Bolitics The New Condem Government

[Awol]

How the hell did that useless pice of shit Osborne get to stay as chancellor, even (or especially) his mates in the city aren't enthused.

That is the biggest let down for me as well but I'd imagine the Tories having the Chancellor role was a big red line in the negotiations and no way was Dave going to jack on his mate and put Clarke in.

I'd not be unhappy to see Chris Huhne made Home Secretary though.

[Jon]

the spector of Mrs Thatcher's hard line

I think that thought is enough to put most of us of our breakfast, TBH.

I'd guess by now it is a very hard line, too. :shock: :winkold:

[JulieB]

I see fun times ahead with him and Cable

George Osbourne will do well to listen occasionally, because he might not be the leading light he's always made out to be but I haven't forgotten how Vince Cable stood up in Parliament a fair few years ago and ripped into Blairite's debt fuelled Britain warning the day of reckoning was coming. Labour and Tories jeered and scoffed him as an object of derision but I clearly remember agreeing with every word Cable said at the time, because we could all see UK PLC was overvalued and overleveraged.

At the office we were looking at some figures over the past 15 years regarding economic growth with one of the big investment houses a couple of days ago and actually if you take out the property/mortgage fuelled factor out of GDP actually Britain's economy has grown by virtually zilch!

I very much hope Cable is allowed to rip into the banks, they haven't learnt a jot post Lehman's collapse. Only yesterday the FSA released figures that the Financial Services Ombudsman is currently dealing with over 2.25 million complaints against the high street banks which have been received so far this year alone!!

[Gringo]

So in an outright Tory win who would have been a candidate for Deputy PM

Ashcroft

[Jez]

I wonder if Browns brother had cleaned his flat ready.

[Risso]

The sight of Gordon Brown out on his sorry, incompetent arse was a good one.

[drat01]

some typical Tory comments in this thread, which is sad really but only to be expected I suppose.

As for where we are now a quick search on broken election promises makes very interesting reading and growing on a hour by hour basis, which must be some sort of record. Also the noises coming from a lot of LibDem party members make very interesting reading. Clegg is a sell out to LibDem principles seems to be the common statement and a lot of unhappiness with people like Osborne being able to screw threw his destructive ideas

[LondonLax]

Some points on the combined manifesto:

Lib Dems win tax concession for poorest and agree to speed up deficit cuts

Francis Elliott and Sam Coates

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have agreed to increase capital gains tax to help to pay for the Lib Dem pledge of taking the poorest out income tax.

The Tory leader has also ditched a pledge to scrap inheritance tax for all but millionaires in the compromise agreement.

Mr Clegg has won a further agreement that the Lib Dems can abstain on the Tories’ proposal for a tax break for married couples, effectively killing it.

In return, Mr Clegg and Vince Cable, the Lib Dems’ Treasury spokesman, have agreed to significantly accelerate the plans to tackle the structural deficit over five years. Most controversially, they have signed up to the Conservative plans to cut £6 billion this year.

The Lib Dems sided with Labour throughout the election campaign, insisting that early cuts risked plunging Britain back into recession. To give their new coalition partners some political cover, the cuts are dependent on the advice of the Treasury and the Bank of England.

The Lib Dems’ biggest economic prize is a commitment to meet their pledge to increase the threshold for income tax to £10,000. The Institute for Fiscal Studies costed Mr Clegg’s proposal at £17 billion, one reason, perhaps, why no timetable has been put on reaching the target.

The first step in increasing the threshold will start next April. To pay for it a planned national insurance rise for employees will go ahead, despite a Tory pledge to ditch that part of what they called “Labour’s jobs tax”.

In addition, capital gains tax on non-business assets will increase. The Budget, which is likely to be delivered at the end of June or the beginning of July, will prepare for big spending cuts. On political reform, in addition to fixed-term Parliaments and a commitment for a referendum on the alternative vote electoral system, the coalition partners are signed up to a “wholly or fully elected House of Lords”. There will also be moves to equalise the size of constituencies.

In addition to marriage tax breaks, the Lib Dems have been given two opt-outs, on the replacement of Trident and on nuclear power. On Britain’s nuclear deterrent the draft agreement allows the Government’s junior partner the option of making the alternative case. It can also signal its opposition to the building of nuclear power stations.

Schools policy, which was the most developed of the Tory policies, will be amended following the coalition talks.

Both parties’ manifestos agreed on the issue of a “pupil premium”, where a sum of money is allocated per pupil rather than per school, with more money given for children from deprived backgrounds.

One big unknown, however, is whether the Lib Dems will be able to stop the local control of schools being wrestled away from local councils. The Tories want thousands of schools to be given their independence and to abolish barriers to new schools being set up by companies and third-sector organisations, but whether the Lib Dems intervene in this flagship policy is yet to be seen.

The Conservatives will be allowed to impose an overall cap on non-EU immigration, which at one point they hoped to set at 90 per cent. To compensate, the Liberal Democrats have secured a promise that the detention of child migrants will be outlawed.

A full civil liberties programme, one of the major overlaps between the Tory and Lib Dem manifestos, will be implemented.

This will result in a “great repeal Act” — a longstanding Tory pledge, to throw out many of the local government, police and anti-terrorism powers that they regard as unnecessarily intrusive.

This will be augmented with a welfare package, based on an existing Tory outline, which the Lib Dems have agreed to support in full.

One senior Conservative source said that the new Government would have a secure majority of more than 70 for a Parliament that would last for five years.

This amounted to a “potentially significant realignment” in British politics, which he claimed was an “historic achievement”.

What they agreed

• To increase capital gains tax

• To push plans to make cuts worth £6 billion this year

• To move towards a “wholly or fully elected” House of Lords and to equalise the size of constituencies

• A cap on non-EU immigration

• To reach agreement on holding fixed-term five-year Parliaments

• To postpone the Tories’ plans for an inheritance tax

• That the Lib Dems will abstain on a vote for tax breaks for married couples

The Times

[Jez]

I'm sure you'll be the first to admit if the Tory/Lib Dem combination works for the good of the country Ian?

At least give it a chance.

[markavfc40]

If the Times is to be believed the national insurance rise for employees will go ahead. I lost count of how many times Cameron and Osbourne kept screaming how this was Labours tax on jobs during the run up to the election.

As for continuing with plans for £6bn spending reductions this year will put a halt on the recovery and could well put us back into recession. Very bad times ahead I fear.

[AVFCLaura]

As I posted on my twitter, I thought SamCam looked lovely last night and you know what they say, behind every great man is a great woman. So I'd like to extend my support and luck to Samantha Cameron, who as well as being pregnant and due in September, she is now having to take on being the 'first lady' of Britain. And all the best to her, I say.

[shambles]

If the Times is to be believed the national insurance rise for employees will go ahead. I lost count of how many times Cameron and Osbourne kept screaming how this was Labours tax on jobs during the run up to the election.

As for continuing with plans for £6bn spending reductions this year will put a halt on the recovery and could well put us back into recession. Very bad times ahead I fear.

But by not pulling in the reins, you are prolonging the inevitable. It's like borrowing money to pay your mortgage. At some point, you have to stop and take the consequences of not paying it on the chin. We don't have the money to keep spending to support the economy. For the last 10 years as a nation, we have lived beyond our means. lets not forget which party encouraged this policy and blame Gordon, don't blame Cameron. In some respects, he's been given the poisoned chalice.

[snowychap]

Mr Clegg has won a further agreement that the Lib Dems can abstain on the Tories’ proposal for a tax break for married couples, effectively killing it.

Why would that be the case? :?

If the Lib Dems were to abstain on the vote then the Tories would be able to carry the rest of the house on their own.

[Awol]

Mr Clegg has won a further agreement that the Lib Dems can abstain on the Tories’ proposal for a tax break for married couples, effectively killing it.

Why would that be the case? :?

If the Lib Dems were to abstain on the vote then the Tories would be able to carry the rest of the house on their own.

Good spot.

All in all - and it's early days - that looks like quite a well rounded plan for Government. Good luck to them.

[snowychap]

I'd not be unhappy to see Chris Huhne made Home Secretary though.

Huhne is due to be Energy/Climate Change secretary according to the Beeb (though they've arsed up once or twice already).

There is a word that Gove is possibly Home Sec (which might not be a good thing) though I wonder whether Grieve or Davis might be it.

It seems that it's taking a little while to decide on this (very important) position.

[mjmooney]

As I posted on my twitter, I thought SamCam looked lovely last night and you know what they say, behind every great man is a great woman. So I'd like to extend my support and luck to Samantha Cameron, who as well as being pregnant and due in September, she is now having to take on being the 'first lady' of Britain. And all the best to her, I say.

Have to say, I would.

[snowychap]

As I posted on my twitter, I thought SamCam looked lovely last night and you know what they say, behind every great man is a great woman. So I'd like to extend my support and luck to Samantha Cameron, who as well as being pregnant and due in September, she is now having to take on being the 'first lady' of Britain. And all the best to her, I say.

Have to say, I would.

[mjmooney]

As I posted on my twitter, I thought SamCam looked lovely last night and you know what they say, behind every great man is a great woman. So I'd like to extend my support and luck to Samantha Cameron, who as well as being pregnant and due in September, she is now having to take on being the 'first lady' of Britain. And all the best to her, I say.

Have to say, I would.

One for the "Doppelgangers" thread.

[mjmooney]

I hope everyone is contented now we are once more ruled by our betters.

[bickster]

If the Times is to be believed the national insurance rise for employees will go ahead. I lost count of how many times Cameron and Osbourne kept screaming how this was Labours tax on jobs during the run up to the election.

As for continuing with plans for £6bn spending reductions this year will put a halt on the recovery and could well put us back into recession. Very bad times ahead I fear.

But by not pulling in the reins, you are prolonging the inevitable. It's like borrowing money to pay your mortgage. At some point, you have to stop and take the consequences of not paying it on the chin. We don't have the money to keep spending to support the economy. For the last 10 years as a nation, we have lived beyond our means. lets not forget which party encouraged this policy and blame Gordon, don't blame Cameron. In some respects, he's been given the poisoned chalice.

Isn't it completely tempered by the £10k Tax threshold though? Whilst one comes in sooner doesn't the other balance it out and improve money for the lower paid? (after the emergency budget obviously)

So Libs get their bit and the Tories get a bit of theirs