Cameron desperate to lose ?

[AtW]

I don't think 'they' did get us into this mess, pretty sure this mess would have happened under Tories as well both are obssessed with large debt driven housing bubbles being the answer to economic prosperity.

I doubt Tories would be taxing as much and borrowing as much, but the tulip would have happened anyway since banks were not properly regulated and they got involved too deeply with AAA rated subprime tulip.

[VectraMan]

I don't think 'they' did get us into this mess

We, the electorate got us into this mess by voting for politicians that promised things without paying enough attention to how it was going to be paid for. I'm not sure anything's changed.

[AtW]

Who put up VAT?
Who is cutting local government budgets?
majority of new jobs are part time which is why taxes are far lower than expected.

1. VAT is very collectable tax which makes sense to increase, 20% isn't highest level in Europe - they should have taken it gradually up to 25% - consumption should be taxed heavily.

2. They are cutting budgets because Govt can't afford to pay so much money - there simply isn't money and Govt can't keep borrowing forever.

3. Govt pushed people into jobs, which got none or low tax because of increased tax allowance, this is a good thing even if same amount was spent via benefits - at least now those people are making a useful contribution to society.

[turbowoowoo]

1. VAT is very collectable tax which makes sense to increase, 20% isn't highest level in Europe - they should have taken it gradually up to 25% - consumption should be taxed heavily.

Really? this tax affects everyone and hurts the low paid/low income sector the most! Awful tax

2. They are cutting budgets because Govt can't afford to pay so much money - there simply isn't money and Govt can't keep borrowing forever.

There are various ways about doing this, the tories way is wrong!

3. Govt pushed people into jobs, which got none or low tax because of increased tax allowance, this is a good thing even if same amount was spent via benefits - at least now those people are making a useful contribution to society.

Zero contract employment is not good

[NickyBoy]

Govt can't keep borrowing forever.

Actually they can, but the money needs to be spend on projects that produce more value in growth over the long term then the cost of the interest on the borrowing. The government can then pay back the borrowed sum + the interest and still have a little more left over then they would have if they hadn't borrowed.

Borrowing during a boom is a legit strategy if you will use the borrowed money to extend the boom for enough additional time to pay it all back.

Unfortunately it all goes tits up if you blow it on boondoggles and vote purchasing (thanks Labour) and gets even worse if the next government goes full retard and tries to eliminate borrowing by shooting the economy in the foot with austerity measures (thanks Tories).

[AtW]

Zero contract employment is not good

And that happened exclusively under Tories???

[AtW]

Actually they can, but the money needs to be spend on projects that produce more value in growth over the long term then the cost of the interest on the borrowing. The government can then pay back the borrowed sum + the interest and still have a little more left over then they would have if they hadn't borrowed.

There is already way too much debt, it needs to be, if not repaid, then at least stopped from growing and get slowly devalued by inflation. Budgets should be deficit free.

[turbowoowoo]

And that happened exclusively under Tories???

No it didnt

[AtW]

No it didnt

No, it didn't, Sir.

[NickyBoy]

There is already way too much debt, it needs to be, if not repaid, then at least stopped from growing and get slowly devalued by inflation. Budgets should be deficit free.

Why? As I just covered, a deficit is fine as long as more growth is produced then the cost of the borrowed amount.

From the point we are at now, borrowing money and investing it in projects that pay back more than the value of the amount borrowed + interest, pays down the debt far quicker than just leaving our countries infrastructure and business to rot while we wait for inflation to do its thing.

The problem isn't borrowing or a defict. The problem is incompetent/corrupt investment by a succession of bad governments from both sides of the house.

You seem to have a very amateur, simplistic view of the problem that sounds like little more than the sound bites the current (incompetent) government used to win over low-information voters.