The interview with David Cameron on Radio 4 this morning was very depressing. It was all about preserving the New Labour legacy of increased spending on public services, seeking to increase it where practical and "economic stability" allows.
The Telegraph picked up on it also, accusing Cameron of fighting yesterday's battles when opinion polls show people waking up to the reality of what the move to a high tax economy will mean.
Perhaps I might be better off voting New Lie?
The Telegraph picked up on it also, accusing Cameron of fighting yesterday's battles when opinion polls show people waking up to the reality of what the move to a high tax economy will mean.
Tories to pledge more spending
The Conservatives set out plans yesterday for an "unambiguous commitment" to more spending on public services.
In a radical shift that will infuriate Right-wingers, a policy review group set up by David Cameron effectively apologised for the party's traditional hostility to the public sector and called for an end to "public bad, private good" thinking.
"The political culture has often required the Conservatives to belittle the efforts of people whose objectives we share," the public service improvement policy group said.
Increasing the size of the public sector as the country got richer was "part of being human" as public services were as important to the nation's well-being as individuals' personal wealth, the group's interim report said.
"It is in that context that we believe that all Conservatives should embrace an unambiguous commitment to the growth of public services, as part of a growth of general well-being."
The views contrast strongly with the opinions of Right-wingers in the party, who only at the weekend condemned the concept of a burgeoning state sector.
But Oliver Letwin, the party's policy director, endorsed the central conclusion of more spending on public services depending on economic circumstances as a "decisive turning point" both for the country and for the Conservatives. He added that he "strongly suspected" that the proposals — in a report entitled The Well-being of the Nation — would be agreed by the shadow cabinet.
David Willetts, the shadow education secretary and a Tory moderniser, said: "What we're showing is that you should be valued in the public sector even if you do not wear a uniform."
In his "Built to Last" statement of core principles — now being voted on by the party membership — the Tory leader has already made clear that tax cuts would not be his top priority.
The Conservatives set out plans yesterday for an "unambiguous commitment" to more spending on public services.
In a radical shift that will infuriate Right-wingers, a policy review group set up by David Cameron effectively apologised for the party's traditional hostility to the public sector and called for an end to "public bad, private good" thinking.
"The political culture has often required the Conservatives to belittle the efforts of people whose objectives we share," the public service improvement policy group said.
Increasing the size of the public sector as the country got richer was "part of being human" as public services were as important to the nation's well-being as individuals' personal wealth, the group's interim report said.
"It is in that context that we believe that all Conservatives should embrace an unambiguous commitment to the growth of public services, as part of a growth of general well-being."
The views contrast strongly with the opinions of Right-wingers in the party, who only at the weekend condemned the concept of a burgeoning state sector.
But Oliver Letwin, the party's policy director, endorsed the central conclusion of more spending on public services depending on economic circumstances as a "decisive turning point" both for the country and for the Conservatives. He added that he "strongly suspected" that the proposals — in a report entitled The Well-being of the Nation — would be agreed by the shadow cabinet.
David Willetts, the shadow education secretary and a Tory moderniser, said: "What we're showing is that you should be valued in the public sector even if you do not wear a uniform."
In his "Built to Last" statement of core principles — now being voted on by the party membership — the Tory leader has already made clear that tax cuts would not be his top priority.
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