Finance | Steve Middletons blog

You’re on your own

Anyone interested in the details of the summer budget can find some useful briefings and information here: BBC Local Government Association Liberal Democrats As a Liberal Democrat, this is obviously a difficult day. Our party spent five years preventing the Conservatives from implementing policies that we felt were unfair, as well as introducing distinctive Lib…

How will Election 2015 affect the stock market?

This is an interesting article detailing how the last 6 general elections have affected the UK stock market. In 5 out of the last 6, the market has increased. The article is reproduced here in an easier to read PDF format.

The Liberal Democrats Work for the Less Well Off

People are struggling to cope with rising food, fuel and mortgage bills and the politicians in Government fighting their corner are the Liberal Democrats. It’s largely thanks to them that there have been a some tax policies to help low and middle income earners who need as much help as they can get at the…

Budget 2012: For the many, not the few

A £3.5bn tax cut for working people Biggest single ever uplift in the tax threshold 21 million working people getting an extra £220 tax cut Tycoon Tax raises FIVE times as much from the super-rich The Liberal Democrats have ensured this is a budget for the millions not for the millionaires, delivering a £3.5billion tax…

An extra £60 in your wages each month

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIKvTjgjTyQ

The Guardian has published the latest ICM poll which shows that 30% of people in the UK continue to blame debts racked up by the last Labour government as the reason for the current economic crisis; only 24% blame the coalition’s spending cuts. The voting intention poll shows Labour (38%) still with a 2 point…

So impressed by Compare the Market

I don’t normally use my blog to ‘advertise’ other company’s products – for one, my blog is independent of commercial interest. If I did introduce advertising or worse blogged about products in a way destined to influence my readers (perhaps for some sort of commission), people would quite rightly stop reading it. I wouldn’t blame…

Grants for local groups in Salford

I’ve just heard that the Natwest bank are running a new Grants Scheme for local groups. In each of their local markets they are offering three community projects the chance to win awards of £6,000 each. NatWest won’t be deciding the winners, but it will be up to local people who know the projects and…

Tens of thousands of public sector workers, many of them teachers, are expected to strike on Thursday, in England and Wales. Currently public sector workers largely enjoy more generous pensions than their equivalents in the private sector and the Coalition Government has acknowledged the growing difference in approach between the private and public sectors. The…