Budget Horror Show
I was nervous in the build up to the first ConDem budget, and it seems I had every right to be. This budget wasn't driven by the urgent need to address the UK 's finances, it was driven by ideology. Neither did it pretend to be a ConDem budget; it was simply a typical Tory budget.
Nick Clegg perched himself unnaturally on the front bench like the nodding Churchill dog in a car window. Nodding along as the full extent of the horror story was revealed. How can anyone who voted for the Liberal Democrats feel anything less than completely betrayed by Clegg's pursuit of power over principles?
It was only at the General Election in May that Clegg campaigned against what he said was a hidden “Tory VAT Bombshell” only to help deliver the blow himself.
It is very clear to me that raising VAT will hit the poorest in society the most. Child benefit frozen, Tax credits reduced, Housing benefit cut, Health in pregnancy grant abolished and public sector pay frozen. The potential impact is frightening.
Overall, this is a vile budget, driven by a Tory obsession to shrink the size of the state at the expense of the most vulnerable in our society. There's nothing fair, nothing progressive in that! It is short-sighted and puts at risk our fragile economic recovery and thousands upon thousands of jobs.
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