- "the one genuine example of 'political correctness' is the one that stops us from saying 'racist' to describe racism" http://bit.ly/dnL8mD #
- Yet another entry in the LONG 'reasons to loathe and despise #Singapore' file: http://bit.ly/aORW6Z #
- Metrics on Times paywall experiment: http://bit.ly/blw5gi – in short, web paywall FAIL, iPad paid app WIN. Or "the Guardian was right" #
- Crystal-ball-extrapolating: written news articles & blog content to remain free; ever-swishier paid apps to be created… #
- Great piece from Gary Younge on #torycuts. Irrespective of your ideology, it's simply correct: http://bit.ly/a0GrvG #
- You can legitimately say "I want less redistribution of wealth and a smaller state", but not "we have to shrink the state", cos it's a lie #
- Oh, and that one was via @chickyog (bloody 140 limits, etc) #
- #EDL are the racist ones and #EDF are the nucular ones #mentalnotes #
- Motorola gives up: http://bit.ly/97e19R #
- It's weird, normally it's British co's that invent a thing, don't do anything with it, and then other people win at it… #
- OK, tweeters – anyone (even People With Very Real Concerns About Migration) want to make the case for this? http://dlvr.it/2nRqc #
- A good Lord these days is hard to find: http://bit.ly/9xUkVv (via @copyrightgirl) #
- Insane Europhobic myths' Tom Lehrer moment: http://bit.ly/a34ju1 @nosemonkey @jonworth #
- RT @simontkey: A man is looking for the word that's in between contemporary & context in the dictionary. I have nothing but contempt for him #
- When my brane isn't busted w/financial advisor and health food data (freelance grr), I'll write a real article on online media economics #
- I'm #proudofthebbc because, really, FFS – it's aces, and anyone who's ever spent time outside of the UK couldn't fail to notice this #
- Odd article: http://bit.ly/cHhTBU – apparently BP should compensate people for loss of earnings *whilst also paying their wages* – eh? #
- I wish people wouldn't eat parmesan-based foodstuffs in the office #smellslikepuke #
- American tech writers still really don't have a clue about cellular wireless communications, do they? – http://bit.ly/c5Nyu9 #
- phil_q I reckon 15 smaller than AU, rest bigger (haven't looked it up, but only ones I'm not sure are CA and NL – *think* they're smaller) #
- A whale of fhale? Is there something noteworthy occurring? Surely everyone in the populated, Anglophone world's still in bed…? #
- I absolutely 100% salute @cardiffairport's decision to ban sproglets under 10 from their lounge, much as it upset Mrs @alandavies1 #
- If there was an airline that banned young kids, I'd fly with them every bloody time. Constant screaming = not something of which I'm a fan. #
- It ought to be illegal *not* to point out that #Scientology is an evil, sinister, stupid, fraudulent cult: http://bit.ly/cLJbK5 #disgrace #
- One day, we'll all fall over midgets. http://twitpic.com/26y0eg #
- Advert on my bus says "you can beat alcohol". This is lies: you can't beat alcohol… #
- On the bus. Not at the trivia. This makes me a grumpy John. #
- OK, so irony just won: a license to print money isn't, in fact, a license to print money: http://bit.ly/bDvebZ #
- Dear Mark Thompson: can you fix it so that for only gbp146 a year, foreign residents can get all BBC channels on t'Internet? #proudofthebbc #
- As a leftie but also an economist: Ireland's debt's been downgraded because rating agencies are concerned about the breakup of the euro #
- …due to previously not (as) expected Spanish and Greek fails. Not due to the Irish budget cuts. #
- The UK budget cuts are stoopid, but anyone who cites bond ratings or yields as a reason for or against them is an eejit. #
- IKEA just won the "wine glass propelled off 1m high desk to floor without smashing" game. IKEA is better than any expensive suppliers… #
- Bed. Enjoy everything, everyone. Don't say I didn't tell you so. #
- Good piece from @felixsalmon on wine-snobbery vs wine fun: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66J12X20100720 #
- His aside on the way US culture means kids grow up without ever tasting wine, & implications for later life, is particularly interesting. #
- Goldman Sachs reporting EBITDAF, where 'F' is fines – http://bit.ly/aid6y6 – maybe BP should do the same… #
- RT @squeakaz HAHAHAHAHA my neighbour has locked himself out. silly old man! This has made me lol for first time is 3 days! #
- RT @mpesce Have locked myself out of my flat. This is what happens when I rush. :( #
- Coincidence, or something a little more sinister? #
- I wonder who's lying here, and why? http://bit.ly/aWhApQ – this sort of thing literally does not happen, at least not in the way described #
- My best guess is that the posh walkers got some verbal abuse from the chavs and rather daftly had a go back at them, but ICBW. #
- OK, she's clever & they're a young company, but I don't think Facebook were wise to hire an 8-year-old as their lawyer: http://bit.ly/99H9og #
- This is bloody good -> RT @TheFirmOnline Editor's blog. The art of distraction over the Pan Am 103 fiasco- http://tinyurl.com/37e8l7m #
- Wow, babybarista's dad is officially excellent RT @babybarista: Lovely letter in Indy from my Dad Rob the Rubbish! http://bit.ly/dCa5aa #
- Grad tax advocates: why should a rich lawyer who went to uni pay more tax forever (once fees paid off) than a rich salesman? I don't get it. #
- Note to Americans: the Megrahi decision was entirely down to the Scotch, and the Dutch courage (gag ruthlessly stolen from elsewhere) #
- Alternative to grad tax: send fliers to all 6th forms saying "student loan isn't debt, as you don't have to pay it back unless you're rich" #
- Teenage kicks right through the knight: http://bit.ly/9lulcm #obvious #shouldabeenpeel #
- Fuck, apparently Peter Andre is British (UK born and passport, just grew up in Aus). Yet another thing we can't shift the blame for… #
- Good piece; can be shortened to "no, of course not, duh" RT @Heresy_Corner Was it wrong to release Megrahi? http://bit.ly/cy59W3 #
- Cillit Bang and French's buy Durex: http://bit.ly/9scCbg (via @annieauerbach @DrPetra, but the French's connection has been neglected) #
- Thank fuck for that: http://bit.ly/bNYTYG #reallystupidideas #
- You just haven't earned it yet, baby #weddingdisco #
- I Write Sins Not Tragedies #weddingdisco http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc6vs-l5dkc #
- I've mentioned Nurofen twice on Twitter in the last 30 mins, despite not having a headache. Well, 3x now. Take that, text analysis bots! #
- I keep reading refs to this http://yhoo.it/a4qill as "cancelled lesbian pr0n" #shouldprobablyseekhelp @greygirlbeast @adamfishpoet #
- "[relative I've never met] is on vaginal speculum countdown" – yes, thank you Mr Zuckerberg for bringing that to my life. #fb #fml #
- Depressing thing: although this is awful and wrong – http://bit.ly/c9n9rV the UK does it already. #yestryingtobecomecitizenofsomewherebetter #
- Australians: on citizenship revocation, any idea re "it would be contrary to the public interest for you to remain an Australian citizen"? #
- Not personal deportation concerns, just wondering whether it's a stupid catch-all as in the UK, or whether people's rights are protected… #
- Been ignoring this one all day because *triggers*, but surely nobody who isn't mad can support the court here? http://tinyurl.com/3xay2zg #
- I like @CheerfulSheep. At this point, @chrissiem may make jokes about my heritage. That's OK, I've got a new white sweater for her to wear. #
- Interesting: unless specific politicians or hashtags are mentioned, there's no way to tell between #ukpolitics and #auspolitics in my feed #
- #deficit #infrastructure #cuts #railfail #refugees "there's no such thing as an 'unelected PM' you ignorant tit" "the Coalition are wankers" #
- You can see why I struggle, right? #alsothenextPMwillbebornintheUKwhoevertheyare #
- To the tune of Laid by James, please -> RT @emessen220: The club is alive with the sound of alcohol induced vomiting and bar fights. #
- OMFG geeklives converge. Everything today features geeklife convergence. #
- Haha, Mother Ted win: http://twitpic.com/4nsh1 (via @cheerfulsheep) #
- Peter Hartcher has missed the third element in population growth: deaths. Logically, JG must be planning to kill us all http://bit.ly/alDzdl #
- Either you believe in open borders, or you're a racist dickhead #harshfacts #
- Drinking pale ale. Almost wish it was off so I could tweet #palealefale #
- Amanda Fucking Palmer for the win (musically speaking): http://music.amandapalmer.net #
- On a Western Line city train. Nothing boganic has occurred so far. Sleeping Indian man behind me remains unbeaten. What gives, people? #
- RT @ArmyofDave: RT @davegentle: @ArmyofDave how much do cockneys pay for shampoo? pantenne #
- Still not in fucking Parramatta #stillnotinfuckingparramatta #
- Best "man goes to a Victorian brothel" sketch ever, from @realdmitchell: http://bit.ly/aopDct #
- In Melbourne with @chrissiem. Woo! Well, strictly speaking in a bus surrounded by fields somewhere not especially near Geelong. Yay Jetstar! #
- RT @missellabell: I absolutely just saw one black sheep on its own in a field of white ones. THE OUTCAST. #
- Rainfuckw #replacebowithfuck #
- Have utterly failed to see @stephenfry, despite ticket offers for Syd & Mel – sadly we're in the opposite cities from him at all times. :( #
- RT @5ChinCrack: This winter, I'm going snowfuckarding #replaceBowithfuck #
- Google image search (safe mode) for 'surprise buttsecks'. Is teh funny. #
- RT @thetearooms: Saying 'duff' for 'dough' and 'row' for 'rough.' Making Saturday exciting. #
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"Great piece from Gary Younge on #torycuts. Irrespective of your ideology, it's simply correct"
+
"The left must show this for the elective surgery it is: cuts born of ideology, where the many pay for a crisis created by the rich"
= Fail.
Can't be arsed to do any more than that over the net. By the by, get in touch or I'll call down the curse of the Spanky Lesbian Pixie Wenches upon you.
Eh? There has been a recession. The government has a deficit, but not one severe enough that it's having any trouble at all borrowing money at favourable rates to fund the deficit.
The decision whether to:
1) deal with the deficit through short-term borrowing and longer-term tax rises, increasing the state's share of taxation to match its current share of spending;
2) deal with the deficit through short-term borrowing, limited medium-term spending cuts, and long-term growing state spending slower than GDP growth, compromising between current levels of taxation and spending;
or:
3) deal with the deficit through immediate, major cuts in state spending
…is completely ideological. You might well believe that 3 is right; I certainly believe that the people who support 1 are wrong; but the coalition's claim that the economic situation *only* leaves them option 3, and that the tax cuts aren't a reflection of their ideological beliefs about the level and nature of services the state should provide, is nonsense.
There are, I fully admit, decent arguments for going for option 2 although I would in any case tend to go for 3 on the basis that the government does far too many things that it has no business doing at all. Therefore you can make some cuts, (real ones, as in getting rid of some civil servants and specific services), and help reduce the deficit at the same time.
However, the big bad bastard to refute argument in favour of 3 is that in reality, if you go for 2 you will at best end up with 1. I think it was on one of the tube projects where someone pointed out that yes they could do X and it would only add 0.25% to the budget but that the problem was that everything was only 0.25 of the budget. If you are not willing to cut in a way that is both deep and structural then you will end up with no cuts at all.
As to the above I was merely pointing out that "Irrespective of your ideology" and "cuts born of ideology" don't go together very well.
I wouldn't necessarily disagree with anything you say above [too complex for blog comments at this time of night] – but Younge's piece was arguing against the Tory spin that the current cuts are *necessary* rather than *a choice which may or may not be the right one, primarily dependent on your ideological beliefs about the role and size of the state*. They are the latter; that is simply true.
I get the point but I'm far from sure. One of the reasons that the government is not "having any trouble at all borrowing money at favourable rates to fund the deficit." is because they are clearly dealing with it, (or appearing to do so), and doing so fast enough to convince the markets that they are a good risk.
It is quite possible that only the fact that they are not taking the path of "cuts later" that gives them good enough credit to take that path at all.
Might well be nonsense but it has a certain entertaining symmetry.
1 – Is any serious person suggesting this ? According to the IFS taxation in this country is already beyond the curve at which it starts to lose revenue at the top end and further tax rises have to come from the broad middle . This goes down to surprisingly low levels and truth of it is shown by the fact that when confronted with the real problem all Parties reached for VAT a regressive tax
Tax is about say 35% of GDP paying the increase in national debt , we need a nominal increase in GDP of approx 85bn .We need approx 5% growth just for that
Conclusion: You and your Nazi mates do talk some arse John You are suggesting this fantasy only to make your socialist cobblers appear moderate
2 That’s what we are doing , there is little option sadly as New Labour raised taxes that would have to be paid long after they were gone. it’s a question n of how much of each though
3 Cuts will not effect until next year and anyway this is a inch by inch battle not a switch to flick…
Clearly ideology is present in any decision but you have hugely misrepresented any administrations freedom to manoeuvre. The ideology does not come into the decision about what is required it effects the ability to deliver it .
…On interest rates , oh for fuck`s sake so now you think that markets are always right and not subject to sudden correction. Doh ..