Reply to: The official "Autumn Statement 2015" AKA "End of Contracting" thread

[DimPrawn]

Not to mention that the only things keeping up the UK economy are house price rises and immigration.

Our GDP is simply put the rising population + rising house prices. So he can boast about "fastest growing economy" to his mates. If he had any.

[BrilloPad]

Another decent piece, this time by AEP:

George Osborne delays the fiscal pain but it will still be ferocious - Telegraph

It's worth noting btw that they will be relaxing student funding for those retraining in STEM subjects and look to be setting up some institute of coding.

Must be that 'skills gap' they're always on about that prompted this.

That or the prospect of hooking graduates on yet more debt.

What Osborne has failed to do yet again in this Autumn Statement is to grasp the nettle of reform and start to sort out the chronic pathologies of the British economy. That means a shift in the entire tax and regulatory system to reward output, to curb our proclivity to import and to raise the rate of savings and investment.

It means a radical assault on Britain’s dire productivity levels, our lack of skills and our bad infrastructure, even if this means that the deficit comes down more slowly in the short run. We know the problems. They are listed in the World Economic Forum’s index of competitiveness.
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Not to mention that the only things keeping up the UK economy are house price rises and immigration.

[MrMarkyMark]

Okay, all this jibber jabber is great but can someone, in one word, answer the most important question of all?

Will these changes announced make house prices go up?

That's all that matters, **** contracting, working and all that old bollux.

TIA

DP

Yes, at least 5% a year.

Happy days all round

[DimPrawn]

Okay, all this jibber jabber is great but can someone, in one word, answer the most important question of all?

Will these changes announced make house prices go up?

That's all that matters, **** contracting, working and all that old bollux.

TIA

DP

[MicrosoftBob]

Another decent piece, this time by AEP:

George Osborne delays the fiscal pain but it will still be ferocious - Telegraph

It's worth noting btw that they will be relaxing student funding for those retraining in STEM subjects and look to be setting up some institute of doing the needful.

Must be that 'skills gap' they're always on about that prompted this.

That or the prospect of hooking graduates on yet more debt.

FTFY

[Zero Liability]

Another decent piece, this time by AEP:

George Osborne delays the fiscal pain but it will still be ferocious - Telegraph

It's worth noting btw that they will be relaxing student funding for those retraining in STEM subjects and look to be setting up some institute of coding.

Must be that 'skills gap' they're always on about that prompted this.

That or the prospect of hooking graduates on yet more debt.

[LucidDementia]

Expect more conjecture ad nauseam.

FTFY

[DaveB]

Exactly - so they may tighten IR35? ok, but it doesn't look like it'll be based on SDC. So fine, base it on time spent in a role, maybe over 12 months is caught by IR35.

There is no indication at this stage as to what it will be based on. I wouldnt rule out SDC just yet. Expect more consultation next year.

[MarkT]

People always say that, always have done. We're still here.

Exactly - so they may tighten IR35? ok, but it doesn't look like it'll be based on SDC. So fine, base it on time spent in a role, maybe over 12 months is caught by IR35.

[d000hg]

People always say that, always have done. We're still here.

[d000hg]

Clearly not, if you don't want to end up in prison, or starve in the case of sales taxes. But I never said it was, much as I would prefer it were; I said it is for the Chancellor to justify the spending and the imposition, before bringing any moral posturing into the picture.

I see what you mean but I don't think you can find any moral reason why we should pay less tax on the same earnings as a permie, we're very lucky the way things happen to be set up but have no right to tax breaks AND high rates

Osborne doesn't have a political vision, he's one not even a one trick pony, he's a whole field of ponies without any tricks

His sole vision is too take the middle ground and win the next election and make sure he doesn't upset his friends in the establishment

With >4 years to go, it's too early for that really. He does actually need to have results in about 4 years on which to build an election platform, and earlier to build a leadership platform.

It seems it all hangs on the growth forecast. If that is accurate he gets a break. If not, we're screwed.

[BlueSharp]

Osborne doesn't have a political vision, he's one not even a one trick pony, he's a whole field of ponies without any tricks

His sole vision is too take the middle ground and win the next election and make sure he doesn't upset his friends in the establishment

Stay in the middle ground, sounds good to me.

[MicrosoftBob]

Osborne doesn't have a political vision, he's one not even a one trick pony, he's a whole field of ponies without any tricks

His sole vision is too take the middle ground and win the next election and make sure he doesn't upset his friends in the establishment

[Zero Liability]

Heath on Osborne... He seems to now be realising he is no classical liberal but still uses the words 'small government' to describe him. Er... wot?

The Tories were elected to be radical – now they’ve lost their nerve - Telegraph

The man's little more than a cynical political opportunist, and I'd like to see how his election chances turn out should his fabricated predictions fail to materialise. Though given the lack of credible opposition, it'll be a case of 'just be glad we're not Labour'.

Glad I didn't waste a vote on these w@nkers.

[jamesbrown]

Some more commentary from Anne Redston.