A taxing situation

If you don't like what the government is doing then shouldn't you say what you prefer? It seems obvious to me that an opposition should set out an alternative way forward but the Labour Party is reluctant to say anything because this leaves it open to attack. In 1992 the Tories advertised Labour's tax bombshell which would cause everyone to pay £1000 extra in tax per year.

According to Margaret Beckett it would be wrong to give too much detail about their plans. "It'd be folly to try and make proposals that are too detailed now", she said. But their 1992 problems arose from being up-front just three weeks before the election. We're currently several years away from the next election, probably. So, if it's folly three weeks before an election, and it's folly several years before, then when is a good time?

Ed Balls clearly said on yesterday's Politics Show that detail should not be given. Liam Byrne gave some detail (with a broad brush) of what he said Labour's plans had been, and then said things will get clearer and clearer in the future.

What about Labour's current broad-brush plans? "The broad direction, of tackling the deficit, absolutely we have got to constantly reinforce that", Liam said. "But we've got to do something else, which is show how Britain can get more people back to work if only George Osborne would listen."

So we have to tackle the deficit and get George Osborne to listen. I'm glad we got that cleared up. The message from a Pollster focus group was that Labour are the reason that we are in the mess now and they have given no detail of their alternative. Is their plan to cut the deficit going to be dealt with by taxation or by cuts.? Are you clear?

Change the world