Current Affairs

[Onelife]

Says it all

Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, Liz Truss said it wasn't "fair to have a recession" or for people to not "get high paying jobs in the future".

First part I can agree with but the second excludes a large proportion of the population.

I think her comment was inclusive of those on lower paid jobs wishing to attain higher paying jobs/wages…although we can of course interpret things how we see them.

[Ray B]

Russia has just announced the annexing of territory invaded by them in Croatia.
This must now be entering dangerous times, we have all seen dictators in the past show contempt to others and it does not end well.

[Ray B]

Sorry, Ukraine.

[Onelife]

As if the last 7 months haven’t been bad enough…now this… so sad for the people of Ukraine.

[david63]

I think her comment was inclusive of those on lower paid jobs wishing to attain higher paying jobs/wages…although we can of course interpret things how we see them.

In that case she should quickly learn to choose her words correctly - there is a vast difference between "high paying jobs" and "higher paid" jobs.

For example checkout staff in Tesco (other supermarkets are available) could get a 50% rise which would give them a "higher paid" job but they are not going to get £200k a year which would be a "high paying" job.

And if everyone gets one of these suddenly available "high paying" jobs who is going to do the not so high paying jobs?

[Onelife]

I think her comment was inclusive of those on lower paid jobs wishing to attain higher paying jobs/wages…although we can of course interpret things how we see them.

In that case she should quickly learn to choose her words correctly - there is a vast difference between "high paying jobs" and "higher paid" jobs.

Which is true David but I think the essence of her comment was that in a buoyant economy everyone benefits to a more or lesser degree.

[towny44]

Says it all

Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, Liz Truss said it wasn't "fair to have a recession" or for people to not "get high paying jobs in the future".

First part I can agree with but the second excludes a large proportion of the population.

But for those at the bottom any increase is well worthwhile, and which they well consider to be a high paying job.

[david63]

Would perhaps help if somebody in the Government defined what a "high paying job" was and how much you would expect to be paid.

[Onelife]

Would perhaps help if somebody in the Government defined what a "high paying job" was and how much you would expect to be paid.

If they did that David, it would be an admission of turning a blind eye to how poorly some are paid.

[Kendhni]

This budget has wreaked of amateurism and naivety, even a schoolchild knows that you should show your working out. The markets, BoE and OBR got side lined ... it did not follow process. That does not make the budget itself bad (or good), but without the proper checks and balances in place, and the fact we have only heard half the story (we really need to hear the rest), nobody knows what to make of it.

[david63]

If they did that David, it would be an admission of turning a blind eye to how poorly some are paid.

Can't have it all ways - it's about managing expectations. If the Government were to say, for example, nobody will be paid less than the equivalent of £50k by the end of next year then that is fine and there is some light at the end of the tunnel. And yes I know that they are politicians and that they cannot actually state what their plan is - assuming that they have one.

[Onelife]

This budget has wreaked of amateurism and naivety, even a schoolchild knows that you should show your working out. The markets, BoE and OBR got side lined ... it did not follow process. That does not make the budget itself bad (or good), but without the proper checks and balances in place, and the fact we have only heard half the story (we really need to hear the rest), nobody knows what to make of it.

Which is why I wrote….” that being said I do think all this market hysteria could have been avoided if the Government had staggered its tax cutting policies to that which the markets could have digested and adjusted over a longer period”

Booking themselves onto a basic “Change Management Course” would perhaps have been a better way forward...but hey ho

[barney]

I still can’t figure out if people are against the tax cuts or just the tax cuts for the high earners.
In the grand scheme of things, that’s loose change.
I think it’s mainly because the markets got spooked because they were not expecting it.
Usually Downing Street is leak city.
This came out of the blue.
They had announced the big issues like the help for heating and that hardly raised an eyebrow.
They had announced the national insurance reverting back to previous.
It was the 1p cut and the cut off 45% that freaked them out.
Labour have already admitted that the only tax they would reinstate is the 45% rate and that only raises about £2billion.

[Manoverboard]

The payment of 45% tax rankles with many of the high earners in the IT game. They become discontented, say sod it and bugger off to Asia. At 40% they could be happier with the idea of working in the UK ... which could potentially increase the Tax Revenue for UK PLC.

[Kendhni]

This budget has wreaked of amateurism and naivety, even a schoolchild knows that you should show your working out. The markets, BoE and OBR got side lined ... it did not follow process. That does not make the budget itself bad (or good), but without the proper checks and balances in place, and the fact we have only heard half the story (we really need to hear the rest), nobody knows what to make of it.

Which is why I wrote….” that being said I do think all this market hysteria could have been avoided if the Government had staggered its tax cutting policies to that which the markets could have digested and adjusted over a longer period”

Booking themselves onto a basic “Change Management Course” would perhaps have been a better way forward...but hey ho

That would have helped. It is a disgrace that the way this has been handled looks like it will needlessly cost an additional £65bn (bail out from BoE to support sterling) ... that bit annoys me the most.

Kwarteng has called for Tory unity .. he first needs to provide the detail so people can take an informed decision ... how can have unity when no one has any idea what they are uniting about.

[Onelife]

This budget has wreaked of amateurism and naivety, even a schoolchild knows that you should show your working out. The markets, BoE and OBR got side lined ... it did not follow process. That does not make the budget itself bad (or good), but without the proper checks and balances in place, and the fact we have only heard half the story (we really need to hear the rest), nobody knows what to make of it.

Which is why I wrote….” that being said I do think all this market hysteria could have been avoided if the Government had staggered its tax cutting policies to that which the markets could have digested and adjusted over a longer period”

Booking themselves onto a basic “Change Management Course” would perhaps have been a better way forward...but hey ho

That would have helped. It is a disgrace that the way this has been handled looks like it will needlessly cost an additional £65bn (bail out from BoE to support sterling) ... that bit annoys me the most.

Kwarteng has called for Tory unity .. he first needs to provide the detail so people can take an informed decision ... how can have unity when no one has any idea what they are uniting about.

Hi Ken, maths was never a good subject for me… thinking about neither were any of the other subjects, therefore trying to equate anything that sits between a million, billion, trillion of national debt is way beyond my comprehension. Tax rises, house price falls, higher mortgage payments, I’ve lived through them all and survived…we’ve just gota keep smiling, the tears won’t last for ever.

[Bensham33]

On tonight's Question Time they mentioned a You Gov opinion poll that has Labour 33% ahead of the Conservatives (Labour 54% cons 21%) There are other polls out there that have a smaller lead, but all of them have Lab above the cons. I know some don't take opinion polls seriously but that is a massive change and a true indictment of what the British people think of Truss and Kwartang's so called mini budget. They ignore these figures at their peril and must do something about the mess that they have caused. Before its to late.

Sir Kier is also trouncing Truss in opinion polls regarding regarding who people want as PM.

[Kendhni]

I don't know if anyone else listened to the interviews given by Truss yesterday ... they were the most cringeworthy I have seen from any politican. She obviously had not been briefed (or did not read her brief), she failed to answer questions and some of those she did answer she got the answer wrong ... her press secretary must have been sliding under the table. It is obvious she is totally out of her depth (not sure about a puddle, David Mentioned, I think she would be out of her depth in a tea spoon).

At least with Johnson his bluster and buffoonery could fool the gullible into thinking they had got an answer, but not with Truss. On the plus side she seems to have increased support for those out on strike at the minute.

[barney]

On tonight's Question Time they mentioned a You Gov opinion poll that has Labour 33% ahead of the Conservatives (Labour 54% cons 21%) There are other polls out there that have a smaller lead, but all of them have Lab above the cons. I know some don't take opinion polls seriously but that is a massive change and a true indictment of what the British people think of Truss and Kwartang's so called mini budget. They ignore these figures at their peril and must do something about the mess that they have caused. Before its to late.

Sir Kier is also trouncing Truss in opinion polls regarding regarding who people want as PM.

The Tories are doing just fine mate
Keep going Liz

[Kendhni]

Which is why I wrote….” that being said I do think all this market hysteria could have been avoided if the Government had staggered its tax cutting policies to that which the markets could have digested and adjusted over a longer period”

Booking themselves onto a basic “Change Management Course” would perhaps have been a better way forward...but hey ho

That would have helped. It is a disgrace that the way this has been handled looks like it will needlessly cost an additional £65bn (bail out from BoE to support sterling) ... that bit annoys me the most.

Kwarteng has called for Tory unity .. he first needs to provide the detail so people can take an informed decision ... how can have unity when no one has any idea what they are uniting about.

Hi Ken, maths was never a good subject for me… thinking about neither were any of the other subjects, therefore trying to equate anything that sits between a million, billion, trillion of national debt is way beyond my comprehension. Tax rises, house price falls, higher mortgage payments, I’ve lived through them all and survived…we’ve just gota keep smiling, the tears won’t last for ever.

We will always survive ... but there is a difference between surviving and living. The government relies on older people telling the younger ones stories about 'in their day' that lets them off the hook when they incompetently squander and waste tax payers money.

I agree with you though, many people cannot get their heads around millions, billions and trillions and that means the government gets away with throwing your money around without care. What if I put it this way ... in Truss/Kwarteng's first 14 days of running a government their amateurism has cost every man, woman and child in this country £1000 (just to bail out their 'stupidity') ... there could be some payback on that, but in the meantime we have to pay a significantly higher rate of interest until the country returns to a point that it can try to sell those bonds (most likely at a loss).

[david63]

In some ways I feel sorry for Kwarteng as he was only doing as he was told by his boss and if push comes to shove he will be the sacrificial lamb.

She obviously had not been briefed (or did not read her brief), she failed to answer questions and some of those she did answer she got the answer wrong

I get a distinct impression that she does not listen to anyone thinking that she knows better.

At least with Johnson his bluster and buffoonery could fool the gullible into thinking they had got an answer, but not with Truss.

Like him or not, despite his many faults, he has more charisma in his little finger than Truss has in her whole body.

[oldbluefox]

Don't take too much notice of polls. In 2013 Ed Milliband had a similar unassailable lead going into a General Election.

[oldbluefox]

I was not totally impressed by Sir Keir's rallying cry "Don't forget, don't forgive".
I remembered that in 1997 Gordon Brown raided pension pots (£118bn?). Whilst it did not affect me it did affect many of my friends who had to continue working past pension age as a consequence.
I haven't forgotten and I haven't forgiven either.

[Kendhni]

In some ways I feel sorry for Kwarteng as he was only doing as he was told by his boss and if push comes to shove he will be the sacrificial lamb.

I am inclined to agree, although he has a certain arrogance (or is it 'doesn't care less' attitude).
It's funny you say that, on GMB this morning they were saying the worst thing for any politician is for people to feel 'sorry' for them .. it means they have lost credibility.

Like him or not, despite his many faults, he [Johnson] has more charisma in his little finger than Truss has in her whole body.

Johnson could eat a huge bowl of bran and still produce something with more charisma than Truss.

[Gill W]

I was not totally impressed by Sir Keir's rallying cry "Don't forget, don't forgive".
I remembered that in 1997 Gordon Brown raided pension pots (£118bn?). Whilst it did not affect me it did affect many of my friends who had to continue working past pension age as a consequence.
I haven't forgotten and I haven't forgiven either.

In that case, don’t forget and forgive that final salary pension funds were within hours of failing on Wednesday, only saved by a £65 billion intervention from the Bank of England.

I suspect that quite a few people on this forum have a comfortable life with their final salary pension…..you were close to losing that this week.