Pots and Kettles Three
Labour's Party Political Broadcast this week was one of the most extraordinary bits of cheek I have ever seen.
For one thin it was utterly nasty and completely unconstructive - entirely about attacking their opponents for unpopular policies, not one word about what Labour would do instead, not an ounce of recognition that the main driver for must of the unpopular things the present government has had to do was the abominable position Labour themselves left behind when they left office four years ago. As one departing minister put it, "there is no money left."
But the real piece of utterly incredible cheek, a contender for an Olympic gold medal if the games had a "pot calling the kettle black" category and a complete insult to the intelligence of everyone watching came when their attack on Nick Clegg as "The un-credible shrinking man" started by excoriating him for breaking his promise on student tuition fees.
Now from almost anyone else in Britain that would have been a fair cop. But from the Labour party?
Do they really think that everyone in Britain has forgotten who introduced tuition fees n the first place, and broke an election promise by doing so?
For anyone who has, it was the Labour party.
Do they really think that everyone in Britain has forgotten who then massively increased student tuition fees by introducing "top up" fees, and broke a second election promise by doing so?
For anyone who has forgotten this as well, yes, that was the Labour party too. And to add a "West Lothian" insult to injury, it only got through on the votes of Labour MPs representing Scottish constituents for whom the Scottish parliament had made entirely different arrangements.
So Labour was attacking the Lib/Dems for something which Tony Blair did TWICE, with the support and assistance of the present leadership of the Labour party.
For one thin it was utterly nasty and completely unconstructive - entirely about attacking their opponents for unpopular policies, not one word about what Labour would do instead, not an ounce of recognition that the main driver for must of the unpopular things the present government has had to do was the abominable position Labour themselves left behind when they left office four years ago. As one departing minister put it, "there is no money left."
But the real piece of utterly incredible cheek, a contender for an Olympic gold medal if the games had a "pot calling the kettle black" category and a complete insult to the intelligence of everyone watching came when their attack on Nick Clegg as "The un-credible shrinking man" started by excoriating him for breaking his promise on student tuition fees.
Now from almost anyone else in Britain that would have been a fair cop. But from the Labour party?
Do they really think that everyone in Britain has forgotten who introduced tuition fees n the first place, and broke an election promise by doing so?
For anyone who has, it was the Labour party.
Do they really think that everyone in Britain has forgotten who then massively increased student tuition fees by introducing "top up" fees, and broke a second election promise by doing so?
For anyone who has forgotten this as well, yes, that was the Labour party too. And to add a "West Lothian" insult to injury, it only got through on the votes of Labour MPs representing Scottish constituents for whom the Scottish parliament had made entirely different arrangements.
So Labour was attacking the Lib/Dems for something which Tony Blair did TWICE, with the support and assistance of the present leadership of the Labour party.
Comments
I wonder what Red Ed would make of it if Osbourne sold off what is left of the nations gold for toilet roll?
It was a huge problem that labour left an economy in so much debt, and could not stop spending more and more, right to the end, but what caused this problem? the fact of the matter is that the current system allows them to do just that, buying votes! buying them by selling the future of the british people.
hense demand 5 of the Harrogate Agenda:
5. no taxes or spending without consent
No tax, charge or levy shall be imposed, nor any public spending authorised, nor any sum borrowed by any national or local government except with the express permission of the majority of the people, renewed annually on presentation of a properly authenticated budget which shall first have been approved by their respective legislatures
I suspect that as it becomes cheaper and more practical to consult the public through e-democracy - look how far Estonia has gone in that direction - some sort of voting requirement to approve expenditure will become first practical and then inevitable.
I don't think we're quite ready for something which goes as far as the Harrogate declaration yet, but it will probably happen, and quite possibly in your and my lifetimes, and when it does it will be a good thing.