DAY TWO – The shock news late Tuesday that Guardian housemate Nils Pratley had pulled ahead in the click rankings, sent voters into a frenzy. Mr J Warner’s mystery fan went wild, posting hundreds of clicks for their favoured pundit.
Now the voting public are eager to see what their reality media stars will serve up next.
But Click or Clunk, always keen on a twist, has a few surprises in store. There’s been a switcheroo at the Telegraph with Tom Stevenson stepping up.
And Brummer has been reinstated! After clamour from his adoring public, the Mail man joins the competition – but will have to play with the latest column available online at the time of publication.
Here are the nibbles of business wisdom from each of our talking heads. Get voting. Remember – you decide.
Alex Brummer in the Daily Mail – on the pre pre-budget report (his latest column online as of 8.30am)
Alistair Darling has an unenviable task today. Ideally, he would have something to say which would lift the spirits in Labour’s heartlands after the on-off election debacle…..One way in which Darling could really cheer middle Britain is by tipping his hand to savers, a long neglected constituency. The system of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) should be simplified, made more flexible, with limits indexed.
James Harding in the Times – on the pre-budget report
The place of non-doms in the UK is an issue that, if not dealt with responsibly, could cause great damage to the health of the economy and the fabric of society. In a speech that seemed to leave much on the cutting room floor, this was a piece of selective briefing too far.
Nils Pratley in the Guardian – on Northern Rock
It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the tripartite authorities, among their other mistakes, under-estimated the scale of Northern Rock’s problems. That may have prompted a fear of a further run on the bank. Thus yesterday’s belt-and-braces package was agreed……The deeper lesson, though, is that the authorities are clearly terrified that credit conditions could yet deteriorate and serious risks remain. There’s only one way to view that: it’s bearish.
Tom Stevenson in the Telegraph – on the latest in the Northern Rock saga
Uniquely, Northern Rock can now offer risk-free savings, albeit at the cost of a payment of at least £50m to the taxpayer this year. Effectively nationalising the bank, the Treasury has given it a significant competitive advantage. Talk about moral hazard.
Jeremy Warner in the Indy – on the pre-budget report
Yet the politics of inheritance tax, private equity and non-doms, did at least serve the Government’s purpose in one regard, which was to distract attention from the affordability of Labour’s spending plans. As ever, the public finances were presented as all hunky-dory and nothing to worry about. Repeating the mantra of his predecessor, Mr Darling insisted that both the golden rule and the sustainable investment rule were met both this cycle and the next, as if this somehow makes everything all right.
Click on the link of your favourite pundit to register your vote and avoid his eviction.