I hope they don’t get a pact with the tories

I doubt there will be a pact, but Brexitcast reckoned they might only stand in 20 seats which would have the same effect as a pact – avoiding a split in the Leave vote.

even if they did it could be significant as it’ll be 20 seats in ‘labour leave heartlands’ that Tories will focusing on as well. Call me an optimist but that could be decisive, particularly if the concentrate all their dodgy resources on those 20 seats. They’ll still be taking chunks from each other (hopefully).

Potentially contesting every seat:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50261647

If it turns out to be true that seems like a very bad idea, unless the BP would rather have remain than the current deal.

Or does the Brexit party think that their niche as a party and their EU jobs evaporate if Brexit happens and are actually secret remainers for that reason.

Either way, BP contesting every seat has to be good for the Libdems.

(Word is they won’t necessarily push that particular policy through, particularly how you phrased it.)

Well it might be pragmatic to drop it then, for fear of it backfiring in the way you suggest.

Confirms their pro-Brexit stance I guess.

A quick check shows they are pro referendum with a remain option. Should they only stand in those constituencies where the SNP didnt get a majority? Seems a bit flawed considering how close some of those were.

Would you like to hazard a guess at why they might do so?

Because they want to get some people in parliament as a rough guess?
For those seats. How tight is the majority?
Your case would be more valid if they were challenging in all the seats where the SNP were only a small percentage either behind or in front.
Is this the case?

Your case would be more valid if they were challenging in all the seats where the SNP were only a small percentage either behind or in front.

Like Pete Wisharts 21 vote majority you mean? Or Joanna Cherrys of around 1,000?

Agree, but to be fair they’re fairly open about it:

https://policy.greenparty.org.uk/eu.html

Read the rest of it. They’re not proposing leaving the EU but say it needs restructuring.

Or Joanna Cherrys of around 1,000?

Okay. So what about the rest?
Simply claiming that most of the seats they are challenging are currently occupied by the SNP really doesnt give us much information.

UK comes below EU, European, G20, G7 and Global rates.

Thanks for posting the numbers.

All I can see is broad agreement around 20pc, some a few percent over some a few percent under with the UK slap in the middle. [1]

If Milliband is using corp tax as a barometer for class war then he’s arguing that Spain/Greece/Germany are in a bitter class war being won by the ‘lower’ classes and Ireland and Hungaria are in a bitter class war being won by the ‘upper’ classes and the UK is slap bang in the middle in harmony. So I’d argue that Milliband’s analysis is wrong on this one. [2][3]

[1] I appreciate other people see it as a massive Gulf and I really don’t know how we work out who’s right on the “broad agreement” issue so we probably need to park it.

[2] I appreciate other people see it as clear evidence of class war and I really don’t know how we work out who’s right on that issue so we probably need to park it.

[3] Also because I doubt we’re comparing like with like here – what the taxman gives in corporation tax to encourage people to move to Ireland/UK/Hungary he may well take back in other taxes which weakens Milliband’s argument further.

All I can see is broad agreement around 20pc, some a few percent over some a few percent under with the UK slap in the middle. [1]

You might indeed see that, were you to hold a telescope to your blind eye.

And that being eurosceptic and keen for change in the EU is not the same as wanting to be outside the EU at all.

Exactly, which is why I agree with most of the Green parties comments on EU. The EU needs lots of change and even though change is very unlikely (they are really not good at seeing or accepting their failings) I would still rather stay in EU and try and change it than leave all together.

Whether I would join if we were not already in the EU is a different matter.

Now, have you managed to find the number of people paying an effective tax rate of 40% yet?

No, but that shouldn’t prevent you from making a point based on the number of people paying an effective tax rate of 40%.

No, but that shouldn’t prevent you from making a point based on the number of people paying an effective tax rate of 40%.

Ah, so we can assume that you have no evidence to support your assertion. Gotcha.

Ah, so we can assume that you have no evidence to support your assertion. Gotcha.

Which assertion? Quote it and maybe I can support it another way.

The only point I recall making about 40pc tax rate was that a 40pc higher tax rate can be introduced for reasons other than as part of a class war. I offered Scotland’s 41pc rate as evidence that other countries have similar rates. If that’s not acceptable dues to the number of people paying it then here’s a list of EU upper tax rate. It’s a tricky thing to compare but the UK higher rate is not a outlier by any means:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_in_Europe

Looks like Farage is going to split the tory / leave vote. good news for those of us with a bit of sense.

My crystal ball prediction …

Yes, it will split the vote. Fine with me. Nothing last forever (referring to demise of Tories).

This will only mean the beginning of the end for one of the main British political party and this time there will be no turning back. I hope so.

Then the next party to go will be Labour because if Labour wins the next GE they will have to face SNP call for independence. I think Scotland will gain their independence under a Labour govt. Freedoommm! After that Labour will be blamed for not handling Scotland well and will be consigned to history for breaking up the Union.

Which means Libdems will resurrect themselves (in the image of neoconservative whatever) as the next main party in British Politics in the next decade and probably we will also see the rise of Brexit Party (may change name after that).

The British political realignment is complete.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west again. 😀

I’ve just been sent a letter by my MP, the lovely Mr Gove. Its all about his plan and what issues he stands for – anyone want to guess how often he, the joint architect of the whole current juju flop situation, actually mentions Brexit?

Not once on the front page where he sets out his vision, and exactly once ontthe back page in a tick box feed back exercise. You’d think he was trying to duck the biggest biggest issue of the election. Well actually Michael I think it’s a bit more important than that, not that my opinion will do much for your electoral chances round here. Ah well.

Trump, for example, reduced it from 35 to currently 21% but it’s illusory because

The 35% was largely illlusory because the huge numbers of boutique tax cuts for certain sectors/individual companies/specific products etc. meant that no business with any sort of ability paid anything like it. More rational people suggested the ‘cut’ to 21% would be both fairer and actually an increase, if actually true and enforced. So even murkier.

I’ve just stuck a tenner on Labour to win the most seats but not get a majority, at 6/1

And I have just thrown a tenner down the toilet. We will get the same return. If bookies are offering 6/1 it is not going to happen.

OOB – your assertion is that the laffer curve means anything. It do0esn’t.

The Laffer Curve is almost entirely a theoretical concept, which is largely true, rather like the demand/supply curve. Laffer didn’t invent it but he popularised it when Reagan was on his trickle down economics kick. He never put any actual numbers on it because he couldn’t. He even said later on that The Laffer Curve itself does not say whether a tax cut will raise or lower revenues. Instead, it shows that if taxes are already low, then further cuts reduce revenues without boosting growth. Politicians who claim tax cuts always raise revenues in the long-term misinterpret the Laffer Curve.

Some numbers for you, which seem to indicate that there is a huge flat spot in the centre of the curve. In the US, tax revenues since WWII have stayed around 15-20% of GDP while top marginal tax rates have swung between 28% and 92%. Clearly not a strong correlation.
The Laffer curve is a good visual concept of how taxes may affect revenue but it really doens have any real world value beyond that. Never will unless someone can put some actual numbers on it. It seems to indicate from its shape that 50% tax rate maximises revenue. If that’s true, how come every country in the world doesn’t have a 50% tax rate to maximise revenues?

Probably close to Zero in the UK, you’d have to earn a fair chunk at 45% via PAYE to average 40% and I would suspect most at that end of the pay scale are paid in more tax efficient ways than PAYE.

That’s my assumption too, but OOB seems to have a different view.