Status Anxiety: Deferential attitudes

I’m writing this from the Conservative party conference, where my enthusiasm for the coalition has been dampened by the child benefit cut. As a father of four, I’ll be £3,100 a year worse off. That came as a bit of a blow, particularly as I’d just shelled out £650 for a security pass and £160 to connect to the internet inside the conference centre. It would have been cheaper to fly the kids to Disneyland.

Talking to seasoned hacks at The Spectator’s jamboree on Monday night, the conclusion was that it was intended to inflict a bit of misery on the middle classes before the announcement of the spending review. That way, the government can argue that the cuts will be ‘fair’ since people like me will be sharing the pain.

This sort of political stunt is characteristic of the government, but it’s hard to work out who the Prime Minister and his Chancellor are trying to impress. Guardian columnists? Not likely, judging by Polly Toynbee’s reaction. ‘If Osborne wanted to tax the rich, why target only families with children instead of income tax falling on all equally?’ she wrote. Lib Dem voters? They, too, appear unconvinced by the government’s ‘progressive’ credentials. Vince Cable? Maybe. But it’s a bit galling that Mr Mansion Tax should be dictating government policy when I didn’t vote for his party. On the contrary, I voted for the party that promised to cut inheritance tax.

An opportunity to take revenge presented itself when George Osborne put in an appearance at the party. I had just been emailed the Morten Morland illustration that’s on the cover of this week’s issue, so I waved it under his nose. ‘What d’you think? Is it an accurate likeness?’ To give him credit, he laughed and said that at least Morland had got the Bullingdon uniform right.