What happened to Cameron’s “most pro-growth budget”?


by Sunny Hundal    
9:10 am - March 21st 2012

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In March last year David Cameron said Osborne would unveil the “most pro-growth this country has seen for a generation”.

He also said:

So you want to know my strategy for growth? When people say ‘spend lots more money’ I say forget it – Labour spent it all. There’s only one strategy for growth we can have now… and that is rolling up our sleeves and doing everything possible to make it easier for people to start a business to grow a businesses.

Today is Budget Day again. Will the media ask him what happened why the last budget didn’t work?

Will they allow him to blame the Eurozone again, even though its impact was minimal?

Will they allow him to blame the Royal Wedding? The snow? Strike action?

The Tories have managed this time around to stoke such a frenzy about taxation that almost no one has asked the key questions:

- Will Osborne try anything different from last time to get Britain moving?

- Why did his last budget fail so badly?

- Will this be the new most pro-growth budget? And what if the targets are not met?

Much of what is announced today will generate acres of coverage. But will it help the 99% or just the top 1%?

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Story Filed Under: Blog ,Economy


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Reader comments


1. Joe

Suprisingly enough it was bullshit.

2. Man on Clapham Omnibus

Have to wait and see i guess

3. paulnewman

Sunny you know the sort of pathetic drunk who is still crying into his beer that he was right when everyone else has gone home. Thats what this is like.

Here is my critique

Whatever mate, whatever ….

4. Chris

No-one is asking because they wouldn’t get a proper answer anyway.

The coalition didn’t have a growth strategy which is probably a good thing in some ways since there hasn’t been growth. No-one can claim that their plans failed since there weren’t any other than crossing fingers and rolling up their sleeves.

5. Bob B

I detect much more media discussion about “the Granny Tax” in the Budget than about the Patent Box and wonder if we have altogether sensible policy priorities:

The Patent Box will mean that eligible profits from worldwide sales of products protected by a granted UK or European patent will be taxed at only 10 per cent from April 2013, compared to the standard 24 per cent rate.
http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/channels/small-business-finance/news/2094358/budget-2012-patent-box-praised-by-smes.thtml

Btw I’m a pensioner and looking forward to the increase in the state pension.

6. Luis Enrique

Tim Hartford’s column, on what an economist would do in Osbourne’s place, is worth reading:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/08dc977c-735b-11e1-9014-00144feab49a.html#axzz1pqK6iNfH

7. Bob B

Martin Wolf’s assessment of the Budget in Thursday’s FT is pretty scathing:

A Budget of no economic significance
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/207ef586-71e5-11e1-90b5-00144feab49a.html#axzz1q4jjHZmJ


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    What happened to Cameron's "most pro-growth budget"? http://t.co/enFUp9H9

  2. Rory Hegarty

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  3. Lee Hyde

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  4. leftlinks

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  5. Lambeth NUT

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  6. Jason Brickley

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  7. sunny hundal

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  8. Patron Press - #P2

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  9. DPWF

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  10. Davina Williams

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  12. Lynda Constable

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  13. Bern O'Donoghue

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  14. Napier Bones

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  15. D MacGille-Mhuire

    RT @libcon: What happened to Cameron's "most pro-growth budget"? http://t.co/TtQ9MJOJ

  16. John McNeill

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  17. Andrew Burgess

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  18. Massimo Gibilaro

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  19. BevR

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  20. Liza Harding

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  21. dolly daydream

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  22. Sean Mulhern

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  23. leespr13

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  24. Simon Jones

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  25. Robert Morgan

    Good question. “@libcon: What happened to Cameron's "most pro-growth budget"? http://t.co/b0F8VGzj”

  26. David Marsden

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  27. Dominic Newbould

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  28. Nick McCarthy

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  29. Elaine

    What happened to Cameron's "most pro-growth budget"? http://t.co/enFUp9H9

  30. Jay Nathan

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  31. Girl Interrupted

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  32. Raheela_K

    What happened to Cameron’s claims last year of "the most pro-growth budget"? Will anyone ask him why that didn't work? http://t.co/sfkKhm0D

  33. Alex Braithwaite

    What happened to Cameron’s “most pro-growth budget”? | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/88fWeBYp via @libcon





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