Can Cable turn the Lib Dems into The British Bull Moose Party?
James Forsyth 6:07pm
Vince Cable’s speech to the Lib Dem spring conference today showed how fortunate it was for the two main parties that he did not become leader either in 2006 or after Ming Campbell’s departure. He is able to deliver cutting criticism of the two main parties while staking out political positions that appeal to both Labour and Tory voters.
The address was littered with Cable’s usual telling jokes. His one on Northern Rock definitely hit home: “During the Northern Rock crisis the boat was drifting listlessly. Captain Brown was hiding in his cabin. And Midshipman Osborne was jumping excitedly in and out of a lifeboat.”
But the most powerful part of Cable’s speech was the section on tax: “We cannot tolerate a two nation society divided between the tax payers and the tax dodgers.
The extent of tax avoidance amongst many rich people has become a national scandal. The super rich are complaining because our spineless government decided to tinker with capital gains tax.
But they will still pay far less than their cleaners – 18% versus 20% plus 10% NICs. They will still pay less than half the tax rate they paid under Mrs Thatcher and Nigel Lawson. But all we hear is a whine of self pity.
Let me be clear. I have no problem with people making serious money through hard work building businesses and creating jobs. There have to be realistic incentives in a market economy.
But the idea that the super rich should be elevated above taxation is immoral and deeply insulting to those on modest incomes who pay their full whack of tax.” Now, you can try and dismiss this as populist rhetoric that would hurt London’s standing as a financial centre but there is little doubt that many middle class people are increasingly angry that they pay a radically higher proportion of their income in tax than the richest in society. The potency of Cable’s argument is that he is combining plans to clampdown on these loopholes with a plan to cut taxes on those on whom the tax burden falls hardest. As he puts it, “I would like to see a much stronger commitment to cutting the taxes of low and middle income families.”
This position on tax could enable the Lib Dems to cast themselves as a British Bull Moose party dedicated to destroying the “unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics.” This message would have real appeal considering the electorate’s current dissatisfaction with and distrust of the political class.
Previous
Comments
mike
March 8th, 2008 7:27pmI liked to guy until he started with the name calling. That was a pity, for no matter what the fellow does from now on he will only be remembered for a rather weak joke.
TGF UKIP
March 8th, 2008 7:37pmA thought for all you Tories to consider - even if Vince Cable was a Tory, the Shadow Chancellor would still be Boy George.
Anan
March 8th, 2008 8:30pmAh the Libdems, a party without a purpose. A party without a reason to exist. Why don't they reaslise that no one cares what they think?
Gary Wintle
March 8th, 2008 11:10pmCable should be PM. He's smarter than Brown, Cameron, and Clegg put together. He's a man of substance, unlike the careerist twits who have infected British politics.
Verity
March 9th, 2008 3:22amComplaints about offshore millionaires are a diversion. The 'tax dodgers' are the millions of British who suck off the working taxpayer teat, and the immigrants with their free housing, free money and free hospitalisation. That's what the British are angry about. Not some millionaires, billionaires or squillionaires. It's the non-taxpayers on the ground who are visible and immune from criticism or remedial action. Everyone else pays rent or owns their own home (meaning they probably have a mortgage, or had a mortage on which they have completed the payments) and goes out to work to buy laundry detergent, and tea and toothbrushes and household cleansers and new underwear and bills for electricity and gas, and the weekly shop for food, and transport ... and eking it all out so slags living in free council housing with today's Father of The Month (or perhaps just The Week - depending on how long the man needs a free berth) with their children who will never, never know who their father was and will never, never know a long-term, settled adult male in their home. That's what the taxpayers are angry about. They don't care about some billionaires who get tax advantages. They care about the drip, drip, drip seepage of their wages/salaries to finance non-contributing passengers. Billionaires aren't the problem. Excepting class warriors, everyone loves a billionaire.
Fergus Pickering
March 9th, 2008 6:37amIf Cable were as smart as you say he wouldn't have joined the Lib dems, would he? Anyweay, it's Kate Hoey should be PM. He can do the Chancellor bit with Frank Field at the Home Office and Lord Tebbit as Lord Chancellor if he can mug up the law stuff.
kamalliberal@yahoo.com
March 9th, 2008 7:44amYes, He has clearly understood the nature of British power system. Kamal Nissanka(Sri Lanka)
Old Hack
March 9th, 2008 8:13amI disagreed with Cable about nationalisation of Northern Rock. Its costing the nations billions upon billions and he gave Brown/Darling the cover for doing it. Its time to expose Cable for what he is - a left of centre big government, soak the rich, populist politician. Why doe the British media constantly let these yellow cretins get away with murder? There is nothing credible about Cable's line - he plays to the gallery - the media gallery. Its time serious journalists stopped fawning and started thinking about the consequences of nationalisation - a policy that is 100% Cable. Do you seriously think this idiot should be given any credence?
Dave B
March 9th, 2008 11:35amNick Robinson suggests that one reason for the Lib-Dem abstain 'position' was to prevent Mr Cable looking more like the leader of the parliamentary party than Mr Clegg.
"Those voting with the Tories may well have been led by one Vince Cable. The man who made his name thanks to Northern Rock, to Strictly Come Dancing and to being acting leader and who’s proved such a hard act to follow."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2008/03/get_noticed.html
mike
March 9th, 2008 11:51amVerity, I thought we had agreed you would only be posting over at Dales's Diary, or has he also tired of your long winded rants.
Steve the Student
March 9th, 2008 3:01pmThe main purpose of the Lib-Dems is to complete the nice primary colour scheme of the British political system. Sure, the American elections make for more gripping politics, but it's all with the red and blue. We have all that AND yellow. This is the only positive/successful/existing contribution the Lib-Dems make.
Anan
March 9th, 2008 4:56pm"Can Cable turn the Lib Dems into The British Bull Moose Party?"
No. No-one can. They fail.
Max Kaye
March 9th, 2008 5:25pmThanks Verity.
Fergus Pickering: I totally agree that anyone joining the Lib-Dems disqualifies themselves from being taken seriously. (Perhaps, like being a socialist, it's all down to a defective gene or something).
Vincent 'Killer' Cable may only be remembered for a joke - but it was a damned good joke because (like all good jokes) it expressed a truth.
Ian C
March 10th, 2008 11:39amOld Hack has this one right. Cable let Brown/Darling off the hook. The odd millionaire not paying as big a proportion as middle earners is probably still paying as many £ notes in tax as as ten of them. Yes the rules shoul be fair but witchunts are an old form of pointscoring. Cable is doing nothing more than that - he just does it ratehr well so fawning journos are taken in.