What a surprise... seems Gordon's tax and spend policies aren't going so well for some people.

[uwila]

record numbers go bust

I think that the banks' and credit card companies' ridiculous propensity to lend stupid amounts of money to all and sundry probably has more to do with it than Gordon.

I'm so shocked, uwila.

Of course, ALL people who go bust or have debt problems do so because they are spendthrifts who are irresponsible with money and live extravagant lifestyles.

It's NEVER because Labour policies have made it impossible for them to make ends meet on their salary of buttons in relation to soaring taxes and costs of living.

Oh, no. It's all their fault for not being as clever as all the I'm Alright Jacks.

Right?

Do you? I suppose that a factor. But I think people are driven to desperation because they don't have enough to live on after they pay huge morgage/rent, energy bills, and childcare. So they a borrow, get in trouble, borrow more to get out of trouble, then one day they realise they are in so deep they seek help, and someone convinces them they can go bankrupt and all will be rosie again -- and so they do.

Crossed posts, Expat.

Just doing my part to give Gordon Brown some bad press (which is of course deserved)

It doesn't take digging to hard to come up with that, uwila.

Outside Edinburgh and perhaps his own constituency, there's not much love for him in a lot of parts up here.

I had better not get drawn into an argument about it.

Suffice to say that I am seeing good aspects of tax and spend. In particular, the amount of help available for my DS3 (aged 2.7, now getting portage and SALT) is just amazing compared to what was available five years ago when we were fighting battles for DS1. Directly down to extra cash available thanks to GB, afaik.

I'm not really up on your sons needs, and only have a vague idea of what SALT is. So, perhaps you need the money. But, overally, he is damaging the country and it's economy. I believe he is sending us into a recession. (which isn't entirely bad because it may lead to housing market crash and I'm all for that )

SALT is speech and language therapy.

I don't believe that he's destroying the economy. Your evidence for that?

I think the taxes are getting so high that people don't have enough to live on and we are at the very begining of a delcine. I think intereste rates are going to rise, and more and more people are going to have to come to terms with their inability to pay their bills. Life is too expensive for the average person. And people are going bust.

Is it really the tax burden that cripples people, though? I would have thought that blimmin' sky high property prices and consequential enormous mortgage payments were more of a problem for most people.

That and shitey employers getting off with paying people a pittance instead of a living wage .

Like Goldman Sachs bankers getting obscene bonuses when cleaning staff are living in poverty.

It's the late 80s all over again.

Anyone seen how the economy and fashion worlds go hand in hand???!! High house prices = bold sweater dresses/footless tights = interest rates going through the roof = new govt!

DH and I have fairly good jobs, but i just feel taxed at every turn, we have very little left over after all the essentials are paid for. i don't mind paying if I see results - I think schools are better than ever, but so much money is wasted on needless beuracracy. I think it is all going to end in tears. I cannot see GB being PM for long once he does take over the reins. I find his slackjawed talking repulsive!

Yes, but of course I haven't seen the government taking any action on that house price problem either. Why not? Why don't they give incentives to build more properties?

Am I missing something here? Tax rates have not increased since Labour has been in power. Working families tax credits mean (afaik) that many families are not actually paying tax on what they earn. Stamp duty is frightening, but doesn't affect all of the people all of the time. What other taxes are you concerned about?

He raised NI at the very least. And what value have we seen in return? He taked north sea oil and caused a lot of job loss as a result. He's always raising taxes.

Council tax has gone up and up, food prices are going up, interest rates are going up. We are taxed at source, taxed on everything we buy from insurance to road tax - which has also gone up, taxed on taking a plane. Squeezed from all sides.

My perception is that lots of things have improved - my post about better availability of SALT was just an example. But I would agree that Labour still hasn't done enough to lift the very poorest families out of poverty.

But I am old and remember how much worse things were under the Tories, whine whine.

Sheraz, food prices haven't gone up and up. Air fares are much cheaper now than they were 10 or 15 years ago. Interest rates are no longer under the control of the Government.

I agree thateducation is better than ever, ares of the NHS are vastly better. But so many people are employed by the state now it cannot be sustained. We have no industry to speak of. Our whole economy is based around banking/ finance and public service sector jobs.

How about this one. Greedy bugger. Just because people haven't touched their money for 15 years... it suddenly becomes the posession of Gordon Brown!

here

Food hs def got more expensive due to increasing transport costs.

Our cost of living has risen SOOOO much just in the past 5 years.

We can barely stay afloat.

Just got a notice from our power company that they're putting up our direct debit. AGAIN.

Can't do all that much about it because it's a rental with electric storage heaters.

Our rent is going up up up.

Everything just seems to be rising high when compared against our wages.

Maybe that's everywhere, we don't know.

But it's getting pretty tiresome.

our wages never seem to go up either how can we afford more council tax rises?

And don't forget he supports the watr in Iraq.

I think that sounds like a load of rubbish, Uwila, but who knows, dafter things have been proposed...

I agree about power costs - bloody scandalous - mine are horrendous too - but how can you lay them at Gordon's door?