alexa
DP Veteran
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BBC reported today that it was a memo led by Simon Hughes - a "warning shot across the bows" that their support could not be taken for granted.
Yes, well I think they are certainly in danger of losing their usual voter base. This could well be the thing that finishes them off as a party if they are not careful.
The two things they got in the budget were the increase in personal tax allowance and the increase in Capital gains tax - yes that was something. I think the talking would have been a bit different too.
However, not much was really said and more is creeping through all the time. It wasn't just VAT that had Simon Hughes concerned.
Hughes issued a blunt warning to the Tories that the government would break up if key pensioner benefits in the coalition agreement were cut. He launched the most significant intervention since the formation of the coalition in the debate that followed George Osborne's emergency budget on Tuesday when the chancellor of the exchequer said that welfare would bear the brunt of cuts.
Although Hughes, the veteran Lib Dem MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, said he supported harsh budget measures to help deal with Britain's weak public finances, he indicated that he was prepared to table rebel amendments to promote fairness. "If there are measures in the finance bill where we can improve fairness, and make for a fairer Britain, then we will come forward with amendments to do that because that is where we make the difference," he said.
Budget cuts: top Lib Dems fire warning to Tories | UK news | The Guardian
I haven't come across yet what the Conservatives might have in mind for pensioners. At the moment, apparently the government is intending a third cut in welfare spending. £60 billion is spent on pensions which are supposed to be seeing rises. So that cut will need to be found out of the rest. I understand the amount is around £192 billion, if you take of the £60b for pensions, £132b. However the cut has to be over the whole £192b but not touch the £60b for pensions.
That looks like the amount spent on Jobseekers allowance, incapacity benefit and disability living allowance must be about halved.
In a situation where unemployment is going to be rising sharply, people are going to be scraping an existence. I believe we are seeing the end of the welfare State, apart from Health and Education maybe I should have even removed education from that as their is talk of scrapping free school meals to pay for the new 'Free Schools'.
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