MORE BAD NEWS FOR DAVE AS CONSUMERS BALE OUT

[Cannydc]

Discounting from struggling retailers in February triggered outright deflation across swathes of the high street for the first time in more than two years, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said yesterday.

The BRC's latest shop price index painted a grim picture of hard-pressed consumers willing to spend money on essentials like food but little else. Prices among non-food retailers were down 0.7 per cent year-on-year – the first instance of outright decline since November 2009 – with clothes, electrical goods and furniture all cheaper than this time last year.

The slide drove shop price inflation down from 1.4 per cent to 1.2 per cent in February, the lowest for nearly two years. Higher petrol costs were blamed for rising food prices, which rose 4.2 per cent year-on-year in February.



Add that to the 0.5% FALL in house prices last month, and we are now really seeing the results of Dave and Ozzies rushed, ill judged and over severe cuts.

So much so, that the Tories are now desperate to GIVE BACK some of their ill-gotten gains. Not to the ordinary bloke in the street, you understand, but to those earning £150,000 a year or more, along with handouts to big business under the guise of 'growth creation'. Watch this space on Budget Day.

[Cactus Jack]

It's more than just cuts Canny, there's also fear of cuts and redundancies to consider.

'Freezing council tax' sounds good but in fact it will result in loss of jobs, loss of services and loss of confidence - a typical 'Dave' play of putting soundbites before sensible policy.