Politicians and commentators make a lot of noise about their points of disagreement. But such disagreements are typically trivial. Should the top rate of income tax be 50% or 45%? Should we have slightly more council houses or slightly fewer? Precisely how should the management of the tax-funded, free-at-the-point-of-use NHS be arranged?
The current disagreements between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party are no greater than you would expect between factions within a single, centre-left party. After five years of a Conservative-led government, state regulation of industry continues to grow, the national debt continues to increase and government spending is 44% of GDP, higher now than in the last year of the previous Labour government.
David Cameron has said that his guiding principle is: “Those who can should, and those who can’t, we will always help”. This is simply a clumsy restatement of the Marxist slogan: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
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