I hear it's on.
The BBC just called it 'one of the most compelling budgets of modern times.'
I have a plaster on my arm so I missed seeing it live.
Just my luck to miss a compelling budget.
They have meddled with the rate of VAT to one not used before which is up the creek without a canoe time to anyone using an inflexible computer system. Still at least 1/6 is an easier sum than 3/23 and 4/47.
Meanwhile it is nice to know that housing benefit is being capped at 400 pounds a week, about time too and madness it was ever allowed to be paid.
and some daft maternity grant being restricted to the first child only. And lone parents will have to look for work when their children go to school. Fantastic news.
Creature told a school admin staff workshop 9 months ago that he thought VAT would go up to at least 20% sooner rather than later - if not by Labour then by the Tories.
Two of the ladies looked at him as if he had gone mad. So he told them that back in 1979 they had increased VAT from 8% to 15%. Why did they do that, they said. To pay for the reduction in top rate income tax from 83% to 60% Creature replied.
I suppose they were only little SUBLs when that happened.
If they were even born, we are now dealing with working people who were not even born last time and they won't be told will they.
It is all so tiresome to those of us that have been there done that and wiped the vomit up with the T-shirt.
They can't help being bright young optimistic things of course but I do understand the "looked at me as though I were mad" feeling. I do not think you are mad but perhaps this is because I too am mad.
I had rather hoped that he'd get away without the VAT increase but I suppose it was inevitable.
Meanwhile, Ms Harperson is still living on a different planet, saying that the cuts are irresponsible, whilst ignoring her government's catastrophic overspending for the previous eight years.
She also accuses the Libdems of "supporting long-held Conservative ambitions of cutting the size of the state."
She is so out of touch that she doesn't realise that such ambitions are to be applauded, not attacked.
and out of touch to think that the Lib Dems wouldn't support that idea. Aren't Liberals even more keen on the state doing as little as possible than the Tories.
The Euro Preparation Unit in the Treasury is being disbanded.
This gets better and better. Which means of course things will go horribly wrong from now on. If I think things seem a good idea this happens.
Furby's Fantasy Budget
1. The obvious thing to do would have been to cancel the Olympics. Tht would have saved a few bob. Surely the world would understand we are all in it together and do without the Olympics for once. We had to in the war didn't we.
2. Restrict all welfare payments to people who have lived here for at least 25 years, that way immigrants can come here if they like but only if they can earn enough money to support themselves fully without needing housing benefits and tax credits and such like. Greedy employers would not then be able to exploit immigrants and would have to pay living wages.
3. Any mother already in receipt of any welfare benefits
other than universal child benefit and who had a second or subsequent child whilst on benefits would have to have it adopted. This would not only save on welfare payments but also cut down on the need for social housing as there is a glut of 2 bedroom homes that single people can't live in as their LHA is too low and families don't want as the homes are too small.
4. Anyone who feels old and tired and who is prepared to live on a state pension should get one now. This would leave available jobs for those who wanted more out of life.
"cutting the size of the state" should always be an important aim. Having a state at all is is a necessary evil. We can't manage without one, but we certainly don't want more than we really need.
Furby, I like your suggestions 
(3) would be tricky to implement fairly, but clearly we don't want to be paying people to have more kids. Nearly every problem we have would be easier to solve if there were less of us.
(4) would probably work out fine. Unless there are enough jobs to go around it makes sense to give them to those who actually want them.
(4) could even work out cheaper.
An older person is more likely to already own their own home or be established in a cheaper social housing rented home so would not be claiming that much in housing benefits.
Younger people are more likely to be claiming the large amounts of housing benefits now needed for private rented homes as they can't buy or rent from the social housing sector in these modern times.