Expect more "fine print" on spending soon

Andrew

Watching Newsnight last night, I was struck by how almost all of the criticism of Osborne, both from Jeremy Paxman and from his panel of political commentators, came essentially from the right, i.e. that he was not going far enough in terms of spending cuts to address the deficit problem. For me, this highlights the extent to which the media has come round to the Tories' side of the debate on spending and how out of touch Brown and Darling now appear.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how favourable the coverage was of what one might expect to be a deeply unpopular and controversial speech.

DavidDP

You can see the benefit in not saying everything up front - journos see it as a potential weak point and attack on the "but you haven't done enough line" which makes Osborne's argument for him, allows him to agree with them and say that as they have said, more will be needed.

Very smart.

James

Have I entered some strange alternate reality, where the opposition is required to have detailed answers but the government, that created the mess, is allowed to get away with none?

Carly

When are the Government going to be hounded by the media as to where they will cut? Labour are getting away with painting the Tories as nasty cutters etc.

Jo

Journalists might want to know all the fine print but Osborne should not present a shadow budget. Remember what happened to Kinnock and Smith in 1992. He has gone far enough any further and the Tories are throwing away the next election.

Andy

It's hilarious the way Labour stooges are pointing the finger at the Tories (in opposition for 12 years) as if to say:

"Yah, boo, sucks. This is nowhere near enough to sort out the unholy mess we've created. Call yourself serious politicians!"

Priceless.

My dream is that the FT (F****** Terrible) repent their New Labour beliefs and get behind the Tories because they are trying to be more open and honest about the structural problems our country faces.

Whilst New Labour spins and lies about the strong medicine that is needed to stop us sinking and becoming an undeveloping nation.

Come on FT!!!

Percy

Is it today or Thursday that we'll see an energetic Broon running down the loading bay of a Hercules in Afghanistan?

DavidDP

I see the idiocy of the Tories new grouping with a bunch of homphobes has now made the Daily Mail.

What stupid decision that was.

greenslime3

I'm just listening to Chris Grayling give his speech - seen more Go in a can of Pal!! Not an inspiring man - could wean people off mogadon

Reg511

The BBC bias in it's reporting of the 2 main party conferences is a real story the MSM are ignoring. Not only are the statistics against the Tories, but also the publicly funded state broadcaster.

Nicholas

"Have I entered some strange alternate reality, where the opposition is required to have detailed answers but the government, that created the mess, is allowed to get away with none?"

Yes, you have. It's the alternative reality of NooLabourLand, a cod-communist Britain of socialist propaganda where the BBC can be relied upon to make people view reality through rose-tinted TV screens.

Publius

@DavidDP
"What stupid decision that was."

Why should you ally yourself with Euro-federalists when you don't want a Euro-federation? Now *that* would be stupid. Tantamount to voting Labour when you don't want a Labour government.

As for "homophobes", Jesus Christ! give it a rest. Before that they were supposed to be anti-Semites, until that myth was exploded.

Jack R

I have no time for the extravagances and waste of the Labour and Lib Dem economic policies, but the Tories seem to be dogmatic in their anti-Keynesian deficit financing in the present recession.
Too many Tories seem to rely on using the false comparison of a private household's financial need to 'balance its budget', claiming that a government needs to do the same. It's quite normal for governments to have debts, but of course the scale and trend of the debt does matter.

A consequence of of an over-zealous 'balance the budget' drive is to bring in politically unpopular and unnecassary measures in a recession, such as increases in VAT rates, and top income tax rates, together with higher ages for retirement pensions.

For Mr Osborne to put up the pension age, to increase VAT rates, and put up top rate tax at 50% seems to

John Maynard

The election will be in Q2 2010, It will take the rest of next year to look at the books/mount an emergency financial statement etc.
These taxes won't apply before 2011, when, according to the economic commentariat, we will be in recovery.