So there you have it. If Boy 'Flipper' George becomes Chancellor, Britain will experience the biggest cuts in public spending in 30 years. The pension age will be raised to 66 and anyone earning over £18,000 a year in the public sector will have their pay frozen.
Osborne wants us to believe that such measures are necessary given the poor state of the public finances. But why are our finances in such a poor state? Partly because of the enormous sums of money the government has handed over to the banking sector to keep the global capitalist system afloat. Partly because of the way our economy has been de-industrialised by neoliberal fanatics, who put the needs of finance capital above manufacturing. And partly because of the enormous sums of money spent on neocon wars of aggression.
Osborne is not proposing to introduce new taxes on financial transactions, or to make those responsible for the financial crisis- greedy bankers and vulture capitalists- pay for their anti-social behaviour. Neither is he calling for big cuts in military spending-how could he?- he's a committed neocon.
No, he wants the burden to fall on ordinary people.
Osborne's speech was a grim reminder of what we can expect from a future neo-Conservative government (not that a New Labour or a Neo-Liberal Dem one would be much better).
UPDATE:
As hardline as Osborne’s speech was- there’s one man who is still not satisfied.
He attacks Osborne for not scrapping the 50% top rate of tax. And he writes: "I criticise his plan to raise pensionable age only for his not going further."
Guess who?
FURTHER UPDATE:
I think 'Pancrack Charlie' says it all in the comments section:
Your priceless Simon,
Cut the tax rate for the richest, take wheelchairs from the crippled, force sick,lame, lazy into non existant jobs. ? In no time at all we will have a return to the cardboard cities, we saw under Thatcher, where the mentally ill were tipped out into "care in the community"... Pancrack Charlie:
Against that- there's a really scary comment from 'Anne C'
The screaming little parasites who think they are entitled to other people's incomes are really just criminal scum. Paying taxes is for slaves.
So there you are- if you believe in any taxes on the rich- you are 'criminal scum'.
MORE ON OSBORNE:
Martin Kelly writes:
The Bullingdon Club boor George Osborne has stated his intention to raise the retirement age for men from 65 to 66. What right does this scion of a dynasty of soft furnishings salesmen have to believe he will withhold from me what I have paid for other men when my time comes?
What right indeed?
5 comments:
Well said, Neil.
It's disgusting beyond belief that these financially independent Tories have the audacity to lecture anyone on austerity or 'being in it together'.
These people have no idea what it means to make ends meet; they simply cannot comprehend it and what's more: they despise people who aren't part of their exclusive clique.
Anyone who votes Tory next year is an idiot or callous or both.
Do you remember that parody of the Eton Boating Song (was it by Pete and Dud or by Handcock?) which ended
Because we're all on the same river
And we're all in the same boat.
Well we are not!
Foxhunting. That takes you back doesn't it. 1997, the Tories are gone, a new dawn, then ...NOTHING except for Bernie Ecclestone, and maybe 3 years of frothing about foxhunting. " Who gives 2 fucks about foxhunting" I thought. Is this all they can come up with after 18 years of Thatcherism? Innocent times. Then 9/11 . We know the rest. An alien looking at the UK might wonder where all the adults had gone, given the state of our arrangements for governing ourselves.
It was quite an interesting post. Keep posting. Good on you.
Post a Comment