Brown tries to outflank the Tories on welfare reform

Trumpeter Lanfried

The Tories must not be deterred from putting forward good ideas by the fear that Labour will 'steal their clothes.' A good idea is a good idea and should not be kept under wraps for party political advantage.

Ian C

Is anyone really goingto believe that Labour's heart is in benefit reform when they invente dthe whole idea. No, the argument is already won as to the necessity (and the Cameroons should have the courage to see that), the debate is over the detail. And that is where Brown will dither and be shown to be unimpressive (again).

TGF UKIP

Yet more proof for all those puir wee cowering timorous beasties of Tories that it is not conservative policies that turn off voters. Indeed, Labour are only too happy to steal them and run with them. It was the brand "Tory" that Blair/Brown/ Mandelson/Campbell so devastatingly contaminated not the contents of the can.

Victoria Street

Dear Fraser, I know you consider it part of your job to cheerlead for Gordon; clearly you want there to be a bit of a contest. However, your youthful naivety continues to shine through. Old Mr Brown has been PM since early last summer, he has been Chancellor since Bruce Forsyth was young, he has had time to do something about this. The British public gave Mr Brown the benefit of the doubt when he took over. 'Come on, tough as old boots Gordon, show us what you've been planning for 10 years; it's your turn now.' Unfortunately, Gordon could not show them anything, because he never had a strategy, merely tactical shrewdness. So the voters have seen through Mr Brown and won't give him another chance. Whatever young Mr Purnell promises in the six months between reshuffles will not make a blind bit of difference. If they'd been serious they'd have done something under Blair's 10 years, or at least in Brown's first six months. Mr Brown has sacrificed the one thing that all PMs need; time. He's used up his time and delivered nothing. So keep on cheering if you like, but the game's over. Time's up. Yours, Victoria

HH Asquith

Right then, if the Tories are so good at welfare reform, what exactly was Thatcher's contribution? Yeah.

Jennie

I started my working life when someone, skilled or otherwise, could, literally, walk out of a job one week and into another the next. Why? Because then there were more vacancies than people to fill them. The economy was far more labour-intensive then than now. Tinker around with 'welfare' all they like - but how is any Government going to squeeze a quart into a pint pot?

mike

HH AsquithFebruary ..what exactly was Thatcher's contribution? To allow the miners to be kicked silly and to watch as their families starved. Maggie out !

Dave B

I don't think anyone believes Labour's rhetoric. Welfare reform will be a big winner for the Conservatives come the General Election.

sturgess

HH Asquith Right then, if the Tories are so good at welfare reform, what exactly was Thatcher's contribution? It was during her first term as Tory prime minister that the link between the basic state pension and earnings was broken. Result, pensioners get a smaller pension today than would have been the case.

J H Holloway

I'd be prepared to bet that the Tories have a massive pre-election tax idea that will blow Labour up....imagine taking a huge number of people out of the tax system altogether. With a tax take of the size we've got, it could be done.

comfy socks and a bottle of co-op rum

HH Asquith..Right then,what exactly was Thatcher's contribution? "Thatcher, Thatcher Milk Snatcher" She took free milk away from the poor for gods sake. Kids from poor households were given free milk every day in school, she stopped it, that's what Maggie did, she stopped free milk for poor kids.

Fergus Pickering

Re milk. Back in the sixties we lordly prefects drank two crates of the stuff (not each) every day. Most of the kids wouldn't touch it and poured it down the playground drains. Not poor enough, presumably. Mrs Thatcher's contribution to welfare reform was an idea (the last politician with ideas) well articulated by the poet Philip Larkin, that if you couldn't pay for a thing, then you would just have to do without it.

Chuck Unsworth

At least Thatcher had the right idea. All that cholesterol being forced down the necks of those poor children many of whom were no doubt allergic to dairy products! Outrageous mass medication! And now NuLab wants to compulsorily feed us all some dangerous industrial waste in the form of fluoride.