Spot the difference: George’s secret inspiration

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

This afternoon Guido Fawkes has been suggesting that Danny Finkelstein is the secret inspiration for George Osborne’s speech at Tory Party conference today. That’s entirely possible – there were several “Fink”-esque touches to the speech. But there also seems to be another secret inspiration for the chancellor.

Step forward, Edward Miliband.

Last night we showed you some YouGov polling that suggests that Miliband’s lines on “fast-buck capitalists” resonated with the public. It seems that some of the lines resonated so well with the chancellor that he borrowed them for himself.

Miliband last week: “The banking crisis, MPs’ expenses. Journalists hacking phones. From them all a something for nothing culture. Take what you can. Fill your boots. Who cares as long as you can get away it.”

Osborne today: “So we are repairing the damage of an age of irresponsibility. Ending the something for nothing society that flourished during it.”

And to think the Tories were said to be mocking “something for nothing” at the time. Still laughing now?