Sunday 20 March 2016

budget satire at its best

 
Not the Nine O'clock news, from the golden age of satire. Still as observant and biting thirty years on.
The nasty party lives on. 
 
IDS has done an IED and gone off in chancellor's lap. Some of the government's clean-up spin, and a fair few commentators are linking the resignation of the 'quiet man' to Europe.
The facts don't support the theory. 

If IDS had wanted to resign over Europe he could have gone over the gagging of cabinet ministers. The withholding of papers about Europe. The inaccuracy of Government immigration statistics. The peddling of fear. The dodgy letters purporting to be from the military or business leaders, that are actually penned in Whitehall. The back-door ushering of Turkey into the EU. Or he could pick any future week to resign. A new week, a new battle.
 As the Brexit draws nearer, the campaigning will become dirtier. IDS could find a reason to quit over Europe any day he wishes.

Another theory s its a personal attack on Osborne to reduce his chances of becoming PM and promote IDS' comrade in arms, Boris Johnson. That is more plausible, but still doesn't stand scrutiny. There is no leadership race. So why quit now? Lowering Osborne's support does not raise Johnson's. It just damages the Tory brand all round.

Most likely the reason IDS quit is the reason{s} he gave. The welfare changes hit those most in need the hardest. 

IDS has threatened to leave before. Though no concrete stories have emerged it has been reported that he has refused to be moved in reshuffles. Has threatened to resign before if the Treasury cut back his reforms.
Sadly for IDS, his plans, though very noble and very worthwhile, would have been best carried out under the last labour government. When money grew on trees. The reforms to get people working again, have a high cost. 
This government has no money. The last one had no money either. Its highly unlikely the next one will either. IDS was realistic enough to know he would not get all he wanted. But not realistic enough to see that the Chancellor was going to have to take his cut from somewhere. He couldn't touch the PM's personal red lines on NHS, education or foreign aid, so, welfare, with its bloated budget, it would have to be. I suspect Osborne reckoned IDS was just another Vince Cable. Always threatening to quit..but he would never really do it. So he called his bluff.

And he lost.

7 comments:

  1. IDS was always a flight risk so i'm not sure Osborne called his bluff so much as didn't hold his hand. I think Rawnsley's got the best take on it with IDS up for the chop after the referendum so fuck it - go now on the blag that it's something to do with the PIP criteria or go later and have it as Brexit, but go he would, one way or another. It's a cracking face saving play by the old fella - bravo!

    All this talk about splitting the Tory Party seems opportunistic at best and, frankly, bullshit at worst - this is the referendum that guys like me, 10 years older than me and the senior zealots have wanted for ages; it's now that the split is happening. The long-term side effects of all this acrimony will be sorted by July 1st when the losers bump into the victors and say 'well played, well played'.

    I don't think I, nor regulars in this parish, are too much concerned if this 'does for George' or proves mortal - fuck him! I'd probably give him a C- at best, probably a D. How on planet fuck he allowed this to be known as an 'austerity' administration when there's never been more cash burnt is one of the most conceited acts of idiocy that's gonna be a separate chapter in D'ancona's book.

    All about the referendum now.

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  2. The way I see it, IDS and Gove are believers. They really want to change things for what they see as the better. Whereas Cameron and Osborne are career folk.

    I'll have been old enough to vote for 18 years in May, I still haven't decided which is the lesser of two evils.

    But I reckon there will be an IDS / Gove backed leadership candidate and it won't be May and probably not Boris. Any ideas which donkey to back for next PM on that front BQ?

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  3. All about Europe. IDS was set up because he's a skeptic.

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  4. @EK - set up by whom? Me no comprende - he's come out of this smelling fine.

    Trust all's well by the way :-)

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  5. John miller6:10 am

    I honk the last bit is the real reason. Osborne called IDS a fairy-cake once too often.

    Don't talk about the EU. Does anyone really think that if we vote Leave, we just pack up and go? Oh, we're it so simple.

    I think you'll find the EU and this country's elite will prove remarkably hard of hearing...

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  6. John miller6:11 am

    Think...

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  7. IDS seems more than happy to deal in fear-mongering:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35624409

    What is his legacy? last week he was all over the latest cut to the DWP budget so i think many will rightly doubt his sincerity on all this. more to the point suspect we will now see plenty of universal credit as shambles stories from the treasury minions. what is the cost so far? £10, 15, 20 billion?

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