Thursday, October 21, 2010

CSR Verdict

The most stunning thing that came out of the CSR for me was this: The ConDems are planning to increase the International Development budget by 37%. A 37% increase on what Labour spent (even in boom years). 37%!

And they are cutting the welfare budget by £18bn, and aiming the distress squarely on the most vulnerable such as the disabled.

They are taking mobility money away from people who can't walk and p***ing it away overseas? Really?

If Gordon Brown felt we couldn't afford an extra 37% for international development because it would come at the expense of our own vulnerable, then we really couldn't afford it.

Perhaps call-me-Dave wants to ensure that nascent superpowers such as India can afford aircraft for their aircraft carriers? What other explanation is there?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Seems that Labour MP's were right in not choosing Red Ed as their leader,two days of dismal performances by Red Ed and Postman Pat vindicates their judgement.

Not so much a case of missing open goals,more a question of whether they even turned up on the playing field,absolutely pathetic.

snowflake5 said...

Alan Johnson came across great on News at Ten. They showed the bit where the Tories were whooping with joy at hurting the poor and he stood up to chide them for it.

That's the image people will take away from it: Tories pleased as punch at causing distress and a calm compassionate Alan Johnson responding.

P.S. I note you haven't respond to the points made in my post. If we have more money to fling around in overseas aid than even Gordon Brown thought we did, then why are the Tories banging on about the deficit?

DevonChap said...

What you haven't noticed Snowflake is that the DFID budget is now being used for support of things in Afganistan that previously were in the defence or foreign policy budget. Thus you are comparing oranges with apples. Of course what the Coalition is hoping is that those on the left won't pay attention to the details (you are bearing this out so far) and so the Bonos of this world will feel well disposed towards the government.

Your criticism does sound very Daily Mail. You do know that the largest number of very poor people in the world live in India?

Anonymous said...

cynical thoughts
1) does increasing over seas aid mean that you can talk in terms of 'average %' cuts and get it down to 19% ?


2) they are using the aid budget to do things normally done by the army or FO. much like the £1 billion of NHS funding which gets diverted into social care - rather than put into Social care from the start (to make it look like NHS spending is 'ringfenced')

snowflake5 said...

DevonChap - Bono is a tax evader, no one pays attention to him.

Re overseas aid - no-one would have minded if the coalition had just left the International Development budget flat at what labour left it at.

It's the extra dosh that is eye-catching.

Either we have a deficit crisis or we don't. If Cameron has plenty of extra dosh for people overseas, then he can find dosh for our own disabled people too.

I'm well aware that India has a lot of poor people - and also a stunning amount of tax evaders. I don't see why we should facilitate that tax evasion. Sorry.

If Cameron thought he'd get plaudits for this, he's wrong.

Anonymous said...

'Perhaps call-me-Dave wants to ensure that nascent superpowers such as India can afford aircraft for their aircraft carriers? What other explanation is there?'

Read the 'Times' to-day and you will see that Labour's reckless policy of of an unbreakable contract for the two aircraft carriers,pure coincidence of course that they are being built in Labour constituencies.

Another £ 5 billion pissed away by the benefits,immigrants and warmongers party.

Anonymous said...

'Alan Johnson came across great on News at Ten.'

Postman pat must be the first politician ever to go to a press conference and refuse to answer any questions, what a complete joke.

And all because Red Ed is frightened to appoint Balls.

SpecialEdMiliband said...

It was Labour that started the mentally-retarded policy of giving British taxpayers' money away to foreigners. The Tories are keeping it because otherwise the leftist goons would wail that they were "wacist"!

DevonChap said...

I love Labour's new obession with 'tax evaders'. I'd be careful since tax evasion is a crime so technically you are libeliing Bono. He may be avoiding taxes but that is a different thing.

Bono is clearly a figure who has 'pull' in development circles. Hence Tony Blair being seen with him as much as possible (and keeping guitars Bono gave him as presents). I doubt very few people know or care for Bono's tax staus (and they would be Irish anyway). Remember, just because something is important to you, doesn't make it important to most people.

I do give you credit to talking of Indian tax evaders rather than its space programme, Other than that still all very saloon bar.