Cameron vs waste
Peter Hoskin 2:01pm
Do take the time to read Cameron's speech today – it may be his most convincing yet. In it, he lays into government waste more forcefully than ever before, and outlines a Tory attack on the “three causes of a bigger state and rising public spending” – the cost of social failure; the cost of unreformed public services; and the cost of bureaucracy. It's the perfect approach, and, suddenly, “sharing the proceeds of growth” makes a whole lot more sense.
The best aspect of the speech, however, is how it humanises the economy. “We need to start living within our means,” Cameron says. The public finances have been stretched to the limit, so we don't want to increase public spending, taxation and borrowing. In fact, we should aim to cut some of them back. After years of the Labour “investment” lie, it's a message which will chime with a public feeling the squeeze of rising food and energy prices. It's a message that people can understand and sign-up to.
Ok, I still have my qualms. I still think the Tories shouldn't – and needn't – commit to Labour's bloated public spending totals, and could thereby create more room for a tax-cutting agenda. But this latest statement is a step in the right direction, nonetheless, and can be welcomed by both sides of the hare-tortoise divide. Bravo, Team Cameron.
Previous
Comments
Chris
May 19th, 2008 2:31pmThis is just the same old Tories then. Watch Cameron lay waste to our public services just like Thatcher and Major before.
David
May 19th, 2008 2:54pmChris, how are things on your planet?
Ray
May 19th, 2008 2:56pm... and presumably, Chris, the same old knee-jerk Labour reaction to any suggestion that the state sector might just be funnelling billions of our hard-earned taxes down a black hole.
Dave B
May 19th, 2008 3:07pm"a tax-cutting agenda"
In his CPS speech in March (Fairness and Equality in the Post Bureaucratic Age) Mr Cameron said he wanted low taxes, but 'sustainably' low taxes.
'Fixing the broken society' isn't PR eyewash, it's a recognition that to reduce tax in the long term, you must first reduce demand/need for state action.
http://www.cps.org.uk/latestlectures/?
Travis Bickle
May 19th, 2008 3:36pmGood point Chris
With 1162 quangos, and more to come, it must be nigh on impossible to cut any public spending. And that's not to mention the billions on NHS super computers, Northern Rock or the 2.7 billion Crewe and Nantwich election bribe.
Donny b
May 19th, 2008 3:41pmI have just uncovered another bashing that lies in store for our Great Leader , I'm off to Spain for a short hol next week and changed £500 into Euros and received just over 600 in exchange. This time last year I got well over 700 , and as tourist prices in Spain are going up relentlessly I expect to get very little for my cash.
How will this devaluation sit with ordinary Brits on Med type holidays? They wont be able to escape our screwed up finances even when they leave Britain. Strongest economy in Europe?
Thank you , Gordon.
Nicholas
May 19th, 2008 5:23pmChris do you include the more than £100 billion annual cost of New Labour's quangos in your definition of "public services"?
What part of "cost effectiveness" is it that anachronistic old Lefties like you don't seem to understand?
Ian C
May 19th, 2008 5:44pm'Sharing the proceeds of growth' was always a clever slogan. But it was equally clear it was going to take some time to sink in - first to the journo's who did not understand it and the public for whom it means 'they won't spend as much as the other lot'.
Growing state spending slower than the economy is all the Tories have ever wanted to do, but thanks to the mess of the 1960's and 70's Thatcher had to grow it to stay alive long enough politically to get the first phase of reversals sorted. Phase Two can now be planned and providing we live within our means, as he says, and sort the worst social problems (by introducing a properly incentivised welfare system), it can be done. The most pressing need is sorting education and this could scupper the slogan because of the shambles it has got into over 40 years.
Ann
May 19th, 2008 6:28pm"Watch Cameron lay waste to our public services just like Thatcher and Major before" -
nonsense. Public services under Thatcher and Major actually worked. 'Labour' has simply wasted - what, 100 billion quid? 150 billion quid? - of our money in the last 11 years on self-aggrandizement, jobs for the boys on every kind of dumb and unnecessary quango, and through simple stupidity and incompetence. To compare this national disgrace to Thatcher and Major shows that indeed, you are living on some stone age, drug-fuelled, socialist planet.
Perry
May 19th, 2008 10:09pmMz. Prudence of Noo-Lie-Bore : the white hot heat of witless waste.
TGF UKIP
May 19th, 2008 10:30pmChris, you are to be congratulated. You have, amazingly, managed to achieve the seemingly impossible. Ann and I are in agreement.
HJ
May 20th, 2008 12:59pmThe funny thing about Chris's comments is thathe appears not to be aware that neither Margaret Thatcher nor John Major ever cut spending on public services. Margaret Thatcher actually doubled spending on the NHS, for example.
The only party that has ever cut spending on the NHS, for example, was a Labour one, immediately pre-Margaret Thatcher
Kristy
May 20th, 2008 5:19pmCameron was on top form in his speech, it's the best I have seen yet. More please Mr Cameron, this government are on the ropes.
Tara
May 20th, 2008 5:25pmOh I can't wait for a Tory government, they are getting it right in every area of policy.