Comments on: Jon Cruddas MP

By: brianbarder

brianbarder — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:47:00 +0000

50% will be the *marginal* rate, levied only on income above (whatever it is going to be — £150,000 a year?): it won't be applied to tjhe whole of anyone's income. I suspect that it's a function of any tax system that the relatively less well off always pay a higher proportion of their income than the more well off, especially if you take into account taxes such as VAT and National Insurance, TV licence fees, Council tax, etc., as well as income tax.

By: davecole.org » blog » Blog Archive » OpenLeft: a response

davecole.org » blog » Blog Archive » OpenLeft: a response — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:18:37 +0000

[...] Cruddas Original The most important philosophical insight that defines the left is the recognition that real freedom [...]

By: SaltaireSam

SaltaireSam — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:44:51 +0000

Yes but you are forgetting a) few of the top earners pay all their tax – they can afford accountants to get them out of it; b) their perks (cf MPs and their tax free allowances) are worth a lot of money and largely untaxed; and c) most importantly the mass of indirect taxation hits the poor hardest. The duty and VAT on petrol as percentage of the person earning £11,000 is massively more than your guy on over a million, who probably gets it paid by his company anyway.

There is only one fair tax – income tax but modern politicians are terrified of saying say.

By: radicalpete

radicalpete — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:02:23 +0000

Just one more observation on this article written by John Cruddas, most of what you write has come from recent history books(yes?) well John, I am your history, at 72 I have lived what you and others get from books as factual accounts, let me tell you friend, most are total bollocks and it depends who wants to brain wash who, so here is a little snippet of the truth.....

On Reflection

On reflection as I cast my mind back
Life in my youth was no bed of roses
In fact one could say we were dirt poor
‘Twas a time in our history, a time of war
When for five years of warfare took its toll?
On the nation, its people, it’s very soul
But was it worth it, as I look around today
I fear this is a nation feeble greedy people
Who care little for the sacrifices others gave
The cup of kindness is seen as being soft
Hard faced , the stuff you jack, spin on this
Is the norm for this materialistic County
Who gives a SHIT any more about our soldiers?
They and their kids go hungry to keep you safe
Rat infested houses from Victorian times
And who gives a FUCK about the dead
Coming home in body bags and buried without honour
Yes, on reflection I am glad I was born dirt poor
And suffered along with millions in those dark days
We found the meaning of many words lacking today
Compassion for others, and comradeship on a scale
That will never be seen in this selfish land of Britain
‘Tis a sad reflection I bring to these pages my friends
But the human beings of yesteryear would shout out
“Stop, you greedy bastards, think of others for once”

radicalpete

By: radicalpete

radicalpete — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:28:58 +0000

Hi John, being a long time atheist I never quote from any fictitious book or text to make a point. You are a union MP(Unite the Union) which I am a retired member of.Can you as a member of the union ask Derick Simpson why the doors are being shut in the face of left wing members of the union?, The new web site will not let me(and probably countless others logging in) or even changing our pass words,WHY?. When it was just Amicus I wrote 117 articles on their web site with over 26k hits on my work.I have complained so many times but they don't want left wing views on the site(so it seems) Mind you Del Boy can shout, he was once a member of the communist party

By: pauldeemer

pauldeemer — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:33:42 +0000

The one word that I think is missing from this debate is choice. Equality cannot be imposed from the centre. True equality requires empowerment – empowerment involves choice. And choice involves risk. But it is a risk that politicians need to take – and I'm not sure that many of them are ready to do that. But unless people can be made to feel that they are really in control of the process and that they have the power to make (or at least genuinely influence) the decisions that are affecting their lives, they will not feel as if they are exercsing choice – and therefore will not engage.

By: annabellelever

annabellelever — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:24:51 +0000

All if favour of more and better childcare. But what about equalising pay rates and benefits for full and part-time workers? These differences reflect and exacerbate sexual and racial inequalities and have no justification when people who need or want to work part-time may be as skilled as those who work full-time and as willing and able to commit to long-term projects within their place of work. I would like to see recent EU developments along these lines extended. I can't think of anything else that would so improve the lives of women – or of men struggling with problems of work-life balance – or that might begin to help us deal with the catastrophic inequalities in women's incomes over a life time compared to men, and their impact on pensions and entitlements.

By: briangould

briangould — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:07:05 +0000

“Greater material equality”

Just equality nothing else! becuause if we had that equality the material would not matter anymore..

By: michael_green

michael_green — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:03:20 +0000

It's time for a wealth tax then… except the fat cats would move abroad to where taxes are lower.

Globalisation is going to be a long, arduous and painful process until we reach world government.

By: treborc

treborc — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:55:53 +0000

The left or the ideal of the left has changed a bit in my day, we thought about helping the poor , making sure the sick the disabled are looked after, single mothers are not blamed for the lack of money within this government. Mr Cruddas and Mr Trickett came to Compass mouthed off about the 42 days we should fight them on the beaches, and then voted for it. Then Mr Cruddas mouthed off about welfare reforms lets get behind it, then he did not even bother turning up to vote for it or against it.

I'm sorry but what people say and what they do counts if you tell me your going to fight for something and you preach about it you better sick with it not cow down when the pressure is placed on you.

I'm severely disabled the pressure Mr Purnell has placed on me over the past few years is beyond belief, if now these pair think I'm going to fall for the old lefty trick your joking.

By: jamesmackenzie

jamesmackenzie — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:53:09 +0000

Michael, you do know there are plenty of other taxes the poor pay, right, like VAT? If you can find a single person who earns £11m per annum and who pays 50% income tax on it I'll be so impressed I'll buy you and them a bun.

Also, Purnell was rubbish on Newsnight. His refusal to answer entirely reasonable “process questions” meant his thin centrist gruel sounded less credible than even he deserved.

By: michael_green

michael_green — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:43:21 +0000

“First of all, we need a policy of tax fairness. It is scandalous that the poorest twenty percent pay a higher proportion of their income in tax than the richest twenty percent.”

Is that actually true? Someone earning £11000 a year pays about £1000 in tax (10%). Someone earning £11000000 a year pays about £5500000 in tax (50%) (as of next year).