Growth. Down, down, down.
Unemployment. Up up up.
Nothing about the sick or disabled
Nothing about the squeezed middle.
Nothing to help those struggling to get by on inadequate wages.
Nothing to help people on fixed incomes facing inflation of 4.4%
What did it add up to? "We'll cut tax for businesses and hope like hell they pull us out of this mess." It was like listening to Douglas Hurd circa 1983. Nothing new, no new answers, no new strategies, just tax cuts for businesses.
Business which is sitting on a £600 billion surplus.
If business wanted to pull us out of this they could. They could invest, they could train, they could expand, they could employ. But they're not.
The banks aren't lending, businesses aren't employing and wages certainly aren't rising.
I'm talking to "everyman" here. Do YOU trust business to pull us out of this? Do YOU think tax cuts for banks and businesses will mean that you get a nice fat pay rise and a bonus next year?
Under Osborne's plans, since the coalition came to power, borrowing will now be 44 BILLION more than projected. Because growth has fallen. Because inflation has risen. Because unemployment has risen.
Today's budget in a sound-bite? "PLEASE business, please help us - we'll give you all the money, PLEASE help us?"
Their answer? Take away protection for workers, reduce tax from profits, reduce employment, reduce care, reduce child care, reduce educational opportunity.
Since this government came to power, EVERY serious indicator of the state of our economy has worsened. How long are we going to believe that "There is No Alternative?"
There IS an alternative. There always WAS an alternative. We invest, we create jobs, we build, we research, we invent and we train.
Sit back and do nothing and guess what?
NOTHING will happen.
That's it in a nut shell Sue
ReplyDeleteWell done! Very succinct!
ReplyDeleteGood post, WELL SAID!
ReplyDeleteDid post more but you know what happened!
oh, I do believe that business is going to pull us out of this. But we need money in our pockets so we can spend. If we can't spend, then business will hold on to savings and wont invest. If they don't invest, we don't get jobs, if we don't have jobs we can't spend and it all goes back on a roundabout. Government needs to help us. Freezing council taxes was a good start, now energy companies and oil companies need to be checked out for prize fixing and profiteering. So do supermarkets.
ReplyDeleteStrange were you sat next to me as I was seeing Osborn start to remove workers rights and all the hard work won by labour ,because ever word you said above is exactly what I was thinking every word
ReplyDeleteIn the end it's the "untermenschen" on benefits, and those on low incomes who are the ones that will pay for the greed of the richest. Cut air tax for families so they can go on holiday? Nice to be a ble to afford one. Cut 1p a litre off fuel? A sick joke, as it won't help a bit even if the fuel stations pass it on. And this from a man who evaded £1.4 million tax on his income last year!
ReplyDeleteLast year the wealth of the world’s billionaires jumped 25 percent to $4.5 trillion.
ReplyDeleteThis is all that matters to those in power.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tax-the-super-rich-now-or-face-a-revolution-2011-03-29