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Press Cycle 13 - The Budget

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Nathan
(@nathan)
Estimable Member
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 214
Topic starter  

Unlucky thirteen.

"Is the budget good for Britain?"

Closes 23:59 on the 16/04/2019

 


   
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Macmillan
(@dylan-macmillan)
MP for North East Bedfordshire Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 560
 

This Budget is an absolute disaster for Britain. It represents a wholesale breach of a large number of the positive manifesto commitments the Labour Party stood on, including plans to implement a triple lock on armed forces' pay, plans to protect the pension triple lock, and plans to decrease beer duty. But beyond the obvious u-turns and betrayals this budget is bad for investment, business, security, and innovation. All in all this is the single worst budget that I have ever seen delivered in the House of Commons.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

Prime Minister (2014)

Parliamentary Experience: Novice (25)
Media Experience: Experienced (62)
Policy Experience: Novice (29)


   
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Macmillan
(@dylan-macmillan)
MP for North East Bedfordshire Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 560
 

At a time when the prison population is increasing and prisons are beginning to reach capacity the Government have taken the inexplicable decision to cut down on the number of prison spaces that they provide. This decision will either lead to an unsafe working environment for our prison employees, an unsafe living environment for our prisoners, or more convicted individuals let loose early. None of these situations could ever possibly be construed as a positive thing for the UK.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

Prime Minister (2014)

Parliamentary Experience: Novice (25)
Media Experience: Experienced (62)
Policy Experience: Novice (29)


   
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Anita Redmond
(@anita-redmond)
MP for North Somerset Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 58
 

The Government are claiming 'clerical error' for their multiple breaking of promises, yet it begs the question as to how this has come about, after all it isn't just one mistake - there are a series of broken promises. The budget was written by the chancellor, checked by the Prime Minister and the party and coalition as a whole, yet these 'clerical errors' slipped by every single person and made it to parliament and public? I don't think so.

Why don't the Government simply admit it for what it is; either that they were trying to go back on their word, or no-one in Government actually has a clue as to what they are doing. I'm pleased it is this opposition which have exposed these broken promises, and forced the Government to make sure they stand by their manifesto commitments.

Rt. Hon. Anita Redmond MP
Conservative Member of Parliament for North Somerset
Shadow Education Secretary
Shadow Minister for Women & Equalities

Former Home Secretary (2014)
Total Experience: 65
Parliamentary: Novice (25)
Media: Novice (29)
Policy: Unknown (11)


   
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Anthony Harte
(@anthony-harte)
Member Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 27
 

Boy, the Tories have really found their message this time. They hit the Government for a "major number" of broken promises- 3- which are being fixed before the budget even comes up for debate. It's a non-issue. What isn't a non-issue is the fact that what the Tories have done in previous Governments to pensioners, to the NHS, to education, is NOT a simple mistake. This Government is investing in our people, investing in our citizens to ensure that we have the healthiest and the brightest Britons that we can. And we're making up for years of Tory mismanagement and cuts. This budget is good for Britain- and I look forward to growing what we've started here for the betterment of all people. 

Anthony Harte MP
Wirral West | Labour Party
Parliamentary: 1
Media: 1
Policy: 3

(Prior to 1 July 2019: Asil Ediboglu)


   
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William Croft
(@william-croft)
Member Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 260
 

In their first ever budget the government has presented an economic roadmap that leads to destruction. This is a budget built on broken promises, and a budget that is unquestionably bad for Britain. 

At best, these "clerical errors" represent a level of careless in policymaking that is unbecoming of any British government. At worst, they signal a fundamental lack of concern for the wellbeing of the British people on the part of the government. I think it's critical to remember that the government is only now amending the budget to correct for these errors because they were discovered and brought to light by the Conservative Party. And even when these massive broken promises were brought to the government's attention, the Prime Minister continuously refused to even acknowledge them! First the Prime Minister acted as if these problems didn't exist, then the government attempted to spin the issue anyway they could, and then finally they begrudgingly acknowledged their budgets shortcomings. They did everything in their power to make this issue go away rather than take responsibility for it, because they are more interested in politics than they are in doing right by the people. 

It's important to remember, however, that the problems with the government's budget go far beyond the pensions issue. Despite an increase in prisoners that need to be housed, the government is reducing prison capacity and willfully creating a serious public safety crisis. The government's budget is a vicious attack on homeownership, slashing the H2B program and thereby making it even more difficult for young people and new families to own their own home. They have a capital investment plan, if you can even call what they're proposing a "plan," that haphazardly selects investment projects with no real strategy. To top it all off, the budget drastically increasing the rate of capital gains tax, discouraging future investment and starving British business of the new capital they need to grow. 

This is clearly a budget devised by the Labour Party, because only a party that wrecked our country's economy the last time they were in power could ever manage to deliver such a disastrous economic plan for Britain. It undermines the progress made by the previous Conservative-led government, and has revealed a lack of policy nuance and care for the British people that is simply astounding. The government's careless mistakes speak volumes, and their refusal to take responsibility for them is cowardly. The policies they actually intended to pursue threaten Britain's future and will rob future generations of the strong economy they deserve. Every MP who truly cares for Britain, who believes in placing country over party politics, will use their vote to reject this disastrous budget. 

William Croft
Member of Parliament for Bracknell
Shadow Foreign Secretary
Chairman of the Conservative Party
Chief Whip of the Conservative party


   
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Astrid Vincenti
(@astrid-vincenti)
Member Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 33
 

Before we get wrapped up in the hyperbole being spun by CCHQ, let's review the facts. There was a clerical error in the Treasury, it was spotted and it was fixed before any harm could be done.

However, let us remember; it wasn't an error that the Tories tried to gut the NHS. It was deliberate. It wasn't an error that the Tories tripled tuition fees, it was deliberate. It wasn't an error that the Tories started gunning for the welfare we offer the most vulnerable, it was deliberate. 

A clerical error fixed before any damage could be done, or a series of deliberate targeted policies designed to dismantle the fabric of our country's social responsibilities. I know which I'd prefer.

Astrid Vincenti | Labour Co-Op | MP for Tynemouth
Policy (17), Media (12), Parliament (11)


   
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William Croft
(@william-croft)
Member Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 260
 

The rollout of this budget is genuinely the worst I've seen in my life time. Britain is saddled with a government so mismanaged that half its members won't be caught supporting the budget, while the other half are working themselves to exhaustion coming up with new excuses as to how this disaster happened in the first place. 

This whole "clerical error" business is nonsense. The government didn't "spot the problem before it was too late," but rather it was the Conservative Party that first brought the backwards policy of breaking the triple lock to light. The government is desperately trying to convince the country that this is some small rounding error they quickly fixed themselves, when that couldn't be further from the truth. The fact is that if the Prime Minister wasn't held to account over the issue by Dylan Macmillan, the government would have never changed course and millions of pensioners and soldiers would have been worse off. 

Why won't the government just admit their mistake and take responsibility? They're in control, this is their budget, and they have no one to blame for its failings but themselves. Real leadership is acknowledging when you're wrong, and if this budget roll out proves anything, it's that Britain has no real leadership. A "clerical error" isn't made by itself - someone is responsible, and if this government is serious about being a force for good in Britain, that person will take responsibility for this backwards budget. Instead, we're left with a Prime Minister who didn't even want to admit this problem existed, leading a government that has committed itself to pointing the finger everywhere but back at themselves. 

If a cashier made a rounding error when deterring the cost of a customer's order, they'd be held accountable. If an accountant made a poor investment decision on behalf of their client, they'd be held accountable. In the real world, in the world in which every day Britons are working hard to provide a better future for themselves and their families, people don't have the ability to simply blame their mistakes on "clerical errors" and move on. They take accountability, they learn from their mistakes, and they move forward with that British sense of integrity that the government so clearly lacks. All I can say to the Prime Minister is this: enough excuses, all of us are tired of it. 

William Croft
Member of Parliament for Bracknell
Shadow Foreign Secretary
Chairman of the Conservative Party
Chief Whip of the Conservative party


   
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Macmillan
(@dylan-macmillan)
MP for North East Bedfordshire Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 560
 

The fact that the Government seems content to simply write off 12 million broken pension promises and 400,000 armed forces betrayals as a "clerical error" speaks to the cold indifference they hold for the people who rely on their electoral promises. But at the end of the day the only way a "clerical error" like this gets through is by the sheer disinterest and frankly sloppy work of Her Majesty's Government. Somebody should have caught the "mistake", be they the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, or the two parties' economic leads. At the end of the day however the buck stops with the Chancellor, this "mistake", if we want to call it that, is his fault and he should resign.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

Prime Minister (2014)

Parliamentary Experience: Novice (25)
Media Experience: Experienced (62)
Policy Experience: Novice (29)


   
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Sir Geoffrey Birch
(@sir-geoffrey)
MP for Bexhill & Battle Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 98
 

Conservative government has rescued the economy from the mess that Labour left it in. The economy is growing strongly, at 2.7% this year, returning to pre-crisis growth levels. Falling inflation and rising wages means that people are becoming better off, helping with the cost of living. Employment is constantly rising, with more people in work than this country has ever seen before. The deficit has been cut in half from its depths in the Labour crisis years. Four years of hard work, tough decisions and the long-term economic plan of a Conservative Government has got Britain's economy back on track.

 


 

During the Blair and Brown years, Labour once gave just a 75p increase in the state pension. The Conservatives brought in a Triple Lock to ensure pensioners would never see such a derisory increase again. The Lib-Lab Coalition, in failing to apply the Triple Lock, has betrayed all older people who voted for them. Whether accidental or deliberate, the Government has downgraded fairness in pensions to the status of a typo, a trivial matter, a mere trifle. We understand that its a whole lot more important than that. It's a fundamental matter of fair treatment for those who have worked all their lives and paid into the system. Pensioners know that they can only trust the Conservatives with their pensions.

 


 

The War on the Entrepreneur has begun. This Government simply do not understand the importance of entrepreneurialism to the functioning of our economy, and are content to take short-sighted, populist measures instead. The raising of Capital Gains Tax rates will depress investment in Britain, a key driver of our economic success. The slashing of Income Tax allowances that represent either a broken promise or a foreshadowing of events to come. These politics of envy extend to anyone who dares seek to improve their own situation. Cutting the Pension Tax Relief allowance discourages people from preparing for their future. Freezing the ISA allowance discourages saving for a rainy-day. Slashing Help To Buy makes it more difficult for people to get on the housing ladder with a home of their own. These policies harm not just those seeking a better financial future for themselves, but ultimately for all of Britain.

 


 

Under the Conservatives, the NHS budget saw an increase by more than inflation, and the department was protected from cuts. Some said we should cut all department equally, but we rightly rejected the salami slicing approach, and instead chose to protect the NHS budget. Meanwhile, more importantly than the money we put in, patients continue to report satisfaction with the NHS and increasing numbers of treatments are delivered. Contrary to Labour's historical revisionism, the NHS has had a growing budget and has been treating more people. By contrast, in Wales, where Labour has been in power, the NHS has been cut by 3.6% in real terms since 2010. It simply goes to prove that you can't have effective public services without a responsible control of the public finances.

Sir Geoffrey Birch | Conservative Party
MP for Bexhill & Battle (2001-present)
Former MP for Northampton South (1983-1997)
Parliamentary experience: Novice (28)
Media experience: Novice (22)
Policy experience: Unknown (12)

Formerly: Deborah Carpenter, Conservative, MP for Hertford & Stortford, Former Chancellor of the Exchequer


   
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General Goose
(@general-goose)
Member Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 362
 

Let's be honest, the clerical error was embarrassing, but being from the party that created and pioneered the pension triple lock, it is massively vindicating to see a policy that Liberal Democrats created and pushed for become so widely accepted across the political spectrum. When this clerical error was spotted - and it was a clerical error, let's not indulge in conspiracies that it was anything more than that - the Liberal Democrats pushed for it to be corrected immediately and it was. The pension triple lock is proof that the Liberal Democrats are creating policies that politicians of all parties are acknowledging are the right thing to do. 

Graham Adiputera (Lib Dem - Sutton and Cheam)
Deputy Prime Minister
Liberal Democrat Leader
Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Climate Change
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Technology

Parliamentary - 36
Media - 53
Policy - 48


   
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Macmillan
(@dylan-macmillan)
MP for North East Bedfordshire Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 560
 

The Liberal Democrats are smart to try and distance themselves from the "clerical error" but at the end of the day they are bound to be as culpable for it and for the utter disaster that this budget is. What exactly are the Liberal Democrats doing in government if they are not checking the budget before it gets sent to the House?

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

Prime Minister (2014)

Parliamentary Experience: Novice (25)
Media Experience: Experienced (62)
Policy Experience: Novice (29)


   
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Macmillan
(@dylan-macmillan)
MP for North East Bedfordshire Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 560
 

This Budget is a disaster for British business because it is a disaster for Britain's entrepreneurs. If you want to start a business you will most likely need a bank loan unless you are part of the mega-rich, this budget will make obtaining that loan more costly with its massive hike of the bank levy. If you want to invest in business to make a bit of additional income you will be penalised by this government through their capital gains tax hike. If you want to take your business to the next level by seeking outside investment then the capital gains hike will hurt you. This Government doesn't have a clue what is needed to help British investors, British entrepreneurs, or British business and their ignorance will squander the economic situation we spent four years cultivating under a Conservative-led Government.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

Prime Minister (2014)

Parliamentary Experience: Novice (25)
Media Experience: Experienced (62)
Policy Experience: Novice (29)


   
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Macmillan
(@dylan-macmillan)
MP for North East Bedfordshire Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 560
 

This Government has declared war on Britain's pensioners and on people hoping to save for a pension. Their negligent attitude to the pension triple lock aside their reckless tax rises have put pension pots at risk by having them taxed at a higher rate and their cutting the pension annual allowance will mean that people hoping to save for their old age will have to pay more tax for the privilege. The message from this government is quite clear, they don't care about pensioners and they don't care about the future.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

Prime Minister (2014)

Parliamentary Experience: Novice (25)
Media Experience: Experienced (62)
Policy Experience: Novice (29)


   
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Bertie
(@tonybcwilson)
Anthony B.C. Wilson MP Registered
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 89
 

This first budget has been mired by the Conservatives who have failed to comment on the vast rise for the NHS, for Education, for the Environment. This budget delivers strong investment in the country and shows that the government believes in Britain. This budget ends the reckless spend-slashing whims of the previous Chancellor and sets out a clear path for Britain, giving our children the resources they deserve, give our patients the care they so vitally need. The Conservatives squandered their chance in Government to make futures and save lives, instead, they squabbled over Europe, had leader after leader, scandal after scandal. Labour believes and invests in Britain, the Conservatives breaks and detests Britain.

Anthony Bertram Charles Wilson, MP for Darlington.
Parliamentary: 11
Media: 24
Policy: 6


   
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