How Cameron should respond to the 'Tory cuts' jibe
James Forsyth 10:49am
The clunking fist will be swinging for David Cameron today at PMQs. Gordon Brown will see yesterday’s Tory decision not to pledge to match Labour’s spending plans for 2010-11 as his chance to paint them as both clueless and heartless.
David Cameron should reply to Brown’s inevitable tirade about ‘Tory cuts’ with something along these lines:
"We’ll match his party on education, funding for the police, the military and the frontline of the health service. But we won’t match them on waste, inefficiency and pointless bureaucratic schemes."
However tempting it might be to get into an ideological debate about how more money does not automatically translate into better services, electorally the Tories need to protect themselves — this is where I disagree with Fraser — against the coming Labour charge, however bogus it may be, that Tory plans would require schools and hospitals to be shut. The best way to do this is to pledge not to cut funding for these services in 2010-11. After all this is only the first year of a Tory government and Tory education reforms will probably require a short-term increase in education spending anyway.
P.S. When you hear Brown working up a head of steam about Tory cuts, remember that by Brown’s own warped definition of ‘cuts’ his last Budget inflicted a £12bn cut on public services.
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Comments
strapworld
November 19th, 2008 10:59amHows about.
The one thing we will not cut out, like Labour, IS BEING TRUTHFUL to the British people
strapworld
November 19th, 2008 11:00amshould have read The one thing we will not cut out, as Labour have, IS BEING TRUTHFUL WITH THE BRITISH PEOPLE!
Steve
November 19th, 2008 11:05amIt seems you haven't actually been looking at Labour's response to the Tory proposals. They've been careful not to use a "Tory cuts" line. It's nice to have a response to the attack you'd like to receive, but maybe you should pay a bit more attention to the attack you're actually getting.
Steve
November 19th, 2008 11:11amYvette Cooper, yesterday:
"There is a clear choice for the British people. Labour's approach will give real help now for families and businesses to help Britain come through these difficult times stronger and sooner; the Conservatives won't act to support the economy when it needs it and won't help families and businesses right now."
Love it or hate it, this isn't a "Tory cuts" line.
Jarvis
November 19th, 2008 1:08pm"We’ll match his party on education, funding for the police, the military and the frontline of the health service. But we won’t match them on waste, inefficiency and pointless bureaucratic schemes."
Are you serious? You have argued for months that they should be serious tax cutters and the moment he follows your advice, you start saying he should retreat to an efficiency argument?
Either you believe in reshaping the size of the state or not. Grow a pair!
James
November 19th, 2008 1:24pmThe attack isnt tory cuts.
The attack on the tories is that they would not give the economy the lifeline it needs - prolonging and deepening the recession.
Kram Ekosum
November 19th, 2008 6:06pmDo ANY of you people OR politicians actually understand what you are talking about? Where is the evidence that the economy needs supporting with even more debt? Where is the evidence that we need tax cuts? Who has their fingers on the pulse and can actually make the correct diagnosis?