Chancellor sprinkles fairy dust
HER Majesty’s government has admitted there is trouble ahead but Chancellor Rishi Sunak is prepared to face the music and dance with his mini-budget.
This week in the House of Commons he announced a £30 billion stimulus package to help restart an economy hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and while saying there was ‘hardship ahead’, no one would be abandoned ‘without hope’.
His statement was made in a fairly subdued parliament, the normal pantomime suspended as many politicians attend through a virtual link however, Mr Sunak and the government were prepared to sprinkle some fairy dust over a country still emerging from lockdown.
One of the measures in the aid package is to help the arts and heritage industry survive a health emergency that is still preventing professionals from performing - and one of the early victims is apparently that very British entertainment, the seasonal panto.
Theatre and cinema are going through a fairly miserable time; people may be able to pack inside aircraft to fly off to 59 countries via air corridors - 57 if you are flying from Scotland - but sitting in an auditorium, even wearing a mask, remains a big ‘no’.
The bright lights of the West End and the big-name shows of musical theatre are the most likely to bounce back, despite the huge overheads, once audiences can return. The regions look to be in worse trouble.
Actually the whole genre of ‘musical’ - whether on stage or the silver screen - leaves me cold. Having been dragged along to watch a newly-released Les Miserables at the cinema with Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, I would have been happier watching Dulux dry while being water-boarded by the CIA (read and enjoy the excellent novel by Victor Hugo or watch the dramatic television version again instead).
Rabbit after rabbit were conjured up out of Mr Sunak’s hat with the aim of preventing mass unemployment in the coming months - which could be lucky if restaurants in the UK have a recipe for Valencian paella under the terms of his ‘meal deal’.
The ‘eat out to help out’ discount scheme is designed to help protect 1.8 million hospitality sector jobs. Meals eaten on a Monday to Wednesday at participating businesses have 50% off in August; up to a maximum of £10 a head.
Takeaway
VAT is also to be cut on food, accommodation and attractions from 20% to 5% from next week - encompassing eatin or hot takeaway food from restaurants, pubs and cafes and accommodation in hotels, B&Bs, campsites and a host of attractions like theme parks.
It was described as a £4 billion ‘catalyst’ and capable of protecting over 2.4 million jobs
The Commons did manage a comedy moment when the chancellor was asked if he also intended to introduce similar cuts of tax on clothing if the nation was forced to buy a new wardrobe to encompass expanding waistlines.
However, the job retention bonus intended to smooth out a spike in unemployment after the end of the furlough scheme was recognised as a positive move, as was new training schemes and job creation measures for young people.
And, the stamp duty holiday, exempting the first £500,000 of all property sales from the tax is a boost for another crucial sector.
The chancellor said he does not want to give people ‘false hope’ but was determined he would never ‘accept unemployment as an inevitable outcome’ of the pandemic.
He admits being ‘anxious’ over the state of the economy and it appears the day of reckoning - when the country has to pay the piper - will be set out in this autumn’s budget.
There is certainly a lot of juggling going on and the government - like many other countries - is attempting to keep a lot of balls in the air.
And talking of skills and entertainment, the circus industry staged a demonstration outside the big top (the Palace of Westminster) in an attempt to remind the ringmaster inside not to forget them.
The photographs of the event raised a smile as performers showed off a range of hard-learned skills for the cameras; sad to miss such a one-off, hope some of the miserable ones inside managed a smile.