In Bury and across the country, the Conservatives are not what they seem
David Cameron talks a lot about “change,” and says that’s what the country will get if we all vote Conservative. It’s simply not true, in my view.
For one thing, people like William Hague and Ken Clarke (both of whom are big players in Cameron’s Conservatives, and both of whom were there right behind him during his big speech at the weekend) were in the last Tory government that was booted out in a tide of sleaze in 1997.
Back then the Conservatives were viewed as out of touch and out for the rich, uncaring and illiberal. They might claim to be different now, but look at the evidence both here in Bury and across the country.
In Bury, the Conservative Council has put up Council Tax above inflation every single year since it came to power. This despite the Conservatives nationally claiming to want low rises. The Conservatives claim to be the party of the environment, but in Bury they blocked the 10:10 pledge.
Nationally, they propose tax cuts for millionaires, won’t deal properly with bankers bonuses (because plenty of their core support receive them!) and their biggest donor has pocketed over £100m from the British tax man because of his non-dom status.
In fact, Lord Ashcroft is estimated to have saved more than £127m in British tax since he became a member of the House of Lords, according to Liberal Democrat research.
Lord Ashcroft’s annual tax saving is conservatively estimated to be £12.76m and he has been a member of the House of Lords for a decade.
Commenting on this, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:
“Anyone who wants to pass laws in this country should pay this country’s full taxes and not hide behind the special offshore status of non-doms.
“Non-doms have to tell the taxman that their first allegiance is to another country. No-one should be a British lawmaker whose first allegiance is not to Britain.
“On even the most conservative estimates, Lord Ashcroft has avoided vast amounts of British tax by deploying the non-dom tax dodge. If he challenges our estimate of how much tax he has dodged, then there is a simple solution: publish the figure.”
So the Conservatives claim to be one thing, but are another. Bear that in mind when going to the polls.
Rick
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March 3rd, 2010 at 7:28 am
You say that Cameron’s pledge of “change”, if the Conservatives gain power is not true. I disagree, strongly.
Cameron is being absolutely honest about what will happen, and within a year, there will be changes like you won’t believe.
The changes they would make will be in pursuit of the need to put our countries finances back on the straight and narrow, and in line with their crazy perception that this must be done as quickly as possible.
And in doing so, their policies will pay no heed whatsoever to the plight of the vast majority.
The big difference between what a Labour or LibDem Government would do, and what the Conservatives would do, is that Conservatives don’t give a hoot about the ramifications of their actions. They’ll just dive in, with their half-baked policies, and do whatever the hell they want to do.
We’ve already been promised a “crisis budget” within 100 days. People of my age remember Thatcher – and the appalling disaster that she was… not to the British economy, but to the British society, and way of life.
There’ll be change all right – and God help us all, if they ever get their hands on the levers of power!
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:44 am
Maybe that’s the second half of the slogan?
Remember “We can’t go on like this… I’ll cut the deficit not the NHS” which was the double-halved self-contradictory Tory statement in their first lot of posters?
I am fairly sure that the current posters which say “I’ve never voted Conservative before, but…” should actually end with “…that’s because I remember what they were like before and I think they’re still the same now.”
And this new lot of slogans which say “A vote for change…” should continue “which would be a disaster!”
Maybe the entire Conservative campaign is full of half slogans. Much like, I suspect, their policies are OK for the first few words and then very uncertain thereafter!