Conservative Diary

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Is Dave tougher than Maggie?

ThatcherNoTurningBack In this week's Spectator, Bruce Anderson says there are signs that he might be:

“Mr Cameron has already shown some courage; rather more, indeed, than Margaret Thatcher in her early phase. In 1979, just before the election, the Clegg Report recommended an absurdly high pay award for public sector workers. The nation could not afford it. The implementation of Clegg would exacerbate the difficulties of an already weak economy. But public sector workers have votes. Margaret Thatcher had an election to win. She accepted Clegg. In contrast, David Cameron has proposed a pay freeze for all but the least well-paid public sector employees plus the withdrawal of some middle-class welfare benefits. He also did something which no previous opposition leader even considered. He opposed a tax cut which applied to everyone in the country: Labour’s one-year reduction in VAT. Although a lot more resolve will be needed before we are out of the mess, that is not a bad beginning.”

Tim Montgomerie

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