Sunday 22 November 2015

"Real" Osborne stood up years ago

At least Tory MPs like Stephen McPartland have dropped the ridiculous idea they were propagating a few weeks ago that Osborne`s mishandling of the tax credits` issue happened because he was ignorant of the massive hardship the cuts would cause, due to a so-called "technical mistake" (I`m speaking up for low-income families:that`s why I`ve become a Tory rebel over tax credits,15/11/15). With over 1200 staff employed at the Treasury, including apparently eight special advisers costing the taxpayer over £500,000 a year, it is hard to believe that someone didn`t carry out an "impact assessment". Of course Osborne knew, so if, as your political editor, Toby Helm, suggests, the country still can`t decide whether the chancellor is a "master strategist" or "political blunderer", it must be almost entirely due to the way his cruel policies are depicted by the press (Master strategist of political blunderer? Friend of the strivers or enemy of the working people? Will the real George Osborne please stand up, 15/11/15).
    Even the reliable William Keegan, whilst listing the "Big Lies", perpetrated by the chancellor, about Labour`s spending causing the banking crisis, the UK`s economic problems having been "comparable to those of Greece", much of the welfare budget going to the "unemployed and feckless" rather than 1.5%, and budget deficit rather than cuts being "a threat to national security", omitted two of Osborne`s whoppers. He and Cameron may spout for all they`re worth about tax avoidance being "morally repugnant" and firms like Google needing to "smell the coffee", but the lack of effectual legislation and prosecutions, and continued job cuts at HMRC, tell a different story. Same applies to the pre-election wheeze that is the "northern powerhouse", which is destined to remain a non-starter as long as government grants to local councils in the north continue to be decimated. 
      The penny should have dropped by now, Mr Helm: the "real George Osborne" stood up years ago!

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