Digital Tories launch online campaign against Analogue Chancellor

The Tories have launched an online campaign/ petition to oppose Labour's decision to scrap the Home Computing initiative - "a scheme that enabled employees to loan a home computer through their workplace, paying for it in monthly instalments, tax free".  The Tories claim that "over 300,000 low income families benefited from the scheme, as well as many charities and not for profit organisations".

This is exactly the sort of campaign I had in mind when I wrote on yesterday's Guardian blog that "successful political parties will find out what is making the target voters itch and will run web-based campaigns to tell them how they'll cure that itch."  To work the campaign must  have a viral element and the website needs constant updating - ideally with lots of contributions from those adversely affected by the Chancellor's decision.

Related news articles: CBI slams closure of Home Computing Initiative and Brown attacked for axing home computer tax perk.

Comments

[Burke's ghost]

Home Computing Initiative? Big deal. Only days after helping to pass the most insidious measure this government has yet introduced - ID cards and the National Identity Database. That's the computing issue Cameron should be concerned with.

[Chad]

Exactly. The conservatives have launched a petition on their site for tax breaks on computers, whereas the libdems have one to fight against id cards.

What a misplaced set of priorities.

[Ted]

but the mere mention that we've done this has made the Chancellor say he's reconsidering removing the tax break...success in hours!

Agree that ID cards and the Enabling Bill are worse dangers but hopefully now the Party has dippped its toe in the water we might see them joining forces with the other lobbys too.

Though after DDs poor decision to back the compromise on ID cards I'm not too sure. The Lords had basically agreed that they would not block a manifesto committment to voluntary cards - as is usual practice & one of those bits of the consitution that limits powers of the unelected house - but there was no need for the elected representatives to support it.

If we had said that the compromise made it impossible for the Lords to continue opposition but that we would continue to be against it in the HoC - a valid constitutional point - then we could have joined the NoID etc campaigns. Now we are stuck with an incoherent approach, supporting the database but not the bit of plastic.

[kingbongo]

good point Ted - we could have abstained in both Lords and Commons and thus completely disassociated ourselves from the whole thing

I'm not sure the computer tax break thing is a good idea, fewer simpler taxes is the best way of helping employees, not convoluted schemes. When my employer offered this it was way more expensive than just buying a PC direct, even with the tax advantage.

Nice to see Brown looking at reversing budget measures within days though!

[TimB]

Economic liberals don't support government subsidies (including tax breaks for 'favoured' spending)

[Chris Palmer]

The Home Computer Initative was a ridiculous scheme and finally it is being scrapped. The people ment to benefit from the scheme were people who didn't have computers in the first place. However, in reality all the computer literate people just went and bought the PCs on the cheap because they were a good deal whereas those without PCs never really bothered.

A waste of money and a waste of time.

[EU Serf]

Personally I couldn't care less about the Home Computing initiative. I do find the idea of the campaign interesting though and I think, as bloggers, we could help with such campaigns in the future.