I intend to make this a regular series of posts examining commitments the Conservative (and Unionist) Party made before the election, including those outside of the manifesto. I was unimpressed with their offerings and decided to go through them one by one. I haven't put them in much of an order.
As Parliament is able to
change all laws, having both executive and legislative power, a law limiting Parliament
is a pointless waste of time. This commitment was a cynical campaign stunt that
says more about how willing the party is to deceive the electorate because the
promise implies that it is a meaningful commitment. An open and honest
politician would never have promised something that is a waste of time (and
therefore money).
Additionally,
this pledge does not refer to all taxes. As a political statement, it is quite
limited, because it leaves plenty of room for ‘stealth taxes’, which were
heavily criticised by the Conservatives when Gordon Brown used them, or for
other tax rises. As a bold statement, though, it helps give the general
emotional impression of a party that is more against tax rises than other
parties.
It's for effect, not impact, and is all style and no substance. I count that as a failure, although some fans of politics love that sort of thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment