Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so I welcome George Osborne following in our footsteps with these campaign memos. But I notice in his latest one yesterday he began with the line, “It’s been another great week for our campaign”. Keep it up, George!
And my bet is that most people will not follow through on their current flirtation with Nick and the LibDems. Why?
Three reasons: first, voters will be reluctant to embrace a party that would cut tax credits, scrap Child Trust Funds and even offer an amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Three reasons: first, voters will be reluctant to embrace a party that would cut tax credits, scrap Child Trust Funds and even offer an amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Second, a hung parliament may seem attractive to some but it may give disproportionate power to a small party holding the balance of power and bring its own danger. Important legislation, for example on fighting terrorism which the Lib Dems are likely to oppose, would be difficult to get through.
And third, in these uncertain economic times, we need a strong, centred and united government – not one that might be rocked from side to side by Lib Dems chopping and changing their point of view. I am not against coalition government in principle ... and for Britain, anything would be better than a Cameron-Osborne government. But a two party government may not be so stable without a single big unifying challenge facing it.
There’s another consideration for those tempted to vote Lib Dem because they want political change. The only party offering the real deal – radical reform of the Commons and Lords and the chance to vote for a new, fairer voting system – is Labour. If you vote Lib Dem and, in doing so, help the Tories win in those hundred or so Labour/Tory marginals where the election is going to be decided, that’s going to deliver the status quo, not change in our political system.
Voting for the Lib Dems means settling for second best, or worse. Getting the Tories in power would mean policies that de-rail the economy’s recovery and turn our public services into a do-it-yourself wish-list from which the well-off could afford to opt out and everyone else would have to put up with the consequences.
To switch to the Tories before our policies have succeeded fully in lifting Britain out of the recession would risk tipping Britain back into rising joblessness. And having to negotiate policies with the Lib Dems would likely blunt rather than sharpen our performance.
