Fr brezn siṇsizm, I hv sìn nʈñ lîc Ṣŭnac’s plan in 40 yirz
(Transcription of an article published in the Observer on 27 March 2022)
Jusṭfaid hostiḷti t hiz sprñstetmnt rvild ɖ xtnt v Sŭnac’s mscalkleśn
Wil Hutn, Súnde 27 Marć 2022
Ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti’z cnsit z ɖt it z ɖ cuntri, spīcs fr ɖ cuntri n z ɖ custodịn v ɖ cuntri’z tru valyz. Ɖ comḅneśn v a frst-past-ɖ-post votñsistm, a dvîdd n ofn nt vri ilectbl opziśn n a playnt mīdia srtnli mīnz it’s mor ofn ɖn nt in guvnmnt, so apaṛntli woṛntñ ɖ cnsit.
Bt ɖt dz nt mīn ɖt ɖ cnsit z jusṭfaid. Britn z a mć mor inetli pṛgresiv, jenṛs n fer-mîndd cuntri ɖn ǎr parti v ɖ rît evr imajinz. Bt fr an ambiśs Tori poḷtiśn, ɖ fōlsnis v ɖ iqeźn dz nt matr. Ẃt cǎnts z ɖ gdwil v bac-bnć MPz n cnstitẏnsi asośieśnz. Nt onli r ɖe sìn in ɖ Tori trîbl ecoćembr az proxiz fr mênstrīm public opińn, ɖe r ɖ votrz hu wl cnfŕ ɖ partilīdrśp n ɖus prîm̦inistrśp. Hv ɖm on yr sîd n ɖ prîm̦inistrśp z yrz.
So ɖ ćanslr, Riśi Sŭnac, mst hv ʈt az h priperd a sprñbujit huz hōlmarcs wr fiscl dsit, p’liticl siṇsizm n an astǎndñ lac v imaɉneśn. H prizntd himslf az f in a tît spot, bt in truʈ h wz in enʈñ bt. Ɖ rîz in fōrcast infleśn t 7.2% n fōlñ bac onli slǒli ɖr-aftr, inṭactñ wɖ hiz pri’nǎnst poḷsi v frizñ incmtax alawnsz n a strongr ic̣nomic rcuṿri ɖn xpctd, mīnz ɖt borowñ wl b an astǎndñ £72bn lowr ovr ɖ nxt for yirz ɖn h ʈt onli last Octobr. Ɖ fōrcast bujitdeḟsit in for yirz wl b ɖ lǒist fr 25 yirz. Hǎ wz ɖt larjes t b aḷcetd?
Sirịs ćôsz wr aveḷbl, bt Sŭnac tc s fr fūlz. H asymd ɖt a 5p cut in fyldyti, liftñ ɖ ʈreśhold fr naśnl-inśuṛns contṛbyśnz n ɖ promis v a peni of ɖ standd ret v incmtax in 2024 wd dlud ɖ public at larj n hiz bac-bnćrz in ptiklr intu ʈncñ h wz a tax-cutñ ćanslr. Ɖs, īvn az ɖ wîdr taxtec z rîzñ t postwar hîz. Hvñ sucrd ɖm intu ʈncñ h wz dwñ az mć az poṣbl wɖn hiz arṭfiṣ́li crietd cnstrents, wɖ Tori MPz wevñ ɖer ordrpeprz joysli, h cd līv un’drest, n wɖ litl protest, ɖ cmñ bigist drop in hǎshold incmz fr 66 yirz. It wz dsit pozñ az vrću.
Ɖs p’red v hiz dvośn t Ʈać̣rît vrćuz v ʈrift, lowrñ dét n cmitmnt t “fiscl rsponsbiḷti” wd, h hopt, frɖr s’mnt hiz repyteśn wɖ hiz ci cnstitẏnsi. V cors, ɖoz prínsiplz mst mīn h śd hōrd ɖ £30bn v fnanśl hedrūm wɖ ẃć h cd hv dn mor in ɖs yir alon. Bt evri poẓtiv opśn wz stubnli rfyzd.
A dǎn pemnt t gt leṿlñ-up gwñ sirịsli, t capćr ɖ prîz v an icoṇmi £2.5tn bigr in a jeṇreśn’z tîm? No ćans – it wz’nt īvn mnśnd. Liftñ dpartmnts’ caśspendñ totlz t compnset fr hayr infleśn, so avôdñ a rpit v Jorj Ozbōrn’z osteṛti? Fget it – n Sŭnac wl b ɖ arbitr v guvnmntpoḷsi untl ɖ ilex́n, az dpartmnt aftr dpartmnt wl cm plīdñ t him t rstor ɖ spendñpǎr ɖe ʈt ɖe hd last Octobr. Amezñli, īvn dfnșpendñ z t fes a riyl-trm cut in 2022-23. An uplift in yṇvrsl credit or a promis t indx beṇfits t compnset fr hayr infleśn az faṃliz fes riyl poṿti? No we – ɖz r ɖ undizrvñ pur hu hardli vot, n f ɖe d vot ɖe d’nt vot Tori. Ɖe cn twist in ɖ wind.
Ol ɖt matrd wz t gard jeḷsli ɖt hōrd, ofr no s’port t ɖ b’līgrd prîm̦inistr in hiz flagśp poḷsi n no adiśnl hlp t miłnz v hǎsholdz fesñ a frɖr £800 jump in eṇjibílz ẃn ɖ prîscap z liftd in Octobr. Ɖ muni z irmarct fr taxcuts in 2024, emñ t bai ɖ Tōriz ɖ ilex́n n Sŭnac ɖ prîm̦inistrśp. Fr brezn siṇsizm, I hv witnist nʈñ lîc it in mor ɖn 40 yirz v comntñ on bujits.
Wrs, taxcuts hv bn eḷvetd t bcm ɖ alfa n oṃga v poḷsi – a standñ ɖe d’nt dzrv in ʈiyri or practis. Plenti v hî-tax icoṇmiz pform vri wel. Ẃt drîvz groʈ z îdīaz, axes t opn n growñ marcits, wel-run cumṗniz, fit-fr-prṗs insttyśnz, trênd wrcrz, smart, loñ-trm fînans, insṗreśnl līdrz n clevr, iṇvtiv guvnmnt nt obsest bî capñ dét. Most v ɖs ɖ guvnmnt z simpli nt ceṗbl v dwñ sisṭmaticli or īvn v graspñ inṭlecć̣li.
Ptñ sm musl bhnd leṿlñ-up or drîvñ t net ziro cd b caṭlitic, bt nɖr z ǒnd bî Sŭnac or ɖ parti at larj. Indd, in ci eriaz, w r gwñ bcwdz. Ɖ Ofis fr Bujit Rsponsbiḷti dlivrd a sceɖñ vrdict on hǎ Brexit hz indyst a c’laps in ǎr xports t n imports fṛm ɖ YY. It calklets ɖt tred’z śer in YC GDP hz fōḷn 12% sins 2019 – tū-n-haf tîmz mor ɖn eni uɖr G7 cuntri.
Brexit z ɖ cōz, nt rmotli compnsetd fr bî eni v ɖ mć-vōntd tred dīlz ǎtsd ɖ YY. Fōlñ tred z a drag on groʈ – n wìcnz frmz’ indysmnt t rêz prodctivti. Bad n bad, olɖo ɖ rên v sîḷns on Brexit – n ɖt vri mć includz y, Lebr parti – mīnz ɖt ɖ damij gz uņotist n uncriṭsîzd.
W r guvnd bî uncrietiv oṿclemrz obsest bî Ʈać̣rît śiḅleʈs – hetñ Yṛp, feṭśîzñ taxcuts n “fiscl rsponsbiḷti” n wilḟli cerlis v ɖ cndiśn v ɖ ppl. Sŭnac’s dzastṛs sprñbujit wz a sêizmic ivnt, bt h wz onli mcñ ćôsz feʈfl t ɖ cnsit ɖt ɖ Tōriz’ prîoṛtiz n valyz r ɖoz v ɖ cuntri.
Ɖ nir-yṇvrṣli hostîl riax́n wz tstiṃni t jst hǎ ǎt v tuć ɖs naro trîb hz bcm. Britn z nt ecñ fr taxcuts or eṿlastñ enṃti wɖ Yṛp. It wonts a guvnmnt ɖt hz its bac n unḍstandz its instñts fr fernis n wonts t si a crietiv fremwrc ɖt wl stiḿlet groʈ n livñstanddz. Ɖ mesij fṛm last wīc z unambigẏs. Ɖz Cnsrṿtivz hv run ǎt v îdīaz n rod. Ǎr stricn ssayti n felñ icoṇmi nīd so mć mor.
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Wil Hutn z an Obzrvr coḷmnist
