by Ed Gallois
It's been a disturbing and recurring pasttime of the political commentariat over the past year to claim that the Tories lack policies.
Perhaps after Cameron's recent tub-thumping conference speech, the content of which has been compared to an "ugly right wing bar room rant" by our own Steve Richards, this will all change and a proper debate on policy will take place.
The Tories do have policies - lots of them. Some of them are undistinguishable from New Labour's and some of them are radically different. You don't have to agree with their policies or believe that the Tories will implement all of them to recognise that they have them.
In Birmingham, George Osborne promised to freeze council tax for two years if the Tories win power. That's a pretty concrete policy. At last year's conference he vowed to increase the threshold for inheritance tax from £300,000 to £1 million and scrap stamp duty for first-time buyers on homes worth up to £250,000. Clearly the government also thought these were solid policies as they quickly nabbed them for themselves.
Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, recently annoucned that the Tories aim to double the number of single rooms in hospitals in the party's first term in government. Again, that is a concrete policy and if they fail to deliver they will rightly be hounded by the press and public.
In terms of encouraging patient choice and expansion of the private sector in the NHS - policies that New Labour continue to implement - Lansley has gone on record to say we can expect more of the same from the Tories and probably more. Note, more of the same does not amount to not having a policy.
I could go through every department of shadow government and list a plethora of Tory polices. I think you have got the point though. It is up to political journalists to highlight Tory policies and compare and contrast them to the government's. Anything less than that and the electorate will continue to be short-changed.
The Tories plan to increase the IHT allowance to £2 million for married couples, Labour increased it to something like £750k. It's hardly exactly the same.
Similarly Labour hasn't scrapped Stamp Duty on homes up to £250k, it's up to £125k (or £150k or whatever) and it's not permanent and frankly it's had no affect anyway!
Posted by: Labourboy | Sunday, 05 October 2008 at 11:43 AM
Thanks for posting a comment, Labourboy. The point I was trying to emphasise was that Labour changed their economic policies because of Tory action (or more accurately promised action) and therefore it is bizarre to say that the Tories have no policies.
Posted by: Ed Gallois | Sunday, 05 October 2008 at 07:17 PM
Thanks for replying! Yeah I see what you mean, and I personally don't go for the whole 'they don't have policies' line myself.
I think a more fruitful approach is that their policies don't add up or make sense! :)
I just wanted to emphasise the difference in policies as for the IHT in particular I find the Tories one completely outrageous.
Posted by: Labourboy | Monday, 06 October 2008 at 12:57 PM
The Conservatives main policies in their promised social Revolution of CHANGE for the electorate is massive cut,s in public spending and Taxes remaing high for the foreseeable future plus placing on the unsuspecting public/Electorate even more draconian measure,s to curtail our liberties as we are all now in the GRIP of the politic,s of fear.(Is it coincedental that our main political parties seem to mirror each other,s policies or are they really following the same agenda with subtle differences Mmmmm LAUGHING.)
And How come none of the Main-Stream Newspapers or TV news media are not writing about or following up on what Channel Four,s Dispatche,s programme on Monday 29th September @20:00hrs(8:00pm) Revealed about David Cameron and Michael Ashcroft The Conservative Party deputy chairman on how the Conservative Party are raising fund,s for the coming General Election(apparently big buisness is paying 50,000 Pound,s a year to join Cameron,s special leadership group and special access to his ear,s or for Cameron to say call me Dave PERSONALLY LAUGHING 25,000 Pound,s for access to George Osbourne Apprently)
Mmmm ALL these political GAMES seem rather costly buisness capitalism,,socialism,communism,and POLITICAL FASCISM.
Wake Up Please People as the Conservatives and New Labour seem to be selling DEMOCRACY to the highest bidder (Smile) or it seem,s DEMOCRACY is controlled by those who have the most MONEY.
Now how can this be a fair representation of our society right now which is increasingly likely in our current economic climate to have MORE PEOPLE with LESS MONEY(LAUGHING HEARTILY Now that,s so funny yet TRUE Right!)
Give Care and Take Care Peace
Posted by: ANKH | Monday, 06 October 2008 at 04:41 PM
My guess is, no one is going to promise more than blood, sweat, tears and pain, for the next election. Whatever is said now, the same puppets, who would not dare "buck the Market" (regulate) will still fail to protect working people from the ravages of cavalier greed and Capitalism.
Their policies are wishful and trivial. Moreover, the political system has denied the practice of any other ideology to replace the terminal decline of this present elitist sham "democracy".
Posted by: Diogenes | Monday, 06 October 2008 at 08:16 PM
Nah, I reckon they'll promise us jam today as they always do and once in take it away and give us gruel. They don't have the guts to tell us the truth, that the country is in dire straits, thanks to the policies of both parties in government since the 1980s.
I'm not expecting to see any positive actions, or policies from any major party except to protect themselves and their paymasters in the city and to do that they need money, their main source for that as ever will be the people of the UK. Tax those that are earning and cut benefits of those who aren't or incapable.
Posted by: flipped | Monday, 06 October 2008 at 08:45 PM