Labour - even though their share of total income has fallen.....
That is because they have much more money and whether most of them are paying more is doubtful, too many of them use tax dodges rather than paying their fair share.
Since the coalition has been much more aggressive in going after "tax dodges" than Labour ever were it is likely that the rich can make less use of them. Even assuming they are used to the same amount as under Labour the rich's share of income tax has risen under the coalition - one of the consequences of taking the poor out of tax.....meanwhile the rich's share of income has fallen......
They talk big but we have not seen any real evidence other than some wittering from Osborne. Lots of hot air and their chums and big business are carrying on regardless. It is always certain that under Tories the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, they are just on steroids this time.
So Vodafone started 10 years ago and nothing to do with present Government who have accepted a reduced payment with 5 years to pay. Not exactly cracking the whip.
Reuters - The US have to do the work, do not see any UK part in it
Vodafone has been an endless saga. the last government did a shockingly bad tax deal which the current one has been unpicking.
On Swiss bank accounts perhaps I picked up the wrong story. But if you look at the autumn statement you will see that there was an announcement that the deal they put in place raised £750m or so. (Admitted less than forecast when it was set up, but that initial estimate was always something of a finger in the air).
There is always more to do, and I am a little chocked by the willingness of wealthy individuals to tax plan quite so aggressively (I'm thinking here particularly about income planning; trusts are less of an issue because to make it work it involves giving capital away). I regularly get approached by "advisers" with their latest scheme and invariably tell then to f*** off.
I am very cynical Charles, easy for them to talk about it but they rarely act on it. The same people and companies are still ripping us off. What is to stop the government actually trying to simplify the pathetic tax system and have a much simpler one which stops tax avoidance ( evasion ). The answer is it suits them and their chums in personal and business sense, as long as they can catch the small fry they do not really care a jot.
Lucky GO isn't prompted for in the polling booth. A Labour comfort poll...
When the economy is growing, order books are filling, employment is up - let's find something negative to talk about - the CoE's branding...
. He said We're all in this together, but it's clear we're not.
True. The rich are now paying more income tax than under Labour - even though their share of total income has fallen.....
That is because they have much more money and whether most of them are paying more is doubtful, too many of them use tax dodges rather than paying their fair share.
Since the coalition has been much more aggressive in going after "tax dodges" than Labour ever were it is likely that the rich can make less use of them. Even assuming they are used to the same amount as under Labour the rich's share of income tax has risen under the coalition - one of the consequences of taking the poor out of tax.....meanwhile the rich's share of income has fallen......
They talk big but we have not seen any real evidence other than some wittering from Osborne. Lots of hot air and their chums and big business are carrying on regardless. It is always certain that under Tories the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, they are just on steroids this time.
So Vodafone started 10 years ago and nothing to do with present Government who have accepted a reduced payment with 5 years to pay. Not exactly cracking the whip.
Reuters - The US have to do the work, do not see any UK part in it
Vodafone has been an endless saga. the last government did a shockingly bad tax deal which the current one has been unpicking.
On Swiss bank accounts perhaps I picked up the wrong story. But if you look at the autumn statement you will see that there was an announcement that the deal they put in place raised £750m or so. (Admitted less than forecast when it was set up, but that initial estimate was always something of a finger in the air).
There is always more to do, and I am a little chocked by the willingness of wealthy individuals to tax plan quite so aggressively (I'm thinking here particularly about income planning; trusts are less of an issue because to make it work it involves giving capital away). I regularly get approached by "advisers" with their latest scheme and invariably tell then to f*** off.
Charles. You are a gentleman and I can't envisage you telling anybody to f*** off. You surely have more elegant ways of telling people to go away.
It is frankly scary how so many people in this country have just got used to three figure (actually 12) deficits and seem to think spending this much more than the country is willing or able to pay in tax is ok. If we do not sort this out the talk about changes in the standard of living are going to painfully real.
The problem that all sides face is how to replace an economic system that is broken. The solution to unregulated markets drowning themselves in unrepayable debt is not more unregulated markets. Nor is the solution to drowning in debt more debt. So thats both left and right knackered regardless of party affiliation.
And we have various elephants in the room laying down so much dung that we can't ignore them any longer. Globalisation has killed western industry and they're just getting going. Medical progress spends large amounts of money keeping us all alive longer which makes the welfare state enacted in various forms across Europe unaffordable. The second world economies are becoming first world, demanding basic resources that we have made scarcer, ramming the price up beyond a price our economies can afford.
In a way I respect Osborne for his honesty about retirement ages. However from the people I talk to this has gone down like a lead balloon. Why? Not because the elite like Osborne will retire long before 69 as I will, but because there aren't enough jobs to keep us employed now, never mind when we all have to work longer. People are talking in fear about the punitive way this government treats the unemployed/underemployed/economically inactive/sick/disabled. Where I live NPower have just axed hundreds of jobs (but the workers can choose to relocate to Bangalore....) so unemployment and its fear are very real things.
That is now. Wind forward 20 years, let globalisation work its magic and transfer more jobs to the new first world, then tell me where all these jobs are coming from to keep us in work to 69. We can't afford pensions, I know that. But as we won't have jobs either that means millions ending their career unemployed - and we all know what that means from experience. Balls doesn't need to have solutions to these problems to win the election (because he doesn't) - he just needs to show that he understands the fear of these problems in a way that Osborne never can.
Do you have solutions at all?
That's not being facetious at all, just it's obviously something you have thought about just wondered if you have seen any ways to break the vicious circle.
I work as an independent broker in the insurance world, and when the likes of Aviva and Pruhealth started losing business because their overseas call centres were rubbish they soon brought them back to the UK.
Similarly I have a part time business in the utilities world with an award winning UK based customer service that people appreciate rather than the likes of BT's overseas shambles.
Shale gas has been a massive boost to the US to the point it is cheaper to manufacture their than import from Asia, so there are ways to boost jobs here.
Protectionism is seriously frowned upon but unless people buy British and our manufacturers can play on a level field then the problems will compound.
RochdalePioneer is wrong. Unemployment is lower than it was 30 years ago, despite globalisation, the private sector has created well over a million jobs since 2010.
These are not the jobs that they were, but they are jobs. As they are less likely to be manual jobs they are often more suitable for older people. It was not easy to be a miner at 65 but fine to be behind the counter at McDonalds at the same age.
The problem that all sides face is how to replace an economic system that is broken. The solution to unregulated markets drowning themselves in unrepayable debt is not more unregulated markets. Nor is the solution to drowning in debt more debt. So thats both left and right knackered regardless of party affiliation.
And we have various elephants in the room laying down so much dung that we can't ignore them any longer. Globalisation has killed western industry and they're just getting going. Medical progress spends large amounts of money keeping us all alive longer which makes the welfare state enacted in various forms across Europe unaffordable. The second world economies are becoming first world, demanding basic resources that we have made scarcer, ramming the price up beyond a price our economies can afford.
In a way I respect Osborne for his honesty about retirement ages. However from the people I talk to this has gone down like a lead balloon. Why? Not because the elite like Osborne will retire long before 69 as I will, but because there aren't enough jobs to keep us employed now, never mind when we all have to work longer. People are talking in fear about the punitive way this government treats the unemployed/underemployed/economically inactive/sick/disabled. Where I live NPower have just axed hundreds of jobs (but the workers can choose to relocate to Bangalore....) so unemployment and its fear are very real things.
That is now. Wind forward 20 years, let globalisation work its magic and transfer more jobs to the new first world, then tell me where all these jobs are coming from to keep us in work to 69. We can't afford pensions, I know that. But as we won't have jobs either that means millions ending their career unemployed - and we all know what that means from experience. Balls doesn't need to have solutions to these problems to win the election (because he doesn't) - he just needs to show that he understands the fear of these problems in a way that Osborne never can.
Do you have solutions at all?
That's not being facetious at all, just it's obviously something you have thought about just wondered if you have seen any ways to break the vicious circle.
I work as an independent broker in the insurance world, and when the likes of Aviva and Pruhealth started losing business because their overseas call centres were rubbish they soon brought them back to the UK.
Similarly I have a part time business in the utilities world with an award winning UK based customer service that people appreciate rather than the likes of BT's overseas shambles.
Shale gas has been a massive boost to the US to the point it is cheaper to manufacture their than import from Asia, so there are ways to boost jobs here.
Protectionism is seriously frowned upon but unless people buy British and our manufacturers can play on a level field then the problems will compound.
There is always more to do, and I am a little chocked by the willingness of wealthy individuals to tax plan quite so aggressively (I'm thinking here particularly about income planning; trusts are less of an issue because to make it work it involves giving capital away). I regularly get approached by "advisers" with their latest scheme and invariably tell then to f*** off.
My accountant likes to propose amazingly tiny chizelling little fiddles that would save me less in tax than I lose in billable time that he wastes explaining them to me. The government should require accountants and tax advisers to let clients set their level of rapaciousness on a level of 1 to 10, where 1 makes no attempt to reduce the tax burden at all and 10 will do anything up to and including barely legal. A lot of people would pick about 5 or 6, which would result in more tax revenue than they're getting now, and less productive time wasted on shennanigans.
I agree. I would not bother to have a registered company for private practice if my marginal rate of tax was lower. Complex tax laws are just create work for lawyers and accountants.
There is always more to do, and I am a little chocked by the willingness of wealthy individuals to tax plan quite so aggressively (I'm thinking here particularly about income planning; trusts are less of an issue because to make it work it involves giving capital away). I regularly get approached by "advisers" with their latest scheme and invariably tell then to f*** off.
My accountant likes to propose amazingly tiny chizelling little fiddles that would save me less in tax than I lose in billable time that he wastes explaining them to me. The government should require accountants and tax advisers to let clients set their level of rapaciousness on a level of 1 to 10, where 1 makes no attempt to reduce the tax burden at all and 10 will do anything up to and including barely legal. A lot of people would pick about 5 or 6, which would result in more tax revenue than they're getting now, and less productive time wasted on shennanigans.
Again, the salient point is that Osborne, and by extension the Tory party, is seen as on the side of big business. He reduced corporation tax for big business, he has raised the minimum wage below inflation, he has backed energy company profits over lower prices and not got any investment guarantees in return.
In the us vs them fight, Osborne is always on the "them" side and voters have noticed. That's not to say Balls is any better, he would undoubtedly make similar moves but voters don't know that yet because he is not the Chancellor.
FOOTBALL SPOILER - DON'T READ IF YOU'LL BE WATCHING THE HIGHLIGHTS LATER
Off-topic laughing at David Moyes (and feeling a bit sorry for him) - Man U should have had a penalty, then conceded a goal a couple of minutes later, and have just had an equaliser ruled out for offside. Suddenly it seems teams just aren't afraid of facing Man U...
My feeling is that the current bounce in the economy has been caused by the borrowing for lending scheme which started 18 months ago. This has loosened monetary policy, helped cheaper mortgages, reduced saving rates and created a small consumer boom.
But borrowing for lending is now going to be focused on business lending, not housing. Will that mean the foot has been taken off the accelerator, causing the economy to slow?
Comments
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-4.pdf
Bit like running an ad campaign and seeing if sales go up
Unless the swamp canvassing is replicable at an election (where no one else bothers) you will not be getting "truth"..
But its surely not propaganda if people consider voting for a small party because they read a leaflet?
I never said swamp canvassing, I don't even know what that means. I think its more a case of putting leaflets through doors etc... Is that swamp?
(only kidding!)
If industrial production grows but retail sales grows more then it means the economy is becoming even more unbalanced.
If exports grow but imports grow more then it means the economy is becoming even more unbalanced.
Since 2000 we have had the economy grow increasingly unbalanced:
From 2000 to 2007 the economy grew but became more unbalanced
In 2008 and 2009 the economy shrank and became more unbalanced
From 2010 to now the economy grew but became more unbalanced
Do you see the pattern here ?
And is there any evidence to suggest its going to change because without that fundamental pattern changing all further economic growth does it make things worse.
Its like a ghetto! The hard hitting streets of the minster!
Given that it seems the whole poll was tainted by putting class questions (did rich people benefit the most) at the beginning I'd take the results with a pinch of salt. The dog whistle was deafening. I wonder if the designer of the poll was a signed up member of the Labour Party?
After all only the filfhy rich would support a filthy rich Chancellor like George Osborne now wouldn't they? Polling in this country is truly going down the drain.
PS And I don't support the Tories and won't be voting for them in 2015.
And anyone getting complacent in the Labour ranks should read about the Progress focus groups. The government are currently unpopular, but don't be fooled that the voters will go flocking to a distrusted Labour party. At least the government is in a position to change things, and will be judged accordingly in 2015.
http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2013/12/01/meet-the-swing-voters/
If UKIP get a decent percentage and other parties say "Yeah but they were putting leaflets out beforehand", I don't think it will matter a bit. People would laugh at that argument. The other three parties are on the tv everyday and are ingrained in the public consciousness, they don't need to advertise in the same way
I suspect if UKIP want to find out a bit more about immigration and attitudes to it they could get on the District Line and come down a few stops to Barking and East Ham.
Other thoughts: - the economy. I've tried to keep myself informed on this and have been aided by those recalling the forecasts of the June 2010 emergency budget and some research on productivity and how it is continuing to at best stagnate and at worse to actually decline.
So we have more people in work than before working more hours than ever before yet productivity is in decline. To be fair, even Allister Heath gave the Autumn Statement two cheers:
http://www.cityam.com/article/1386302563/uk-economy-improving-far-cured
For me, the key point of Heath's critique is that private consumption is again leading the way so this "recovery" will be like all the others and will ultimately fail. What of an investment-led or export-driven recovery which would be ultimately more sustainablke ? Labour have nothing to say on this but those critiquing Osborne from the other side of the fence do make valid points which supporters of Osborne can't brush off so easily.
They are trying to find out where to target in the next election, what are they meant to do ?Guess?!
In any case how else are UKIP to assess their progress and support retention if they don't poll?
ack to the economy - the more I think about this the more I think the occupant of 11 Downing Street after May 2015 is going to face as difficult as agenda as George Osborne. Interest rates will have to rise and possibly quickly with all that follows while the figures show that the deficit remains inbherently structural and hasn't really been tackled by the Coalition.
I know from talking to a couple of senior Finance officers in local authorities that they think 2015-16 will be horrendous whoever is in Government with real-term cuts in public spending of an order not seen in this Parliament and that we are "in a holding pattern" as one described it pending the next GE.
My own view is that Holland may be a very good bet - what people often neglect in the WC is that if you're a decent side being in a tough group can be a good thing; if you're going to be good enough to win it (or get to the latter stages), you have to be backed to get out of a group no matter how tough, and they waltzed through qualifying.
Spain are also arguably in transition - Xavi is not the player he was and he's so key to the way they play that even with others taking up the slack they may struggle to dominate in the way they have done in previous international tournaments. Australia are rubbish so it's also not quite as deathly as the group initially looks. Chile have some wonderful players but aren't great at the back.
There's also the Surinam connection, which may mean that the Dutch are more amenable to South America than other northern European sides. I find it unbelievable that they're so low in the betting.
Hornchurch was always v close between Labour and Conservatives, and anti immigration parties did well in Hornchurch & Upminster in 2010.
I would be surprised if UKIP didn't come 2nd in GE2015
And we have various elephants in the room laying down so much dung that we can't ignore them any longer. Globalisation has killed western industry and they're just getting going. Medical progress spends large amounts of money keeping us all alive longer which makes the welfare state enacted in various forms across Europe unaffordable. The second world economies are becoming first world, demanding basic resources that we have made scarcer, ramming the price up beyond a price our economies can afford.
In a way I respect Osborne for his honesty about retirement ages. However from the people I talk to this has gone down like a lead balloon. Why? Not because the elite like Osborne will retire long before 69 as I will, but because there aren't enough jobs to keep us employed now, never mind when we all have to work longer. People are talking in fear about the punitive way this government treats the unemployed/underemployed/economically inactive/sick/disabled. Where I live NPower have just axed hundreds of jobs (but the workers can choose to relocate to Bangalore....) so unemployment and its fear are very real things.
That is now. Wind forward 20 years, let globalisation work its magic and transfer more jobs to the new first world, then tell me where all these jobs are coming from to keep us in work to 69. We can't afford pensions, I know that. But as we won't have jobs either that means millions ending their career unemployed - and we all know what that means from experience. Balls doesn't need to have solutions to these problems to win the election (because he doesn't) - he just needs to show that he understands the fear of these problems in a way that Osborne never can.
Have your LGO finance officers reckoned with this though:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/08/09/hlth-soc-care/
In effect much out of Hospital care will be funded by the NHS rather than local govt, this is long overdue integration of services (largely the work of Norman Lamb), but it does mean that LGO's will need to find their economies elsewhere.
The main issue for UKIP outside of these areas I'd imagine is broadening their base so that they don't just seem like the golf club bores' party and can build support for the inevitable fudge on the EU whoever is in power.
Now I am off to play up front for Hornchurch Vets FC... comeback as a striker after 12 years in midfield!
RIP
Demographic change is not a bad thing, interms of life years remaining our population has been getting younger. Spijker has done some interesting work on this:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/08/09/hlth-soc-care/
If you're going to do a whole constituency in a day (30,000 doors or thereabouts), I did it once with 10 deliverers though it's hard going. Get 20 out and it's quite achievable in a suburban area - NOT, I stress, in the more rural constituencies when delivering 50 leaflets can take hours.
Reuters - The US have to do the work, do not see any UK part in it
On Swiss bank accounts perhaps I picked up the wrong story. But if you look at the autumn statement you will see that there was an announcement that the deal they put in place raised £750m or so. (Admitted less than forecast when it was set up, but that initial estimate was always something of a finger in the air).
There is always more to do, and I am a little chocked by the willingness of wealthy individuals to tax plan quite so aggressively (I'm thinking here particularly about income planning; trusts are less of an issue because to make it work it involves giving capital away). I regularly get approached by "advisers" with their latest scheme and invariably tell then to f*** off.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnexpress
An amazing number of Lab MPs have today decided to tweet pics of themselves with local independent traders. Am choking up. #socaring
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/24/article-0-0001C74700000258-605_468x299.jpg
That's not being facetious at all, just it's obviously something you have thought about just wondered if you have seen any ways to break the vicious circle.
I work as an independent broker in the insurance world, and when the likes of Aviva and Pruhealth started losing business because their overseas call centres were rubbish they soon brought them back to the UK.
Similarly I have a part time business in the utilities world with an award winning UK based customer service that people appreciate rather than the likes of BT's overseas shambles.
Shale gas has been a massive boost to the US to the point it is cheaper to manufacture their than import from Asia, so there are ways to boost jobs here.
Protectionism is seriously frowned upon but unless people buy British and our manufacturers can play on a level field then the problems will compound.
Voting Labour will only make things worse.
These are not the jobs that they were, but they are jobs. As they are less likely to be manual jobs they are often more suitable for older people. It was not easy to be a miner at 65 but fine to be behind the counter at McDonalds at the same age.
Employment is not a zero sum game.
In the us vs them fight, Osborne is always on the "them" side and voters have noticed. That's not to say Balls is any better, he would undoubtedly make similar moves but voters don't know that yet because he is not the Chancellor.
Off-topic laughing at David Moyes (and feeling a bit sorry for him) - Man U should have had a penalty, then conceded a goal a couple of minutes later, and have just had an equaliser ruled out for offside. Suddenly it seems teams just aren't afraid of facing Man U...
But borrowing for lending is now going to be focused on business lending, not housing. Will that mean the foot has been taken off the accelerator, causing the economy to slow?