On 11 May 2015 at 9:01pm Bozmund Rawlings wrote:
Wholehearted agreement with Matt. I'll be lending my custom at the next possible opportunity.
On 11 May 2015 at 9:22pm convenient wrote:
Blimey , you lefties get all bitter and twisted easy don't you . Anyone can display their views in their windows on their walls . Good for him , but not national hero material I'm afraid . Only in Lewes can a plant sellers political stance assume such magnitude . Conservatives love an energetic entrepreneur and this guy has shown very clever marketing skills . Well done this is exactly the spirit Cameron wants to promote .
On 11 May 2015 at 10:26pm Historian wrote:
Just wait until VAT goes up to 35% , then we'll all be paying the extra 10% anyway !
On 11 May 2015 at 11:59pm convenient wrote:
Why is VAT going up to 35% ? . you've made that up for theatrical shock effect , use facts as an argument rather than left wing imaginary outcomes of something that no one can be sure about .................because it hasn't happened yet .
On 12 May 2015 at 6:24am Sussex Jim wrote:
As part of the agreement of being in the EU, we have to have some form of VAT. It varies with different rates in other countries- but it must not be more than 25%.
Of course, if we leave the EU we will be free to set other types of tax...
On 12 May 2015 at 6:46am Paul Newman wrote:
I would not be in the least bit surprised to see VAT go up and National Insurance and thats with ongoing cuts
It is all a measure of the extent to which Labour misjudged the economic cycle As I said in the years after Brown was able to get out of the commitment to Major`s spending plans the state increasaed its size from 37% to 50% of GDP and manufacturing halved
People may say you can`t keep blaming Labour but the fact is that the deficit we have is a direct consequence of their squander
While we aree banging a last few nails into coffins , the sue of foods banks went up as fast in the New Labour period as it has done since ( it went up as they became available ) as did the use of zero hour contracts ( that red herring )
Sussex Jim - If we left the EU now with growth stuttering and the deficit so hard to shift we risk a calamity you can hardly imagine . I am no fan of its un-democratic interference corruption and and arrogance but we cannot afford to leave and hardly a single person running any sort of business large or small will disagree with me on that
I say do all we can to reform it , dig our heels in and get whatever deal is available , then stay in it and keep trying to change it and do not risk the UK economy tanking on a matter of "principle "
Just my view of course
On 12 May 2015 at 7:52am crado wrote:
So the solution is to artificially fund growth by stoking a massive housing bubble rather than creating public sector jobs that help communities. Manufacturing is not booming under the Tories is it. Another massive housing bubble is. Have you seen the price of a two bedroom terrace in Malling lately? This is not going to end well and when it does (or doesn't)we can have nice round of rhetoric about how the Tories wrecked the economy!
On 12 May 2015 at 8:05am Bubble Butt wrote:
It don't matter who's in Westminster - this country will always have a housing bubble.
On 12 May 2015 at 9:28am Clifford wrote:
Paul Newman wrote: 'It is all a measure of the extent to which Labour misjudged the economic cycle.'
Paul, you'll have to explain to me what Labour' failure to reguate the 'finance industry' (as they laughingly call it) has to be with the 'economic cycle'. It was, as you'll recall, the near collapse of banking in the Western world that caused the 2009 crisis. Now, 'economic cycle' is the natural fluctuation in an economy between periods of expansion (growth) and contraction (recession). So, explain the connection between that and the banking crisis.
On 12 May 2015 at 9:51am Mark wrote:
Only in Lewes can a plantseller's sign go viral and make it into a national paper ??
On 12 May 2015 at 9:58am Facts... wrote:
Here are some key facts on the recovery. God knows why Labour didn't focus on this more.
1. Contrary to the denials, the Coalition ended up adopting a plan B for deficit reduction. That plan – in terms of the path followed by the deficit as it came down – was the one advocated by Labour, to reduce the deficit by half during a five year term. The Coalition followed its own plan for about two and half years before switching track.
2. Both the total number in work and the employment rate are at record levels but nearly half of the growth since 2009 has been in self-employment – a far bigger share than is normal. At the same time, income from self-employment has fallen steeply.
3. Labour productivity grew strongly after the recessions in the 70s, 80s and 90s, whereas it has barely grown at all since 2009. Without productivity growth, real wages cannot grow while the choices governments must make are far harder.
4. As with productivity, so with household income: instead of rebounding sharply as it did after each of the last three recessions, real household disposable income is barely up on where it was in 2009.
5. The 4.5% deficit now is the same as it was 19 years ago during the recovery from the early 1990s recession. But at that time, the other sector balances, for households, companies and with the rest of the world, were set fair for sustained economic growth. The current situation, with households spending to the hilt and a big balance of payments deficit, looks like the end of a period of growth, not the early stages.
On 12 May 2015 at 10:38am Mark wrote:
Clifford and Facts, I applaud your efforts but there's not much point in arguing with Newman. Spend all day at it by all means, if you have the time... Win the argument if you can...
He'll just be back saying the same things in 3 days time.
He's got an agenda and he's not going to abandon it. Much like our new government. Suddenly it seems that there's an intention to privatise the BBC. Where did that come from? It wasn't a topic for discussion in the election. Did they dream up that idea between now and last Thursday?
On 12 May 2015 at 11:31am Paul Newman wrote:
The failure to control the Banks or otherwise is not the main accusation the accusation is , as I have tried repeatedly to explain , that running a deficit at the end of the fourteen year boom was irresponsible and more seriously the creation of a vast structural deficit was madness
As ‘ Facts ‘ is cut and pasting from Policy Exchange, a far left think tank and would not understand any answer given I`m not sure what the point is ?
Still we have discussed productivity before (refer to that) and the flexibility of the Labour market but , overall …criticising a recovery by reference to other recoveries and data points in them assuming equivalence at stages in them chosen by a widely partisan “poverty campaigner” really dissolves into complete meaninglessness .Who claimed it was perfect ? Did Labour even start to suggest an answer to any of this?
I often pointed out, there was not much austerity anyway ( and was always assured we were experiencing vicious cuts ) I have noticed the Guardian and its army of whingers are now abandoning their previous lie and switching to a tricksy claim that they agree with the coalition except for the first two years so the coalition are right but we would be been righter .
Well that requires everyone to forget the unknowns of 2010 entirely but the Labour view now can be summed up as follows
Boom – Run Deficit
Recession- Run deficit
Recovery- Run deficit
Sun comes up start spending
Sun goes down – Continue spending
Run out of money- Cured by spending
Its Sunday –More spending
Just because I love you – More spending
Continued page 94
On 12 May 2015 at 12:09pm Clifford wrote:
Thanks for maing that clear Paul. Time now for you to go down and stoke up the hot air machine again I assume. Your problem seems to be that you've spent your life talking to not-very-bright people who take your waffle for wisdom. It's different in Lewes.
On 12 May 2015 at 1:13pm Paul Newman wrote:
Fine Clifford you stick with that-
On 12 May 2015 at 1:50pm Patrol wrote:
ha ha ha...Paul- a case of verbal diarrhea if ever I saw one...Get some imodium and chew on it
On 12 May 2015 at 2:30pm Mark wrote:
He's just an idiot with too much time on his hands. Must have a bloody easy job.
On 12 May 2015 at 2:36pm Zzz.. wrote:
He was partner in a small (2 man?) insurance business flogging equestrian insurance last time I bothered to look it up. Odd to be under-employed. Seems to me everyone and his dog are getting horses nowadays.
On 12 May 2015 at 3:30pm Facts wrote:
He can't even get his facts right. The policy exchange is a centre right think tank with links to the Conservative party. The points were from the new policy institute, a centre left think tank linked to the Joseph rowntree foundation. Its work was quoted in the ft and economist.
It was cut and pasted yes but unlike pn my employer doesn't subsidise me to rant on here using opinions I've borrowed from conservative home (albeit with more peculiar and distinctive punctuation which reveals the extent to which he posts here under a variety of pseudonyms)
And I would understand your response, what with me having a degree in economics and working in a senior role in the private sector. I might not agree with you, but I suspect you're the sort of person who thinks that if I don't agree with you it must be cause there is some failure in my intelligence or ability to understand.
On 12 May 2015 at 3:37pm Tired Legs wrote:
Oops, Paul Newman's been caught with his pants down (again).
On 12 May 2015 at 4:34pm PaulNewman wrote:
Yeah yeah ..... Policy Institute I meant ( obviously ).
" Facts " since you do not post in your real name the point of making what are for all I know entirely fictitious claims about your own genius and importance rather escapes me. I am not interested in you personally and I would prefer you were not overly interested in me.
If you have something to say - fine , say it
On 12 May 2015 at 5:40pm Marry a Cauliflower wrote:
Paul are you married?You sound like my kind of guy!
On 12 May 2015 at 5:56pm Patrol wrote:
where's me dinner ffs????? bosh.....