So, as the first week of campaigning ends we have the following detailed initiatives...
Conservatives
Reverse NI hike
Introduce National Community Service system
Introduce 3 strikes benefits crackdown
Details of marriage tax break
Labour
Rehashed announcement on constitutional reform
LibDems
Er... just attacks on Labour and the Tories.
19 comments:
That's about it! Oh, I suppose a newly made public Labour "policy" is the tactical voting plea by Brown, Mandy and Adonis, but I don't know if that counts...
And if that isnt proof that the conservatives represent the change we need then I dont know what is.
I for one will be voting conservative
Y'see, this is what comes of the Lib Dems *already having policies* rather than making them up on the hoof.
- rebalanced tax system
- tuition fees/teacher funding
- electoral reform, reform of lobbying & the lords
- economic rebuilding plans away from the City
Mind you, you do seem to have missed this week's extra announcements about expansion of branchline railways and bank charges.
Iain, did you see the BBC TV News this evening? There asked DWP how many people had three convictions for benefit fraud. The answer? Zero. Then the BBC asked how many people had two convictions. The answer was 95.
The three strikes is another nonsense Tory policy that will have no effect at all.
Looks like a re-run of the 1983 election to me. The only difference is that I felt sorry for Michael Foot, I could never feel sorry for Brown.
Is it better for a political party to
a) formulate policy over a long period of time, carefully, and make sure they are fully costed prior to going public?
OR
b) launch any old policy when it might gain you a few political points, ignoring the blowback and the huge financial black holes?
In any case you'll find the Lib Dems launched a new policy today on bank charges. It was widely reported, so you must simply be ignoring it.
* Did you see Mark Easton BBC analysis of the (http://bit.ly/bLnubT) three strikes welfare crackdown. Almost 110% rhetorical, zero effect.
* While I think the principle behind Cameron's 20-1 range in public sector pay is fine, as a policy it turns out to have almost no impact on more than a couple of dozen people. Mervyn King's almost £300k unaffected.
* So it might be that the £3/week marriage tax break is the really substantive policy of the three, which is one way to spend another £500m I guess.
The best policy announcement from the LibDems has been that they will tackle the banks ripoff penalty charge structure and usurious interest rates on credit cards. This is more than any of the other parties are offering.
Full details of LibDem policies are here. Just an attempt to rebalance this a bit!
The things I believe the lab dems want -
the vote for prisoners
join the euro
a wholly federal europe
the age of consent to be lowered
class A drugs to be decriminalised
an emasculated Armed Forces
immigrants to be dispersed across rural Tory seats
have I missed anything?
This looks like a really biased and OTT blog...but it's not. God help us if Labour actually win. Decline is inevitable in every way.
"Introduce National Community Service system"
... which is quite stunningly wrong-headed.
Ian I agree with your analysis. I do like some Lib Dem policies but all they've done this week is attack the Tories. Maybe that's putting people off voting for them.
Cameron's coming up with positive policies & the other 2 parties are bitching about them. Argue YOUR case LibLab!
Oh for God sake Iain.
I know its an election, and I know you want to cheerlead for your party- I would expect nothing less of someone committed to politics, but posts like this really do undermine the work you've done building a profile as a serious commentator.
I would like to be able to read your blog for a different opinion from my own on all the things going on in the campaign, but if you are just it to silly, cheap point scoring and attacks on anyone or anything that isn't Tory then it will quickly become very dull indeed.
Just what does Brown think he looks like in the photo on the Times' website?
What a preposterous pose.
No reason to guess why the bloated belly is in deep shade.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
Oh - the answer .... 'Alfred E. Neuman'
It gets worse
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7093824.ece
Iain you forgot to add this to Labour's listing. Not sure that this will be fully legal given the various EU treaties we signed though........ Let me introduce the "Cadbury's Law" a sure sign that the UNITE union is the puppet master.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8612745.stm
Iain,
I read your blog every day..I think it's great and I'm desperate for the Tories to win.
I don't know how much clout you have with the Tories / maybe you could do a blog article on it but I think the Tories should be dealing with the tactical voting issue head on and reacting to it. I've put down a few possible angles:
*It's disgraceful that Labour MPs are telling people how to vote (Adonis / Burnham)
* Even Labour realise the game is up..they realise their party is shambolic and so have resorted to asking the voters to vote for anyone but Tory
* How depressing was it to see our PM begging for votes from another party
* It is the public who decide and the Labour Party ought to be careful what they wish for..it may well be them on the wrong side of Tactical Voting
Thanks!
We already have a wonderful number of childrens groups in existence, the scouts and guides and the service cadets.
How much better would it be to support those groups instead of building a new soviet/Hitler youth state indoctrination system.
The state getting involved in this national service idea is akin to letting the wolves guard the sheep at night!
The state should not be allowed to set up this endeavour, it should not be allowed to frame the rules and it should not be allowed to recruit people to run it.
Can you imagine just what sort of political indoctrination will certainly happen if the PC H&S EUSSR droids have any say in the setting up and running of this enterprise?
A fertile breeding ground for the new world order common purpose post democratic recruiters and trainers, the kid goes in one end of the factory and comes out the other fully indoctrinated robots.
Has anyone not thought out the obvious dangers of allowing the state to train a whole generation of children into becoming the NWO droid class spouting the right slogans and hating the right class of peoples enemy?
Need a reason to not to vote for Dave now?
Iain
Very silly! Don't policy proposals usually come in manifestos? When they are out, and you've read them, let's hear from you again on this subject...
Yours Ever
Paddy
"And if that isnt proof that the conservatives represent the change we need then I dont know what is."
Indeed.
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