Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South, Antony Little, has spoken out strongly against Labour’s handling of the economic situation, branding it a failure, whilst stating what the Conservatives would have done instead to establish a more responsible economy.
On the same day that figures were published showing that GDP had fallen by 0.5%, Councillor Little said that the Conservatives would do everything possible to help people cope for the difficult times ahead and promised that a Tory government would fix “our broken economy” with a responsible fiscal policy bolstered by independent oversight together with a renewed role for the Bank of England to formulate a responsible financial policy.
Speaking to a group of UEA politics students, Cllr Little said that the fall in output was a defining moment in Gordon Brown’s premiership and stewardship of the economy.
He said: “The country will not forget that it was this Prime Minister who stripped the Bank of England of its powers to supervise the City, that it was he who actively encouraged the risk-taking culture in our banks and that it was he who promised time and again that boom and bust had been abolished. It is now plain for all to see that these central claims made over ten years as Chancellor were completely false.
“The government should now try to help families and businesses but in a way that does not leave future generations to pick up the bill. Sadly it will be millions of families, pensioners and companies that will pay the price for Labour’s failure to prepare for this moment.
“The Conservatives understand that taxpayers’ money should not be thrown on a bigger and bigger state. We will deliver practical help to enable small businesses and families to survive the downturn.”
Cllr Little highlighted Tory proposals announced earlier this week to allow small companies to delay paying VAT and giving them a cut in National Insurance which should ease them through the difficult times.
Taking questions from the floor, Cllr Little acknowledged that that despite there being political consensus over the recapitalisation of the banks, the truth of Labour’s failed economic policy should not be hidden and that the Prime Minister had failed to regulate public and private debt in Britain.
He said: “We need a responsible attitude to economic development that fosters more balanced economic growth. Labour accuse us of talking Britain down, but it is this Labour government which has brought Britain down. Only the Conservatives are offering the change that Britain needs.”
Small businesses in Norwich will be saved under plans unveiled by the Conservatives. Struggling companies will be allowed to delay their VAT payments giving them breathing space and also helping to keep local workers in employment. The Conservatives would also cut National Insurance for the smallest businesses to help them through the difficult times.
Antony Little, Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South, said that if these plans were implemented immediately many Norwich firms would be rescued from going to the wall.
Councillor Little said: “Along with our plans to freeze council tax and cut small business tax, these are measures that could be implemented immediately to help cash flow and in some cases prevent companies from going to the wall.
“It is vital that small businesses are helped so that jobs in Norwich are not lost. A Conservative government would be doing everything in its power to save local firms across the country as they are the lifeblood of the British economy. They are the measures a responsible Conservative government would take.”
Antony, in his role as Conservative Leader in Norwich, used an emergency question to council to ask if the Council could cut the number of days to pay an invoice. The Executive Member said they would look into what they could do to help.
Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South, Antony Little, has spoken out strongly against Labour’s handling of the economy whilst stating what the Conservatives would have done instead. He said that despite there being political consensus over the recapitalisation of the banks, the truth of Labour’s failed economic policy should not be hidden.
Speaking to a group of UEA politics students, Councillor Little said that Gordon Brown had failed to regulate public and private debt in Britain. He promised that the Conservatives would fix “our broken economy” with a responsible fiscal policy bolstered by independent oversight and a renewed role for the Bank of England.
Councillor Little said: “The country will not forget that it was the Prime Minister who stripped the Bank of England of its powers to supervise the City, that it was he who actively encouraged the risk-taking culture in our banks and that he promised time and again that he had abolished boom and bust.”
He said: “We need a responsible attitude to economic development that fosters more balanced economic growth. Labour accuses us of talking Britain down, but it is this Labour government which has brought Britain down. Only the Conservatives are offering the change that Britain needs.”
I am literally just back from a pretty exhuasting couple of hours on the doorsteps around Christchurch Road. Amazingly the cloud seems to have kept people indoors and there were plenty of people to chat to about their issues. One thing that came through loud and clear was the failure of the government to tackle anti-social behaviour; it’s strange that as a SNAP Chairman in Bowthorpe and Costessey I see the work that goes on behind the scenes and the amount of investment the police are getting. Yet residents don’t feel as if they are being supported and think that yobs are running the streets. Note to Labour: maybe endless investment isn’t working here – is there something we are missing? Employment, education, family breakdown? Also there was a strong feeling against Labour’s re-organisation in the NHS and the creation of polyclinics. I spoke to 3 retired nurses all of whom were shock by the plans. One (blush!) even came to watch Niki George and myself pass a motion against the plans in council last month.
Generally people felt that Brown’s time was up. Again and again they asked when the election was; and the truth is that both he and I dont know! The feeling od the doorsteps was positive – we got 2 new members and residents saying that they hadn’t voted Tory in years but were going to next time. Perhaps thats why Brown isn’t so keen on the election?
Clegg’s rather badly thought out energy policy yesterday has already been trumped by the rather more practical and down to earth plans by Shadow Chancellor George Osbourne on introducing energy discount cards. The Tory plans will help around 4,000,000 people with energy bills and largely those on the bottom of the income scale. The Citizens Advise Bureau thinks its brilliant and it’ll be run through the Post Office, helping to keep branches open. And after all, why should people who don’t pay by DD or have a bank account have to then pay more for their energy?
Spot the difference; Clegg spouts some “finger in the wind” policy on energy in which they admit to having not done all the research and the numbers don’t add up. Cameron’s Conservatives launch a plan which is practical, pragmatic, helps people and tackles one of the major issues facing families.
So what now? Well, I wouldn’t mind betting this idea now forms part of the government’s autumn economic fightback…
There must be seething Ministers and the sound of smashed Nokia’s across Downing Street tonight with the news that Tory Leader David Cameron will be visiting war-torn Georgia. Mean a lot to the average voter? Perhaps not, but it will mean a lot in Brown’s Bunker …
The massive advantage that the ruling party has is, well, being in power. A Prime Minister should strut his stuff on the international stage wherever and whenever possible and not, for example, hide in the dark to sign important international treaties. A Prime Minister should judge the national mood and do just enough of this to look statemanlike without ignoring the “home front”. Actually, I mean a good Prime Minister should do that. It is something that the Leader of the Opposition just can’t do. He can do photo calls outside of Tesco, he can deliver a speech to the CBI and he can appear on the Today programme. Hence whenever a Leader of the Opposition gets a sniff of international back slapping he takes it and whafts it around all over the place (the Cameron and Obama stuff was plastered all over the party branding for ages). But if a Leader of the Opposition is snubbed (Michael Howard was famously not allowed in the White House) then you know you are in trouble. The World Stage is the only place Brown can go where he knows Cameron can’t follow … not so much the last, as the best, fox he has.
The Cameron trip is a brilliant move because it kills that fox dead, it raises the Cameron profile both home and abroad as inevitably our next Prime Minister and makes Cameron look af if he was born for this stuff. The pictures of Cameron abroad (for example, with troops etc) always look refreshed and civilised – Brown always looks uptight.
But this is more than just Cameron’s usual PR savy stuff; he’s been allowed to get away with it and that’s what’ll be the biggets regret at No.10. Cameron has been clear and direct on Georgia – the Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary (who are, no doubt, in constant contact !!!) have dithered and been slow in their response. Apart from being morally right, it is also politically right to be fast out of the traps on this issue. Would Blair or Thatcher have held back – would even John Major have done so? No, but this goverment looked like the rabbit in the headlights on Georgia. So a power vacuum is created and Cameron has filled it now. Whatever Labour do – even if, say, Milliband goes go out there – they’ll be walking in Cameron’s footsteps.
This is great for the Tory Leader and another disaster for the government team. And when they look at it all, and are honest with themselves, they’ll know they are to blame.
I am very pleased that the Tories and the UUP have been speaking about uniting for two principle reasons. Firstly that this gives Cameron an electoral boost and including the UUP talent in the party will give a clear one-nation sense to people. Secondly that this really does signal the start to normalised politics in Ulster and that has to be a good thing. Apparently 45% of people in NI would or would consider voting Tory if there was a candidate; another clever move then. My only concern is that the UUPs only MP currently is Lady Sylvia Herman, who usually votes with Labour rather than the Tories. Could this deal deliver the UUP to Cameron’s Conservatives but ironically no their sole parliamentary representation?
If the Tories had proposed the document launched by Nick Clegg today, to reduce tax and cut the overall level of government spending, then my blog post title is exactly what Labour and the media would have run with.
In fact, no matter what Hague, IDS or Howard said about taxes, Labour would translate that directly into numbers of nurses sacked or children in a class. But now, I believe that things have changed; firstly people have accepted that we are taxed too much, secondly people know that Labour’s throwing money at public services hasn’t worked and thirdly people know there is so much waste in public services that you can cut tax, reduce spending and not impact on frontline service delivery.
So well done Nick Clegg – you are saying what people are thinking and I strongly urge the Tories to make clear their committment to cutting tax and reducing waste. Now is the time to do this. But is it too late for Cameron with Clegg moving onto this turf?
No – for two reasons Principally the tax cut, less government gene is in every Tory and people know we are committed to it, whereas the LibDems seem to have discovered this after being thrashed in by-election after by-election. And also, if Cameron said this then his party would cheer him to the rafters; when Nick Clegg does it the left of his party nearly choke on their breakfast cereals. Clegg may have to fight for this every step of the way with his own party.
So Cameron still has time to make this issue his own.
In the past few weeks there have been concerns, touted in the press and on the blogosphere, that Brown was finally getting one over on Cameron at PMQs; but some Tories batted this off saying that this was part of Dave’s great plan to be soft on Gordon and help cement his position; after all, Brown is the secret to a Conservative landslide at the next election.
However today was a classic example of where Cameron wasn’t interested in the win-lose-draw aspect. He had a fantastic issue – a news story in itself. A handwritten letter from Labour’s Chief Whip Geoff Hoon to Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Chairman Keith Vaz saying that he hoped that Mr Vaz would get an appropriate reward for doing a policy U-turn and backing the government in the crucial 42 days vote.
Cameron went rather softly on it; and the media and bloggers picked up on this and said he let Brown off lightly. I don’t think so.
Cameron was putting an issue into the public domain – he got the good soundbite out (tell the truth, don’t take us for fools etc) and has really been at the forefront of yet more good Tory publicity.
If he has wanted to bash the PMs head in, he could have taken all 6 questions on this issue and massacred him. Cameron chose not to, because he had done his job. Rather like Blair when his sprung the Cranbourne deal on Hague back in the 90s.
So for once, PMQs isn’t about winning – it’s about a narrative to an excellent media story. The Hoon-Vaz issue will never be sorted (because we’ll just never know what that ! meant) but that won’t stop this government taking yet another kick in the balls – because if just confirms that view most people had already about this shabby 42 days vote.
The resignation of Tory Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, not just from his frontbench job but as an MP, is a remarkable piece of political drama. Quitting to force a by-election on the 42 days issue is an honourable and brave move; but for some of us, we’ve come to expect this from Davis who has a long history of speaking up for civil liberties. Tonight, a strong coalition is building around Davis and they clearly plan to take this fight to Brown and the country; persuading the majority of Britons who still believe in 42 days.
Any MP giving up his seat (and Davis could lose it) is remarkable.
Taking on a government backed by a large majority of people on a complex issue is remarkable.
Putting the right thing to do above your career is remarkable.
David Davis has a huge job to do and is now the unofficial spokesman for everyone who cherishes liberty; be it on ID cards, 42 day detention or the removal of trial by jury. Far from being a stunt, I am tonight very proud of Davis and if he brings the country with him on this, he could yet be the man who brings down Gordon Brown.
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