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Sunday 19 November 2023

Each pretended to accept the other



They said things that were more revealing than they intended — but each pretended to accept the other at face, or rather word, value.

F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Beautiful and Damned (1922)


Chancellor says 'everything on the table' in autumn statement as he promises to remove tax 'barriers' for business

Jeremy Hunt tells Sky News the tax burden is "too high", as he hints at cuts ahead of Wednesday's major fiscal event.

"I am not going to talk about any individual taxes as that will lead to even more feverish speculation," he said.

But the chancellor admitted the tax burden is "too high" and the government "wants to bring it down", with lower tax "essential to growth".



As the high tax burden appears to be deliberate and the burden of Net Zero certainly is deliberate, it isn't easy to see why any interviewer would take Hunt seriously, or even pretend to. But that's what they do.

5 comments:

Sam Vega said...

Yes, when he says "everything is on the table", I suspect Net Zero will be quickly put back into its glass cabinet once decisions have to be made.

dearieme said...

I didn't bully anyone at school but I suspect I'd have been tempted had Hunt been in our class.

A K Haart said...

Sam - yes it's just an expression meaning 'fudge and deception are on the table and we both know it'. It's a disgusting way to carry on, but it's what they do.

dearieme - it's a pity he wasn't knocked into shape in one way or another, but he seems to have evaded it up to now.

Bucko said...

"it isn't easy to see why any interviewer would take [Any Mp, civil servant or member of the political class, across the entire spectrum] seriously, or even pretend to. But that's what they do."

A K Haart said...

Bucko - I suppose it's the job, but I couldn't do it.