Where the word "hypocrisy" pokes its ugly rear.Today's Guardian treats its readers with the squalid spectacle of a Coalition supporter, David Laws, championing the mass cuts that have just been unleashed on the country.
And while there's nothing new in hearing a government cheerleader reciting the usual script, what makes it particularly grating is the fact only last May millionaire David Laws was caught red-handed claiming £40,000 to pay rent to his boyfriend.
Sure, Mr Laws was not the first MP who fiddled the system and defrauded the taxpayer. But he was certainly one of the most outspoken "hard-liners" when it came to pontificating on "the pay and perks of hundreds of thousands of public sector workers", which is where the word "hypocrisy" pokes its ugly rear into the equation.
So for him to smugly lecture ordinary people on why their nosediving standards of living (squeezed incomes, higher bills, higher VAT, mass redundancies and huge cuts to public services - from care workers to the police and from the NHS to food inspectors) are actually a good thing, that's just taking the piss.
This ruthless (as well as electorally suicidal) lack of empathy highlights the importance of not having a political elite stuffed, literally, with millionaires who are clueless when it comes to the price of bus fares or gas bills and the way they impact on ordinary people.
PS. Since we're at it. Laws writes that:
"in April the first Lib Dem-inspired increase in the personal income tax allowance will boost the incomes of basic rate taxpayers, and take hundreds of thousands of low earners out of income tax altogether".
This is a piece of LibFibbery that we're hearing time and again. What they rarely tell you however is that:
a) It won't be until 2015 that the increase will actually begin to cover the full £10K threshold. That's if it goes ahead (there are already reports of grumbles amongst Tory ranks);
b) The forthcoming £1K increase will be cancelled out by the VAT hike and galloping prices.
2 comments:
Except that the biggest cheer of the Tory conference was when Cameron said he'd raise the threshold to 10k.
Still let nothing get in the way of a good baby-eating tory story...
A party leader is hardly going to be booed at a conference now, whatever they say - Cameron could have burnt an effigy of Thatcher and people would probably have cheered. Public Tory vs private Tory is always a fun game of spot the difference.
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