As one conference closes, another opens...
David Cameron strode into the Conservative Conference in his usual, striking, arrogant confidence; the pure arrogance, when you can almost see "born to rule" self inscribed across his forehead...
This was of course his first appearance at Conference as Prime Minister but little did he know that several days later he would be facing the fury of his own supporters...
By Wednesday, he would be mauled by his own party;
Time to feel the aggressive wrath of the rich, stay-at-home mothers...
It would appear the slashing of child benefits to those within the top 15% of families on highest income (a.k.a the filthy rich) has caused quite a fuss...
I wonder why?
Oh yes, because half of the Tories are the filthy rich, whilst the other 50% at least like to think they are...
For once, the Tory plans protect the poor over the rich; a rare and unusual occurance.
My advice is; make the most of it.
I had to read the article in the Guardian twice, for the concept of such an occasion to actually sink in...
It has to be said Osborne; pretty good for a Tory.
But for the Tories, the policy has provoked controversy and division...
The slashing of child benefits, in this way, will successfully raise £1bn towards George Osborne's plans to cut Britain's £149bn deficit within the five year lifespan of the coalition.
But by Wednesday, as Mr. Cameron left what should have been a celebratory rally, he had been effectively hung, drawn and quartered by his own party members and his reputation for being 'cool under fire' had been ruined...
Personally, as a Lib Dem and so supporting fairness, I completely support the cuts to those families where one parent earns over £44,000 - why should rich mothers be paid to stay at home whilst the social services struggle to cater for those who are mentally ill or disabled? Why should they be paid to lounge around when Britain has one of the largest deficits in Europe, that needs to be cut?
What a shame...
Some filthy rich Tory family won't be able to afford the brand new BMW they've always wanted...
Ever heard of a Peugeot?
So these cuts...
For once, excluding all other policies and values; I could almost be a Tory, and be proud to be a Tory...
...And believe me; that's saying something.
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"For once, excluding all other policies and values; I could almost be a Tory, and be proud to be a Tory..."
ReplyDeleteThat's not precisely accurate, I feel. What you could be is a Cameron-type Tory, which is almost indistinguishable from a Clegg-type LibDem. That is what the Coalition is at heart trying to build. A 'Party' within the ranks of two previously existing Parties. It wants the voters to think not about Tories and LibDems but about 'do I like this from this Government or do I not', and if I do like it, how do I cast future votes to get it back again ?
Not surprising that you find yourself looking at the Tories differently. That's what Cameron's MAIN political goal is. The really important thing is that he fully intends to take the LibDems along for the ride.
Firstly, the comment was not intended to be taken seriously but rather to add a hint of humour to the post.
ReplyDeleteI agree that perhaps there is a growing unnerving closeness between a 'Cameron-type Tory' and a 'Clegg-type LibDem' but all the same, this closeness is limited and I therefore believe that to label it as "indistinguishable" is incorrect; the word is too strong.
For instance, there are the obvious ideological differences...
The Tories historically are regarded as the party of the rich and their policies generally benefit the more well off. Although perhaps the 'Cameron era' has resulted in the party distancing themselves from these values to some extent, arguably these values still remain a silent undertone to the party. Whereas, the Lib Dems strive for fairness. They are clearly more progressive and socialist than the Tories. Unlike the Tories they support the poor rather than neglecting them; the evidence lies in their coalition acheivement; taking 900,000 low earners completely out of tax.
Then of course, there is Europe. It is taken for granted that the Tories are the most Euroskeptic of the parties whereas, it could be argued that the Lib Dems are the most pro-European.
Naturally the Tories and Lib Dems will look united; they're in a coalition. They may be relatively close compared to in the past but they are by no means "indistinguishable".
Furthermore, the idea that the coalition is trying to "build a 'party' within...two previously existing parties" is utterly incorrect as both parties pledged to their supporters that this coalition would not result in a merge.
From the personal experience of the conference I can vouch that the last thing the Lib Dems want to happen is for our party to become "indistinguishable" from the Tories, almost a whole consultative session was spent on how we need to seperate ourselves from them.
Quite simply; they are Conservative and we are Progressive; complete opposites.