I did it... I actually read the Tory manifesto...

[Anarcho-Socialist]

...although by "read" I mean "skim-read".

It was like reading the Daily Mail but with rather more dressed-up language to seem sensible.

The manifesto's wording comes across as "you can keep all the nice fluffy things that Labour's giving you (increased education, NHS funding)" by voting Tory we'll get rid of all those nasty asylum-seekers and yobs and give you a tax-cut to boot.

The section on law and order was particularly interesting if only for 6 still images from a security camera showing a woman's purse being snatched (I couldn't tell if it was 'real' footage or not), but it 's intended effect seems to be scaring the shit out of middle England.

Of course it also whines on about Europe too. It specifically singled out the "Social Chapter" and intention of the Tories to "opt-out". From reading it you get the impression that the E.U. and Tony Blair are each working to "undermine British business", but of course the nice fluffy Tories will do away with all those bureaucratic liberal legislations from Brussels.

On the economy, cutting taxes and reducing legislation on business (what legislation I wonder?) are the solution to everything that is possibly wrong in the economy.

"Getting rid of bureaucracy" is the only costing method used to explain extra spending on defence, law and order, cutting public sector borrowing and of course the mysterious tax cut. The vagueness of this manifesto is what defines it the most.

It harps on about hospital cleanliness, school discipline and being tougher on crime - yet with no real detail of what will be involved to achieve these aims. In parts of the manifesto, language such as "fairness", "opportunity", "dynamism" and "freedom" are used - but of course these terms are objective and mean different things to different people, and in the context of this manifesto they seemed to serve the purpose of window-dressing a thin manifesto.

To conclude: what was interesting? Very little. What was interesting the most for me is what they chose to leave out: what sort of tax cut? And what "bureaucracy" are they going to cut-back on?

If the worst occurred on May 6th and we woke up to a surprise Tory government I am guessing we'll see: a tax-cut of inheritance tax, and/or cutting of the top-rate of income tax (or altering threshold). Brown's redistributionist Tax credits system will probably be washed away too (the Tories make absolutely no mention of Tax credits and what they wish to do with them). It might help to pave the way for a bigger tax cut for the wealthier than expected.

If you're thinking of reading the Tory manifesto? Well, I regret having lost those 20 minutes of my life now. But if you're curious then you can look anyway... but don't say I didn't warn you.

[ben_packard]

1. Excellent work A-S,

thanks for the summary. As a side note, you make a good point about the tax credits, which I've not heard addressed either. I'm a big fan of these as a more progressive means of redistribution, where a general income tax reduction doesn't help single and low income parents to the same degree.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

2. In the community where I live, tax credits have changed a lot of peoples'

lives for the better. I like the anti-poverty aspect and the fact that it is an efficient economic stimulus too (the recipients of tax credits are very likely to spend all of the money - thus returning the funds to the economy and helping economic growth).

[ikri]

3. Getting rid of bureaucracy

Is the real issue that no one seems to have pulled the Tories up on so far.

The bureaucracy that they're talking about are thousands of civil servants. Wonder how well their policies would go down in the Tory heartlands if they used the slogan "Civil Servant? Vote Tory & lose your job".

Their core voters are the ones who's jobs the Tories are threatening.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Talking of "scaring the shit out of middle England"

The manifesto also says the Tories want a Minister of Homeland Security - whose job would presumably be to alter terror levels, crow about terrorism arrests, keep quiet when it becomes apparent they're innocent, etc.