Gordon Brown’s Free Money
I’M pretty sure that most readers of the Mail on Sunday probably dislike Brown anyway and their story this morning about his days at University and what he wrote will preach to the converted. Still, there is one section worth repeating, because they explain significantly where Brown fundamentally belief system comes from, writes Dizzy.
As we know, in the last Budget, Brown increased the tax take from low earners. The justification from Brown is that this is not true because he has increased tax credits at the same time (which are marginally taxed above 70% but that is by the by for Brown). However, we know that only 1 in 4 people who could claim tax credits actually do.
Rather than asking why this is, Brown, and his protege Ed Ball simply carry on with them regardless as consider them the pinnacle of their social policy. In the Mail on Sunday story they have published comments made in a tract from the 1970s edited by Brown called “Alternative Edinburgh”.
It says, that “free money” from the state is a “right” and is not a “charity hand-out”. It goes on to say that people should “never be be reticent about claiming them. For whatever the reason the so-called welfare State was brought into being, it can and must be used to its full extent.”
The MoS then quotes a source close to Brown saying that they’re “not sure [he] would support these ideas now”. However, placed within the context of tax credits I’d say it’s pretty clear that he probably does. Brown believes we should all be beholden to and dependent on the state for our subsistence, and we should be grateful to him too for being giving us our money back for “free”.
Picture: Beau Bo D’Or
Posted: 8th, April 2007 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
