Well, the Cider-Is-The-Most-Important-Financial-Resource-KNOWN-TO-MAN bandwagon is still rolling along: I'm all for being a cider drinker, but if people care about it that much then why don't they make it themselves? This has understandably had a big impact in the West Country, with the Lib Dems sounding rather miffed: maybe it will see a swing towards them, maybe not.
Meanwhile Osborne's finally had his say on the Budget itself: arguing that it has "no original ideas", "totally empty", and full of "hidden taxes". He's also claiming that there are a lot of hidden taxes that are going to hit both the middle and working classes, which may well be true. Unfortunately, while some of his arguments may be sound, they are not entirely original themselves: the Conservative Party in 1992 argued the same thing about Labour's policy on taxation. 18 years on, and it's tax bombshells all over again. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that: after all, if it helped the Conservatives get in before, why not try it again?
One of Osborne aide's finds the source of the taxing: it's a bombshell!
But Osborne might find himself in trouble with this argument. He's saying that Labour are proposing no original ideas - that they've nicked everything from the Tories, that is - but he's also saying that a new Conservative Government will scrap Darling's policies. What, even the ones that you want to implement? That sounds a bit unlikely...
Still, having actually listened to Osborne, he's not quite the liability I took him for. But he still seems incapable of capitalising on the current Chancellor's job insecurity. If either he or Cameron had pointed to the fact that Brown ideally wants to replace Darling, then perhaps his position would be fatally undermined.
Darling's score so far? I'd say 7/10. One off for the cider, one off for being boring, one off for being a little too political. But then, we are nearing an election.
Chris
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