Sunday, May 10, 2015

Election 2015: Fear triumphs over hope


David Gauke. He knows a lot about tax avoidance, does David.
David Gauke. He knows a lot about tax avoidance, does David.

Last Saturday in Berkhamsted market, Treasury minister David Gauke, my local Tory MP now safely re-elected, told me… that the Conservatives would be returned with a small working majority, writes David Hencke.

What appears to have happened is that  enough undecided people on the way to the polling station appear to have bought the idea that they had to keep the government in power  to ensure that the “recovery ” continued and probably thought  ” I am just about OK” not to risk a change… Both Labour and the Tories  said there would be more unspecified cuts.”

I suspect many people think these “cuts” won’t affect them – only welfare scroungers and immigrants. I  think they will be in for a very big shock because there is no way the books can be balanced without much wider reductions if not removal of services. Local government, social care, benefits for disabled people, all are likely to be hit and there is no need now for a government in power for the next five years to bother with higher pay rises for public sector workers. There will also be a bonanza for private  firms to take over the rest of the work of the state and fraught referendum on Europe and a resentful relationship between England and Scotland.

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