Friday 19 November 2010

RECESSION? WHAT RECESSION?


Lord Young showed yesterday what the people at the top of the Government really feel about the recession and the cuts which they are imposing. “Oh stuff and nonsense. What cuts, what recession?” OK, he didn’t say these words but he might as well have. That is what they think. It hasn’t hit them, so it hasn’t happened.

Oh yes, there are people who have had a not bad time, up to now at least. Those in government jobs with steady incomes and mortgages have found that their mortgage cost have fallen dramatically whilst the bargains that desperate retailers are creating have reduced the cost of the weekly shop, But of course those in the private sector have had to put up with reduced hours, pay freezes and in some cases pay reductions or unpaid holidays, and of course redundancies.

Many who have lost good, well paid work have found part time, badly paid work to replace it. They haven’t had a good recession Mr Young. Oh no.

And now the public sector is in for huge redundancies, which will spill into the private sector, and they will start to suffer as their jobs go. Their recession won’t feel so good for them then Mr Young!

And as for the old, and the poor, they have found that their housing benefits are about to be reduced, because “We must reduce the amount of money which is spent on Housing Benefits”.

Yes, regardless of how much it hurts the very poorest, the people sitting with coats, scarves and gloves on in their own houses, too old and sick to go out, and too poor to eat and heat properly, we must cut the cost of Housing Benefit.

In countries where they pay a living retirement pension they don’t have to subsidise people’s rents and council tax. Clearly that’s not the case in Britain.

How out of touch are people like David Bow Tie Young? Millionaires may have lost some money, but I don’t see David Young, like some others at 78, sitting with his coat on to keep warm.

And while we are on the subject of incompetences from the Coalition, what on Earth was David Cameron doing yesterday when he told the chairmen of the Common’s committees that he thought it would be a good idea to have a bank holiday on the day of the wedding of William and Kate, then hurriedly said that of course it was a matter for the royal family.

Well, talk about boxing someone into a corner. So the Queen, whose decision it is, can’t really say no now, can she? I wouldn’t like to be Cameron at the next audience.



Pics: Lord Bowtie, Mr Botox (nah, it's just airbrushed by his own personal photographer: doesn't he look odd, a bit like Cher really), and some posh bloke everyone's talking about.

66 comments:

  1. Tris

    Over on Sky News they are reporting that Cameron has accepted Lord Never had it so goods resignation.

    The message is clear if you go off message you go. Repeat after me "we are all in this together" and keep repeating it until you remember.

    What was it Cameron said about no more spin? A bit like respect for Scotland, yet more tory crap.

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  2. Tris

    You may be interested in this video on Utube about the Condem coalition. Aptly titled Liar Liar.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQFwxw57NBI

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  3. Poor show.

    To generalise one man's apparent comments, and whitewash it across an entire government illustrates that this is an emotive piece, not consistant with the rational facts.

    Poor show.

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  4. Good show.

    To take a man's statements from a political interview as his opinions and beliefs, and put it all in the context of his position as a government advisor, and further add to the context with the fact that even after the fact the PM wanted this man (complete with world-view) to continue to advise the the government illustrates that this is indeed an emotive piece, yet entirely consistent with the facts.

    "for the vast majority of people in this country, they've never had it so good"

    Good old tories :)

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  5. Dean,

    I'm not sure about "apparent" comments but this gent has "previous". We crossed swords when he was Minister for Social Security and we were fighting for rights for rough sleepers. His charming public comment re rough sleepers - "The sort of people you are forced to step over on the way to the opera".

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  6. Same old nasty Tories. And he's not even near to the truth.
    Any savings on the 0.5% mortgage rate might make some people feel wealthier but in real terms they're worse off. They're paying a mortgage on a contunually depreciating asset. The more money they put in the less their asset is worth. A bit like buying a yacht rather than a house. And of course VAT, fuel, energy, tuition fees, food, clothes and anything necessary to sustain life are rocketing.
    Retirees living on low pensions and savings and the unemployed are trying to survive with dwindling spending power.
    He said he was surprised that the restaurants in London were full yet people were pleading poverty. Poverty doesn't affect people who enjoy frequenting expensive London restaurants.

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  7. Shows Cameron is an unfit person to be PM, clueless.

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  8. well Cameron obviously disagrees with Deano...

    It always amazes me when people argue if the Toffs
    care or do not care about people like 'US'

    the truth is to them we are not even human they would not waste a nano second on what we thought or how we might suffer.

    its just not in their mode of thought we are less than a piece of shit trod under their shoes.

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  9. Dean

    "apparent comments" are you suggesting that a Telegraph reporter was, what was that tory phrase "economical with the actuality"

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  10. Dubbie..

    The noble Lord was told he was being taped so knew what reaction he would get. But probably doesn't care.


    cynical..

    Yes cast iron has made some real blunders.
    Promising to rein in the public sector then hiring someone to take photos of him that won't show up his bald spot.
    Promising to freeze spending on the EU then giving them an extra £400m.
    Promising to respect Scotland then having the AV vote on the same day as the Scottish elections and giving us the invisible man as Scottish Secretary.
    Promising to cut back on immigration then wobbling at the first hurdle and retreating on 'skilled workers' levels.
    promising to respect our armed forces then attacking war widows pensions and closing down numerous essential assets.
    He's taken us for fools.

    As have these guys..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peX4dBEF0Vg&feature=player_embedded#!

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  11. Montague the 3rd

    That will give Dean nightmares as he believes they are whiter than white and without them the world will stop turning.

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  12. The coalition attitude to the cuts is one very close to my heart, and I totally approve of it:

    1. Anger. At Labour for putting us into this position in order to stave of bankruptcy

    2. Compassion. For the weakest, which is why we are lifting the poorest out of paying tax altogether

    3. Solidarity. Which is why we try and emphasis that if these cuts are to be made with the minimum of social disruption and breakdown; we need to ensure everybody able makes their contribution; ergo the slightly gimmicky [but message-real quote: "we are all in this together"]

    So please, lets not play pathetic little games about how all Tories are scum, all Liberals are sellouts and all SNP members are Bravehearts. A serious discussion please. One silly man's apparent comments are hardly an illustration of any conceiled truth - lest Alex Neils comments about a 'real budget' after the May election could be interpreted by some as 'the truth' about a spinning and politiking SNP government.

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  13. Cameron at least never made any attempt to hide how angry he was with him Dubs, now whether that's because he's angry that the bow tie boy feels that way, or whether it's because he's angry that he let the cat out of the bag... that's a moot point.

    Gotta agree with that song, mind in fairness it could certainly be true of NeuLabour too.

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  14. Not an apparent comment Dean, I heard him say it with my own (according to Sophia, outsize) lugs.

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  15. LOL LOL LOL @ Dundee!

    Beautiful...

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  16. I hope the Noble Lard has nimble feet then John, for I fear before long you'll need them to step over the number of people who will be sleeping rough on the streets.

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  17. Why does Cameron tell the Tory Vermin to mind there P and Qs

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/8147248/Lord-Young-resigns-Christopher-Hopes-analysis.html
    Many grassroots Tories on the right wing of the party will feel today that Lord Young of Graffham was forced to resign for speaking the truth about the Coalition’s spending cuts.

    Cos he hates all working people and he probably would be physically sick with the thought of having to meet a lower class sycophant like Deano

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  18. Monty, it just shows how incredibly out of touch the silly old fool is.

    You're right; all of these things are starting to bite with another power company increasing electricity prices by 9% and gas by 2%. (As an aside, if the price increases are about the increase in the wholesale price of gas, how come the variance from company to company?).

    House prices are going down, at least in some parts of the country and of course they have to go down farther. It was a ridiculous bubble. How on earth could a little box of tiny rooms, made of dodgy materials where you can hear a pin drop between rooms, be worth £200,000? VAT, fuel, petrol, foods, clothes... Everything is going up and people have less.

    Retired people living on state pension alone are going to face a reduction in their housing benefits which could be the difference between life and death. I know some, including a neighbour who is dreading the winter.

    And as for the restaurant remarks... sheesh. When you look around the royal enclosure at Ascot it’s hard to believe that there is a recession....

    Not a single one in second hand clothes.

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  19. Cynical. I've said from the start (smart ass, I know) that Cameron was not fit to be the PM. He simply doesn't have the intelligence required, and half his party seem to dislike him.

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  20. Tris,

    I say apparent because I myself haven't read any newspaper reports on this, and it all seems as I said, rather silly.

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  21. Niko: You do have a point. I remember seeing a documentary some time ago, and one of Prince Charlie's butlers or footmen, or whatever they have, was saying that the people around HRH (aristocrats) didn't consider commoners to be quite the same species as them... more a sort of subspecies. In fairness he didn’t say that about Chic.

    They live in a different world. One that doesn’t include electricity bills, nasty bank manager, landlords (unless it’s them), noisy neighbours, etc. You can’t expect them to understand.

    I was left open mouthed at the arrogance of some of the ministers recently. Gove and his failed schools initiatives, which is such a failure he’s had to open it up to even failing schools, call centres for booking your doctor’s appointment suggested, the housing minister who really didn’t care about old people losing their homes, “There will always be cheaper houses in their area, and they can always move” he said... erm yeah, but someone else will be living in the cheaper houses you prize idiot!!!

    And now the Marie Antionette of good old England... Qu’ils mangent de la brioche Young! About as far away from reality as Iain Gray is from being a statesman!! (Sorry Niko, couldn’t resist that!)

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  22. Dean... it's been the news all day... first on every News programme, and it was 'unsilly' enough to get Cameron in a state. He was very angry, and I'm sure that his Nobleness didn't resign. I'm sure that Cameron told him to go, or he'd be sacked.

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  23. That was very good Monty. And so true too.

    Scary.

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  24. Dean:

    Fair enough. Everyone is angry at Labour...well maybe not Niko. Overall they have to take the blame. The bankers and the financiers and insurance people were stupid and reckless and people were mad to take on silly money debt, but in the end it should have been regulated.

    But remember of the two parties, it is labour which regulates more than the Tories. The Tories say that people should be free to make their own decisions... Well, it’s easy to say that the Tories would have regulated better, but their record on that, even their philosophy doesn’t really suggest that.

    As it was potentially so catastrophic, why wasn’t that Michael Howard and then David Cameron’s question at PMQs every week. Why wasn’t brown, when chancellor pulled over the coals about the silly boom he was creating.

    Did the Tories really believe he had banished boom and bust? Were they as mad as he was?

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  25. A propos compassion. You are making me laugh here.

    What about all the people who are going to lose their houses?

    What about people who will be put out of work, have already been put on short time or reduced pay, or pay freeze as prices start to rocket?

    What about the people whose mortgages will become unaffordable when the interest rates have to rise as they inevitably will?

    What about the old whose pensions will effectively be reduced by the decrease in housing allowances?

    Compassion? No. There is an aspiration to lift the tax burden on the poorest working people, but what about the ones who do not pay tax?

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  26. Never fear Dean, here's a link where you'll be able to hear it with your own apparent ears.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/uk-politics-video/8144357/Lord-Young-in-never-had-it-so-good-claims.html

    Tris - housing & energy, hear hear!
    You're dead right about the housing market still needing to deflate, and by a significant proportion. Yet every month or so, someone will appear on tv telling us how we need to get the housing market moving.
    The western economies are zombies, the current actions; bail outs, money printing, etc are animating a corpse. They need completely reset, there was a window of opportunity near the start of it all, but the political class bottled it is the financiers stared them down.

    If the energy companies fleecing the public at will now isn't enough to convince people of the real relationship between society and corporate entities feeding off it, they'll never wake.

    At least we've got the imminent rescue of the UK from austerity and economic stagnation by the private sector, eh?

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  27. Solidarity?

    I don’t see it. We are not all in this together. The posh London restaurants where you can’t get a meal for less than £200 are still doing a brisk business. The nightclubs where a bottle of champagne might be in the thousands, they are still open.

    The bankers who got us into this are in discussions about reducing their bonuses from £7 billion to £4 billion with £3 billion later. How the hell is that solidarity?

    We are all in this together... no we’re bloody well not. As Mr Cameron will find, that little slogan will come back and bite him on the ass.

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  28. Dean, if compassionate heart of the Tory party is bleeding for the common people, why aren't they going after the real money being sucked out of the UK economy by some avaricious corporations and wealthy individuals, with the same vigour they seem to be able to apply to other areas within their remit?
    Then their compassion would need to be far less exercised.

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  29. And Dean, of course all Tories are not scum (even if Niko says they are when he's been smoking that skunk ;)). All Liberals are not sell outs either, although Cleggy most assuredy is. Some, I think, of both parties will revolt against the measures which are unfair. You can’t go after the poor saving £500 here and £1000 there, while there are billions and billions being stolen by tax dodgers and all you are doing is fiddling round the edges and call it fair. It is not.

    Budgets can only be for one year when you have no idea what your income will be the next year because it is completely and totally in the hands of another government, making its decisions for another country with totally different economic needs.

    It is the stupidest system I have ever heard of in my life. Regardless of the difference between the two countries, we get 10% of what England gets, and what England gets is decided by London. Batty.

    As for Alex Neil... I didn’t know exactly what he said and in what context, so it’s hard for me to comment. It may be that it was politicking, but I can’t see why. If John has balance the books with the reduced money, and, I thought pretty equitably, why would we need to change anything? It could be that Alex thinks that Labour will win and they will have a different budget, pouring money into their pet projects and Glasgow in particular... I really have no idea.

    I didn’t want you to think I had ignored an awkward point you made, so that’s the best answer I can come up with.

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  30. Off topic -
    Labour MP Eric Joyce banned from driving -
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11798863
    Failing to provide a breath test apparently, no doubt he didn't want his holyrood colleagues to find out how much caffeine he had imbibed ;)

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  31. Tris

    Given every right thinking economist says the progressive element of Osbornes Budget are the Labour policies.

    Osborne has said today

    So Britain stands ready to support Ireland in the steps that it needs to take to bring about that stability.

    lend them 7 billion quid in the same way Gordon saved the UK and that to a nation which Osborne says we should follow mind Alex said the same(what a nob head)

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  32. Yes Dundee. We built our houses out of straw, and then build our economy on top of them, like extra floors, and of course the straw started to crumble under the weight..... The trouble is that our politicians are not nearly clever enough to face down the financiers, and aspire too much to be like them anyway.

    Of course it didn’t help that they were all getting obscenely rich from the houses we were buying for them, maintaining for them and improving for them backwards and forwards between this house and that... and in some cases even the boyfriend’s house) which were appreciating and making them pots of money too.

    We are badly served in this country.

    If we have to have private enterprise proving and profiting from expensive energy for heating in a could country, why can’t our prime minister do what the French president did and limit their price increases to inflation. LOL... silly me. This is the UK. Consumers only exist to be fleeced

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  33. Thanks for the heads up on that one Dundee. That man is a complete idiot, and a damned expensive one too as I recall.

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  34. tris Dean thinks that the SNP should bring forward a 3 year budget even though they only have 6 months of this term left. Even A Darling said that in these turbulent times a one year budget is the only logical way and A Neil said as such.

    The respect agenda is getting thrown out by the ConDems daily I hope there is pressure on Moore to resign.

    Salmond puts UK straight on Scottish tax power

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  35. Tris et al,

    The Conservatives ARE going hard after the tax dodgers!

    The Sun reporting:
    - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/money/3225949/George-Osbornes-10bn-war-on-tax-dodge-millionaires.html

    The Daily Record reporting on it too:

    - http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics-news/2010/09/20/government-plans-crackdown-on-wealthy-tax-dodgers-86908-22574447/

    The Financial Times, reporting on the higher investment on the fight against tax avoidance:

    - http://www.ftadviser.com/FinancialAdviser/Regulation/TaxationAndTrusts/News/article/20100923/c2d4dc28-c49f-11df-b281-00144f2af8e8/Coalition-unveils-900m-fund-to-fight-tax-avoidance.jsp

    So lets all drop this annoying, silly, foolish and totally IGNORANT idea that the Conservatives are not targeting the 'tax dodgers'. There, I pulled some articles out from across the newsmedia spectrum of political opinion - nothing any of you couldn't of done for youselves of course, had you bothered to read these facts first.

    Anti-Tory rhetoric stiffling everyones ability to deal honestly with facts.

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  36. The Irish situation is complex Niko. My theory is that someone is trying to undermine the Euro. Ireland does not need a loan at the moment. It is being pushed into it by the markets.

    Someone somewhere is making ahuge amount of money out of this, and when they are done with Ireland they will move on: Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta.

    The when the dollar has regained hegemony, they will give up.

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  37. dundeepappers..

    Surely it's not the same Eric Joyce who called middle class voters 'liars, drunkards and hypocrites ' :)

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330008/Middle-class-voters-liars-hypocrites-says-Labour-MP-Eric-Joyce.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

    Wasn't he the first MP to break the £1million pounds in expenses barrier ?
    I dread to think what next years expenses will be when he starts relying on taxis to get him to the pub.

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  38. CH. Thanks for that link. I'll put it up as a post and hopefully more people will see it.

    Alex can't half sort these people out. Moore is a twerp, totally inadequate to the job.

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  39. Liars drunk and hypocrites... LOL LOL LOL

    What a moron.

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  40. tris said..

    " Ireland does not need a loan at the moment"

    It's debt is 7 times it's GDP and can never be repaid. It's bonds are fetching over 10% because no one apart from the ECB and the IMF will give it any money.
    The biggest loser if Ireland defaulted would be Germany ( £100Bn loans outstanding). Followed by France and the UK ( good old RBS - thanks Fred you eejit).The EU were desperate to tie Ireland into a loan because it can't allow Ireland to fail. Ireland has been a good boy and has guaranteed all of Irelands bank debt. A collosal amount of money. Iceland just said sorry we're broke and defaulted. Everyone took a haircut. Iceland brushed itself off and is now recovering. Ireland could have done the same but wanted to be a good EU partner. It's loyalty will kill it's sovereignty stone dead.
    As for the fact that it doesn't need the loan at the moment. That's abit like a crack addict who has enough money to see him cool for fixes until Monday. Sort of hides the fact that the money is being burnt away quicker than Dr McKeith running from a spider.

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  41. Dean, I reported on the story about tax havens the other day...so you can't say I ignored it. The total, if it actually is collected, is no more than £10 billion a year, when at least £100 billion probably £200 billion is being stolen.

    The Revenue is being starved of money, its experienced staff (the more expensive ones) are being paid off. They have already messed up income tax for about 4 million people this year alone. They haven't a clue what they are doing, and morale is at an all time low.

    The money from tax havens may happen as it is their officials that will deal with it.

    Internal tax collection is in the dumpster and won't likely get out.

    Mind you, I've heard that the chances of many of the other changes being anything other than complete cock ups, is low, because the people who have to implement the changes are overworked, under resoused and their IT equipment is woefully inadequate.

    The whole place is going to hell on a handcart.

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  42. Monty: I bow to your superior economic knowledge!

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  43. tris..
    thank you.
    I've just noticed it was 'Roux at Parliament Square' that the noble Lord was dining in when he had the Torygraph interview.
    I had a look at roux's website. It doesn't look much better than 'The Deep Sea' to tell you the truth...

    http://www.rouxatparliamentsquare.co.uk/index.aspx

    £5 for 'nibbles' seems quite reasonable although you would have to taste them to be sure. £7 for a single malt is very good value considering the ambience and location.

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  44. You missed the bit of your 'full spectrum analysis' where the spin of the 'maybe 1bn/year each' recouped is counterbalanced by the 'still getting to avoid £40bn in switzerland' bit!
    here you go - http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/oct/26/tax-avoidance-switzerland-agreement
    That's the problem when people do read the facts, eh Dean?

    So, the tory party introduce biting austerity measures, and begin reconstructing the welfare state of the UK, and simply capitulate to the Swiss.
    This is my problem Dean - yes they are doing 'something', but given what is happening to the rest of the UK, the pursuit of the largest parasites is far less vigorous.

    Further, it's not just about the pursuit of the parasites who are extracting the real wealth out of the UK - it's also about the sanctimonious preaching about how serious it all is while leaving the system that did it all intact.
    Whatever else they do, good or bad, tories always defend the privileged. It is made considerably worse when the disparity between wealthy and impoverished is as large and growing as it now is. It is unacceptable.

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  45. tris..

    Just checked out what beer 'roux' sells and see they have Innis at £5 a bottle.

    http://www.innisandgunn.com/

    Their website say that Tesco stock it so think I'll live like a Lord tomorrow and get a case.
    Sorted !

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  46. Monty3 - lol! Taxi!
    You're right to remind us that he excels in so many areas. He certainly is an stellar performer shining bright in the Labour firmament!

    So heartening to see the Labour party fighting fit and ready for opposition :)

    Also - couldn't have said it better re: Iceland defaulting. Everyone else pretending it's unthinkable is all part of the game, and you're also right that Ireland suffered trying to play the good euro citizen.
    I'm pretty sure that austerity measures have demonstrably failed to pull economies out of recession throughout history, you can't pay off anything if your economy is shrinking.

    btw - you had had to mention a chipper! I'm dying for a chip roll now :(

    'Night all, ehm aff noo!

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  47. LOL Night Dundee!!

    Now I want some chips too!

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  48. Hum... It looks rather nice I have to say at old Roux's place. Nicely understated; just the thing for Sir Humphrey and Lord Bow-tie.

    I see the Chateau Latour is only £5,200 a bottle. Quite nice if you don't have too much of a thirst at lunch time I always think.

    But the menu is in English. I always think it's a bit suspect if no one on the staff can speak proper French... don't you?

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  49. somepapfaedundee,

    Less vigerous? What are you on about man! An extra £900m just for improving the fight against the tax dodgers - if you want even more money added to the already increasing budget for this fight, where would you get it from?

    Cuts where? On balance this is doing an awful lot. They are set to raise billions, just from this initial £900m stimulus to the fight against tax dodgers...then you have the revenues raised from other policies already announced like the bankers levy among others.

    Get real. The Tories are going everything possible under current circumstances.

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  50. PS... I do get a little irritated though if I'm lunching alone and have meetings in the afternoon and they don't have half bottles. Such a waste pouring half of it down the sink.

    But heigh ho... when one must....

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  51. tris..

    You could opt for a single glass of wine though. Gosset Rose is only £17 a glass and has a certain je ne sais quoi.
    I'd have 'John Dory' for my main. I don't know what it is but have heard it mentioned on 'Masterchef'.
    Wouldn't want the menu in French. End up with frogs legs and sweetbreads or something. Yuch.

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  52. Stop the bus.
    Found this...

    Hermitage
    Jean Louis Chave Northern Rhône 2003 £1500

    I've been up there. It's near Dunkeld. Would have to try this instead of the Gosset Rose.

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  53. Oh dear, fancy buying wine by the glass. How very Deep Sea. ( I once had a glass of wine in there. it was like paint stripper. But the chips are braw, and the sausage bacon egg and chips.... mmmmm)

    Anyway, nothing wrong with frogs' legs. I had them in that place that used to be the Deep Sea, and they were brill.

    They do eat other things in France you know.

    Anyways, if you're paying we can go for lunch Thursday? OK?

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  54. I'm easy if you're paying

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  55. Wait a minute... It's got Chav in it... yuck

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  56. tris..

    Bit tight for cash this week unfortunately. My expenses haven't been processed since the meeting at Gleneagles.
    Frogs legs ? Look better on the frog I reckon.

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  57. "You could opt for a single glass of wine though"

    No, buy a bottle, there are plenty of lovely wines. Here is a lovely Hungarian one called 'Kekfrankos'. I bought a bottle once a while back, here; I shall even give you the website [suitably called 'The Daily Drinker']:

    http://www.thedailydrinker.co.uk/product/20/2008_Kekfrankos_Sopron

    Some lovely ones on that website, and reliable too.

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  58. Yes, Dean, but do tehy sell it in Roux...?

    That's the question :)

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  59. That's a bit nearer my price range Dean...

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  60. tris..

    I could peel an orange in my pocket.

    Dean..

    That looked good wine but their wine is dearer than Laithwaites who I use. Plus Caspar and Victoria Bowe sound a bit poncy. One plays hockey while the other does fly fishing and cricket.

    Off to kip. Up early tomorrow for polo.
    Night All

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  61. That sounds rude Monty....

    night mate!

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  62. I've just noticed, that poor lad has a waistcoat on which the two sides don't match. It's like his gran has sewn two old ones together.... What a damned shame...

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  63. Dean -
    Let me say it one more time.
    It's about the relative effort given to tackling the welfare state at one side for potential gains of around 1bn a year, and tax evasion and avoidance for figures no one really knows but go and look around and you'll find figures ranging all the way up to the possibility of 120bn (that from a former Thatcher advisor too).

    So possible orders of magnitude difference etween the two sums to be recovered.

    Effort for each would surely be the same way round yes? with orders of magnitude more effort being put into recovering from the larger pot.

    But it isn't. We are completely refactoring the welfare state on the one hand at the same time as we are going to make a potential new 1/2 million unemployed, while on the other hand they aren't closing the loopholes that allow avoidance and when requiring 3rd parties (e.g. Switzerland) to assist in the prevention of tax scams, a polite refusal by the 3rd party is enough to halt it.

    Simply throwing 900m at the well-oiled machine that isn't HMRC, is clearly enought to statisfy a tory that the govt are going hell for leather on this, but it's the opposite for anyone who cares to actually look at the whole picture.

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  64. You summarize the situation perfectly as ever Dundee....

    We could deal with the whole problem of deficit by getting the tax avoiders and tax evaders to pay their tax for a few years. You know, what they owe, nothing more. Then of course, as a matter of keeping things equal, have a go at the poor whose lives are made a little less miserable by diddling the welfare system. Cut them back too and add anotehr billion to the 120 billion you mention. Why not? it won't make any difference to the finances, but it won't half make the Daily Mail readers happy, and that's what counts with this lot.

    Government by Daily Mail headlines.

    We are, after all, all in this together ... aren't we?

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