And They're Off
Just a couple of hours after my previous post and Gordon Brown kick starts the General Election campaign with a speech in Nottingham outlining the areas that the Labour Party hierarchy have indentified as crucial in winning the election. He also suggested that Labour are the underdogs at the moment, given the fact that David Cameron said something similar last week about the Conservatives perhaps that Facebook campaign which claims the BNP are going to secure 30% of the vote wasn't the work of some nutty long arms after all.
So, here are the areas identified as the most important:
1. Secure the economic recovery and halve the budget deficit – currently £167 billion – through economic growth, fair taxes and cuts to lower priority spending;
2.Raise family living standards, with low mortgage rates, increased tax credits for families with young children, helping first-time buyers and re-linking the state pension with earnings from 2012;
3.Build a "high tech" economy, with support for businesses and industry in creating one million new skilled jobs and the delivery of high-speed rail, a green investment bank and broadband access for all.
4. Protect front line investment in policing, schools, childcare and the NHS, as well as a guarantee of cancer test results within a week.
5. Strengthen fairness in communities through an Australian style points-based system to control immigration, guarantees of education, apprenticeships and jobs for young people, and a crackdown on anti-social behaviour
To achieve number one I think every person in the country should buy a Euro Million lottery ticket. Incidentally isn't the 'your children and your grandchildren will be paying for Labour for years to come,' line possibly the most stupid and facile line ever used in British politics?
Number Two - completely unworkable. Paying people tax credits because the basic wage is too low is the result of mass immigration driving down wages at the bottom end of the pay scale in this country. How about stopping asylum seekers in the first place and having a moritorium on immigration for ten years?
Number Three - Britain is crap at providing any sort of meaningful integrated network of anything. Almost every country in Western Europe has better road and rail links, better planning legisilation and are more savvy when it comes to hi-tec issues - the possible exception being Portugal. I started using a computer at work in 1978, I was 18 and am now 50, investment has been led by the private sector, nice of the Government to finally join in.
Number Four - It's difficult to guarantee pretty much anything in advance but you shouldn't have to protect investment in front-line services that should be a given.
Number Five is a great policy, problem is it is about fifty years too late.
You wouldn't think I was an optimist by nature would you!
4 comments:
Good post (again), Paul. I am, however, going to comment on the photo.
I am bloody well sick of seeing politicians do that thing with their hands like Tony Blair used to. I know we all all have peronal mannerisms but when a group of people all adopt the same one I think we should ask what the hell is going on. Even my 14 year ols daughter has noticed it.
Just think, our country is run by people who copy each others hand gestures.
Thanks Shy.
Re the photograph - it's the Paul McCartney thumbs aloft gesture which says 'look at me I'm a decent bloke.' Except of course it doesn't work when we are all thinking - wanker!
hahaha...yes, wanker, that was it! Agree with Shy, they are clearly all coached but all look like it totally unnantural movement to them so they all look daft.
Re 1 to 5...agree with it all except number 1. I think the children and grandchildren comments are about the debt, not the deficit. The deficit is just overspend and should be wiped out in 5 years if they do nothing....ish.
Hi Span - you could be right about the debt/deficit scenario.
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