Incompetence will destroy this government, not Cuts

I know, I've said it 100 times. I've said it since June. It won't be the cuts themselves that destroy this government, it will be the unprecedented incompetence.

It seems astonishing to me that a Conservative Party that spent 13 years in opposition have such poorly thought through policies.

First we saw Gove scrap the Building Schools for the Future fund, finding that, in fact he was breaking contracts left right and centre. This led to a high court Judge ruling that,

"Gove's actions over the scrapping of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative last year had been "so unfair as to amount to an abuse of power"

Then there are the aircraft carriers that will never carry aircraft.

Then it turns out that Lansley's health reforms could in fact mean that the NHS comes under the jurisdiction of EU competition laws - surely something no Conservative government would ever want?

Yesterday, just as I was hoping to switch off my laptop-slave-driver, a flurry of articles appeared that would surely leave even the most loyal Cameron-flag-waver feeling a little discombobulated?

First, the ONS confirmed that they have lowered growth projections for every year but one of this parliament. They have also raised the unemployment projections and the debt projections for every year until 2015. Effectively, growth will be lower, unemployment and debt will both be higher than projected by 2015 and Gideon has only been in charge for 10 months.

Next, someone posted this astonishing clip of the Baby-Chancellor which shows he hasn't a clue how much revenue the Treasury earns from petrol - literally no idea at all, not even in the right ball park. Please do click on the link - it really is a worry! http://sturdyblog.wordpress.com/ I can't imagine either Ken Clarke OR Gordon Brown giving such an answer.

Then, Fact Check released this startling analysis on plans to cut Police budgets. After natural wastage and possibly the use of an archaic little loophole to force officers with the most experience and over 30 years service into early retirement, there will still be thousands of posts that need to go. However, it seems that you cannot sack a police officer! Fact Check point out that :

"The problem is that a fully-sworn police officer is technically not an employee of a police force but a servant of the Crown, and as such, cannot be sacked."

The answer? Seems the only way out is to sack back office staff instead and make frontline staff take up the slack answering phones and taking on admin roles. It seems that quite apart from going completely against Cameron's aims to "see police on the streets fighting crime, not stuck behind their desks fighting paper.” It will also lead the coalition into a legal minefield.

But there's more! Fact Check also looked into Gove's 180 Million "bursary" to replace EMAs - a reduction of 380 Million from the original scheme - which is seen across the board as a successful way of keeping disadvantaged young people in education. It found that the IFS take issue with Gove's claims and believe them to be misleading.

Finally, False Economy found that Osborne's plans to reduce a 147 Billion deficit will increased household debt - our debt - by 245 Billion. Effectively, we'll be footing the bill, with eye-watering interest. It seems the Baby-Chancellor will simply shift the debt from the Treasury to our credit cards. 

Cuts don't even take effect until next month and already up to half a million people have taken to the streets in protest. Can you even begin to imagine the fallout as all of these "oversights" kick in at the same time?

Oh yes, and we're going to force 2.2 million sick or disabled people off benefits and into work at a time of rising unemployment; cap housing benefit, potentially displacing 200,000 people; scrap the Independent Living Fund and Time Limit sickness benefits, forcing thousands of the most vulnerable in society into 100% state dependency; slash council budgets by over a quarter, privatise the NHS; close half of all women's refuges; make it illegal to feed the homeless and triple university tuition fees.

I can't watch, really I can't.