When Ed Miliband made a passionate Manifesto speech with the main theme (manifesto front page no less) that Labour was now the party of fiscal responsibility as he was going to ‘balance the books’ and ‘guarantees that every policy will be fully funded, and will involve no extra borrowing’, he began with a outright lie.
Indeed similar to what Labour has been saying for weeks, Miliband/Balls as Gordon Brown did before them with some ‘golden rule’ and over £30 bil a year of deficit/debt spending - Labour will again ideologically ‘borrow to invest’, with as little disclosure as Mr Brown right up to their 2010 Manifesto in god knows what, as I can’t see which major infrastructure projects all the money went into i.e. energy or homes.
”'Balancing The Books' Can Mean Different Things”
news.sky.com/story/1464254/balancing-the-books-can-mean-different-things
”The Conservatives aim to wipe out the deficit entirely while Labour wants to reduce the deficit but will still borrow to invest.”
Carrying on the Miliband theme of near total NON disclosure in a General Election manifesto, Ed proudly announces that this isn’t a “list of spending policies” and that is “it is something different”, underselling the concept of ‘no political promises, no disappointment and nothing to defend’, which I would call politically unique.
But why not, as Mr Miliband disclosed that he put together the 2010 General Election manifesto - a similar document of vague policies/targets meant to solve the major problems and legacy of the 13-years of a Labour majority administration able to shape the UK to their ‘vision’ – so you’d think he’d got the hang of it by now.
Indeed needing to put the Budget Deficit on the first page so he didn’t forget it AGAIN, the 2015 Manifesto with various insignificant and badly thought out policies designed for existing Labour die hard voters - easy to remember anti wealth soundbites to be delivered at the door – the 2015 manifesto appears ‘policy gunshy’.
Is this because Mr Miliband HAS NO vision for the UK beyond taxation?
Or in opposition has he become a professional ‘opposer’ so prefers his elections (as his parliament) to attack other parties policies as unable to ‘join-up his own or defend Labour’s 13-year record?
Or are there are too many Labour movement ‘factions’ in disagreement to credibly and honestly TELL THE ELECTORATE what Labour will cut, what they will spend, and more important (if no borrowing), what honking new taxes there will be away from those Balls ‘protected’ – as in 1997, before the previously unannounced gold sale, private pensions raid and start of other annual tax rises detailed below.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-389284/The-80-tax-rises-Labour.html
A serious problem for the Labour Party (and others) saying their policies are FUNDED, is that their whole Spending/Cuts/Taxes/Debt Reduction plans (and their effects), are based on the current healthy 2.8% growth rate of the UK economy – and the 5-year projections ahead of using numerous other variables by the OBR i.e. inflation and business confidence, which ASSUMES we will grow at around an average of 2.5% over that period.
So immediately, if Labour is unable to inspire the small, medium and large businesses to maintain that (2.5%) growth in investment/jobs/tax receipts over the next 5-years, the Miliband/Balls non detail borrowing plans, their so called ‘fiscal responsibility’, or indeed any spending plans, go straight out the window.
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Labour Manifesto; Responsible, Credible, Visionary?
Isitmebut · 16/04/2015 15:20
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