@Awake!

What the hell are you on?

Gideo can squeeze as much as he likes.
But, some of us have nowhere else to go for our income - hence we will continue to scrounge !

When George tires digging the bankers remind him of how he will look to the historian and provide him with a new shovel.

Gravedigger

matthew fox: Hello 1% finished your Lancashire hot-pot already.. NOW!! what are you going to do for your creature comforts now dollies inside you and you can longer get inside dolly, so to speak... Look here 1% welfare needs reforming those that can work should work. Gormless Gordon should of allowed Frank field, to do the unthinkable. besides what are you so terrified about someone may asked you to get a job?

George obviously thinks there is a bit of slack in the benefits handouts, so he's tightening things in that area. But I'm still with Dennis Healey when he said of the stinking rich: 'Squeeze them till their pips squeak'.
The fact is we need another round of Wealth Tax, and a FTT, and an Aviation Fuel Tax by international agreement.
And somebody needs to nail these speculators who are doing the economy down.

Taking the tough decisions translates into hitting the easy target.

If he really was taking tough decisions he would look at tax avoidance, FTT and wealth taxes. But he doesn't.

Benefit squeeze is a vote winner too. If he folds in a bit of stigmatisation of the unemployed "scroungers" he can really get middle-england baying.

All in this together.

Even at 4.5% benefit increase is huge! Who in the working part of the economy is getting 4.5% pay rises.

I'm all for this, at the end of the day, the fuel increase affects everyone as it pushes up the price of transport for people and goods. By not increasing fuel duty he is really helping everyone.

I can't believe i am defending Osborne by the way!

it's a disgrace the way he's helping the owners of 29 million rich vehicle owners out there. assuming that each car owner sometimes someone else around, that's 60 million rich people and there (presumably rich mates) being driven around the UK.. tut tut osborne, what about the poor????

@Stu

Re: plans to reform taxation, crack down on tax avoidance

What measures are being introduced? I must have missed it.

I can't believe i am saying this but i think i am with the Tories on this, "puke".
End of the day i am not getting a pay increase and alot of people are in the same boat as me. So i tighten my belt and keep going. Someone on benefits will have to do the same i am afraid.
HOWEVER i still think the whole approach is wrong. The average person is paying the price for the mistakes of the financial system. The FTT is what needs to happen, Get the G20 to agree every country has to enforce the FTT and we are sorted. From my understanding its that simple and the world could be saved within a year or two. Let the people who caused this mess pay the price not the average joe public.

@Livers
Last time I heard they were planning to simplify the tax codes and bring in a bunch of quangoes to investigate people who avoid tax with offshore account etc... have they been fully implemented, I don't know but it's got to be better than what we have now.

@Richy

I meant relatively speaking it is HUGE compared to what most people are experiencing in terms of pay rises, most of the public sector aren't even getting a pay rise this year...if you asked most of them if they wanted a 4.5% payrise they would bite your hand off.

I agree that in real terms, it is a benefit cut, but then most of us that are economically active are in the same boat, are we not?

Metaphorically speaking of course!

This government is not being run by self made men who understand real world economics nor it would seem supply and demand.

The problem here is that they are governing by ideology, a failed one at that given it is in many parts what Bush did in America in his 2 terms. Over that whole time not 1 single job was created ( obviously some were created and some lost so overall its 0 any many of those were Army jobs).

We won't get out of these issues without the following.

1. Regain control of banking sector, including international. Stop them attacking small countries and continuing the instability of world markets.

2. A proper works program, building infrastructure, industry and housing for the next 50 years. To be borrowed on 10 year bonds at very low interest rates.

3. Stop attacking the poor and those who the gov seems to want to make poorer. Its only causing more unease while making many more people unemployed and taking demand out of the market.

The poor did not create this mess but it would seem some would like them to pay for it while also moaning about their 50% tax rate.

4. A nationalisation ( into non profit ) program for corrupt and failing businesses. Any business, from BP to HP who operates in a corrupt manner loses all assets, savings and property. News International would be one for instance, a complete lack of governance and accountability and then firing a lot of innocent staff. Staff get jobs back, company loses company / building etc... and business can operate as a new entity. This may also include the business being transferred to the staff, especially if, like many big businesses they have spent the whole pension pot ( BA ) and can never hope to replace what their staff have contributed.

The ignorance of many comments is truly shocking.Benefits are paid to millions that work,Carers,people with disabilities,low paid etc.

Something wrong with your caps lock button Luddite, why don't you ring the Tomy technical helpline?

With welfare spending up by 5% and more unemployment on the way, the welfare bill will only be heading one way.

Don't forget unemployment is a double-edged sword, less tax revenue, or is that an hard concept to pick up.

Once you have finished your pot noodle, you can respond Luddite.

Simple answer make NI universal, Its the purpose of it after all is it not.

Those supposedly high over taxed earners in fact get a fantastic NI discount to compensate. No need to alter employer contributions, as that could affect jobs. Abolish the upper earnings limit. Its a 10% tax rebate for the rich.

Flat rate across the board to meet those needs covered by NI.

Many carers, like myself, are living below the poverty line on an the abysmal £55 per week Carer's Allowance. It's been calculated that carers save the taxpayer over £100 billion annually be keeping their loved ones out of the care home sector, where basic weekly charges are on average £500 a week.

If we all refused to do this and dumped our relatives into homes, the UK would be financially bankrupted. But we won't, of course, and governments of all shades know this only too well. Let them eat cake is their motto.

Despicable creatures without any redeeming features (to quote a certain Tory MP) is how I regard the political class. This callous decision just reinforces that perception.

@ hindle-a
18 November 2011 at 13:37

The most sensible remark made on this or any other today.

Can you imagine how much more it would cost the Treasury if there was no Carers?

Those that think other-wise have a lot to learn, when disability or accident comes knocking at their door.

And it can happen to the strongest in the space of seconds!

Think before you wish to deprive those less fortunate than yourselves, they are not all scroungers!!

They said 'we're all in it together'

Some of us more then others, however, people like Osborne, Clegg and Cameron are barely effected at all, at the other end of the spectrum, their are hundreds of thousands milking the system claiming a fortune who aren't in it either.

@ Trevor
18 November 2011 at 14:30

No matter how much you try, you will never make some Conservatives understand, the only thing they understand is "Money, Money, money" it is there God, they worship it, and not until trouble strikes them do they realise that there is more to this life than their uncontrolled greed and complete lack of sympathy or understanding of the very needy and those who cannot help themselves.

p j wall: selfish' ignorant' vindictive. You mean folks such as myself!! "people on benefits are worthless" In the sense of wealth creating they are.. but who put them there!! More's to the point, who kept them there. Before you go on your usual rant think about it?

@ Jimminy wicket
'No matter how much you try, you will never make some Conservatives understand, the only thing they understand is "Money, Money, money" it is there God, they worship it, and not until trouble strikes them do they realise that there is more to this life than their uncontrolled greed and complete lack of sympathy or understanding of the very needy and those who cannot help themselves'
You actually believe that?? greed is the defining chracteristic of a conservative.
U are consumed by hate- the most appropriate religion u might care to follow now is a christian based one, focusing on a key central tenet to this faith of forginess- clearly u've had a negative psychological experience and your head needs some work.
Once u 'get' the point of forgiveness, try something a little ore from the East. Sri buddha a good place to start, as long as it's from the East, subject and object were collpased into the one long ago there.
You can ignore and laugh, ure miserable life though...