Ɖ Obzrvr vy on ẃ Tori MPz mst stop Liz Trus’z ‘rvrs Robin Hŭd’ poḷsiz
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on 2 October 2022)
Cutñ srṿsz t fund taxcuts fr ɖ vri wlʈi z nt onli cruwl amd a cost-v-livñ crîsis, it’s olso unmandetd
Súnde 2 Octobr 2022
“A rvrs Robin Hŭd” wz hǎ ɖ Redio Notñm prizntr Sẹra Jūłn caṛcṭrîzd ɖ frst mejr fiscl inṭvnśn v Liz Trus’z premịrśp ẃn ɖ prîm̦inistr dd an inṭvy rnd wɖ BBC locl rediosteśnz last wīc. Ɖe nǒ a ʈñ or tū abt Robin Hŭd in Notñmśr, n f Jūłn’z caṛcṭrîześn v a guvnmnt tecñ fṛm ɖ pur t lîn ɖ wolits v ɖ rić wz apt at ɖ tîm v ɖ inṭvy last Ʈrzde, it hz onli bcm mor so az ministrz hv dropt frɖr hints abt hǎ Trus n hr ćanslr Qāzi Qarteñ intnd t trî t mc ɖ bcs ad p.
Az w set ǎt in ɖs coḷm last wīc, ɖ in’proprịtli dubd “mini-bujit” – it set ǎt ɖ bigist program v taxcuts in decedz – stret-fwdli rīdistribyts muni fṛm les aflụnt hǎsholdz t sm v ɖ rićist ppl in Britn. Ovr ɖ last deced, Cnsrṿtiv ćanslrz hv cut bac ɖ taxcredits n beṇfits ɖt r so vîtl t lo-peid peṛnts n ppl wɖ dis’biḷtiz, īvn az ɖe handd ǎt jenṛs incmtax cuts ɖt hv dispṛporśṇtli beṇfitd mor aflụnt faṃliz. Purr hǎsholdz r consiqntli in despṛt nīd v a fînanśl būst t hlp ɖm cǒp wɖ rîzñ eṇji, hǎzñ n fūd costs. Instd, alñsd a pacij t frīz eṇjiprîsz at a levl iqivḷnt t £2,500 fr ɖ tipicl hǎshold, Trus anǎnst £45bn v taxcuts ɖt wd si ppl wɖ incm v £1m a yir bcmñ £40,000 a yir betr of, wɖt seyñ hǎ ś wd fund ɖm. Ɖ borowñ rqîrd t fînans ɖ cuts wd sadl a yungr jeṇreśn wɖ decedz v détrīpemnts, n ɖ antiṣpetd incris in inṭrestrets rqîrd t cūl infleśn az a rzult v ɖs fiscl lūṣnñ wl frɖr hit lowr-incm hǎsholdz ʈru hayr morgij rīpemnts n rents.
Bt, az Trus n Qarteñ wr wornd bî icoṇmists n sm in ɖer ǒn parti, ɖ marcitriax́n t plejñ biłnz v pǎndz v unfundd taxcuts, jst az ɖ guvnmnt wz unveilñ a pacij v eṇjibil s’port ɖt cd īẓli dworf ɖ cost v ɖ Covid frloscīm, wz imīɉt. Ɖ pǎnd plunjd agnst ɖ dolr n uɖr cuṛnsiz, n last Wnzde ɖ Banc v Ñgḷnd hd t step in wɖ a £65bn imrjnsi inṭvnśn t steḅlîz bondprîsz, t pṛtct ɖ vạbiḷti v pnśnfundz.
Ɖs līvz onli tū opśnz fr Trus n Qarteñ: t trî t rīset marcit xpcteśnz bî U-trnñ on at līst sm v ɖer unfunded taxcuts, or t trî t ri’śur ɖ marcits bî muvñ fwdz wɖ frɖr cuts t public spendñ t pe fr ɖm. In ɖ last 48 aurz, ministrz hv md clir ɖt it z ɖ latr cors ɖt ɖe intnd t tec. Sîmn Clārc, ɖ ministr fr leṿlñ-up, hz sd ɖr wl nīd t b sgnificnt cuts t public spendñ t pe fr ɖs caśbǎnti fr ɖ betr of, argywñ ɖ YC’z “vri larj welférstet” amǎnts t a “fūl’z paṛdîs” n nīdz t b trimd bac t b in “fl alînmnt wɖ a lowr-tax icoṇmi”. Ɖr z ziro deṃcratic mandet, îɖr fr ɖz taxcuts, or fr a rnyd rnd v public-spendñ cuts, ẃć ɖ Reẓluśn Fǎndeśn ʈnctanc sz wd nīd t b on ɖ scel v Jorj Ozbōrn’z orijinl program v osteṛti in ordr t fil ɖ gap. Trus hz nvr wún a jenṛl ilex́n, onli a contest in ẃć ɖ tîni, unrepriznttiv slivr v ɖ ilectṛt hu r Cnsrṿtiv parti membrz got a se. Ɖ 2019 ilex́nmaṇfesto on ẃć ś wz ilectd as MP md no mnśn v multibiłn-pǎnd taxcuts fr ɖ wlʈi, or a hyj program v public-spendñ cuts: it plejd t “levl p” ɖ cuntri.
Slaśñ guvnmntspendñ t fund a hyj taxcut fr ɖ vri wlʈiist wl wîdn iniqoḷti, pś p ćîldpoṿti n sirịsli damij Britn’z public srṿsz. Aćivñ ɖs wd hv t involv cutñ NHS, scūl n ćîldcer bujits, srṿsz fr vulnṛbl ppl n wrcñ-ej beṇfits, īvn az infleśn z olrdi irodñ bujits – uɖr eriaz v public spendñ r simpli nt larj inuf t mc p ɖ rqîrd rdux́n. Qarteñ hz olrdi rfyzd t cmit t sticñ t Riśi Sŭnac’s plan t rêz beṇfits in lîn wɖ infleśn az yźl, ẃć wl mīn lo-incm peṛnts n ɖer ćildṛn, n ppl wɖ dis’biḷtiz, fesñ intolṛbl levlz v hardśp at a tîm ẃn fūdbanc ysij hz rīćt record levlz. Aftr decedz v unḍfundñ n mor ɖn tū yirz v pandemic, ɖ NHS wintrcrîsis wz olrdi wel undr we in Sptmbr. Hedtīćrz hv wornd ɖt wɖt hlp fṛm ɖ guvnmnt, sm prîṃri scūlz wl no longr b fînanṣ́li vaybl.
Ɖs z ẃr ɖ îdịlojicl tecovr v ɖ Tori parti bî Brexit hardlînrz wz destind t līd. Brexit wz sold t ɖ public az a we v tecñ bac cntrol n rdysñ iṃgreśn. Ẃt rmend unséd wz ɖt Brexitrz lîc Trus n Qarteñ wontd t yz it t slaś taxz n reğleśn t mc Britn a mor lūcṛtiv ples fr miłneŗentịrz n a cruwlr ples fr ordnri Brítnz. Votrz wd nt wilñli ćūz ɖs, so ɖe instd msléd ɖ public abt ɖer riyl objctivz, n r nǎ pśñ ʈru ɖer rvrs Robin Hŭd dspt nvr hvñ wún an ilex́n on ɖs platform. It z denjṛs fr Britiś ppl, n fr Britiś dmocṛsi. Ɖ onli ppl hu cn cuṛntli stop ɖm r Cnsrṿtiv MPz. Ɖe mst act, n fast.
