Tory Deficit plans don't add up.

[Gromit]

Those Trotskyist at the Financial Times today delivered more bad news for Cameron - his deficit plans do not add up.

// David Cameron on Friday pledged to protect £4bn of spending on winter fuel payments, free bus passes and free television licences for the elderly, raising doubts about how the Conservatives would cut record borrowing faster than Labour.

The policy pledges are designed to shore up the Conservatives’ “grey vote” by nullifying Labour claims that the Tories would cut benefits for the elderly after the election.

However, Andrew Haldenby, director of Reform, the right-of-centre think-tank, said: “The Tories, “are now facing in two directions. On the one hand they are saying they will cut the deficit harder than Labour and on the other they are promising to protect some of the most expensive benefits. It just doesn’t add up”. //

From the FT (registration required)
http://www.ft.com/cms...970-00144feabdc0.html

Another c0ck up, badly thought out policy or are they just saying anything to get themselves elected, regardless of whether WE can pay for it when they get in power?

[Haggisdj]

Hi Gromit, I've always voted Labour, although I'm not too keen on New Labour. To be honest, I think that all the parties are saying anything that they can think of to get into power and none of them will deliver what they promise.

[brionon]

Gromit Why must you continually upset the worshippers of the upper classes ? Can't you see ,it's cruel ?

[anotheoldgit]

No matter how much anti-Tory propaganda you post Gromit, your beloved Labour ain't going to get in.

So put your red flag away, it isn't going to be needed.

[New Judge]

The spending plans of none of the three main parties “add up”. They rarely do, and are particularly unlikely to do so with an election imminent.

Whenever “cuts” or “efficiencies” are discussed it is always the “relatively) inexpensive items such as bus passes, fuel allowances, prescriptions, TV licences and the like that make the headlines.

The deficit this year alone is set to be about £160bn, and the overall debt the nation will face (if no proper measures are taken) will hit about £1,400bn by the end of the next Parliament. These small ticket items will make virtually no difference to those figures – the £4bn mentioned is just a quarter of one percent of that total.

The biggest drain on our limited resources is down to social security, health and education. These three account for 60% of expenditure. It is these items which need paring down. There has been no appreciable improvement in health services in the last 5 years yet spend on health has increased by about 20% (thanks in part to ludicrously generous contract awarded to GPs which has seen their pay double and their workload cut considerably). State education is a joke, especially at secondary level, and many parents are forced to make considerable sacrifices to have their children educated properly at additional expense.

The State payroll has seen about 1 million people added to it since 1997 and many of these jobs are unnecessary. The State now spends more than half of the money produced in the country (compared to about 40% in 1997).

A radical overhaul of State spending is vital. All the three main parties offer is the reduction in the number of paper clips used in Whitehall.

[Gromit]

Put your Blue flag away AOG because they will take your free television licence off you and the winter heating allowance.

And it gets worse...

// David Cameron's £34billion black hole: Tory sums don't add up

The party's economic policy was plunged into confusion after it was revealed there is a £34billion black hole in their lavish proposals.

It sparked fears they would embark on further savage cuts in public services to make up the vast shortfall.

The Tory boss was put on the spot by Labour as they went on the election offensive with a 150-page dossier on Tory economic proposals.

It revealed he has pledged to raise spending by £45billion, splashing money on elite schools and businesses. //

http://www.mirror.co....hole-115875-21943135/

[Gromit]

Missed the last paragraph of

// But Mr Cameron has outlined plans to raise just £11billion through cuts and tax increases for spending - and he refused to say where the rest of money will come from to pay for it. //

[New Judge]

“It revealed he [Cameron] has pledged to raise spending by £45billion, splashing money on elite schools and businesses.”
This demonstrates my point perfectly. Just what is it with politicians (of all persuasions) that makes them think that the electorate will be impressed if they promise to spend more and more of taxpayers’ money?
All governments measure their achievements by the amount of money they manage to spend. “We spent more than they did on this....We will spend more than they will on that.” Businesses measure their achievements on how well they meet their customers’ requirements and by how much money they manage to avoid spending in the process. We urgently need a government that will do likewise. If we don’t get one then a free TV licence or bus pass will be the least of the worries to be endured by older people. They will not be able to afford the electricity to power their set and the bus companies will be unable to operate a service as they will be unable to afford the fuel to run their vehicles.

Forget about the pennies. It's pounds we need, and lots of them.

[Kromovaracun]

Actually, I hate to say it but I think AOG does have a point (Eeeew! It feels icky!) - the drip-drip of anti-tory posts is making me increasingly start to ignore them and/or take them with what goes beyond pinches of salt. It's a version to the reaction I have to AOG's racist/whatever-motivated posts, only on a smaller scale and with less entertainment value.

Still, that's just me - I doubt Gromit's posting for my benefit, so I've no right to complain. Carry on.

[Kromovaracun]

"It's a version to the reaction I have "

*a version of. Sorry - I overlooked that when re-writing that part of the post.