The re-balancing of the economy which Osborne promised has been all but abandoned.
The dust is settling on chancellor Osborne’s Autumn Statement. The initial reaction from the right-wing media was that Boy George had set a course for an election victory.
The chancellor himself played up the hype with statements that the economy was on course for sustained growth, good jobs would be created (to reaffirm that a quick photo opportunity was made to JCB where new jobs were being announced – which had been signaled months ago) and that all the pain would be worth it.
It is clear the mantra is being stuck to. Lynton Crosby will no doubt have reminded him to say it often enough and hope people will believe it.
However, a number of things are clear: Austerity is here to stay and it will get tougher; living standards will continue to fall despite upwards revisions to GDP growth; average earnings growth forecasts have been revised down for next year and until 2017 (so the cost of living crisis will get worse); and welfare benefits will be hit.
The Tories will also probably try to introduce policies they never dreamed that they could get away with in the past – all in the name of ‘aiding the recovery’.
Also clear is that the re-balancing of the economy which Osborne said would be a priority – by strengthening our manufacturing base – has all but been abandoned in favour of growth through credit, the spending of savings and another housing bubble.
The warnings of failing to establish a strong manufacturing base are being ignored. Lord Heseltine’s report on developing a strong industrial policy ‘No Stone Unturned’ appears to remain on a Westminster shelf somewhere.
The chancellor failed to mention the word ‘manufacturing’ once in his entire statement and only mentioned ‘industry’ when referring to the insurance sector.
He also failed to address concerns that the heavy energy-use sectors – which employers and unions have campaigned on, namely high energy costs in steel, paper, ceramics, glass etc. This means these sectors will continue to be disadvantaged against other European countries – for example UK energy prices will remain 50 per cent higher than Germany and France.
And while the commitment to provide funding for around 20,000 apprenticeships and to increase the number of engineering graduates is welcome, this is tinkering with the system. It also remains to be seen how many companies will respond to the initiative of cutting NICs for companies who take on under 21 year olds.
And the chancellor failed to tackle business investment, which remains 24 per cent below 2008 levels.
Overall the Autumn Statement failed to address the underlying need to take concrete steps to re-balance the economy. It was another short-term mixture of halfhearted measures, fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Meanwhile the cost of living escalates, workers face pay freezes, but for the City it is ‘back to the future’. Meanwhile the statement was another missed opportunity for the chancellor to demonstrate that this is a manufacturing-led economic recovery.
Its fine that Labour responded by pointing out that the Statement was all ‘smoke and mirrors’, but Ed Miliband and Ed Balls need to hammer home the need for sustainable manufacturing led growth strategy.
Unite has set out its proposals for re-balancing the economy to develop a strong manufacturing base in our document ‘Made In Britain’, which can be downloaded from the Unite website.
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19 Responses to “It’s telling that the chancellor failed to mention ‘manufacturing’ once in his Autumn Statement”
LB
So go then, answer the question.
What’s owed to the nearest one trillion?
ONS put the number to 7 trillion for pensions. From the article you referenced.
What does the figure in 1949 matter one iota? It matters what the debt is now. It’s 7,000 bn for pensions.
The past is irrelevant, its what it is now.
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It still does not hold water that if debts increase at 2.5 % the figure jumps by 10%.
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Yes it does. If you assume debts were shrinking at 5%, and then assumed they were shrinking at 3%, the debt reported goes up.
However, given the debt is increasing at 2.5% min, they are still under reporting like mad the real debt.
Not that you would get that.
Not that you get that the consequences are dire. The poor you alledgedly want to help are going to be fucked. It’s started. Bedroom tax? So what? How do you compare that with no bedroom and out on the street. If you can’t pay the rent, then you are out. If you don’t get a pension, what are you going to eat? You’re screwed.
That’s what a debt at 8,200 bn gets you.
blarg1987
I have answered your question please see above. Now again you have had 64 years to mention this concern, why do you only mention this is the past several years if it is such a concern to you?
To say it does not matter what the debt was in 1949 just shows the doublee standards in your argument, as you are monaing about the debt we have now.
Wye Valley
Good Formation of article to read.. Thanks for the updation
Flexible Ducting
Good article.. thanks for sharing it..