Tuesday 5 October 2010

ConDem-ed

This is just a quick observation. The other night I was watching the news. There was a report on the cuts the ConDem-ed government intends to make along with the welfare reforms. I couldn't help but notice everything major that has been mentioned so far will not be implemented in this parliament. But in the next parliament.

I'm by no stretch of the imagination a political heavy weight. But that rather seems like an ideologically driven approach rather than austerity measures. The cuts the ConDem-ed government are planning will be intended to last well beyond this and the next government. And there is one more odd thing about this ConDem-ed government.

Details. The devil is always in the detail. But the ConDem-ed government are very light on details. Before the election I was criticised by some for calling out the Conservative manifesto as being utter nonsense. All head lines and no substance. Those who would play devils advocate defended that manifesto, claiming an election manifesto should only set out the "vision statement". Well frankly that's just not good enough for me.

Before the election the Conservatives were pushing out some radical Thatcher-ish sounding policies with no actual meat in them. Today in government they are doing much the same thing. How can a government function for this long after an election and not have actually done anything? Why are the opposition parties holding them to account?

Something has gone very, very wrong in British politics.