Sunday 13 March 2016

Same Old, Same Old

Budget week, oh heck, Labour let slip that of course they would borrow, but only to invest of course, well apart from raising public sector pay to keep the votes coming in, while the Tories play the fear card, governments love to keep us in fear, and the media commentators push their own agendas.

Andrew Marr accused the Tories of doing too much to help the middle classes this morning. Actually the Lib Dems pushed for the raising of the tax threshold and quite right too. What the hell is the point of taxing people BEFORE they've earned enough to live on. It goes back to the days of King John! Only today we then waste a whole heap of admin money paying it back in income support, again to win votes!

Not paying tax until you have enough to live on is RIGHT and it helps poor people too. The chancellor is no friend to many investors  and entrepreneurs either, but that's another subject. We'll see what happens in the budget and then comment, but I can't help predicting the same old, same old entrenched positions form both doctrines.

Only thing the chancellor and his shadow agree on is staying in Europe and for once Osborne put the case well, this may not be word perfect but in effect 'solving major problems like the migration crisis requires international cooperation', quite right cooperation, not division, engagement. Marr brought up the spectre of Turkey getting visa free travel and EU membership. That would be dangerous given the current repressive, religious government there for sure, but I think our European partners know that.

Marr also pointed to a Eurozone in crisis, I've been following exchange rates, the Euro is holding up at this moment.

Finally, a new Lib Dem memoir exposes the inside workings of the coalition. It seems to reveal some pretty dodgy personalities, but then I've always been somewhat skeptical about our politicians. That's what happens in a divorce. Personally I feel the coalition worked pretty well, shame people were too scared of Ed to vote Lib Dem and they're now exposing the Tories failings in book form rather than tempering them.

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