And, on similar themes

I generally assume that right and left share the same desires for Britain, and just disagree on how to get there. That piece by Ed West paints a picture of a 'better Britain of the future' that I find so thoroughly depressing, that 'now' suddenly seems brilliant.

Thanks for that Ed - I'll treasure every moment that people like you are on the margins. You've made me grateful for Cameron, which is an incredible achievement.

'I believe that the weight of evidence...'

'as most studies now show...'

It's your opinion based on prejudice. I do it too - but I don't pretend otherwise. Ascertainment bias, ya twit - we count what we agree with and dismiss as mental what we don't. I'm doing it right now. It has no intellectual credibility, anybody with half a brain can see through it.

PS. I know you aren't reading this. Busy daydreaming of workhouses for the poor and bought commissions in the armed forces, probably.

All available evidence strongly suggests otherwise.

And in more good news, the latest from Cable

Yeah because a whole 2% increase would certainly work against any employer wanting to take on new staff wouldn't it?

I kind of like to think that people aren't just gits for the sake of it, and that even for them gittishness is just a path (they think), towards prosperity, decency and fairness. I'm maybe not cynical enough!

The UK is heavily indebted at national and household level. To date the people who have paid the price are the saverws - ie the people not responsible. So, the burden needs spreading. Ideally, the people who should pick up the biggest part of the tab are the mortgagees, etc. Problem is the banking system is not yet strong enough to take the hit of mass default and huge falls in house prices. However, the longer term drag on the economy of current policy may prove too great. The short, sharp shock treatment may have been the better longer-term solution - the relatively resurgent US economy seems to suggest that.

Ultimately, the UK needs to be competitive. At present the odds are greatky stacked against us - a debt-laden, artficially high-cost economy.

Affectionately known as Miller the Killer in my circles

Which is not my fault so why am I being punished? Why am I having my benefit taken off me? Why am I being put into a position of going financially under? I haven't borrowed anything, mortgage or otherwise beyond my means, ever. I'll tell you why, because this government think the sick and disabled are weak and are pushovers, which we are not, the Spartacus Report proves that. Only bullies pick on the more weak than themselves.

I agree. It is going to be a bitter pill. IMO, the only way to sweeten it is with greater fairness in society. Unfortunately the country is being run by Bullingdon club alumni.

You get the feeling that for some on the right, austerity isn't merely or even mainly a price worth paying for long-term stability, but a way of getting things back to some sort of natural social order, where the little people know their place and are grateful for what they are 'given', as enjoyable as it is necessary.

Not said that it is your fault. Indeed, a civilised nation should seek to look after people in real need. The government needs vociferously challenging.

Politicians of all persuasions are simply self-interested scumbags. There is only one way to hurt them and make them change course - that is for them to see they may / will lose their seats. The problem is that so many, especially on the left, are not wily enough and just protest in ineffective ways. Issues concerning disability are at first sight minority issues and so politicians think they have little political risk. The trick is to mobiliise wider support, across the wider population (which should be any easy thing to do, given people's general humanity and the number of families touched by disability) and to campaign effectively and hit the politicians where it hurts. That does not mean the odd "day of protest" were people have a feel good outing and rant and rave and get deluded into thinking the politicians give a toss. It means being more cerebal, having a longer-term, play to win strategy and not worrying about individual battles.

Sadly, just like the level of out politicians has sunk into the gutter these last 40 years, so has our wider politics.

Sorry didn't mean for it to sound like I was accusing [iyou[/i It was just a rant in general. Yes, this government needs challenging, but they are changing and implementing things so quick its taking a while for people to challenge them. I know when the ESA time limit came in a few of the charities were seeking legal advice re our human rights, after all the government says we each (as individuals) need x amount to live on and in the other hand taken it from us. These legal challenges take time and I hope one day soon we will see a test case in Court. But that option will soon be taken from us with them wanting legal aid abolishing.

Watch out for a mention in the budget of Conmaneron's latest pet wheeze: a minimum of 40p per unit of alcohol on shop-bought beer. So the can of Grafenwalder (an excellent lager, brewed to the Reinheitsgebot) that I currently buy at Lidl for 81p per can, will soon be £2. I haven't heard who the extra money will be going to, if it's a revenue duty, it's going to be difficult to differntiate between on and off sales. That's without a possible case of discriminating application of duties hitting the EU competition commissioner.

And I thought the tories were dead set against any form of retail price maintenance