1. If Nick thinks our “politics” and “economy” are broken why do we accuse the Conservatives of “sound bites” when they say “society” is broken? Indeed why all of a suden have we pinched there word sounding like little Sir Echo.

2. Andrew is right about jobs. the political class is wedded to consumerist thinking and isn’t brave enought to tell peple we have to move to a recession paradigm. VAT cuts are about keeping consumption going. The funded tax cuts for lower and middle income earners ( sorry he’s changed it to ordinary now) are about keeping consumption going. Both are capable of being shoved in a shoe box under the bed.

We should direct any available spare or borrowed cash into making employment cheaper. Cut/abolish employers NIC.

keeping every last job is paramount. its not just that it keeps money flowing its an anti reposesion strtegy, its a mentalhealth strategy, its an anti crime strategy, its an anti xenophobia strategy, its a family cohesion strategy.

Its understandable that politicans seeking votes want to “put money in peoples pockets” to keep feel good consumerism going but its time for a longer term view.

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

3. The stuff on bank lending is populist and I’m sure reflects real anger in MP’s post bags. You ca put a hand on the tiller on the three nationalised banks but a government bank ? How long would it take to set up ? Would you trust civil servants to run it ?

http://www.lettersfromatory.com

People in work are better able to survive tough times, maintain mortgage payments and keep the economy ticking with their spending. Government should be cutting taxes to support employment. Their temporary VAT tweak has just added to small firms’ administrative costs – assuming they have bothered to adjust prices rather than grab a bit of extra margin.

Our plan to cut 4p off income tax is much stronger, but additional spending isn’t guaranteed – the money might be saved instead – and it won’t reduce business overheads. Jobs are already being shed. We need to help firms to reduce costs as a matter of urgency.

Encouraging bank lending so that businesses can gear-up with more debt – especially to aid cashflow issues – is madness. The solution must be to reduce – or ideally scrap – employers’ NICs, covered by borrowing as necessary short term but replaced by a longer-term tax switch to “value-removing” areas in due course. And there are plenty of those readying themselves to rachet up again as the economy starts to recover – housing (i.e. land) prices and bank deposit creation to name but two.

C’mon Nick – let’s push to cut Employers’ NICs now, and put jobs first!

What does one have to be or do to be classed as ‘ordinary’?”

Surely it’s not that hard to work out – it means “anyone who might vote for us”!

What does one have to be or do to be classed as ‘ordinary’? Can anyone here accurately describe an ‘ordinary’ person? Has anyone ever met one?

Who does the term ‘ordinary’ exclude? Why is failing to be ‘ordinary’ reason not to benefit from any tax cuts?

Under a Liberal Democrat government, will the tax declaration form be redesigned to include the question: “Are you ordinary? YES/NO (delete as applicable)”?

And how does the term ‘ordinary’ square with the commitment, expressed in the preamble to the party’s constitution, that none shall be enslaved by conformity?