Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

.

for Max and UKIP,

Bad news for the loony left hate mob & goldfinger

Twitter tightens anti-abuse measures

When it comes to abuse, you should be more concerned with watching out yourself.

Right............coke head George coming up soon.

Geldof joins fight against Plebola… Controversial picture of enormous arse provokes debate…

Pepsi head Edd

Cameron the liar on tv what a bloody stinking liar #
and this is from alife long tory

Cameron will not answer any questions a bloody liar running the country
and a coke head

Georgie boy doesn't look good.

Will he make it.

max

Can you post a copy of the Private eye artical ?

Sorry aldwickk, it's hard copy only, I just nicked the pic from the website.

By Dan Hodges
9:01AM GMT 03 Dec 2014
George Osborne may be a brilliant chancellor or a brave chancellor or just a lucky chancellor. It doesn’t really matter

Today’s Autumn Statement will be positively biblical in scope. In fact, George Osborne is preparing to pull off the sort of trick not seen since the one involving the fishes and the loaves.

At 12.30 our Chancellor will rise and announce to the House of Commons that he is ending the floods, healing the sick, lifting the poor from poverty, casting the money lenders from the Temple and repaving the road to Damascus. Or, to put all that in a slightly more contemporary context, that he’s going to be investing an extra £2.3 billion on new flood defences, an extra £2 billion on the NHS, and an extra £15 billion on new roads, all while laying the groundwork for £7.2 billion worth of tax cuts, and the eradication of the structural deficit by 2018.

They used to call this “Voodoo Economics”. But today has nothing to do with economics. It is all about the politics. And, like it or not, Osborne has the politics right where he wants it.


His speech essentially writes itself: “We have had to take some difficult choices.” We took the decision back in 2010 to take the political pain early. “Others told us we had to change course.” Labour fell into our trap. “There are still difficult times ahead.” Really think you can take a gamble on Ed Miliband? “But thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the British people, I can announce today flood barriers/ intensive care units/ bypasses/giant jewel encrusted golden rabbits/etc …” It hurt, but it worked. Vote for us. We’ll be back with more for you in 2019.

It’s easy to be cynical about this sort of stuff. But that’s like being cynical about breathing or the sun setting. What’s the point? It’s meaningless. Today is what it is. Welcome to the political cycle.

Ed Balls will cry foul. Fair enough, it’s Balls' job to cry foul. And he’s actually quite good at it.

But it’s too late. There’s no point weeping over spilt deficit reduction forecasts now.

The Labour Party was warned. If the double-dip recession could be avoided. If the economy spluttered back into life. If the 5 million unemployed predicted by some economists failed to materialise. Then, boy oh boy, Labour would be in trouble. Big trouble.

And it was, and it did, and they didn’t, so they are. So today we will again witness the annual ritual of Labour spokesman running around trying to explain to the electorate how it’s a disaster that George Osborne has been forced to borrow so much. And that to avoid this calamity Labour would have borrowed even more. Of telling people how it’s a national scandal the Tories have allowed the welfare bill to rocket. And how Labour will fight tooth and nail to oppose the additional cuts to the welfare budget George Osborne is proposing. Of explaining how the Tories are evil and callous for advocating further cuts in spending. But that Labour will have to make similar cuts itself. Though not the same cuts. Cuts that will still be painful. Just not quite as painful. Good Labour cuts. Not bad Tory ones.

This time last year I wrote a piece about how the Tories were becoming increasingly confident they could secure an overall majority. It included the following quote from a Tory MP. “Remember when Mrs Thatcher died, and there was that story about how she asked 'How far behind are we in the polls?' When she was told '13 points' she responded 'Oh, not nearly enough. You have to make yourselves much more unpopular than that if you want to win.' Well, we’re not 13 points behind now, were only eight points behind. And that’s down to the economy.”

The Tories aren’t 8 points behind now. They’re effectively level. And that’s also down to the economy.

People can dissect today’s announcement as much as they like. They can contrast George Osborne’s bold deficit reduction strategy with the reality that is the debt mountain. They can query – with legitimacy – national policy making that appears to place the needs of the druids of Stonehenge above the need of a family to find a spare bedroom for their child. We will hear lots of “if we can afford a bloody tunnel under them bits of stone …” bar room philosophy over the next few months.

But it’s just chatter. The defining issue of this parliament has always been whether or not the economy would recover before May 2015. And it has. George Osborne may be a brilliant chancellor or a brave chancellor or just a lucky chancellor. It doesn’t really matter. He has proved to be the right chancellor, in the right place, at the right time, for the Conservative Party.

Yesterday an opinion poll showed 17 per cent of the voters trust Ed Miliband on the economy. 18 per cent trust Nigel Farage.

George Osborne may be practicing Voodoo Economics. Or, more accurately, Voodoo Politics. But come May next year, it will also prove to be winning politics.

The Telegraph

Excellent autumn statement with plenty of amusing swipes at Labour. PMQs was a knock about with Cameron easily winning 10-0.

I am sure there will be a blinding budget next year just before the GE.

Osborne has reduced stamp duty.

Hays,

Which planet are you on?

The main measures and forecasts as outlined by the Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Statement:

:: Stamp duty reform to save money for 98% of homebuyers and represent total tax cut of £800m a year.

:: Stamp Duty rates overhauled. Top rate is now 12% on properties worth more than £1.5m, effective from midnight tonight. There will be no stamp duty on properties worth up to £125,000 then 2% rate on the portion up to £250,000 then 5% up to £925,000, then 10% up to £1.5m.

:: Higher rate income tax threshold to rise to #42,385 next year.

:: Income tax free personal allowance to rise to £10,600 rather than the planned £10,500 next year, giving wage boost of £825 a year.

:: Limit on saving in New ISAs to rise to £15,240 and ISAs can be inherited tax free.

:: Plans law to devolve corporation tax to Northern Ireland if the Northern Ireland executive shows it can manage the financial implications.

:: "Northern Powerhouse is at the heart" of the statement. Investment of £250m in new advanced material science institute in Manchester with branches in Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool. Tendering for new franchises for Northern Rail and Trans-Pennine Express to ensure modern trains.

:: Britain awarded the lead role in the international effort to explore Mars.

:: Fuel duty remains frozen. Immediate reduction in oil industry supplementary charge from 32% to 30%.

:: Inflation-linked increase in business rates capped at 2% and discount for shops, pubs and cafes increased by 50% to £1,500. Business rates for Wales to be devolved to Welsh Government.

:: People who die under 75 to be enabled to pass on annuities tax free.

:: Government-backed student loans of up to £10,000 are to be made available for postgraduates.

:: Annual charge on properties "enveloped" to avoid stamp duty to rise by 50% above inflation on properties over £2m.

:: Air Passenger Duty for under-12s abolished from May 2015. Scrapped from 2016 for under-16s.

:: Charge for non-dom tax status to rise to £60,000 a year for those resident for 12 of the last 14 years and #90,000 for those in the country for 17 of 20 years.

:: National debt incurred during First World War to be repaid, taking advantage of UK's low interest rates.

:: A so-called 'Google Tax' will introduce a levy of 25% on profits shifted abroad by multi-national firms. The Diverted Profits Tax aims to raise more than £1bn over five years.

:: Banks to pay almost £4bn more in tax over next five years as profits which can be offset by losses for tax purposes are to be limited to 50%.

:: A further £10bn of Whitehall efficiencies is planned while £5bn more is sought from crackdown on tax evasion and avoidance.

:: Public service pension reforms will be completed, saving £1.3bn annually.

:: NHS gets additional £2bn every year for frontline services. A £1.2bn investment in GP services will be paid for from foreign exchange fines.

:: Government spending £10bn less than forecast this year but warns the coming years will require "very substantial savings in public spending."

:: Osborne says deficit reduction better than some commentators believed. He says while tax take is not rising as quickly as predicted, welfare spending is lower and interest paid on national debt is considerably lower.

:: "Deficit is falling this year and every year." Deficit now cut in half. OBR forecasts borrowing to fall from £97.5bn in 2013/14 to £91.3bn in 2014/15 (£5bn higher than OBR predicted). Budget surplus of £23bn predicted for 2019/20.

:: OBR predicts wage growth above inflation for the next five years.

:: National Insurance on young apprentices to be abolished.

:: Unemployment revised down for each year of OBR forecast. Osborne: 85% of new jobs created are full-time.

:: Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR): Forecast 2014 GDP growth upgraded to 3% from 2.7%. 2015 forecast raised to 2.4%.

:: The deficit "remains too high", so today's announcements will tighten the public finances and are "not a net give away".

George Osborne is a brilliant chancellor . Excellent autumn statement.

Like his joke about the Red Planet

How red will Ball's face go , making a ball's up of his reply at the moment

Who is this Mithta Speaka that Balls keeps referring to?!

Haze,

Was that a handout from Central Office?