POLITICS: UK Conservatives Pledge Tax Cuts

Michael Howard (Leader of the Conservative Party) has pledged 4 billion in tax cuts if the Conservative Party wins the next general election which is expected in May this year. The tax cuts are part of the Conservative Party's massive crusade against bureaucracy, which they claim can be cut by 35bn if they are elected.



Bureaucracy seems common place in Government these days, people complain about the masses of paper work they encounter and the endless red tape that binds business.
The Conservative party has put the 'cutting of red tape' at the front of their campaign for re-election, undertaking a brave but possibly un-reachable target of cutting waste.

Bureaucracy and red tape looks to be a battle ground amongst the three main parties (Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats) this May, with all parties pledging to cut waste.
It remains to be seen if any of the parties will be able to achieve their goals.


Related News Links:
news.bbc.co.uk
www.conservatives.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
POLITICS: British Tory MP announces intention to defect to Labour party


[edit on 17-1-2005 by Banshee]

UK Wizard, just what is the differance between the Liberal Democrats and the Labour party? They are both lefty parties right?

Originally posted by sardion2000
UK Wizard, just what is the differance between the Liberal Democrats and the Labour party? They are both lefty parties right?

Traditionally the Labour party is left-wing but it has now drifted over to centre-left which upsets some traditional supports but also gains votes from those who used to vote Conservative.
The Liberal Democrats are left wing but to my knowledge not socialist, I'm guessing your from America so viewing the Liberal Democrats as more left wing than the America Democrats is proberly best.
The Conservative Party is currently centre right but it is claimed they are drifting into a slighty more right wing stance, (their immigration policy is right wing).

Originally posted by UK Wizard
The Liberal Democrats are left wing but to my knowledge not socialist, I'm guessing your from America so viewing the Liberal Democrats as more left wing than the America Democrats is proberly best.

Thanks UK Wizard for clearing up the politikal scene in the UK a bit. Actually your close, I'm Canadian. So you guys don't really have a Socialist party huh, interesting I always thought the Liberal Democrats were the UK equivalent of the New Democratic Party in Canada whom are considered the Socialist party of Canada. If you don't mind me asking another question, is political Apathy a problem over there as it seems to be over here(Canada had a 45% turnout last election I believe)?

Originally posted by sardion2000
So you guys don't really have a Socialist party huh

The Labour party retains socialist elements

If you don't mind me asking another question, is political Apathy a problem over there as it seems to be over here(Canada had a 45% turnout last election I believe)?

Yup, political apathy is sadly strong within the UK and it seems to be growing

What the Tories are planning is to cut away whole sections of Government, and privatise others. He claims he can do this and still maintin, if not improve public services. As a sweetner he is putting up 4bn tax cuts, which actually isn't that much in the scheme of things.

I've heard some of his proposals, and to be honest I hadn't even heard of some of the areas he plans to axe.

Having said that, the figures are something like 220,000 public sector job cuts which sounds pretty severe to me. Especially as Labour are already in the process of cutting 100,000+

I don't know if it'll matter in the end though. Current polls are putting the Tories under Howard well behind. He needs some better policies and a personality to pull off a win in May.

Who is in the Lead in the Polls at this time? Blair and his Cronies? What about the Liberal Democrats how they doing? Any 4th parties making any moves toward full party status? So many questions...

The Liberal Democrats are the result of a merger between the Liberal Party and the Social Democrat Party many years ago. From what I gather there are still two camps with the party, so it could be considered somewhat socialist.

The latest national opinion poll has the Labour gov set to have a 3rd huge landslide win (probably in may this year).

news.scotsman.com...

The tories have been banging on about "waste" and "efficiencies" since year dot (who remembers Neil 'freeby' Hamilton with his several hundred metre long list of rules and regs in a late 80's tory party conference which he claimed he was going to get rid of, when they were last in gov - for nearly 20yrs?!).

It's the usual story, lots of big tory promises yet somehow, last time despite their having such a long run in power, their previous cuts all failed on the efficiency front and just made the public services worse - to the point where they were in the dire straights that has taken nearly 8yrs to turn around since.

They have lost it totally.

If they think the public mood in the UK is for tax cuts and another does of warmed-over 'Thatcherism' they are insane.
The public want their public services repaired and invested in, not cut to pieces (which, despite the promises is exactly what happened last time) and the majority certainly do not wish to see money taken out of them to be used to cut taxes in a big way.

But it's all academic; Labour will return with a serious working majority and maintain the investment.......and as before might even find a little money to modestly cut tax and boost allowances for the low and middle part of the scale.

Originally posted by sminkeypinkey
The latest national opinion poll has the Labour gov set to have a 3rd huge landslide win (probably in may this year).

But we all know the only opinion poll that really counts is that of the general election.

Originally posted by UK Wizard
we all know the only opinion poll that really counts is that of the general election.

- Whilst that is the actual fact of the matter Wizard it is also a fact that the tory party have been 'flat-lined' in the polls since 1992 - within a couple of months of their last general election win in fact.

The tory party have fluctuated in the 'poll of polls' averaging at between 28 - 35% for over 12yrs now and there is absolutely no sign of any change now or in the future.

You also have to bear in mind that it is traditional in British politics for the ruling party to gain support as the general election approaches.

As the headline says, the tories are on course for their worst electoral defeat since 1906.

Even their one of their own ex-Minister's has decided to defect to Labour.....and he was stepping down at the next election. He called Howard's version of 'tory-ism' "dangerous".
With publicity like that......!

How many weeks do you give Howard after polling day if that comes to pass, hmmm?

Originally posted by sminkeypinkey
You also have to bear in mind that it is traditional in British politics for the ruling party to gain support as the general election approaches.

But we know how popular Labours decision to go to war was don't we

As the headline says, the tories are on course for their worst electoral defeat since 1906.

Just because it says it doesn't mean its true.

With publicity like that......!

And Labour is a perfect party isn't it

Originally posted by UK Wizard
But we know how popular Labours decision to go to war was don't we

- You're quite right Wizard, were it not for the war Labour's level of support would be through the roof, absolutely stratospheric.

Now, if you think that's the slightest comfort to a tory supporter and the tory party that initially supported the war then dithered and has since been so multi-faced over the war, feel free matey.

If you really think the war is any 'help' to the tory party you are, IMHO, simply fooling yourself.

Just because it says it doesn't mean its true.

- Once again factually correct.
But, what we can say though is that this is all uncannily similar to 2001 and 1997, in parts.
It's a fair comment.

We shall see.

I bet I'd feel a lot more secure putting £100 on a Labour win (with a majority of over 100) than you would putting £50 up over even the most slender tory win though, hmm?

And Labour is a perfect party isn't it

- There's no such thing as a "perfect party", Wizard.
Not now and never will be. I advise you to drop such notions pronto.
They are all flawed in one way or another; to claim otherwise is just blinkered and daft.
The realities of modern free gov are all about juggling priorities and making awkward decisions, not being ideologically 'pure' (well, except for the nutter parties that put ideology before the people that is).

Their record when they had their go is the only concrete thing we have to go on.

You seem to prefer to refuse examining or taking account of that......would you be so quick to do the 'it's all in the past' routine with a different party with a record of ghastly failure, hmmm?