The Telegraph damns Cameron’s savings tax cut ’strategy’

The Telegraph savages Cameron’s savings tax cut (in the nicest possible way the Conservative broadsheet can muster):
“Faced with a mountain of debt and the prospect of deflation, government policies should be aimed at either encouraging people to go out and spend or to pay back debt – and preferably both. The Tories’ policies would [...]

Cameron’s New Year message quote came from ‘Seabiscuit’ shown on BBC2 on 23 December

David Cameron’s New Year message contains a history lesson of arguable provenance claims the Evening Standard’s Londoner:
“For us, the strong economy of the future will be built on a strong and responsible society. The Emperor Hadrian, when asked how Rome would be rebuilt after a devastating fire, replied: ‘Brick by brick, my citizens; brick [...]

Cameron’s Conservatives still taking money from friends who pay no taxes

“David Cameron was last night facing another embarrassing row over donations after it emerged that the Tories pocketed £100,000 from a controversial tax exile last year.
Mr Cameron has allowed Lord Laidlaw to continue bankrolling the party even though he lives in Monaco to avoid paying tax in Britain.
The tycoon was awarded a peerage [...]

In the UK ‘Tax Fredom Day’ depends on your wealth

The Tax Research UK blog takes the Adam Smith Institute to task for claiming that ‘Tax Freedom Day’ is 2nd June:
“In 2006 Grant Thornton calculated that the 54 billionaires in the UK paid tax at an average rate of 0.14%. For them tax freedom day arrives at about 12.15pm today.
The message is clear: [...]

The State Pension is 100 years old (and it’s worth a lot more now)

Eastcliff Matters celebrates the century of the State Pension:
“One hundred years ago today the first pensioners went to the Post Office to collect a State Pension of 5 shillings a week. In 1909 half a million people over 70 got a pension. Now they number over 12 million, with more than 700,000 people reaching [...]

William Hague’s recent Euro comments mark a Tory shift to the right

William Hague’s promise that the Tories will defend the pound for all eternity is in stark contrast to his prevarication while leader of the Party, Freemania notes:
“I remember Hague – as party leader during the 2001 election campaign – doing interview after interview in which he awkwardly dodged making exactly this commitment, not wanting [...]

Liam Byrne MP: Cameron’s team distracted by lucrative second jobs

Liam Byrne, Labour’s Cabinet Office Minister, commenting on David Cameron’s decision to allow his shadow cabinet to keep their lucrative second jobs, said:

“While Labour is focused on giving people real help now to get through the downturn, David Cameron’s part-timers have one eye on their other jobs.

“With so many of Cameron’s team distracted by lucrative second jobs it’s no wonder that the do-nothing party has so little to say about the economy.”

David Cameron bottles out of fight with his “two-jobs team”

The FT reports that:
“David Cameron has dropped plans to force his shadow cabinet to axe their lucrative outside jobs in the new year, following threats of a revolt by senior Tories.
Conservative strategists remain concerned about the potential political damage the “part-time” nature of the shadow cabinet could cause. The onset of recession will [...]

Jacqui Smith announces major cut in red tape for police officers

“Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced a major cut in red tape for police officers - a move which could save up to seven million hours of beat time.
Mrs Smith launched the roll-out of new Stop and Account procedures during a visit to Handsworth in Birmingham.
From next week, officers from all 43 forces [...]

The spectacularly wrong speculation of The Spectator’s journalists

Speculating about the date of the next election is a fools game, just ask Iain Dale, but nobody really believed his ‘exclusive’ about Labour secretly planning a February election. Except apparently The Spectator’s Coffee House blogger James Forsyth.
But then he also recently claimed that “it is understandable that Brown won’t rule out an ‘09 [...]