ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL

Following pre-Budget tradition, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne holds up his red Ministerial Box outside 11 Downing Street.

It's Friday. It's financial. It's Friday Financial with JULIAN SAYER.

The expression “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul” refers to times before the Reformation when Church taxes had to be paid to St. Paul's church in London and to St. Peter's church in Rome. Originally it referred to neglecting the Peter tax in order to have money to pay the Paul tax. In other words taking from one to pay another.

With that firmly in mind in another rambling look at the world’s economic problems, I fear that the Government's shortcomings are being pushed on to the people who least can afford it.

In essence, nearly every budget is always the same. The chancellor giving with one hand and taking with the other. In these times of austerity it's never more evident. George Osborne has to raise money in order to pay the UK’s ever increasing debt.

I could write a piece on the details of the budget, but the news and papers are full of reviews far better than I could write. If you really want the details you can find them here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26626280

WRIGHT LACKS THE RIGHT STUFF

MP for Hartlepool, Iain Wright.

byHARRY BLACKWOOD

Hartlepool MP and Chancellor Osborne.  Two peas from the same pod.

When I stared this blogging lark, I had no idea it would be such a messy business.

I can assure you it is. I've just spent five minutes cleaning porridge off the screen of my laptop after spitting a huge mouthful over the screen. I bet there were many people in Hartlepool similarly exasperated as I was with the Hartlepool Mail Budget story today,

In a nutshell it was an attack on the budget and the Chancellor in particular. Normally I'd applaud anyone who describe George Osborne as smug and complacent. Such a description would have my 100% support.

But when the criticism comes from Hartlepool's Labour MP Iain Wright then it's two other words that come to mind. POT and KETTLE.

It's a perfect description of the lacklustre local lad who took over from Peter Mandelson in the safe Labour seat. Many times I've heard people describe Wright in such terms. Lots of them have been lifelong Labour supporters who have not only become disillusioned at the national party under the stewardship of Ed 'Mr Bean' Miliband, but are becoming visibility angry at Wright's ineptitude.

The rot began to set in with the long-running hospital saga. Wright made endless pledges to the public to the effect that Hartlepool's hospital would remain in place as long as he was MP. I'll give him his due, the hospital is still there. Unfortunately almost all of the wards are empty as services and most have the staff have been transferred to North Tees. Wright has been impotent and has sat idly by as there has been a gradual chipping away of services.

If this failure to prevent the dismantling of vital services was Wright's only red mark on his homework, the loyal Labour voters of Hartlepool might be persuaded to forgive him. In the face of public service cuts and a devious and dangerous Tory plan to privatise the NHS, there is perhaps little headway that a North East Labour MP is going to make in the commons. But at least he could have shown a bit of fight and passion. Frankly I've seen more grit and determination from Dale Winton.