How should the Tories build on their excellent current approval ratings, to position themselves optimally for a 2015 election?

Exactly B&B.

The law of unintended consequences has meant that many companies now offer part time jobs to people because they know the state will top up the wage. In the past the amount of people able to work part time was limited.

In addition, a lot of people suddenly found themselves in a position where they had to turn down extra work for fear it affected their tax credits.

Not to mention many people like my good friend who found that financially she was massively better off alone than with her husband and both working. That surely cannot be right. How can a single earner working part time be better off than two parents together, one working full time, the other part time???

All funded by borrowed money.

If the Health and Social Care bill goes through next month, it'll be the end of the Conservative party. Once the electorate realises what the government has done, it's game over.

The lefties are against the Bill because they don't want the NHS privatised, the right wingers are against it because it'll spell the end of the Tory party. Lansley's for the chop.

Look how many MPs and Lords will benefit from the Bill though (not just the Tories, for any lefties reading this).

And as people weren't expecting huge top-ups from the state it would put the onus on companies to pay a fair wage, rather than expecting 'the state' to pay the bulk of people's real take-home pay.

For once, I agree with you niceguy.

I'd like to see tax credits removed, with all the accompanying opportunities for error and fraud, and income tax not paid until a living wage is earned - the Lib Dems 10k is a start but still much too low. Then no need to fill in lengthy forms to reclaim the money you earned originally.

i think there should be extra help ie a tax allowance for hose with kids, ie the married couples' allowance that was abolished to make way for tax credits in 2000, but extended in this day and age to those not married but with kids - as happens in equivalent European countries where (far more generous) tax allowances exist for families with kids.

That still leaves some low/no earners who may need top ups from the state (as even with no tax they don't earn enough) but far less than now.

LaydeeC, what can very simply be done is to raise the income tax threshold and lower the threshold for upper rate accordingly. This way you can make sure current higher earners are not financially better off whilst lower earners benefit.

All without the complete quagmire and administration nightmare which is tax credits. Personally whilst I think the aims were noble, tax credits has become the proverbial noose around our necks.

LaydeeC. Well, what difference does it make if those earning more are benefitting from increased income tax thresholds too? Firstly, it's would encourage people to work harder if they are able to keep more of the fruits of their labour. Secondly, they will still be paying more tax as 40% of £100k is £40k whereas 40% of £45k is £18k. Those earning more already pay more tax in ratio terms. I don't believe in penalising those who have climbed the career ladder and do well with punative taxes. It's not beneficial for individuals or the country, it just drives away entrepreneurs and discourages hard word imo.

Orwellian
I've never really understood the call to raise the income tax level and reduce the tax credits level.
Surely this would mean that everyone would benefit, including those that earn an absolute fortune.
Whilst it costs a lot to administer tax credits, it does mean that those with higher incomes don't necessarily benefit as they would from a higher income tax level

To your list i would add a huge nationwide programme of house-building, thus in one blow both providing much-needed homes for ordinary people, reducing housing costs so that the nation's wealth can be spent on productive assets, increasing skills in the construction industry and of course increasing employment in the construction industry.

I would ensure that the govt led from above by immediately removing any politician guilty of any expenses malpractice and banning them from any future political role, in the Lords or Commons (on indeed as local councillors), and removing honours from anyone convicted of any crime. They would also lose any pensions or pay-offs associated with the role.

Orwellian - agree with all your list except capping benefits to all at £350/week - I think caps for disabled families (if they need to exist at all) should be far higher as they often face far higher expenses and need to do dull things like eat, sleep under a roof and heat.

The Tory party is known as the Stupid party traditionally for a number of reasons.

joanofarchitrave - sorry to disappoint you but research has shown that the most intelligent, educated voters are, in order, Green, Labour, Tory and finally (no surprise here) BNP.

Well, if Scotland gets independence then that really will be the end of Labour governments of the future in England.

"Longfingernails, may I recommend the FT's education coverage to cure you of your Gove love?

You could hardly accuse the paper of political bias........."

Ha ha ha.... That made me smile.....

Chris Cooke is an excellent analyst and a good journalist - but his loathing of Gove was apparent well before this e-mail "discovery".

yay! Merry Christmas and let's celebrate how IDS is scaring teh fuck out of the disabled and poorer people in our society!

Cheers and I hope the Tories self implode with all their nasty little policies.

Genuinely disabled? Is that the ones passing the TOS tests that have something like a 70% overturn rate and is costing teh state megabucks to sort?

hahahaha.

-Increase the threshold at which income tax/NI is payed to above £12k so that if you are in work but on a low wage you get to keep more of your income. Also reduce tax credits each year so that it pays to work and you get the benefit from working and discourage living off the state and having more kids to fund living off the state.
-Build more prisons.
-Tax unearned income, especially from speculative investments such as buy to let.
-Raise capital gains tax back up to 40%.
-Cut benefits across the board so that no household can claim more than £350 per week in benefits. Any excess saved can be used to help the genuinely disabled and critically ill.
-Cut all the red tape and punitive taxes on doing business and make the UK an attractive place to set up companies.
-Regulate the city so that 2008/2011 cannot be repeated.
-Renegotiate our relationship with the EU so that EU judges cannot override decisions made here. If that doesn't work, leave the EU.
-Stop giving money to countries that have space programmes.
-Raise interest rates and get the fallout over and done for the few overleveraged, rather than prolonging years and years of stagnation in the economy and housing market and encourage responsible saving for pensions rather than investing in speculative assets.

Just a few things I would do.

When Tessa Jowell (TEssa Jowell!) admits they are stuffed, things are really bad for that callow youth with a personality by-pass.

Anyone who's unhappy with the coalition, don't worry. All is well. Mr Milliband is riding to the rescue with....... wait for it.... optimism! That's all he needs, according to his New Year statement. Won't be spending any more money than the coalition - hope he's told Ed Balls - but he'll be smiling as he does it. So that's OK then.

oh sorry, joan

I always get sucked into these threads & can't tell half the time who means it & who doesn't

[Sorry Ponders, there is a thread of seriousness to my posts, but mostly they are tongue in cheek I'm afraid. However, I'd be genuinely delighted if the Coalition did implement these policies.]

Sugar - yes, and execute people who go on strike. Hang on, someone already thought of that.

surely an excellent idea would be to automatically allow all middle class people to carry guns?

anyone who knows they are going to have to care for people full-time in the future will have saved enough in their earlier working life to have a buy-to-let portfolio or substantial investments

is it me?

surely the vast majority of the ordinary population these days barely earn enough to pay for themselves, let alone having any left over to invest for some hypothetical future caring responsibility

You know you'll feel embarrassed sooner than you think :)

Love, love love Michael Gove.
He is the best thing to happen to education in 30 years.

joanofarchitrave - why save? If they can predict the future there's money to be made from crystal-balling.