News from the New Party

Richard Vass' letter to the national press

As the political conference season draws to a close I have been struck by how much old thinking is being wheeled out as "progressive policies". It now appears that both major parties, together with the limping Lib-Dems, are seeking to wear the mantle of "progressive" while showing little tangible policy evidence in support.

Take the Tories' welfare reform plans. If there has ever been an example of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, this "new" plan is it. It has been tried before to no avail. It is a reaction based on the dwindling public purse rather than a pro-active desire to empower and enable active citizens, who can determine their own future.

The proposals also make it clear the Tories don't understand the root cause of the collapse of the employment market. Regressive employment legislation and excessive taxation on individuals and businesses act as a disincentive to employers to take on staff, and those on lower incomes are not motivated to leave the welfare state.

The employment problem will be solved by employers employing, not by the dead hand of government spending yet more of our money on some expensive, ineffective scheme, designed to make them look as if they are doing something useful.

Both the government and the opposition have a bad record in this area. Excessive intervention in education, healthcare and employment have achieved nothing. Until the electorate and the media wake up and hold the politicians to task, we’re all going to go down with the ship.

What we need are serious public expenditure cuts - not the lip service both parties are currently giving the issue - and a programme of responsible, phased-in tax cuts. This will help stimulate growth and renew confidence.

Investors are looking for signs that the UK has learned from the mistakes of the past and hard pressed families are looking to keep just a bit more of what they earn.

Giving families an indication that the burden of taxation will lessen over time and that they will not forever be struggling to finance the public debt is essential if the UK is to remain in the top flight of world economies.