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.”
It may seem incredible to hear a Conservative prime minister espouse such an idea, but his actions provide no reason to doubt him. On the contrary, we have every reason to take him at his word. For it is practically impossible for any politician to deviate far from Mr Cameron’s avowed Marxist principle.
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