I was chatting to the wife of a City big-shot (‘He’s in M&A”) who was telling me how difficult it was for Giles (not his real name, but suitable) to work remotely, as he ‘really needs to be there, in the cut and thrust of it all’. My first thought was ‘tosh’. If all this has proven anything, it’s that those at the top can most easily do what they usually do on the 20th floor, on ‘phone and computer. It’s the troops in the basement who still have to come in to open post, or to make and deliver actual stuff in factories and warehouses. I’ve heard others say ‘They do like to see me on my daily walkabout’. Tosh, again. Do you really think there isn’t an early warning system in most offices to get everyone off YouTube before the boss does his excruciating round? Let’s hope some things do change for the better. Otherwise, come the revolution…
“Rachel Reeves may be forced to raise taxes”
Why did she/they (in the old sense) think that tinkering around with IHT and CGT would be enough to sort out the NHS; and the potholes; and…and the list goes on. My guess is that they asked the Treasury for a list of anything not involving income tax that they could get away with lightly, although they should already have learned from the winter fuel stuff that all publicity is not good publicity.