There's something vapid in Tory thinking. To reduce our debt means,
first and foremost, that we must spend less. The Taxpayers' Alliance
has identified £100 bn of potential savings and that's without
touching any sacred cows. When the Tories have done that, there may
well be cause to raise taxes too, but they have their priorities
wrong. Osborne is so thick that I've given up hope of any sense from
him but why Hague has to muddy the waters too is a mystery and a
tragedy.
The piffling savings Hague mentions here are ludicrous - nursery
economics. If he can't say anything useful he should keep off
programmes like this especially when 'fronted' by a socialist like Marr.
If Hague had concentrated on the dreadful state of the economy that
the Tories will face then he might have been useful. But this is
drivel.
It's made worse that George Osborne was interviewed on last night's
Channel 4 News about the burgeoning national debt and the possibility
of tax rises - no mention of cuts in spending.
Thank heaven that in its ranks are Tories who speak out [see my
posting last night "Osborne loses the plot!" where four spoke out.
You casn read Iain Martin in full in today's Sunday Telegraph] Today
Lord Tebbit in his usual forthright way makes the point forcefully
that "the only way to put things right is to get a firm grip on
expenditure" . - see below.
When will Cameron pull this shambles together ? They are scared out
of their tiny minds of talking about cuts. You can perhaps see why
when the polls show unanimity of a Tory likely majority of 48 and
that with an 11 point lead.
Where I think the Tory tacticians are wrong is that they read the
polls wrong. The fact that their lead seems to be stagnating at that
level is not because the public are worried about cuts but because
they cannot see the proverbial 'clear blue water' between the parties
and thus no reason to be enthusiastic about voting for Conservative
The Tories look like throwing away the chance offered by an open goal.
The Tories opponents azre led by a man who has wrecked a prosperous
economy and Cameron's lot still can't grasp the opportunity
XXXXXXXXXXXX CS
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POLITICS HOME 21.3.09
Andrew Marr Show, BBC1 at 09:50
Hague: We must be honest about need for tax rises
William Hague, Shadow Foreign Secretary
Mr Hague said the Tories had to be "honest" with people about the
need for tax rises for the wealthy if they are to restore faith in
the political system.
"There are always disadvantages - all taxes are taxes on enterprise,
as some people have said...[but] we're going to be honest with people.
"The current Government said there were going to be 'no tax rises at
all'... I think George Osborne being honest with people" will restore
"faith" in politics, he said.
Mr Hague went on to claim the Tories could make "significant savings"
in Government spending by cutting administration costs - for
instance, freezing council tax by cutting the costs of consultancy.
"It is possible to do these things. When Ken Clarke was Chancellor,
we did cut the administrative costs of Government departments while
raising spending on health in real terms."
He also said the Tories would follow President Obama's lead and go
through departments "line by line" to increase efficiency.
Mr Hague then went on to defend the Conservative decision to pull out
of the EPP grouping in Europe and to urge a global agreement on free
trade at the G20 Summit - what he called "an important practical step"
=============================
CONSERVATIVE HOME Blog 22.3.09
Lord Tebbit adds his name to the tally of those opposing the 45p tax
rate
As we noted yesterday morning, Boris Johnson was the first senior
Tory to express public doubts about what appears to be the
Conservative Party's acceptance of Labour's planned 45p top rate of tax.
And last night we highlighted the interventions of four leading
centre right commentators, all of whom were equally sceptical about
the move.
This morning, we can add Lord Tebbit's name to the tally of those
criticising the position as currently articulated by George Osborne.
The former Conservative Party chairman has told the Mail on Sunday
that talking about increasing income tax risks alienating Tory voters
- and that the policy priority should be to cut public spending.
"The Tories have to ask themselves this question: who is going to be
enthused to vote for them by promises of higher taxation?"
"Like any family that gets into debt, the only way to put things
right is to get a firm grip on expenditure. The Conservatives and
Labour seem to be saying that the easier option for them both is to
put up taxes rather than risk upsetting some of the public-sector
clients who live on the taxpayers' back."
ConservativeHome's doubts about the party's position on the matter
are already on the record.
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