the TUC says the public won't stomach the cuts because they are regressive, unfair and let the rich off the hook

[harpsichordcarrier]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11276452

a little poll-tax style civil disobedience?
can you anticipate this happening?
can you anticipate joining in?

I thought the IHT threshold reduction was a potential winner but it's gone and unlikely to return when everyone's looking for £££s. There's some statistic about comparing the % of households that will have to stump up death tax today compared with 10 or 20 years ago.... it's quite alarming. IHT used to be something the nobility had to sell off old masters to finance after his lordship kicked the bucket. Now that the average home is worth £150k, it's mostly Labour's beloved 'hard working families' that are getting caught up in.

Chil - I think we discussed that in the run up to the actual election.

By that point Labour were (as you said) making political capital from 'the tax breaks for Dave's millionaire mates' line. But looking closely at the numbers - IHT appeared to be a tax on middle income home owners (especially those who died suddenly). Maybe Labour thought Osborne's plan would appeal to a section of key labour voters?

To me - it just illustrates New Labour's uneasy relationship with tax. They were keen to do the spending - but not honest confident enough to persuade us to pay for it.

sorry, but going back a bit here and not related to the current discussion as it has turned today, but...

Mr Elms, who runs a school of 400 pupils, was paid a basic salary of £82,714 last year apparently [according to bbc]. The rest was back pay for over time [covering 2 years worth]and one project related to his field. there is a cap on headteachers pay of around 109k i understand.

as for Francis Maude being so and mighty about 'public duty' and working for the love of it? he was paid more than £6,000-a-day for his work as an adviser to Barclays Bank on top of his earnings as an MP.

If MP's are allowed to take up second jobs, so why not other public workers, such as Elms? At least Elms is doing something actually worth while. He was chosen to do that job as he had the expertise and he succeeded. just as someone in the private sector might get a bonus for earning their company lots of money, he got paid for helping young disadvantaged children get on, who otherwise, would not have/will not. I know which I would reward more generously.

There wouldn't be lots of private sector workers who could fill Elms role as his is specialised as is most of the work done by the public sector. you can't be a salesman for double glazing and then decide overnight to be a head for example. just as a head couldn't suddenly run a hospital. There are more graduates in the public sector than private, a more specialised workforce, it is just not that simple imo.

lego - is he the one who was on Panorama? He looked like he had earned every penny. As had the police commissioner up in the north-east.