Conservative Home today reports an interview that David Cameron gave to the Yorkshire Post. The interview is based on where Cameron will position his party at the next election. He tells the Yorkshire Post that the next election will be fought on social issues as opposed to economic ones. It seems the Tories have all but given up on the idea that genuine tax cuts and a reduction in the massive size of the public sector are policies worth pursuing. Instead of using economics to kick-start social change, he sees social responsibility as the catalyst. But how will this change come about? He says "The first is the family tax reductions that will be met by the green tax rises. And the second is that over time, as we share the proceeds of growth, some of the suggestions for reducing tax can be implemented”.
So his solution is to continue raising money so that it can be wasted on all the same things labour waste it on, but the difference between the Tories and the current government is how they raise this money? I do not have a problem with carbon taxing, but I do have a problem when it is used as a means of raising treasury coffers. All this implies is that the Tories would use the green debate as an excuse for raising money – which will mean taxing what they can get away with, with a total disregard with fairness and logic.
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"Family tax reductions" in
"Family tax reductions" in the sense of "married-couples tax reductions", of course. Lying bastard.
To be fair, he is consistent. We can't say we don't know what he stands for (although we can say that we don't know how he'll go about it). It's Letwin's "socio-centric, not econo-centric paradigm". "At the heart" of all the challenges he sees, it is about "social action to ensure social justice, and a stronger society" (from his victory speech after winning the Tory leadership). As you say, he's a tax-and-spender. I have no idea how Redwood, Davis, Fox and Duncan can co-exist in a party with him.
We do have one recent clue about how he'll go about it, of course. He'll make yobs wait to be eligible for a driving licence. That'll sort 'em. Thank God Dave's coming to rescue us.