Sep 22 2008
Normal service resumes
After an unexpectedly pleasant weekend, the sun shone for two days in a row, it’s back to normal service for Monday morning! The sun has gone away. Still, I’m in a quiet office in a pleasant rural location and the dog’s asleep under the desk. Makes me almost forget that my pension plan has been shot to hell over the past year and my house is probably worth bugger all.
The doom-mongers are out in force, it’s the end of the World as we know it with rising inflation and the end of Capitalism on the horizon. Of course, it won’t matter much because if rising inflation doesn’t get us then rising sea levels will.
It’s comforting, then, that some things never change like politicians being unable to tell fact from fiction or give a straight answer as demonstrated by Alistair Darling on Breakfast this morning. Asked by Bill Turnbull whether taxes would be raised to pay for increased public spending the Chancellor wriggled like a well-hooked fish. It was a simple question and deserved a simple answer, yes or no. Did we get that? No, what we got was jibber-jabber. It’s high time politics became a lot more transparent and our representatives a lot more accountable instead of acting, and looking, like a bunch of self-serving spivs.
BT: Will you increase income tax to pay for the increase in borrowing?
AD: This is not the time to be imposing additional burdens and I really don’t think I can make the position any clearer than that.
BT: I don’t understand. Will you increase income tax to pay for the increase in borrowing? Yes or No.
AD: This is not the time to be imposing additional burdens and indeed actually, this month, the vast majority of basic rate taxpayers, the 22 million people, are actually getting a tax rebate, a tax cut… I really don’t think I can make the position any clearer than that. Basic rate taxpayers are receiving a tax cut.
BT: Perhaps I’m not clever enough to understand. Will you increase income tax to pay for the increase in borrowing? Yes or No.
AD: This is not the time to be imposing additional burdens and I really don’t think I can make the position any clearer than that.
BT: I don’t see how you can borrow money without repaying it back, so we’ll have to agree to differ
Thanks Jules, that’s how I remember it too. I’ve been looking at this now for a couple of days and it still makes no sense at all.
So, Mr Darling, just what is your position?
What about:
‘Having considered all the definitions of position I have concluded that it would be unsafe to take a position on this matter as, at some point in the future, I may have to review my position on a related matter which may affect my position on this matter. I have, therefore, decided not to take a position on this matter at this point but I reserve the right to take a position in the future. I do not believe that this decision will necessarily affect any position(s), on any matters, that I have taken in the past or may take in the future. I am unable to confirm or deny that I have taken any positions on anything to date…’