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U-Turns, Climb downs, rethinks and the coalition Government
Margaret Thatcher famously said "the Lady is not for turning" yet her refusal to change the poll tax led to her downfall.
Earlier this week the Government did a u-Turn on the pasty Tax and have today announce a u-Turn on charity donations.
Do you think it is good the Government can change its mind after introducing a policy, or do you think it shows lack of conviction and bottle?
For the record, here is a long list of this Government's u-turns.
http://
Earlier this week the Government did a u-Turn on the pasty Tax and have today announce a u-Turn on charity donations.
Do you think it is good the Government can change its mind after introducing a policy, or do you think it shows lack of conviction and bottle?
For the record, here is a long list of this Government's u-turns.
http://
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D9
There was nothing about The Pasty Tax in the manifesto or the charity Donations Tax. That was not thought out five years in advance (if it was ever thought out at all). They were introduced, then there were a heap of bad press and the Government caved in instantly. As I say, that is acceptable every now and then, but as the list shows in the question, there have been very many instances of back tracking.
It could be a result of Coalition cabinet tug of war. But it looks like they don't know what they are doing.
There was nothing about The Pasty Tax in the manifesto or the charity Donations Tax. That was not thought out five years in advance (if it was ever thought out at all). They were introduced, then there were a heap of bad press and the Government caved in instantly. As I say, that is acceptable every now and then, but as the list shows in the question, there have been very many instances of back tracking.
It could be a result of Coalition cabinet tug of war. But it looks like they don't know what they are doing.
so much for Labour -
The former chief secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, has reignited criticism of Labour's stewardship of the economy with a note for his successor which said "there's no money left".
Byrne's note was discovered by David Laws, the Liberal Democrat MP who was appointed by the coalition government to succeed Byrne as No 2 at the Treasury.
The former chief secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, has reignited criticism of Labour's stewardship of the economy with a note for his successor which said "there's no money left".
Byrne's note was discovered by David Laws, the Liberal Democrat MP who was appointed by the coalition government to succeed Byrne as No 2 at the Treasury.
Are you seriously suggesting that a party should have a 5 year plan so detailed that it includes individual food stuffs and then stick to it regardless for 5 years?
Frankly any party that refuses to adapt to curcumstances because of a 5 year plan they set up prior to an election is un fit to govern.
Frankly any party that refuses to adapt to curcumstances because of a 5 year plan they set up prior to an election is un fit to govern.
They've also done a U-turn on the decision to shoot down buzzards which are alleged eating pheasant chicks, thus affecting the nobs' shooting parties. The press say this is a clear sign how detached most MPs are from the rest of the population - the public uproar about killing protected birds has made them change their minds less than a week after they decided that they were going to implement it.
The following were the words in a note from Reginald Maudling, the departing TORY chancellor, in 1964 to his Labour successor...
"Good luck, old cock.... Sorry to leave it in such a mess."
So the near-identical Liam Byrne comment right-w(h)ingers constantly draw attention to from the time of the 2010 election was merely a copy of that, though his was rather more polite!
As I've pointed out here before, making a u-turn when you realise you are wrong is a perfectly reasonable form of behaviour. However, the type of u-turn the current government - I use the term loosely - is like the man driving along with a companion. As they approach a roundabout, the companion, who has the map, says, "You want the third exit here." "Naaah," the know-all driver responds and goes on to the fourth exit. At the first road-sign on his new route, he grasps that he is wrong and has to correct matters by making a u-turn or taking some other avoidance routine.
To relate that scenario to the present plethora of coalition u-turns one need consider only the plain fact that many economists pointed out immediately that government economic plans would lead to a double-dip recession and where exactly are we now? You gorrit...in a double-dip recession! In other words, they are the typical know-all driver at the roundabout who fails to listen until it is too late.
When somneone corrects his OWN mistakes, a u-turn is fine; when he makes mistakes despite being told in advance that they ARE mistakes and only THEN u-turns, he's a plonker!
Of course, when Labour was in power, any policy modification was dubbed a "humiliating climb-down" by the opposition. What makes these different now?
"Good luck, old cock.... Sorry to leave it in such a mess."
So the near-identical Liam Byrne comment right-w(h)ingers constantly draw attention to from the time of the 2010 election was merely a copy of that, though his was rather more polite!
As I've pointed out here before, making a u-turn when you realise you are wrong is a perfectly reasonable form of behaviour. However, the type of u-turn the current government - I use the term loosely - is like the man driving along with a companion. As they approach a roundabout, the companion, who has the map, says, "You want the third exit here." "Naaah," the know-all driver responds and goes on to the fourth exit. At the first road-sign on his new route, he grasps that he is wrong and has to correct matters by making a u-turn or taking some other avoidance routine.
To relate that scenario to the present plethora of coalition u-turns one need consider only the plain fact that many economists pointed out immediately that government economic plans would lead to a double-dip recession and where exactly are we now? You gorrit...in a double-dip recession! In other words, they are the typical know-all driver at the roundabout who fails to listen until it is too late.
When somneone corrects his OWN mistakes, a u-turn is fine; when he makes mistakes despite being told in advance that they ARE mistakes and only THEN u-turns, he's a plonker!
Of course, when Labour was in power, any policy modification was dubbed a "humiliating climb-down" by the opposition. What makes these different now?
d9, a budget isn't a five-year plan, and the various proposals that have been the subject of U-turns have lasted less than three months. Are you seriously suggesting a government should change its policies every 90 days? That would certainly take short-termism to new heights, but it doesn't seem like a good way to run a country.
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