Conservatives try to become the party of the North East – Unemployed in Tyne and Wear
Here’s something unintendedly humorous, flagged up by Unemployed in Tyne and Wear from an article in yesterday’s (October 5) Newcastle Evening Chronicle:
Is there a General Election on the horizon or something ? The Tories are getting all concerned about the North East.
Growing the economy in the North of England and closing the wealth divide with London and the south east was one of the major themes of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham… The focus may seem surprising given that the party has few MPs in the North East.
The Chancellor’s plan is to turn the North into an economic powerhouse rivalling London by investing up to £15 billion on local transport links, picking a scientific speciality for universities to become world-leaders in, possibly building a high speed line across the Pennines, linking the North East and North West, and giving cities more autonomy and cash – if they agree to transform local government by introducing directly-elected mayors.
Major announcements at the conference included plans to freeze working-age benefits – including benefits received by working people on low salaries – for two years. This means cutting benefits in real terms, because of the effects of inflation.
Conservative leader David Cameron, in his conference speech, announced plans to raise the income tax personal allowance to £12,500. This would take one million more workers out of income tax entirely and give a tax cut to 30 million more, Mr Cameron said. An estimated 51,000 North East workers would pay no income tax at all because of the change. Many others would pay less tax. Isn’t this because wages are so poor to start with ?
Mr Cameron also announced plans to raise the threshold at which people pay the 40p income tax rate from £41,900 today to £50,000. It means a tax cut for many people earning above-average salaries. Mr Cameron said the 40p tax was supposed to be for the rich, but it’s currently paid by some senior nurses, teachers and police officers.
But critics pointed out that the Conservatives had failed to explain how they would pay the £7 billion cost of cutting tax.
Labour Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said: “Nobody will be fooled by pie in the sky promises of tax cuts in six years’ time when David Cameron cannot tell us where the money is coming from.
“Even the Tories admit this is an unfunded commitment of over £7 billion, so how will they pay for it? Will they raise VAT on families and pensioners again?”
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That is rich coming from an MP from a party with seemingly No policies of their own! Also what is, with praising and criticising the condemns policies, in the same breath? Labour needs to grow a pair, and make life a bit more livable for everyone!
What I would like to see, is at least, basic yet palatable food being made a basic human right!
Mike I almost choked laughing, you have to hand it to them they are humorous even though the consequences of their comedy is so dire for the rest of us.
Cameron should be given a five minute spot on the Al Murray show !!!!!!!!!!!
Mike just watched saints and scroungers and it is talking about the “bedroom tax” A couple from wales is at a court case to fight it, they have lost even though it would cost £5000 if their son was to taken into care, they are appealing but it was explained quite well by Matt Allwight the presenter.
I see it as the BBC agreeing that the tax is unfair crap!!
We all know that the ConDems have tried to take us back to pre-1948 conditions for the poor, but I think they are delusional and think that is the same as 1066, which is when they like to imagine they originally gained feudal control of us all. This mentality would explain the repeated Harrowing of the North (1069, 1980s, and the suggestion of fracking this year).
I think their new-found interest in the North is because they have made it so depressed and unprofitable that really rich and corporations haven’t any interest in trying to reap profits there – so far. Using the BS filter (1984 version) on these announcements it actually translates as “We will invest in the means to exploit this region because now we have impoverished the rest of the UK and refined our techniques, the stock in the North is now ripe for it.”. Also “We have identified further areas for providing lucrative publicly funded contracts to our preferred suppliers as we’ve practically sold everything else off already”. Cue many, many expensive “consultation” reports, scheme work-ups, £millions in spending without a spade in sight, all done from the comfort of somewhere in the City, etc.
Of course you can still fool some of the people some of the time………..
Try living in Hull! No-one has to go through there to get anywhere, It can just be completely bypassed!
Hull? Isn’t that a centre of vibrant metropolitan life?
In the far west of Wales nothing gets past us here! Nothing comes even close. A by-pass sounds dangerously urbanised to us, having no need for traffic lights in 20 miles in any direction.