The Unfair Budget
Posted by William Bain, MP for Glasgow North East, at 14:53, Tue 22 June 2010:
Today the Tories showed everything the British people knew about them in the 1980s and 1990s remains true, that for them unemployment is always a price worth paying, and that VAT remains their weapon of choice to attack the living standards of the poorest.
For the Liberal Democrats to support this reactionary and deflationary Budget will be the biggest betrayal of liberalism in over a century – they cannot support this Budget next week, and claim to be a progressive party any longer. Both parties have cynically broken promise after promise that they shared in the General Election – the new politics lies in tatters today thanks to old Thatcherite economics. The Government's own Office for Budget Responsibility has today downgraded UK growth in 2011 from 2.6% to 2.3%, and predicts that unemployment will be 170,000 higher in the next two years. A shrinking of our economy caused solely by the policies of this Tory-led government.
The Chancellor has today announced spending cuts of 25% on average across non-protected departments, which the Financial Times revealed yesterday will impact most severely on Scotland and the North East of England. At the same time as creating higher unemployment, the Tories will now freeze benefits for the poorest and the disabled, freeze child benefit, cut housing benefit, and savagely increase VAT from 17.5% to 20% next January.
Together they will draw in £22bn largely from people on low and modest incomes, while their much-trailed banking levy brings in only £2bn, less than Labour’s bankers bonus tax. These are acts of economic unfairness. David Cameron promised to lead a government of compassionate conservativism, instead this is a government of harsh Thatcherites, destroying the jobs, living standards and public services of the poorest. Labour MPs will join our MSPs, councillors, and party members in opposing this ideological assault on the public sector. Having seen the Tory economic case for immediate cuts debunked by the Office for Budget Responsibility last week, Labour will take to the streets this weekend to campaign with vigour for the moral case for growth and jobs. WILLIAM BAIN MP
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Posted by Mohamed Juneja, 19:04, Tue 22 June 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
I totaly agree with you as this is disrespect to British citizens, this budget will make a lot of people to be greedy and or steel and be dishonest to each other. Every one will run after money and no one will give a gift to loved one's on their birthdays. I don't know how people will manage to go for a holiday!!!!
Posted by Cllr Grant Thoms, 10:07, Thu 24 June 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
Every time I see mention of a Tory cut to Scottish public services, I will be reminded of the utter failure of the Labour Party to establish a progressive coalition with the Lib Dems and Nationalists to prevent this happening. Labour's tribal refusal to work in such a coalition (and the mess they left the economy in after 13 years of rule) is why we are where we are today!
Posted by William Bain, 00:42, Sat 26 June 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
Grant, speaking to people with a real knowledge of what went on behind those closed doors at Westminster with the Lib Dems, it was their volte face on public spending and the economy that was the sticking point - as I'm sure you've seen, Clegg, Cable, Alexander and Huhne have the same zealotry as Osborne when it comes to slashing back the state. A progressive alliance was only possible on the assumption that the Liberals wanted progressive policies - it's abundantly clear that they didn't and don't, and that the negotiations were the final triumph of the Orange Book Liberals - who had wanted a fiscally conservative economic policy for years.
You may note that I appeared on BBC Radio Scotland the night of Gordon Brown's resignation as Labour leader, calling on Labour to strongly pursue the prospect of a progressive alliance, so I can certainly not be accused of tribalism.
In the end the Liberals were playing us along to get a better deal from the Tories.
On the fiscal policies pursued post-2008, I think you'll find your economy spokesperson generally agreed with the fiscal stimulus pursued by Labour, and would like to have seen more of it.
WB