UK Conservatives lose popularity after pre-election tax bribe.

The Tories reputation is so far in the gutter that 37% of people surveyed think that their taxes have gone up with the latest budget. This is factually untrue because taxes have been cut. However, the British public is so sick of this party that they don't believe them, even when they are telling the truth! I'm not going to lie, I did chuckle at this one.

I'm not in favour of the tax cuts anyway. The money would be better spent on schools and hospitals but this whole episode just underlined how screwed the Conservative Party is and how certain it is that they will lose the next election.

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SunshineGirl · 36-40, F

The tax cuts are essentially unfunded (they are to be paid for by unspecified "productivity gains" in the public sector) and a pretty spiteful gesture by a party in its way out (Labour will find it politically difficult to reverse them). In real terms, when the freezing of income tax thresholds is taken into account, net tax paid by lowest and highest earners has increased, while middle earners will be slightly better off (but will not feel it and probably will not be putting that saving back into the economy).

If they want a really popular measure that would lead to genuine economic stimulus, increase child benefits and remove the cap on the number of children you can claim for. That way money goes to people who genuinely need it and it gets spent almost immediately and recycled into the wider economy.

Burnley123 · 41-45, M

@SunshineGirl Good points.

There is a looming funding crisis with schools hospitals and councils. They have been stretched thin by the Cameron government, stretched thinner by Covid and a bit more too since then.

Most schools have to run deficit budgets to meet their basic responsibilities. Councils have had 40% cuts in real terms since 2010 and more to follow that they say they literally can't deal with. A few big ones are on the verge of bankruptcy. Hospitals have been better funded but not great and covid knocked them back. Whatever government is in power is going to have to deal with this. Given, the state of the economy, people will have to pay more for the same level of service or just not have things that they expect.

SunshineGirl · 36-40, F

@Burnley123 I have great difficulty in understanding what conservatism stands for these days. So little coherence to their policies, so many contradictions. If they want to be Thatcherites, do it properly and be straight with the electorate over what needs to be sacrificed. But the most radical Tories these days are the ones who seem to be most wedded to government spending.

Burnley123 · 41-45, M

@SunshineGirl It's interesting you say that. Some are right in culture war issues but kind of Keynesian in their outlook (Cummings and Johnson). Some (Truss/Kwarteng) are Us style right libertarians. I think Sunak and Hunt represent continuity Thatcherism. Kind of like the average of where the Tories have been for the last forty or so years.

MartinII · 70-79, M

@SunshineGirl It might even have a modest impact on the birth rate!

MartinII · 70-79, M

@Burnley123 Not by covid itself, but by successive lockdowns, implemented by the government and supported by the opposition.

MartinII · 70-79, M

@SunshineGirl As a conservative myself, I couldn’t have put it better. The only point I would add is that the Conservatives seem to be hooked on banning things. Surely a Conservative government should be about allowing and helping people to do what they want to do - which of course Mrs Thatcher understood.

SunshineGirl · 36-40, F

@MartinII It might well do. In which case there would be less pressure for economic migration, another conservative aspiration.

SunshineGirl · 36-40, F

@MartinII I think this is a tired and directionless party that has imploded and run out of road.

MartinII · 70-79, M

@SunshineGirl I certainly agree with that. I’m not sure I follow your point about economic migration.