Dear Alex,
I'm delighted we are starting this exchange between ConservativeHome and LabourList. If it works out I hope it will only be the first of many and thanks for letting me go first. You never know we might even have more enlightening debates than take place between Brown and Cameron at PMQs!
We agreed that our first exchange should be about public spending and the debt crisis.
First of all I should congratulate you for being a lot more honest about the choice between the two main parties than your leader. On 25th June you wrote: "I'm still concerned that the Party line "Labour investment over Tory cuts" is a dead end. It's a ten year old argument not valid for this recession... Instead of "Tory cuts" and "Mr 10%", Labour needs to say "yes, unfortunately we're going to have to reduce funding for some services; but we have a record of investing in the most important frontline services, and your school, your Sure Start centre, your hospital and your local comunity centre are all completely safe.""
Do you think that Brown will abandon his discredited line any time soon? His stubborn-ness (some would say dishonesty) is a huge political advantage for the Conservatives.
A few more central questions for you:
- I'm very concerned that the tax burden left by 12 years of Labour
rule is leaving Britain uncompetitive and higher taxes will encourage an even greater brain drain. Do
you agree that public spending cuts are going to have to bear the
lion's share of the burden of getting us back towards budget balance?
I think it'll probably need to be at least 4 to 1 in terms of spending
cuts against tax rises. If you think tax rises are going to take a
bigger share of the necessary adjustment I'd ask 'what are your favoured tax
rises'?
- Do you favour across the board cuts or do you think whole
programmes will have to go (or both)? For example: Would you get rid of Trident
and the target of 50% of young people going to university? I'm most
interested in you identifying some very difficult sacrifices. I, for
example, think that the Tories will have to delay our pledges on
inheritance tax (as Neil O'Brien bravely first argued) and tax relief for married couples until about 2014/15.
- It's vital that the pain of adjustment is shared by the political
class. David Cameron has suggested a 10% cut in the number of MPs and
abolition of the £10,000pa Communications Allowance. I back a 10% cut
in ministers' pay for the duration of the overall austerity period. What do you think
about the political class sharing the pain?
I could go on but that should give us enough to get things going!
I look forward to reading your replies,
Tim
