Whenever politicians talk about social care, they tend to promise ‘cross-party
talks’. It’s their little euphemism for ‘we don’t want to commit to a policy by ourselves.’ Don’t get them wrong, it’s not that they don’t have ideas for fixing a system that is
straining under the weight of an ageing population; the Dilnot report, released earlier
this year, gave them plenty of recommendations to work with. It’s just that they don’t want to be the ones to implement the tax hikes or spending cuts that will be necessary to fund it. If they
can talk it through with the other parties — the thinking goes — then this crucial policy area can be detoxified, the blame spread more or less evenly.
So today’s news that those cross-party talks will actually begin in the New Year is progress, of sorts. But I wouldn’t get too excited just yet, CoffeeHousers. The last time these cross-party talks took place, when Brown was in power, it culminated in one of the bitterest episodes of the election campaign. And even though safeguards have been put in place this time around — apparently, the parties have committed not to leak nor brief during the talks — the potential for conflict is still enormous. Indeed, Labour’s new attack on the ‘stealth tax’ in social care suggests that the hostility is currently being pitched up, not wound down.
Besides, there will be much occasion for political positioning during these talks. Reforming social care was a priority for the Lib Dems in their manifesto, so their response will be intriguing. Do they fight alongside Labour for more funding than George Osborne is prepared to allow? Or do they seek to compromise on the side of the Tories? The answer will tell us a lot about how assertive Nick Clegg is feeling, and perhaps even about the health of the coalition itself.
Comments