Cameron: "Cuts will change our way of life"

[L19red]

Who's got vince cable in the first liberal to quit sweepstake? Of course he rolled back when challenged on it, but his honesty to his local constituents is insightful.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Who's got vince cable in the first liberal to quit sweepstake? Of course he rolled back when challenged on it, but his honesty to his local constituents is insightful.

 

Having seen their approval rating slip, their polling figures into single figures and the entire country talking about them being the shield for Cameron, it could be a ploy to attempt to make it appear that they're fighting against the Conservatives for the good of the country, rather than propping them up.

 

I can't see that working, it's clear that if they wanted to stop the Conservative's game plan, they'd need do no more than split the coalition. They chose to enter the coalition - in the name of stability - and they're doing these cuts in the name if Liberalism. If they want to save us from the Conservatives, they need do no more than absolutely nothing.

 

On the other hand, it could be 'real'. He could be genuinely disgruntled. I mean, what exactly would be classed as pushing too far, Vince? You've screwed over the students, you're screwing over the poor and you're helping prop up a Conservative government who, even in the wake of horrific opposition, couldn't get a majority. leaves us asking the question 'just how far is too far'?

[L19red]

Having seen their approval rating slip, their polling figures into single figures and the entire country talking about them being the shield for Cameron, it could be a ploy to attempt to make it appear that they're fighting against the Conservatives for the good of the country, rather than propping them up.

 

I can't see that working, it's clear that if they wanted to stop the Conservative's game plan, they'd need do no more than split the coalition. They chose to enter the coalition - in the name of stability - and they're doing these cuts in the name if Liberalism. If they want to save us from the Conservatives, they need do no more than absolutely nothing.

 

On the other hand, it could be 'real'. He could be genuinely disgruntled. I mean, what exactly would be classed as pushing too far, Vince? You've screwed over the students, you're screwing over the poor and you're helping prop up a Conservative government who, even in the wake of horrific opposition, couldn't get a majority. leaves us asking the question 'just how far is too far'?

 

It would be a very brave move to do this as a tactic to show they are resisting the more extreme elements of the tory manifesto.

 

It could also be the case that Vince has had his ego stroked a little bit and said something he didn't really mean in the first place to impress his constituents. An empty boast designed to make it look like he's a heavyweight. To be fair Vince Cable doesn't seem like a vain man but who knows?

[Section_31]

You've got to be careful with what Cable spouts. I used to like him until his Marxist rant which was okayed by David Cameron. I fear he's not to be trusted.

[Strontium]

Having seen their approval rating slip, their polling figures into single figures and the entire country talking about them being the shield for Cameron, it could be a ploy to attempt to make it appear that they're fighting against the Conservatives for the good of the country, rather than propping them up.

 

 

I suppose it depend whether you think:

 

He spoke frankly to the reporters posing as young constituents during his first and only meeting with them.

 

 

would have happened by accident rather than design.

[Stu Monty]

He doesn't think that the government have properly thought through a lot of the things they are doing.

 

Join the fucking club, Vince.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I suppose it depend whether you think:

 

would have happened by accident rather than design.

 

Quite. It's hard to know for sure, but it seems like the most transparent, pointless thing to do if that's what the objective was. If I can spot it in 2 seconds, so can other people.

 

Rather than make it look like he's fighting the right for the good of the country, it makes government look unstable, disunited and that the Liberal Democrats are either too stupid to realise that the best way to stop the Conservative plans is to do nothing, or too wicked to care.

[cochcaer]

He doesn't think that the government have properly thought through a lot of the things they are doing.

 

Join the fucking club, Vince.

 

Osbourne especially ls waaay out of his depth. But Vince and co are looking out for themselves not serving the country.

[Section_31]

Be interesting to see how the VAT hike will hit business, very badly I guess, looks like all those axed public sector workers will be waiting a while before the private sector springs forth from the ground to the tune of 'You've got the touch' by Stan Bush and employs them all on reasonable wages and pensions.

[lifetime fan]

Having seen their approval rating slip, their polling figures into single figures and the entire country talking about them being the shield for Cameron, it could be a ploy to attempt to make it appear that they're fighting against the Conservatives for the good of the country, rather than propping them up.

 

I can't see that working, it's clear that if they wanted to stop the Conservative's game plan, they'd need do no more than split the coalition. They chose to enter the coalition - in the name of stability - and they're doing these cuts in the name if Liberalism. If they want to save us from the Conservatives, they need do no more than absolutely nothing.

 

On the other hand, it could be 'real'. He could be genuinely disgruntled. I mean, what exactly would be classed as pushing too far, Vince? You've screwed over the students, you're screwing over the poor and you're helping prop up a Conservative government who, even in the wake of horrific opposition, couldn't get a majority. Leaves us asking the question 'just how far is too far'?

 

 

Taking his car and driver away I expect.

[torahboy]

Vince Cable speaks from his Fortress of Solitude of his awesome power; his ability to guide the minds of his political adversaries or to destroy them if they resist his will. Then he remembers the green Kryptonite that lurks in every ballot box and insists that he was only bullshitting - Super Bullshitting, of course.

[L19red]

Be interesting to see how the VAT hike will hit business, very badly I guess, looks like all those axed public sector workers will be waiting a while before the private sector springs forth from the ground to the tune of 'You've got the touch' by Stan Bush and employs them all on reasonable wages and pensions.

 

they'll do ok if they are on the flat rate VAT scheme. the differential between what you charge and what you pay to HMRC increases by 1% so coupled with the change to corp tax for small businesses they will see a net increase of profit of nearly 2% for no extra effort. Of course that assumes that you have some work to do for a customer to generate any revenue in the first place.

[dennis tooth]

Be interesting to see how the VAT hike will hit business, very badly I guess, looks like all those axed public sector workers will be waiting a while before the private sector springs forth from the ground to the tune of 'You've got the touch' by Stan Bush and employs them all on reasonable wages and pensions.

 

Er, businesses are the one thing that have been ringfenced. Try counting the cost borne on the NHS/Police/education etc, etc. They still won't step up to the plate in terms of taking on new jobs any new jobs will be on minimum wage and then the mw employees can be taxed out the arse to pay for the business tax relief. Any further questions send an SAE care of Phil Green, Cayman Islands.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Turns out that the 'full transcript' from the Telegraph wasn't actually the full transcript. He's had a thing or two to say about Murdoch, too.

[dennis tooth]

Told yall despite all this cuts talk they would spend public money like never before, just not on the public.

 

UK government borrowing hits record high

Nameplate of 22 Whitehall, home to several government departments The latest borrowing figure was larger than expected

Continue reading the main story

UK Economy: The Recovery

 

* Economy tracker: unemployment mapped

* CBI revises growth forecast down

* Retail sales up 0.3% in November

* Unemployment in UK rising again

 

The amount of new public sector borrowing hit a fresh record high in November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

 

Net borrowing totalled £23.3bn last month, up from £17.4bn a year ago, and more than analysts had expected.

 

The borrowing figure was pushed higher by increased spending on health, defence and the EU.

 

The latest figures are likely to raise concerns about the government's efforts to reduce the UK's budget deficit.

 

While the government spent 10.8% more in November than the same month last year, its VAT receipts fell 0.1%.

Rogue figure?

 

A Treasury spokesman said: "November's borrowing figures show why the government has had to take decisive action to take Britain out of the financial danger zone.

 

"These outturns are also in line with the Office of Budget Responsibility's latest forecast for borrowing to fall by almost £10bn this year compared to last, and for tax receipts to increase by over 7% year-on-year."

 

The ONS said public sector net debt now stood at 58% of UK GDP.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

image of Hugh Pym Hugh Pym Chief economics correspondent, BBC News

 

Yes, we shouldn't read too much into one month's figures - yes, we should remember that public finances are volatile and there are margins for error.

 

Even so, the fact that the government had to borrow in November a record amount for any month has done more than raise eyebrows in the City.

 

Higher-than-expected public spending was one of the main factors behind the surge in borrowing.

 

The markets may well give the chancellor the benefit of the doubt for now. But they are questioning whether the Coalition has the will to deliver the spending cuts scheduled to bite from next year when it's struggling to keep the lid on expenditure now.

 

Total public sector net borrowing for the financial year to date has reached £104.4bn, although this is down slightly from the £105.1bn total for the same period last year.

 

However, many analysts predict that the government could exceed its annual borrowing target of £148.5bn for the current financial year to 31 March.

 

Philip Shaw, economist at asset management group Investec, said the latest official figures were "extremely disappointing".

 

He added: "November's numbers seem to be a result of very strong spending and weak receipts growth, and it is very difficult to judge whether this is just a rogue figure, or whether it represents something more fundamental.

 

"Our guess is that it's probably the former, but the seeds of doubt have been sown to a certain extent."

 

The government is now continuing with a range of austerity measures to reduce the UK's public deficit.

 

These include a £81bn package of public sector spending cuts and a VAT increase to 20% from 17.5% on 4 January.

 

Jonathan Loynes, chief economist at Capital Economics, said: "Overall, there is nothing here to weaken the government's determination to see through its austerity programme.

 

"But we continue to doubt that the economy will weather the coming fiscal storm as well as it hopes."

Lowered forecasts

 

The most recent official figures showed that the UK economy grew by 0.8% between July and September.

 

However, a number of organisations have recently lowered their forecasts for UK economic growth in 2011.

 

The CBI business group now expects growth of 0.2% in the first quarter of next year, down from 0.3%, as public sector job losses and higher-than-expected inflation slow the economic recovery.

 

Meanwhile, the British Cambers of Commerce (BCC) said it now predicts the economy will expand 1.9% in 2011, down from the 2.2% growth it predicted in September.

 

The BCC blamed the eurozone debt crisis, austerity cuts, weak housing market and forthcoming VAT rise.

 

The Office for Budget Responsibility has said it expects economic growth of 2.1% next year, compared with an earlier forecast of 2.3%.

[dennis tooth]

The mood of bank bosses about all this is one of despondency, and a number of them now think a deal with the coalition is impossible.

 

This is how the source put it: "special advisers have fessed up that a spat with banks removes the political pressure from Clegg, which is the coalition priority".

 

So the Conservative members of the coalition won't rein in criticism of bonuses by Lib Dem ministers, notably Nick Clegg and Vince Cable, on the basis that the Lib Dems have to be thrown some kind of bone, given the self-harm they endured over student fees.

 

Media games, that's all the Lib Dems offer as opposition, good cop, bad cop, slap on wrist shit except people aren't falling for it, that can see right through.

[Strontium]

Be interesting to see how the VAT hike will hit business, very badly I guess

 

 

How much did businesses benefit when VAT was cut from 17.5% to 15%, and how badly were businesses hit when Labour raised it back to 17.5%?

[torahboy]

Turns out that the 'full transcript' from the Telegraph wasn't actually the full transcript. He's had a thing or two to say about Murdoch, too.

 

 

 

Well that's fucked things up for Cable, and he was actually going to do some good with this one.

 

And with a single bound he leapt from one pile of shite right into an even bigger pile of shite.

 

I can't wait for the next exciting instalment of SuperVince - LibDem Hero In Decline.

[Whelan]

The context that these cuts are taking place is one that I find interesting, and that nobody seems to have mentioned is the state of the country in the preceding decade!

 

When Thatcher went on her social engineering spree, we had just come out of a pretty depressing decade (70's), so she was given leeway because of the 'things can only get better' syndrome, but now we have just come out of a pretty successful decade and this lot of trying to implement the same ideological approach.

 

But they lack her humble backgroun, and hence her affinity, hers was dressed up as a need for change whereas these parasites are just implementing change because they personally do not like the current system. But the country disagrees with them, which is why 60% voted for a supposed centre left government, and despite everything being in his favour, he still could not muster the required support.

 

We are just over six months into their reign and we have already had riots!

[Guest davelfc]

Reports (unconfirmed) that Cable has gone, not so much nuclear bombs as a sparkler really.

[Stu Monty]

I wonder if Rupert will get to pick his replacement.

[cochcaer]

Sky News is priceless tonight. On a moral high horse they've no right to.

 

I suspect this is a stitch-up so the News Corp takeover has to go through now.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Kay Burley reading out tweet from fake Daily Mail journo saying Vince Cable has resigned. Quality Sky cuntyeneering.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Stripped of powers over BskyB takeover. Not so much 'winning' as, well, you know, losing. Daft of him, to say the least.

 

Cable stripped of powers on BSkyB takeover - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

[dennis tooth]

What kind of war was that?

The one where you realise your army is full of your enemies best mates and humbly put down your sword and back away with that stupid 'Vince Cable embarrassed' look. It wont wash with your wife and it don't wash with me neither. Another Lib Dem idiot talking big but out of his depth and drowning.