Budget Day

[andrec]

I was watching today's Spring Statement from the Commons and was reminded of how it used to be. In the 70s/80s, sittings began later, and consequently the chancellor would make his statement later. It would be covered by the BBC and ITV live, with audio from the Commons prior to cameras being allowed, and reporters relaying information to TV studios before audio was permitted. I disliked Budget day intensely, though being around in the 70s would have lived through some quite dramatic Budgets. The reason for the dislike was that children's programmes would be cancelled for that day and replaced by boring discussions of something I wasn't at all interested in at the time. I can't be certain, but I have the feeling that the Budget used to be held on Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays, though I stand to be corrected on that.

[Richard1978]

I was watching today's Spring Statement from the Commons and was reminded of how it used to be. In the 70s/80s, sittings began later, and consequently the chancellor would make his statement later. It would be covered by the BBC and ITV live, with audio from the Commons prior to cameras being allowed, and reporters relaying information to TV studios before audio was permitted. I disliked Budget day intensely, though being around in the 70s would have lived through some quite dramatic Budgets. The reason for the dislike was that children's programmes would be cancelled for that day and replaced by boring discussions of something I wasn't at all interested in at the time. I can't be certain, but I have the feeling that the Budget used to be held on Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays, though I stand to be corrected on that.

Sometimes children's TV was moved onto BBC2 if something important needed to be shown on BBC2.

[andrec]

I was wondering if programmes were moved to BBC2 on Budget day, but have no memory of that happening personally. For ITV there was no option to do that at the time, and I can't emphasise strongly enough how much it ticked me off back then. Taking away my programmes for a bunch of blokes droning on about GDP, money supply and VAT - the nerve! lol

[George 1978]

Yes, as Richard mentioned above, we didn't like Budget Day as kids either - not because of the cost of road tax being increased by 10%, but because children's TV programmes were moved to BBC 2 or were even dropped altogether if it was Children's ITV. I used to refer to it, ironically as The Budgie. I know it used to be on a Tuesday - it certainly was when Nigel Lawson was at Number 11. More or less every year, they put another 10p on a pack of Benson and Hedges and the same on a pint of Carlsberg which means one had to watch the pennies in the Red Lion as well as one's health - but still, people still smoke and drink and do themselves damage. This is what is good about the Budget - the attempt of raising the cost and VAT of "treats" that are unhealthy and even poisonous for you, hopefully influencing those to give up those habits, but they still get lung cancer and damaged livers as a result.

I was born on the then incumbent Chancellor of the Exchequer's birthday - it made me wonder whether that would become a omen for my future as an adult.