Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Tartan Raj Continues

Wee Dougie , Shadow Work and Pension’s secretary, is starting the New Labour triangulation . His article has, to me, a false ring to it partly because it is blatant political slithering dressed in sanctimony but also the tone is wrong . Its like a 50s ad inflicted on today`s knowing audience. It needs more self awareness to avoid sounding smug .It also needs more than token apology to gain traction.His Brownite “something for everyone” approach leaves no space for such grace notes , but the conflicting aspirations are interesting as evidence if New Labour`s lack of direction:

The Labour alternative is a strategy for deficit reduction driven by jobs and growth, which recognises that welfare reform needs economic recovery.
Well that would be nice …
It’s also absolutely right that welfare is fair to the taxpayers
That would be nice too
including so that it makes its contribution to reducing the deficit.
That would also be nice
Real welfare reform would be a job guarantee for everyone at risk of long-term unemployment
That would be lovely

We await the deficit reducin’ job guaranteein’ fair to tax payers plausibility gettin’ into work causin’ not hurting anyone lip smackin` thirst quenchin`-Policy. Ahhhhhhh

2 comments:

tory boys never grow up said...

I rather think that the linked nails the lie through the use of facts

http://duncanseconomicblog.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/welfare-spending-some-facts/

Newmania said...

Do you not find it astonishing that in ten years of brisk ( and over heated ) growth welfare spending actually went up as a proportion of GDP?When this growth cosisted chiefly of higher mortgages for the employed and whose real earnings actually in many cases went down this is a staggering fact and one that could not be sustained .
New Labour appear on the one hand to recognise this and the other hand continually show they would hit the tax payer first. You are typical

(You appreciate presumably that government spending is going up and the cuts ( which have huge support) are due to the increase costs of interest .Taxes are also increasing

Still if you want to pay more tax or think cutting education of health more is the answer or borrowing more perhaps then make the case.Thus far all I hear is opportunist and pious hand wringing.

Blog Archive