Conservative-DUP Deal - £1bn the price for strong and stable government?

Goooner

We're only talking about reducing VAT on certain sectors (tourism/hotels etc).

Zero/reduced VAT = lower hotel bills etc etc.   

I'm sure they do this in other countries (France etc)...?

We have a 5% rate on Gas/Elec to some extent too.

Werewolfs

Didn't gas and electric used to be zero rated, but then upped to 5%?

I thought you could set VAT rates on stuff, but you weren't allowed to reduce it?

Could well have that wrong though, as we reduced the VAT rate to 17.5% not that long ago.

Knew I'd seen something about the EU and VAT

Reality Check: Does the EU control UK VAT rates? - BBC News

nabby

If the initial fund for NI was approx 1/2B but the government has found an extra 1B where is the extra 1B for my area. Its only an extra £7 a year to people.
Its not a fair society hence people are going against it. People wonder why more and more head towards JCs side.
"There is no magic money tree for nurses"TM

bernado

And now it seems labour are against increasing public spending?

rancidpunk

I'm not sure I get the relevance.

The Tories fought an election campaign on the basis of criticising the opposition parties to the hilt over the possibility of forming a coalition.

They have now entered into one themselves, giving away tax payers' money (something I'd have thought many more inhere would be up in arms over, but hey-ho, we can all be hypocrites when we want to be, I know I certainly can) to a party in a move that goes against the impartiality terms set down for Westminster in the Stormont agreement for power sharing in Northern Ireland. They have actually bought votes with our money, not theirs.

If Labour had won the election and proposed they give £1.5 billion of taxpayers' money to Sinn Fein, this forum would have exploded with apoplexy. It's another example of how much of an echo chamber the politics forums appear to have become in recent months.

All we need now is for someone to link it to the threat of Islamic terrorist attacks and we'll have a full bingo card for our resident right-wingers.

As it stands, what Labour do now after the election has as much to do with this Tory-DUP cash for votes bribe as what I had for breakfast does.

Pacifico

If this cash for votes arrangement happened in another country, how quick people would be to point critical fingers with cries of corruption and bribery.

Rasczak

This is May's government though, there's an excuse for every lie, u-turn and complete cock up they've ever done.
If they do run out of excuses, then the blame for it all lies with Labour.

bernado

Its another example of how posters dont know what they are talking about - the Tories haven't given the DUP anything. If Sinn Fein go back into power sharing they will also get to decide where this money is spent - if power sharing doesnt happen then the Northern Ireland Office decides.

So much for echo chambers..

Sonic67

I think people understand very well. The issue is the political capital for the uplift is with the DUP.

bernado

As it should be.

Sinn Fein don't even take up their seats. Why should they get any credit for a deal they refuse to have any part of?