The Budget.

[Workingman]

How will it affect you?

For people like me is is fairly neutral. For others it might help them, but for many others it will hurt, and hurt quite a lot. It's a mixed bag.

When Labour got elected with such a large majority (172) I said that they would get the dirty work done in the first 18 months and it looks to have started. I can now foresee there being some contentious bills being passed in the next year as well.

Doing all of that will give Labour over three years to become "popular" again by loosening the purse strings and offering sweeteners.

It is the type of governance we have had from both sides since 1979 (Thatcher) but it has not served us very well. I am not a fan, whichever colour is in charge. The UK needs stability over the longer term and not constant flip-flopping.

[TheOstrich]

The Budget won't have any major effect on Mrs O or myself in the short term, other than the loss of the Winter Fuel Allowance which we all already knew about.

I think the bigger question is what will happen to the "economy" in the longer term. Increased NI costs for employers may translate into less recruitment or jobs being cut. That might keep wages down and if inflation also stays low (OK, that's arguable depending on whether those increase costs get passed on or not), then pensioners won't be seeing the sort of triple-lock annual pension increases we've seen in recent years. Overall, I can't see the "economy" growing, to be honest.

I am also concerned about all this "capital investment" money that's apparently going to be splashed around. Can you think of any recent major "project" which hasn't had massive time and cost over-runs? Massive capital spending is just a recipe for waste in my book.

[cruiser2]

Apart from losing the winter fuelallowance, nothing seems to directly affect me.

I will have to pay tax on any pension increase. Also I do not get as much increase as pensioners who have just retired.

An interesting article in the DM yesterday. There are more clerks in the MoD than there are serving members of the Navy and RAF.

Ther is a sayin "The pen is mighty than the sword"

Is this the new way we are going to fight a war?

[cromwell]

MrsC and I both lose the WFA, so that's £500 (or £600?) plus we have a car so mnimum that's another £100.
So as a minimum we are £600 pa worse off.
Plus big employers like Sainsbury's are having to pay more NI for all employees, plus NI on part time employees earning over £5,000, which they didn't before. Plus they now have to pay a bigger minimum wage.
So I would imagine that they will be passing those costs on.

Os; "I am also concerned about all this "capital investment" money that's apparently going to be splashed around. Can you think of any recent major "project" which hasn't had massive time and cost over-runs?".
A Telegraph journalist agrees with you:-
"The 'let the market decide' approach.... is to be replaced by a 'government decides' mindset where the big investment decisions are made by the state. The history of such investment in the UK, it should be said, provides little encouragement for the view that state directed spending of this sort will add significantly to growth".

[medsec222]

This government is quick enough to fleece people of their hard earned money but it will be even quicker to waste it.

[Workingman]

Meds, it's what governments of all colours do, isn't it? Well, that's my take from over 50 voting years. Cromwell, you have lost nothing. The WFA was a gift, a "freeby" to all and sundry. It had to be reigned in and should always have been means-tested. Even the sensible "one nation" Cons acknowledge that.

[Workingman]

"The 'let the market decide' approach.... is to be replaced by a 'government decides' mindset where the big investment decisions are made by the state. The history of such investment in the UK, it should be said, provides little encouragement for the view that state directed spending of this sort will add significantly to growth".

Meanwhile in the "free market" we have HS2 cost overruns, sewage in rivers and lakes, exorbitant standing charges for various utilities and layer upon layer of "managers" in trusts (NHS) to (try to) make things work. Train tickets. Worked well, didn't it?

Few of us produce things anymore, we just shuffle paperwork, adjust spreadsheets or answer phones (sometimes if not in India) and pretend that we are "working". It happened under the Cons as well

"Would you like some British milk with your extremely pricey imported coffee concoction" says the degree qualified Barista. "We have a super deal, coffee and a sandwich for only £9 if you use the app, you're welcome".

More mugs than can be counted fall for it.