The Message Meter - Gordon Brown's Budget

The Message Meter is back. This time we're testing Gordon Brown's Budget to see your reaction to his speech.

You'll be watching a fairly short series of clips from the speech and a couple of clips from the opposition pointing out some of the downsides of the Budget.

How will you rate these different ideas? Simply by moving your mouse left and right as the clips progress, you will be able to give your view.

Click here to get started.

Comments

[The Stig]

Why do the government tax us on things they earn greatest out of , If i decided tomorrow to forget the car i would buy no fuel , no tax and nothing for my car to be taxed on parts etc , I think this country sucks big balls and yes i am british but NOT proud to be it .

[joe black]

This so-called budget sucks.
when you consider the amount of new stelf tax that was put on the tax payer in 2006, this budget does very little to compensate the working class, those in poverty, single parents and home owners. It unfortunate that the British tax payer do not understand that because we are governed by Brussle, our politishtions interest seams to be more for europe and NOT!! for Brtain or it's citizons. Politition like Brown and Blair should be beaten and driven from their jobs.

[David White]

As a std. pensioner, obviously the 10p rate going up to 20p is of an order of deviousness that one suspects is always there.
The armed forces increase would not have been necessary if they had not got us into this dreadful mess.
My father was a Fabian and WEA scholar.
Thus I have always tended to be left of centre.
Not this time I fear.

Re Gordon Browm as PM. Is there not a "Peter's Principle" that states people are some times elevated to the level of their own incompetence.
I fear!
Rgds.
David W

[Joseph, The Netherlands]

Typical political spin, the budget does not really help anyone apart from the Treasury.

Mr Brown has given with one hand, and with the other he has taken back, this is hardly a good sign for honesty if he becomes Prime Minister.

I believe that all Prime Ministers must have experience in working in the Private Sector before being allowed to run our country, it is not good enough to have started in local government and other political organisations, this hardly gives them an insight into the 'common man/woman'.

So for Gordon, my marks are 4/10, Cameron 6/10 and rather surprising at least to me, I give Ming 7/10.

[Dick]

Increasing corporation tax on small businesses has just lost him the election. So much for his aspirations for a US style enterprise economy.

[Mr White]

Another synical attempt by this this Govt to fool the British public. A budget that shuffles numbers and attempts to portray good news where there is none. Beyond the spin all that is certain is that the 'usual suspects' are 'clobbered' with the topical favourite - motorists taking the biggest hit. Its so depressing. GB as PM we all now know what is coming next.

[Adam Webb]

A 2p cut to income tax!? I like how it's always in the future these incentives / compensations, within tax is always in the future, and the beneficial tax to the treasury, is implemented with immediate effect...

[Allan Lee]

There have been so many stories of Brown's psychological flaws and looking at Brown on tv I believe the stories - he looks timid and shifty. He is reputed to be very clever but I have never seen any evidence of that and when I see Ed Balls his right hand man on tv I am deeply unimpressed. The newspapers were right: the budget is a trick, an obvious and unsubtle sleight of hand that will fool nobody - except Gordon Brown. This fat ugly and unintelligent fool obviously believes we are all as stupid as he is himself.

[Akram]

Gordon 2p cut was great publicity even if there is no overall cut in tax. It completely wrong footed Cameron. A clever political move. I'd say thats Brown 1, Cameron 0.

[Philip Burgess]

It is quite evident that Gordon Brown wants to control. Govt has become increasingly intrusive and affects decisions in all areas of life. Tax has increased to such a level, that by applying largesse to his favoured, groups, organisations, local authorities, hospial trusts etc, influence can be excercised, without I might add formal requests being made. The recipients of taxpayers money keep silent in order to protect their positions and maintain the flow of funds.
The paradox is, that if there were no politicians the country would not grind to a halt.

[Peter]

2p cut in income tax - hurrah!
oops - 10p lower rate disappears - net result worse off.

I am a small business owner. 2p cut in corporation tax - hurrah!
oops - 3p increase in small business corporation tax - net result worse off.

Mr Brown, why are you making me subsidise BP (profits £35 billion) - are they a bit strapped for cash at the moment, and you think small businesses are rolling in it?

Do you really think we are so stupid to fall for your "tax cut" lie?

If you insult people, they remember - wait until election time, and enjoy the short spell in number 10 before the inevitable landslide defeat.

By the way, will you then show some decency and resign, or will you remain true to your character and say it is all someone else's fault?

[David Evans]

Year after year we have been deceived by this Chancellor; it has become essential therefore to wait for expert analysts to interpret what his budget actually delivers - a case of 'more than once bitten hence thrice shy!'

At the despatch box Brown appeared to ‘win the battle’ but expert analysis coupled with his overall record means that, for most thinking people, he has already ‘lost the war’. This fellow can’t be trusted to spend our money wisely and so should not be trusted with wider powers as Prime Minister. As a retired Naval Officer I am appalled by the prospect of having him in charge of our Armed Forces - Blair is bad enough.

[Brian Peddie]

I fear that Gordon Brown has simply confirmed my view that he has significant shortcomings, viz.

1) he wants to control everything, and what is worse thinks he actually can;
2) he delights in obscurity and trying to pull the wool over our eyes - he cannot be straightforward even when it would be in his best interests to do so; and
3) when it comes to taxation, he doesn't regard it as Government taking people's money from them but as all their money belonging to the Government in the first place and it graciously deciding how much of it we can keep.
Under Mr Brown we have seen an unprecedented and massive growth in the power of the Treasury. It will be fascinating to see what happens when he moves from No. 11 to No. 10 - I expect he will scrap all that and set up new and similarly rigorous central controls emanating from the PM's office (unless he finds a puppet to replace him in No. 11 and pull the strings for him).

[Steve Benstead]

Another budget Scam, this time Brown thought he could further insult our intelligence with a smoke screen to justify an increase in stealth taxes. The sooner there is a General election the better.

[Paul]

If Brown introduced a windfall tax on bank profits I would have more respect for him.

[Paul Brindley]

Why doesn't Comrade Gordon just get on with it and go the whole way to his utopian world of total state control instead of by stealth? We can then all work for the Government, pay all our income to the Treasury and then Gordon can decide how much to give us back dependent upon our current social status! I'm sick of funding government waste endlessly - time for Labour to go - or maybe I'll go instead!

[M. Brian Filby]

Mr Brown is a 'con-man' of the highest order. Always self-appraising. He can make inflation of 4.6 RPI look like a benefit. His promises are always futuristic and big numbers. I am allocating 50 billion to transport (soto voce - over ten years starting in 2014 etc). Pensioners they are only interested in the here and now. What interest is a pension review in 2012 to a man now aged 78.

[Rodney]

As reported in The Times, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says the budget will have the effect of making 20% of the population worse off, 40% better off and 40% no change. Facts rather than speculation?

[Bea]

Brown will move into number 10 and still occupy number 11. He wants the both jobs. In future, he will be known as 'TWO JOBS, BROWN' as he will never relinquish control of the Treasury - he trusts nobody but himself to rob every last one of us!

[paul]

The time has come to evaluate the style of government that is actually running our country,I would suspect that if any of the so called administration had to run a proper business it would have collapsed years ago.By all means keep the traditions going in the house of commons to entertain the tourist etc, but it just doesnt stand up in todays world, we require skilled hard nosed business men/women that abound in our country to do the job, I mean come on, is our present chancellor some high flyer! or someone who just dreams up more ways to dip his hands deeper into the ever sinking pot topped up by us.

[DAVID]

At least Dick Turpin wore a mask.This chap does not care.God help this country if he becomes PM

[Albert Hall]

Gordon Is A Moron
Selling England By The Pound
Word Up

[Malcolm Clarke]

As usual, all the hype, propoganda will make no difference because it's the people who know little, if anything, of politics who will decide the fate of this ailing nation.
Brown does nothing for our pensioners, whom we are indebted to for the rest of our lives, nothing for those in responsible positions, including NHS workers, nothing for those in small businesses, nothing for parents who need to get back into work and nothing for other sectors of society. He says he continues to put tax up on spirits though petrol is a spirit.
Then there's the drivel about our carbon footprint and what it's doing to the environment. Anyone who knows anything about this subject MUST know that increases in the temperature are nothing to do with Carbon emissions. Extra heat can ONLY come from one place. The sun! The Earth was a lot warmer than it is now in the Middle Ages and that was NOTHING to do with cars, nor anything to do with industry. This is REAL propoganda to keep "jobs for the boys" and allow for even more stealth txes. No wonder they want you to believe that YOU are the problem. BROWN is the problem and he must NEVER realise the keys to number 10... Not EVER! Wake up people and think about it!

[Malcolm Clarke]

And to prove my point, and taken from the above loggers, and I quote:

Posted by: Allan Lee | 23 Mar 2007 10:09:52

Gordon 2p cut was great publicity even if there is no overall cut in tax. It completely wrong footed Cameron. A clever political move. I'd say thats Brown 1, Cameron 0.

This is EXACTLY the sort of person that votes Labour and forces Labour onto all of us. Someone who knows NOTHING of politics and thinks that cutting base rate income tax is great for the nation...

I'm speechless..!

[John]

Extra corporation tax on small business has not worked in the USA.
I know i lived there with a small business. So why would Gorden go after and screw small business !

Remember April 2007,
This country is in big decline with industry, jobs ect.
This is a total disrecard to the country. This is why in two years time i am leaveing for good.

[Derrick Coade]

I can not believe that such an UNBRITISH individual is in such a position of power.This man is ensuring that the entreprenerial spirit is being drained form the british working people by his continuous drive to increase the tax burden both on families and on small business which is and always will be, the life blood of this country.

Hopefully we will have an opportunity to disregard him at election time.

[Veronica Jones]

This government inherited a wonderful economy from the Tories and have messed it up royally. Gordon Brown shouldn't even be in charge of a household budget. This government keeps increasing taxes without showing us what they spend it on. And, by the way, I'm a UK tax payer and would like to see my money spent here, not Africa or elsewhere!!!

[Jay Lawlor]

Mr Brown, why dont you stop faffing about and just take our salaries away and just give us some pocket money back, its as easy as that, then theres no more budget for the masses!

[johan tee]

dear sir ,gordan brown is as much a liability as tony blair,in finance he is a crook stealing money from the pension surplus fund ,you need a surplus to cover certain deficits, and to cushion tax rate rises.ps gordon brown also sold off our gold reserves where does he get his pension from ie from the taxpayer,all MPs should find their own pension ,and not to use the taxpayer as a cash cow .regards jbtee

[colin leaney]

Re - Alice Miles article headed 'Why are the Tories like Bernard Manning'? (20-6-07)

Quite rightly Ms Miles points out the objectionable nature of jokes which by todays standards are adjudged to be sexist or racist.- However, there appears to be a double standard employed here.

She condemns people such as the late Bernard Manning, and Jim Bowen, for relating jokes of this nature. Where she states that they are 'objectionable'. Fine. I agree. But, todays comedians with their foul language and their love affair with sex, are equally as objectionable. Mainly, because jokes of this nature are not only demeaning and debasing to mankind, but show a decided lack of talent in terms of comic ability. I can tell filthy jokes. - I can use foul language. It doesn't require any particular ability. So, I find it objectionable. And I suspect, do millions of others. - So why did Ms Miles not condemn todays crop of mirth-makers. ? - Double standards I feel.

Colin Leaney

[Barry Jones]

Motto.
Itake,Gimmee,Itake,Gimmee,Itake.