So much for Osborne helping the common man by keeping the price of fuel down. It seems he didn’t follow the likely possibilities through when he inflicted a £2bn tax on North Sea Oil.
According to latest news bulletins, Tens of thousands of jobs in the UK will go as a result of a windfall tax on North Sea oil producers announced in the Budget, the industry has warned.
Mike Tholen, economics director of Oil and Gas UK, said the change would also damage long-term energy security.
"What you see is the UK's reputation as a global player in oil and gas industry falter because of this. Many companies from abroad are looking at whether to invest in the UK, to help us get the new oil and gas reserves out of our waters. What we see is that image yet again shattered because of the tax change."
He said the chancellor had previously promised stability: "Some five years since the last big tax hit on our industry, investment had begun to pick up. Our big concern is that investment will collapse again as a result of what he's done."
"We will see jobs go and we will see technology lost, and we will undoubtedly see our nation less well off when it comes to energy security in the years ahead.
"As an industry, at the minute we are responsible for employing nearly half a million people across the UK, and there will be tens of thousands of those who will not now have jobs in the future because of this."
Mark Hanafin, managing director of Centrica Energy, said the tax hike "could have a chilling impact on future investment in the North Sea".
But a Treasury spokesman said: "We do not expect this tax change to have a significant effect on production and investment - and therefore on jobs - in the coming years as profits are expected to remain high because of the oil price.
"Even with this change, average post-tax profits per barrel are forecast to be higher in the next five years than the last five."
If ever you needed evidence that this government doesn’t know what it’s doing, it is here. Now we have a chancellor who will cause devastation to another industry (His colleague Iain Duncan Smith has previously caused chaos in the welfare to work sector). Over the coming months we can expect to see thousands of people made redundant – and why? Because Osborne wanted to give people 5p off fuel .. forgetting we already suffer over 80p a litre taxation on the stuff anyway.
Even his measly 1p off fuel didn’t work – the oil companies put the price up hours before the Budget, so when he reduced it, the price just went back to how it was at the start of the working day! There was no saving.
It is time for Osborne to go. He is incompetent and worse, his pathetic attempts at economic planning are causing chaos to the lives of thousands. How much more do we have to suffer under these Tories before they accept the will of the people and leave office in disgrace?
Tomorrow, thousands will march to make this sooner rather than later – join us. March against the cuts, march for jobs and march because it is the right thing to do.
Showing posts with label George. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Monday, 21 March 2011
We need to take the abuse out of politics
When I was about 13 or 14-years old I was an anarchist. Oh, I don’t mean the bomb-throwing bearded type with a cloak and a suspicious look type, or even the crazy, violent ‘I want to break up the G20 talks’ type. No, I was more the ‘I want to shock my parents’ type. You see, my parents were both lifelong Conservatives, with very traditional values and beliefs, so my radicalism came as quite a shock to both of them.
Nonetheless, and to their eternal credit, they never prevented me from exploring anarchist values and beliefs, or reading Proudhon and Kropotkin – as a far as a 13-year old is able to understand them anyway.
I vividly recall one night my mother raising the subject of my political beliefs and discussing the comparison between anarchism and ‘traditional’ political beliefs. That night we argued and tussled over key philosophical and political points until about 3 am. By the time I went to bed she had given me one of the greatest gifts of my life – and it is one I still cherish today – the ability to recognise the merits in another person’s argument.
You see, I cannot understand this 21st century notion of ‘trashing’ people – it just seems rude and uncaring to me. Why do we do it? Well, I am sure dome do it because it makes them feel good, while others do it because they feel if they win they feel stronger – a kind of return to the caveman mentality.
Why am I talking about this today? Well I have been reading through a lot of the left-wing press lately and some of the comments being made about David Cameron and George Osborne … and they disturb me.
You see, as regular readers will know, I am no fan of either of these two men. I find their political values and beliefs totally contradict everything I believe in. However, I am convinced they believe in their brand of Conservativism equally as strongly as I believe in socialism. I would argue whilst I think he is wrong, Cameron truly believes his ‘austerity measures’ will make Britain a safer, stronger, better place. And when he talks about the Big Society, he truly believes a politics based on the acts of individuals working together in local communities is far better than state intervention and public ownership of the means of production.
It is my opinion David Cameron is totally of the opinion anyone can achieve success, if they are willing to work and sacrifice. It is his view in such instances, the state should not intervene and ought to offer support to help the little man or woman become bigger.
He holds there will always be those who are advantaged and there is nothing wrong with acquiring money and property, as long as it is done legally and morally. If this results in some people being disadvantaged, then this is just the nature of capitalism. If they become poor, the state should prop them up for a time, but there must be an underlying principle of having to earn the support of the state.
He does not believe these things out of some malevolent belief demanding he protects his own self-interest although, as a human being, I am sure he includes himself in the pack of those whom he wants to help. There is nothing evil about any of the Conservative leadership – they are dedicated people, committed to their own personal values – and it may surprise some readers, but I do totally respect all of them, some more than others.
This does not mean I agree with anything they say, far from it, I think their views are dangerous, divisive and cruel. I hold modern Conservativism as practiced by this government will destroy the livelihoods of thousands of people and reduce this country of a society of “them” and “us”.
But I do respect Cameron – he has a brain and a good one, he is a highly competent politician and daily demonstrates he is a master of his craft and he is an idealist. I have always been drawn to idealists, perhaps because I am one myself. We each want different things for this country, but we have a vision of how this country should be.
It is wrong to ridicule the Tory leadership; it will do nothing to forward the socialist cause and makes a mockery of the left argument. Instead, socialists need to recognise that in Cameron we have the most dangerous of enemies – a thinker with a philosophical path for the future for this country. This makes him the most dangerous kind of Conservative – and he should be treated accordingly.
Socialists need to review their arguments – remove the personality politics and keep attacking the issues. On blogs lately I notice how more right-wingers continue to attack me personally – even though I am careful to refrain from personal abuse. The right are starting to worry, because they know they are losing the argument – and like every kind of frightened animal, when it is in a corner it will use any means of attack before it gives in.
The left can and will win – we just need to keep up the pressure
Nonetheless, and to their eternal credit, they never prevented me from exploring anarchist values and beliefs, or reading Proudhon and Kropotkin – as a far as a 13-year old is able to understand them anyway.
I vividly recall one night my mother raising the subject of my political beliefs and discussing the comparison between anarchism and ‘traditional’ political beliefs. That night we argued and tussled over key philosophical and political points until about 3 am. By the time I went to bed she had given me one of the greatest gifts of my life – and it is one I still cherish today – the ability to recognise the merits in another person’s argument.
You see, I cannot understand this 21st century notion of ‘trashing’ people – it just seems rude and uncaring to me. Why do we do it? Well, I am sure dome do it because it makes them feel good, while others do it because they feel if they win they feel stronger – a kind of return to the caveman mentality.
Why am I talking about this today? Well I have been reading through a lot of the left-wing press lately and some of the comments being made about David Cameron and George Osborne … and they disturb me.
You see, as regular readers will know, I am no fan of either of these two men. I find their political values and beliefs totally contradict everything I believe in. However, I am convinced they believe in their brand of Conservativism equally as strongly as I believe in socialism. I would argue whilst I think he is wrong, Cameron truly believes his ‘austerity measures’ will make Britain a safer, stronger, better place. And when he talks about the Big Society, he truly believes a politics based on the acts of individuals working together in local communities is far better than state intervention and public ownership of the means of production.
It is my opinion David Cameron is totally of the opinion anyone can achieve success, if they are willing to work and sacrifice. It is his view in such instances, the state should not intervene and ought to offer support to help the little man or woman become bigger.
He holds there will always be those who are advantaged and there is nothing wrong with acquiring money and property, as long as it is done legally and morally. If this results in some people being disadvantaged, then this is just the nature of capitalism. If they become poor, the state should prop them up for a time, but there must be an underlying principle of having to earn the support of the state.
He does not believe these things out of some malevolent belief demanding he protects his own self-interest although, as a human being, I am sure he includes himself in the pack of those whom he wants to help. There is nothing evil about any of the Conservative leadership – they are dedicated people, committed to their own personal values – and it may surprise some readers, but I do totally respect all of them, some more than others.
This does not mean I agree with anything they say, far from it, I think their views are dangerous, divisive and cruel. I hold modern Conservativism as practiced by this government will destroy the livelihoods of thousands of people and reduce this country of a society of “them” and “us”.
But I do respect Cameron – he has a brain and a good one, he is a highly competent politician and daily demonstrates he is a master of his craft and he is an idealist. I have always been drawn to idealists, perhaps because I am one myself. We each want different things for this country, but we have a vision of how this country should be.
It is wrong to ridicule the Tory leadership; it will do nothing to forward the socialist cause and makes a mockery of the left argument. Instead, socialists need to recognise that in Cameron we have the most dangerous of enemies – a thinker with a philosophical path for the future for this country. This makes him the most dangerous kind of Conservative – and he should be treated accordingly.
Socialists need to review their arguments – remove the personality politics and keep attacking the issues. On blogs lately I notice how more right-wingers continue to attack me personally – even though I am careful to refrain from personal abuse. The right are starting to worry, because they know they are losing the argument – and like every kind of frightened animal, when it is in a corner it will use any means of attack before it gives in.
The left can and will win – we just need to keep up the pressure
Sunday, 20 March 2011
The Doublespeak of Tory Economic Policy
George Osborne has said it would be "a huge mistake" for the government to water down its spending cuts as he prepares to deliver his second Budget. This is despite evidence last week that UK unemployment rose by 27,000 in the three months to the end of January to 2.53 million, the highest since 1994.
Despite Tory protestations that things are getting better, public sector employment fell by 45,000 in the final quarter of 2010 to 6.2 million, even before the full impact of the government's spending cuts started to take effect. At the same time, local government employment fell by 24,000, central government by 9,000 and Civil Service by 8,000, while employment in private firms increased by 77,000 to almost 23 million.
Far from getting better, things are going to get worse. Even David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, has started to see the light and has argued things will not improve. He said: "We reiterate our forecast that total unemployment is likely to increase to 2.65 million over the next 12-15 months before it starts declining,"
Further evidence of things not going so well economically were revealed in a report last week from IPPR, who indicated England is facing a "growing housing crisis". The report estimated a shortfall of 750,000 homes by 2025. On a regional basis the biggest effect would be in London, with a housing gap of 325,000 homes, followed by Yorkshire and Humberside with 151,000 homes too few.
Economic growth has failed to expand at the level Osborne has hoped and, he certainly did not anticipate the current level of inflation. Indeed, with it now running at twice the Bank of England's 2% target, many economists say a rate rise soon is highly likely. Another report out last week gave little to amuse the Chancellor either. Accountants BDO said that growth would remain sluggish and any imminent rate rise could prolong the weakness. It said confidence in the manufacturing sector had risen to a seven-month high during February, with the BDO Optimism Index reaching 95.5. But despite the rise, BDO said medium-term prospects still looked bleak, with the index failing to reach the 100 mark, which signals sustainable economic growth.
Now, courtesy of Citizen Dave’s little foray into the deserts of Libya, Brent crude rose as much as $2.26 to $116.19 a barrel, while US light crude rose as much as $2.12 to $103.19.
Now yesterday, on the Andrew Marr show, Osborne said Chancellor George Osborne said he was "looking very carefully" at freezing the duty in Wednesday's Budget. In the interview he argued he understood the pressure motorists were under from record-high petrol prices.
Well George, I have some bad news for you – you may understand motorist’s anger, but there is very little you can do to assuage it. With oil running at that price, there is little likelihood of any sizable decrease in the price at the fuel pumps for a while. And, even if he succeeded in bringing down taxes, he is doing so at the price of cutting revenue. Heads he loses, tails he doesn’t win.
Finally, a report out today from the Bank of England has shown nearly two-thirds of people expect the rate of inflation to rise in the next 12 months. The poll, conducted in February, showed that 62% of those asked were expecting a rise, up from 52% in November. And a report by Nationwide shows consumer confidence fell to a record low in February, surpassing levels seen during the recession.
All in all, the current situation is far from good. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to become too hopeful that this week Osborne will do anything to stimulate growth and/ or reduce the number unemployed.
Instead we can look forward to harsher times, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. When Osborne stands up this week and delivers his Budget, he had better remember the working class have long memories. On Saturday 26th March the mobilisation will begin and thousands will converge on London to join brothers and sisters in the trade union movement to oppose Tory cuts.
To quote Citizen Dave himself, in a comment during Comic Relief: “ Be afraid, be very afraid.”
Well Dave, I hope you are …. Because we are coming to get you.
Despite Tory protestations that things are getting better, public sector employment fell by 45,000 in the final quarter of 2010 to 6.2 million, even before the full impact of the government's spending cuts started to take effect. At the same time, local government employment fell by 24,000, central government by 9,000 and Civil Service by 8,000, while employment in private firms increased by 77,000 to almost 23 million.Far from getting better, things are going to get worse. Even David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, has started to see the light and has argued things will not improve. He said: "We reiterate our forecast that total unemployment is likely to increase to 2.65 million over the next 12-15 months before it starts declining,"
Further evidence of things not going so well economically were revealed in a report last week from IPPR, who indicated England is facing a "growing housing crisis". The report estimated a shortfall of 750,000 homes by 2025. On a regional basis the biggest effect would be in London, with a housing gap of 325,000 homes, followed by Yorkshire and Humberside with 151,000 homes too few.
Economic growth has failed to expand at the level Osborne has hoped and, he certainly did not anticipate the current level of inflation. Indeed, with it now running at twice the Bank of England's 2% target, many economists say a rate rise soon is highly likely. Another report out last week gave little to amuse the Chancellor either. Accountants BDO said that growth would remain sluggish and any imminent rate rise could prolong the weakness. It said confidence in the manufacturing sector had risen to a seven-month high during February, with the BDO Optimism Index reaching 95.5. But despite the rise, BDO said medium-term prospects still looked bleak, with the index failing to reach the 100 mark, which signals sustainable economic growth.
Now, courtesy of Citizen Dave’s little foray into the deserts of Libya, Brent crude rose as much as $2.26 to $116.19 a barrel, while US light crude rose as much as $2.12 to $103.19.
Now yesterday, on the Andrew Marr show, Osborne said Chancellor George Osborne said he was "looking very carefully" at freezing the duty in Wednesday's Budget. In the interview he argued he understood the pressure motorists were under from record-high petrol prices.
Well George, I have some bad news for you – you may understand motorist’s anger, but there is very little you can do to assuage it. With oil running at that price, there is little likelihood of any sizable decrease in the price at the fuel pumps for a while. And, even if he succeeded in bringing down taxes, he is doing so at the price of cutting revenue. Heads he loses, tails he doesn’t win.
Finally, a report out today from the Bank of England has shown nearly two-thirds of people expect the rate of inflation to rise in the next 12 months. The poll, conducted in February, showed that 62% of those asked were expecting a rise, up from 52% in November. And a report by Nationwide shows consumer confidence fell to a record low in February, surpassing levels seen during the recession.
All in all, the current situation is far from good. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to become too hopeful that this week Osborne will do anything to stimulate growth and/ or reduce the number unemployed.
Instead we can look forward to harsher times, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. When Osborne stands up this week and delivers his Budget, he had better remember the working class have long memories. On Saturday 26th March the mobilisation will begin and thousands will converge on London to join brothers and sisters in the trade union movement to oppose Tory cuts.
To quote Citizen Dave himself, in a comment during Comic Relief: “ Be afraid, be very afraid.”
Well Dave, I hope you are …. Because we are coming to get you.
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