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Original poster

Should the Conservatives tell where the cuts will fall?

31 replies

rollonthesummer · 12/04/2015 14:59

The press and Labour are suggesting that because the Conservatives aren't saying where these £12 billion of cuts will happen, that it's going to be somewhere very unpopular-eg removing child benefit for all but on the very lowest income (ie you qualify for universal credit).

Shouldn't it be the case that they should say before the election where the cuts will fall allowing us to vote with all the information we need.

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Consent2trix · 27/06/2015 18:22

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
rollonthesummer · 15/04/2015 11:59

Is anyone genuinely surprised that a politician doesn't want to tell you where the cuts are because it will put those very affected people off from voting for them?

If politicians don't have to stick to anything in their manifesto once they are in power, and they don't have to tell you where they will make cuts when they are in power BEFORE you vote for them, there is little point in any of this.

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PausingFlatly · 15/04/2015 11:47

Speak for yourself, niceguy.

To those of us paying attention, it was a pretty big deal before the last election. Not that it made much difference, because voting was Hobson's choice.

niceguy2 · 15/04/2015 11:43

To be fair in the last election all three main parties were going to make sweeping cuts and none said where either. It didn't seem to be a big deal back then so why is it now?

Is anyone genuinely surprised that a politician doesn't want to tell you where the cuts are because it will put those very affected people off from voting for them?

PausingFlatly · 15/04/2015 09:54

'do you really think David Cameron would do that to the poor people?'

Yes.

Next?

Original poster
rollonthesummer · 15/04/2015 09:34

I saw Gove interviewed yesterday and when asked about whether the cuts would be connected with disability allowance, he ummed and ahhed and said things like, 'do you really think David Cameron would do that to the poor people?' which translates to 'probably'. Then he was asked about child benefit and he said he wouldn't rule out cuts to that, so that's a given!

He said they hadn't make their plans yet though. Why not!?

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PausingFlatly · 15/04/2015 09:19

Chancellor George Osborne has said details will be set out in a post-election spending review.

Wow.

So does that translate as

"No one would vote for us if we were honest about what we were planning"

or

"I'm clueless and have no plans, I just want to stay in power."

AllThePrettySeahorses · 15/04/2015 07:27

Why does Osborne need a post-election spending review? He is the current Chancellor and should therefore know the state of the economy and what needs to be done now. Why does he need a few more weeks to make something up? I'd accept that point from any other political party as they would need to correlate their spending plans with the actual money available when they came into power, but not from the Conservatives.

ChillieJeanie · 15/04/2015 06:17

It would be useful to know where the cuts are intended to be, certainly. I would like to know what Labour intends to cut as well, since they have also said there will need to be cuts. They have said they will "cap social security" and that they want to cut the deficit every year, so they must have their plans in place too. I don't think I've heard Labour put a figure on the level of cuts they want to make though.

Original poster
rollonthesummer · 13/04/2015 18:37

bbc

Chancellor George Osborne has said details will be set out in a post-election spending review.

I think this just takes the piss!

If it's such a brilliant idea-tell us now.

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Original poster
rollonthesummer · 12/04/2015 21:19

Depressing.

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blacksunday · 12/04/2015 20:20

Because 90% of people in the UK vote tribally.

Original poster
rollonthesummer · 12/04/2015 19:09

I don't understand why conservative voters still vote for them?! Do these lies just not bother them?

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blacksunday · 12/04/2015 18:44

The pre-election pledges that the Tories are trying to wipe from the internet

"No frontline cuts", "no top-down NHS reorganisations", "no VAT rise" - why the Conservatives are trying to erase all pre-May 2010 speeches and press releases from the internet.

www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/11/pre-election-pledges-tories-are-trying-wipe-internet

blacksunday · 12/04/2015 18:43

We're voting blind anyway - it's not like political parties keep to their manifesto pledges...

Original poster
rollonthesummer · 12/04/2015 15:35

Yes they should. I expect they are not because it isn't possible to cut £12 billion without cancelling some benefits entirely, and when they announce which ones there will be outcry.

They should be forced to say what they are going to do before the election though, otherwise we are just voting blind :(

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Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 12/04/2015 15:30

Yes they should. I expect they are not because it isn't possible to cut £12 billion without cancelling some benefits entirely, and when they announce which ones there will be outcry.

It is mostly irrelevant anyway, the debt is a staggering 1.5 trillion pounds. It was something like 850 billion under Labour, so all the misery of austerity has not helped to reduce it at all, even though that is ostensibly the justification for these policies.
Neither of the main parties are financially competent, which is why they are unwilling to give details of their policies.

Original poster
rollonthesummer · 12/04/2015 15:30

I actually think that all parties should have to produce a fully costed plan, verified by an independent body like the institute of fiscal studies. Then we could truly make informed comparisons.

Absolutely. If they a) aren't prepared to give us figures and b) don't have to follow through on their election promises, then they might as well all just promise all houses will be fitted with taps spurting virgin unicorn tears for all the use these campaigns are!

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PausingFlatly · 12/04/2015 15:30

Well to be fair, they've told us where they cuts won't be:

tax cuts for people inheriting million pound houses

and fewer people to pay Higher Rate income tax.

Austerity, innit?

Kampeki · 12/04/2015 15:25

I actually think that all parties should have to produce a fully costed plan, verified by an independent body like the institute of fiscal studies. Then we could truly make informed comparisons.

I also think there should be some sort of legal obligation for parties to follow through on their election promises - there would have to be some allowances for unexpected events/changes, but at the moment, too many people are making promises that they'll never keep!

Original poster
rollonthesummer · 12/04/2015 15:23

I'm not sure what more you want them to say?

I want to know what their plans for child benefit are.

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Kampeki · 12/04/2015 15:22

I don't think the £12 billion in welfare cuts that they have talked about will be enough to cover all of their recent promises and continue to reduce the deficit. Besides, they seem curiously reticent about where the welfare cuts are going to fall. I can't imagine why!

Which Labour policies were you wondering about, ponio?

base9 · 12/04/2015 15:20

Yes of course they should tell people exactly what and when they intend to cut. It is not some big secret you keep from the electorate. How do you vote for a party of you have no idea what they intend to do? Same goes for all the parties. Their financial plan should be clear to everyone.

Ponio · 12/04/2015 15:15

The Tories have already said they will make welfare cuts. I'm not sure what more you want them to say?

Kampeki · 12/04/2015 15:14

I'd like to know from Labour where all the money will come from to fund their ideas.

Which ideas? They have said where the funding will come from for quite a lot of their policies.

More than can be said for the Tories. But perhaps their magic money tree is still intact? Wink