Read George's Lips "No Spending Cuts, No Choice for Voters"
In the Times this morning George Osborne writes "We have the highest tax burden in our peacetime history... Today I can confirm for the first time that a Conservative Government will adopt these spending totals. Total government spending will rise by 2 per cent a year in real terms, from £615 billion next year to £674 billion in the year 2010-11."
Last month the Economic Research Council identified 883 New Labour quangos costing £167.5 billion in 2005/06, up from £24.1 billion in 1997/98. That is five times the size of the Defence budget (£32 billion). Does George really think spending has to grow?
This is straight out of the New Labour play book in 1996, when Blair and Brown promised to stick to Major's spending limits. Post-election, they then PFI'd a spending splurge off the PSBR books that will mean taxpayers are paying on the never-never for a generation.
Some say it is clever politics, some will say it is cowardice in the face of the enemy. Osborne's intention to stick to Labour's spending plans, despite the high tax burden, begs the question; what is the point of the Conservatives? What real choice do they offer voters?
Last month the Economic Research Council identified 883 New Labour quangos costing £167.5 billion in 2005/06, up from £24.1 billion in 1997/98. That is five times the size of the Defence budget (£32 billion). Does George really think spending has to grow?
This is straight out of the New Labour play book in 1996, when Blair and Brown promised to stick to Major's spending limits. Post-election, they then PFI'd a spending splurge off the PSBR books that will mean taxpayers are paying on the never-never for a generation.
Some say it is clever politics, some will say it is cowardice in the face of the enemy. Osborne's intention to stick to Labour's spending plans, despite the high tax burden, begs the question; what is the point of the Conservatives? What real choice do they offer voters?
Image credit : David Osler
29 comments:
Excellent news !! The Tories have finally woken up and smelt the coffee and realised going down the Broon road is the only way to go.
And it is wonderful that at least guys like John Bercow are going to be helping new Labour, instead of languishing on the opposition benches.
Just goes to show that there are a few intelligent people on the Tory benches - you just have to search them out.
Bravo !!
Yes. Today marks the death of Thatcherism. Listen up, Tory boys, we won.
But what is even better is knowing that now that Cameron has let the cat out of the bag about his views on the East European immigrants, all of the Polish, Romanian and Hungarians will be pushed to 'Vote Labour', and thus guarantee New Labour hegemony for a generation [or two] !!
Trebles all round !
Gordon on telly now - he has only been going 5 minutes and he's said 'Change' half a dozen times..
The Tories have finally woken up and smelt the coffee and realised going down the Broon road is the only way to go.
The Tories have only just about woken up to realise its not 1997 any more and they're not in power. Maybe by 2017 they might (very unlikely) understand that Blair is no longer in power and Blairite soundbites are no longer the fashion - something that the homunculus George will hopefully realise, even if he's not heading a New Labour quango by then.
Do these debts and tax-grabs matter now anymore? Brown has sold us down the river into a EU Federal Superstate - it won't be his problem.
You're right, spending does not have to grow and there is no choice in terms of fiscal policy in the polling booth but....
In order to change the tax levels and ludicrous levels of spending the Tories have to win power.
Saying "No spending cuts" nullifies NuLab playbook item #2, (#1 is the smearing of ones opponents, see Alistair Campbell and Tory sleaze) namely if the Tories propose any tax cut or lowering of spending - NuLab will cry "Tory cuts", "damage to public services", "Which hospital will have to close?", "Which schools will close?" etc ad nauseum.
All of which is nonsense, but picked up gleefully by Tory opponents in the BBC.
The fact that trimming 5% off public spending, which would hardly be noticed by our bloated quangos and services would enable swinging tax cuts and cutting taxes actually raises government tax income is ignored by the media and BBC
anyonebutbrown - 'swinging tax cuts' ??
Good to know that Patrick Mercer is being given a meaningful role by Gordon Brown after having been royally shafted up the arse by David Cameron...
"Youth Parliament sitting in the House of Commons.." It's like the Hitler Youth all over again...
"It is the wrong time for partisan politics.." Oh my goodness, he is going to announce a one-party state and abolition of the monarchy..eek..
As labour's underlying spending plans are being heavily reduced anyway, with more to come, so what Osbourne goes along with it, there will be plenty more change elsewhere, especially when the trolls have to find themselves proper jobs.
"As labour's underlying spending plans are being heavily reduced anyway"
That sounds almost impossible to me. If they have would you be kind enough to provide a source please?
shoots the labour fox of service cuts....wake up
I've always beleived that a population has a political instinct, based upon which party is in power. If I'm right, the Tory Party may be becoming pointless, but their election would change our political instinct away from what this country has become, and back to a degree of common sense.
If for nothing else, a Tory government would still, therefore, be worthwhile.
This is unalloyed good news.
Since the 'boundary commission' have made winning the next General Election all but impossible for the Tories, and Labour may cling on for a 5 year term because they know that the tide will eventually turn, we must assume that the earliest the Tories will get a sniff of power will be 2014.
Add another 3 years, and it will be 2017 before there is a sniff of tax being cut. By which time many of the crappiest, most ineffective civil servants will have resigned on full, final salary pensions.
Sounds like fantastic news to me !!
"what is the point of the Conservatives? What real choice do they offer voters?"
After 10 years of Labour/bliar/Brown you have to ask that question?
Competence would be the choice I would go with, an asset which has been sadly lacking in this Labour government. It is not the spending amounts that is the problem, good management and value for money could deliver affordable tax cuts.
There are plenty people out there who can't afford private healthcare or education, they rely on these public services doing a good job.
Maybe the next move for Dave should be the changing of the party name to Ever Newer and Improved Labour?!
When will the Tories learn that what the public need is a revolution in the voting choice, not tiny and smaller differences. Its like admitting that your political party choice is either a coke or a pepsi - when what you really want is a red bull!
Sad news. If the Tory Party can't keep control of expanding the size of the state. What is the point of it??
Brown is the only show in town. Tories will be out for another 10 years at this rate.
Whilst the muppets do what muppets do best, lets consider where tax cuts come from. Cutting spending.
Now the BIGGEST spenders are Health and Education.
Anyone seriously expect the Cons to cut spending on the above by the £billions required?
Like close more hospitals than Labour? Or close a few 1,000 schools and pay for their PFI costs for the next 30 years?
Muppetry. SO GO will not cos he cannot.
of course he can always halve the Armed Forces: withdraw from Iraq AND Afghanistan? No... thought not.
Anyone but a cretin - an dthere are lots of those.. can see in the SHORT TERM .. meaningful tax cuts cannot happen.
Now if you abolished Child Benefit and Disabled Allowances and etc... but I can imagine the political impact of saying you will do that..
I think the CP in the short term are boxed in.
There are billions wasted on Quangos. half of 'em could disappear and only the bureaucrats would notice.
Quangoes? Well they actually spend real money on hospitals and roads etc... They do not cost £billions on their own...
So abolish them and you either finance the spending elsewhere or close the hospitals... stop roads etc..
...
Well this really is the icing on the cake, our courageous party workers have delivered an unprecedented access to socialism.
All parties now propose to spend most of your and your children’s' money on the great cause.
Tip : expect an announcement on foreign
missing text:
"exchange controls soon"
To expand my remarks on Quangoes.
ALL NHS Trusts are quangoes.
So to suggest abolishing NHS Trusts is going to save £billions is muppetry.
ANd NHS Trusts are almost certainly the biggest spending quangoes.
One of the other big spending Qaungoes - or rather several not one - is the 2012 Olympic Quangoes.. Spending £10billion or so.
Abolish the Olympics? I agree. Will any politician do it? Nope. Most of the spend is committed.
Absolute ignorance to suggest abolishing quangoes saves money.. unless you abolish what they are set up to spend money on.
Never mind: ignorance is bliss:-)
Not being a party thoroughly infiltrated by Putin sponsored Marxists hell bent on undermining the stability of the nation has to be a plus point in my view.
Wake up, smell the coffee and the sellout.
McStalin Broon and Blair have ratcheted up public spending and increased the public sector payroll. So on a day when the complexities and foul ups of McStalin Broon's pet Tax Credit Scheme receive some serious attention, this odious creep Osborne ties the Tories to the economics of unreality that is Broon and Darling's spending plans. Trust this man to run the economy? I doubt that Camoron or Osborne could organise a piss up in a brewery.
So will Osborne commit himself to the simplification of the Income Tax system, will he bother to raise personal allowances to help the lower paid. Why doesn't Osborne join NuLabour and take Camoron with him?
Immigrants voting Labour?
Possibly in the EU election. But I thought they could not participate in our National elections.
Am I mistaken?
Fact is that so long as you are paying council tax then the local authorities seem to recognise you as a registered voter these days. In fact in City of Westminster it is an uphill battle to explain that you are not registered to vote in this country, as an American friend of mine tried, in vain as it happens, to tell them. They refused to accept his explanation and still stuck him on the electoral register ...
"Yes. Today marks the death of Thatcherism. Listen up, Tory boys, we won."
Tell that to those moaning about City bonuses or the onward march of "neoliberalism".
How many industries have New Labour nationalised? Are the Unions on the rampage again? Well there's Bob Crow but he just looks like a bitter chip-on-the-shoulder leftie.
Taxes might be higher than most of us conservatives and libertarians would like but at least we don't have to endure Continental levels of statism.
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