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| George Osborne is a lucky man. Even with a disastrous economic policy and a set of facial expressions designed for radio, the press give him an easy ride. He is charmed. Unfortunately, his economic agenda is not. He returned to the Commons for a spending review on Wednesday with much of the press still portraying him as a master tactician – a reputation he has struggled to justify over the last three years. The Evening Standard even had a choice of three different pro-Osborne covers for readers to choose from. There was plenty of grumbling about the state of the UK economy, but very little serious questioning of his strategy. Even Labour appeared to accept the basic tenants of fiscal conservatism – for the next few years at least. That gave the chancellor the advantage of being able to paint the opposition's criticism of his agenda as incoherent, even as the election strategist part of his brain will have been crestfallen by the party's commitment not to borrow more for day-to-day spending. He was keen to paint Labour as proliferate but the party's plan only to borrow for capital investment chimes too closely with his own agenda for him to be able to do much damage with it. Married couples tax allowance was off the table, but Osborne did throw some red meat to Tory backbenchers with the last bit of his spending review. Job seekers allowance would not be paid for the first week after unemployment, those who couldn't speak English would need to take classes before claiming welfare and people would have to check in at the job centre once a week rather than once a fortnight if they wanted to keep their payments. Some government departments fared better than others. Schools and hospitals were ring-fenced for reasons of political survival. Spies even got a spending boost, presumably because they have more photos of him with ladies of the night. Every time Osborne broke the news of how badly a department was going to get stripped down (usually between eight and ten per cent) he threw a little cherry on top. Defra lost out, but got guaranteed flood defences. The Department for Local Government lost out (badly) but council tax was frozen for two years. Osborne is a very political chancellor. He knows which buttons to push and how to give an abysmal document a bit of PR massage. He makes sure there is ample comedy relief in his horror movie. Look closer and the story gets worse. Osborne is now firmly in Gordon Brown territory with the various financial and semantic tricks he plays on big ticket occasions. The worst culprit was infrastructure spending, which he unveiled in gross, not net, terms – a rather dubious decision given the impact of deterioration at this level. He very clearly gave the impression of unveiling new money, but it was not. It was old money, pre-announced, reheated and served up again with garnish. A later statement from Danny Alexander waxed lyrical about "the most comprehensive, ambitious and long-lasting capital investment plans this country has ever known" but it could only do so by looking ahead to plans for 2020. In 2015/16 - the period the spending review covered - infrastructure investment would actually be down in real terms. By the time the dust had settled we were in much the same place as we were before. The economy was stagnant with no ideas to revive it. The deficit reduction plan had taken a two-year holiday. The chancellor still looked as if he had not seen a sunny day since he entered No.11. The next round of cuts, for the period following 2015/16, were set to be particularly brutal, like squeezing a lemon until the pips squeak, then taking those pips and squeezing them until they're in lots of little pieces, and then getting a hammer and smashing them down to dust. Whichever party doesn't win the general election can at least content itself that it won't be delivering that spending review. Oh, and Osborne had a meal in central London which cost a tenner. For many people, that was the real outrage. Best of news...Cameron rules out immigrant amnesty David Cameron has shot down calls from a prominent Tory MP for illegal immigrants to be given an amnesty. Boris leadership hopes hammered by new poll The public consider Boris Johnson the most likeable politicians in Britain but they do not believe he would make a better prime minister than David Cameron, a new poll suggests. From nowhere, a British power cuts crisis looms Mothballed fossil fuel power stations may be brought back online to counter a short-term energy supply crisis, it emerged today. Shale gas cash won't all go to affected communities Local residents affected by shale gas wells will see some of their cash payouts handed to county-wide bodies instead, it has been confirmed. Poll: Young people turn decisively against religion Young people in Britain have turned against religion, with many considering it a source of evil, a new poll suggests. Kick Ass violence: Scottish writer hits out at Jim Carrey epiphany A Scottish comic book writer has hit out at Jim Carrey after the Hollywood star effectively disowned a film he was starring in because of its violence. Young Australians turn against democracy The majority of Australian voters do not believe that democracy is the best political system, a troubling new poll has found. Best of Comment and AnalysisComment: We must be allowed to return home to the Chagos Islands A planned UK marine park does not change the fact that the Chagossian people have always been the guardians of Chagos Islands. Podcast: Britain's energy crossroads It's decision time for Britain's energy debate. Not in the next week or so, or even the next few months. But in the next ten years or so, when our politicians will be making a series of crunch decisions that will determine the nature of the UK's energy mix for much of the next century. Comment: Religion is in decline – so why are people so well behaved? Surveys show religious belief is in terminal decline - so where is this moral vacuum everyone warned us about? Comment: Shale gas is a risk worth taking Fracking triggers earthquakes and hammers down local house prices - but a plentiful supply of cheap gas could make it worthwhile. Comment: The Met's Stephen Lawrence outrage is the just the tip of the iceberg Reports of a spying operation on Stephen Lawrence's family are just the latest in a string of scandals which have stained the reputation of British policing. Comment: The decline of religion will make us a less welcoming society Tragedies like the Woolwich killing are making us more suspicious of religion - but the path to secularism contains many dangers. Comment: Discriminatory, immoral & damaging to British interests – just another Theresa May policy The home secretary's immigration policy damages Britain's trade relations and portrays an ugly image across the world. The political week onlineThe Political Week Online: British economy still burgered George Osborne's spending review went down like a mouthful of rare gourmet beef in wholegrain mustard. The podcastPodcast: Britain's energy crossroads It's decision time for Britain's energy debate. Not in the next week or so, or even the next few months. But in the next ten years or so, when our politicians will be making a series of crunch decisions that will determine the nature of the UK's energy mix for much of the next century. | BFAWU video: Why join our trade union? BFAWU: No more Bedroom Tax deathsBenefit Justice campaigners everywhere are sad and bitter at the heartbreaking death of Stephanie Bottrill. The Government's attack on benefits must not be allowed to kill another person. Britain’s Sexual Revolution - a talk by Dr Matt CookGalha, the LGBT section of the BHA presents a special meeting to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. NASUWT: Parents, teachers and the public rally for educationAs part of a campaign to defend the education of children and young people, parents, teachers, headteachers, governors and other members of the public will be taking part on Saturday (11 May) in the next series of Rallies for Education following the hugely successful events in the North West on 27 April. Voice calls on Nick Clegg to stand firm and block adult-child ratio changesVoice: the union for education professionals – which represents nursery staff and nannies – has welcomed reports that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will block changes to adult-child ratios in childcare. CIOB: Skills shortages still a concern for faltering construction industryResults from the 2013 skills audit from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) indicate that the construction industry is still suffering from skills shortages. IET on Queen's Speech: Commitment needed for entire HS2 routeA lack of commitment from the Government for the entire route of the HS2 line means that this vital infrastructure project risks being developed in isolation, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has warned. NUT on Queen’s Speech: Many teachers "in despair"Commenting on today’s Queen’s Speech, setting out the programme of Government legislation, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said: NASUWT on Queen's Speech: Mesothelioma bill welcomeCommenting on the announcement within the Queen’s Speech that the Government intends to bring forward a Mesothelioma Bill before Parliament, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union said. “This announcement is welcome in that it is at least as sign that historic exposure to asbestos is at last being taken seriously." ESRC: How family conflict affects childrenNew research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) reveals why some children are badly affected by negative family conflicts while other children survive without significant problems. |
