The Condensed #Nov30 PMQs
This is our semi-regular account of Prime Minister’s Questions, each PMQ exchange has been condensed into less than 140 characters.
Though it is based on what was said, it isn’t a literal document so don’t sue us.
When upwards of 2 million public sector workers were on strike, hundreds of thousands of people were marching across the country against the government’s austerity cuts in pensions and public services… Members of Parliament crossed the House of Commons picket lines to shout at each other.
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A JOKE Read more
George Osborne can’t even privatise competently
by Cormac Hollingsworth / @CormacHolly
Policymakers should have two goals when dealing with Northern Rock: Maximising taxpayer receipts and enabling more people to buy their own homes.
The government claims that even if the deal is a complete dogs dinner, then at least they have got the best deal for Northern Rock, but this is highly doubtful.
Osborne’s Legacy – A generation on the unemployment scrap-heap
by Chuka Umunna
So now we know: the action being taken by this Lib-Con government in the name of deficit reduction will cost at least 1.1m jobs across the public and private sectors. How do we know this? Because the Treasury says so, hence today’s big story.
But far from the media circus, a new deficit is growing. Not a fiscal deficit, but a generational one. It takes the form of the thousands of young people who will leave school this September with no prospects of work or training and who risk slipping into a crippling cycle of long-term unemployment. It is a debt that the new government is racking up in order to fund a macho, ideologically motivated drive to slash government spending deep and fast. And unlike the fiscal deficit, it will not take four or six or 10 years to pay down; it will take a generation.
Beyond Resistance: Coalition Government has declared Class War
From The Commune
With its first cuts plans the Conservative-LibDem coalition has declared war on the working class.
Day by day we hear fresh appeals to accept mass redundancies, tighten our belts and heap blame on the ‘work-shy’ who are somehow meant to find jobs.
Liberal Democrat Hypocrisy
So VAT is up to 20% next year and Nick Clegg has indicated that most Liberal Democrats will vote for it.
Hat/tip: DBH
George Osborne: Move over Keynes – The Shock Axeman Cometh
By Adam Ramsay
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, the richest 1,000 in Britain have seen their wealth increase by 30 per cent in the last year: £77bn – half the annual deficit.
On Tuesday, George Osborne will launch a radical, economic experiment. He will begin a process of attempting to cut public spending more than has ever been tried before in the hope that this will cut the government’s deficit.
Osborne and Laws sharpen their axes: the Con-Dem Nation Economy
So two weeks in, Osborne is able to keep his pledge on making £6,000,000,000 of cuts this year. Well what he has announced proves that he is actually making £5,700,000,000, as he is “redirecting” £500 million, which means he is £300 million pounds short of his pledge.
Whilst the city and business leaders have applauded the “fair but painful” cuts, they note that it will not affect most of the city. Yes some small business will feel the pain particular government contractors and businesses in the IT sector but the Markets and Richard Lambert, head of the Confederation of British Industry could barely contain his joy as taxes will not be raised on the rich, which was the real fear.
Comedian Mark Steel: Tory rule all over again
This was written (and amended as the day unfolded) on the day David Cameron became Prime Minister, for The Independent, but didn’t go in the paper.
The mayhem of the last few days seemed as if it would go on and splendidly on. I’m still half-expecting that by tomorrow morning the Lib-Dems will be holding talks with the Portuguese Social Democratic Party on an offer of a three way coalition with the Hell’s Angels.
The best solution might have been to keep the chaos going for four years, when it would be time for another election. So every day the news would say something like “This morning William Haig offered the Lib-Dems two places on the British Council of Buddhists, and the job of England football manager to Simon Hughes, but in a dramatic twist at 3.00 pm, following pressure from Paddy Ashdown, Peter Mandelson appeared at the treasury office and hung himself, thus removing a crucial obstacle to a pact with Labour. But further talks were stalled at midnight when David Blunkett threatened Chris Huhne with an axe, so negotiators have now offered the SNP independence for Stenhousemuir.”
Poor old George Osborne
Close your eyes and imagine this, you’ve been bred to believe you will lead your country, you’ve swallowed your pride and accepted the lesser role as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer hoping that one day you will replace your boss as leader (preferably after getting into Number 11). Your opposition has had their worst ever result since 1945 and came third in the last national elections, and your party came first with almost twice the Labour vote.
So you were sitting pretty running the Tory election campaign with a charismatic leader and the incumbent having as much charm as a corpse, then for some reason that you have yet to discern, things start going pear-shaped.
In August 2009, the Conservative Party had a 17 point lead over the Labour Government. However, even then there were rumblings from the Conservative activist base about George’s portfolio. Despite these complaints by the oiks, George remains undeterred and decides to run both important jobs of Shadow Chancellor and General Election Campaign co-ordinator. Sure he has made a few mistakes; going on holiday with the enemy proved not to be very constructive. Read more
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The Tweeted #PMQs on Welfare Reform Bill Day
So it was the big day for Welfare Reform Bill, with plans of cutting benefit to disabled children, cancer patients and families living in adequate accommodation. Labour had a big chance to show whose side they were on and… well read it for yourself.
Farrely (Lab): You are cutting front line officers. Stop that shit
PM: Labour support the cuts and we’re sacking police pen pushers
Read more