nigglynellie Supporters of this right wing government and its austerity policies describe themselves as "moderate", with the implication that those who oppose their policies are in some way "extreme" in their views. The IFS has reported that spending cuts between 2010 and 2020 will be the deepest ever seen and will reduce the overall size of state spending to its lowest level since the Second World War. The UK population in 1945 was around 49,200,000; in 2011 it was around 63,200,000, so despite the significant rise in population, state spending has been reduced to the 1945 level. Such draconian cuts don't sound very moderate to me.
Ana I have just seen your comments re Emily Thornberry and Leigh Day. Leigh Day was criticised in the particular case you mention, but it is a law firm which has championed the rights of ordinary people against the might of huge conglomerates like Trafigura and Shell. It also successfully obtained compensation for the family of Baha Mousa, an Iraqi citizen, who was beaten to death by British Forces personnel. It also attended the subsequent inquiry, whose Chair was highly critical of the MoD's conduct. I worked at Leigh Day as a temp over the course of a couple of years and have nothing but admiration for their hardworking and dedicated staff. I think Thornberry is an effective and principled politician and if Andrew Lansley, the then Shadow Health Secretary, could have his office paid for by Care UK then I can't see what is wrong with Thornberry receiving a donation from a firm of solicitors, where there appears to be little risk of a conflict of interest.
