Budget Blog 2010.....

Rolling bullet points will appear here during the speech....

• Darling kicks off by saying that all the stuff the Government has done was right
• The economy is at a "crossroads" - yay for cliches!
• The recession started in America *yawn*
• Notes that growth has returned to other countries. When are the next quarter GDP figures out?
• There's going to be a 2.5bn one off growth package to help small businesses invest in key skills - but no details
• Thus far Darling is just repeating what happened two years ago
• The bonus tax raised £2bn
• Says international robin hood tax on banking is needed... again
• Says bailed out banks have cost £8bn and promises to get our money back
• Bank accounts for all... nice rhetoric of something that exists already
• Narrative of saying the Tories opposed everything they did continues
• Mentions interest rates in the 1990s
• Conflates people on dole with people who don't work
• Possible scrappage of the retirement age.. but its an aspiration to look at it, not a guarantee to do anything
• Doubles stamp duty limit to £250,000 from tonight for first time buyers only
• Increase 5% on stamp duty on property over a million - redistribution - bet Tony and Cherie Blair will be pissed off
• Quite funny that we have policies stolen from the Tories
• Putting petrol up (1p April; 1p October and 1p Jan11). Great - but he doesn't have to drive anywhere himself at the moment. Bastard.
• Says borrowing will be £11bn lower than the original forecast last year
• Claims borrowing reduction is the fastest in the G7 - carefully chosen bar to measure by.
• Hahah claims taxes on the rich have not occurred because of ideology.
• Nothing to say on VAT or Income Tax
• Cider tax increase of 10% above inflation
  
• Inheritance Tax threshold frozen for four years? (think he said that)
• Tobacco tax rise of 1% above inflation from tonight
• Civil servants are going to be relocated out of London. No mention of where but it will apparently save money. Does he not know about relocation payments for staff?
• Dartford Crossing to be sold. It was meant to pay for itself and then be free. Fat chance.
• I'm sure I just heard him say he was deciding how much the bailed out banks were going to lend. What happened to "arms length" approach?
• Yep, he said that RBS and Lloyds would lend £94bn to small business. Arm-length approach dead.
• Great a new Quango that will decide whether a bank that rejects a loan application has been fair and it will be able to order it to lend the money if it decides too. Utter. Insanity.
• OK. I'm starting to lose the will to live now.
• Sorry guys, have missed loads because the "banks accounts for all" policy was announced in 2000 by Brown and was looking it up
• I appear to have missed quite a lot of new spending commitments.
• So they've signed an agreement with Belize about tax avoidance. Shameless party politics really.
• Winter fuel payment news will please the millions of ex-pats in Spain.
• And we're done.

So basically we have a Budget that's big changes were Tory policies anyway, or re-announcements and there was a dig at Ashcroft.