BY BRAD JAMES
An election is more often than not won by lining pockets, purses and wallets of the nation claimed as spoils. It is well known that the Modus Operandi of the Conservatives is often to choke the wallets of the nation to the extent they reach a shade concurrent with their Party colour (blue) and Labour let coffers flow with welfare in a letting akin to the Red of their working class ardour and passion. 2015 is no different, with the blue veins and red arteries of our financial hearts entwined and pulsing with the chatter of who will do the most for us.
This week, the pocket has been the bone of contention again between our two wannabe leaders. Aside from the NHS, money is the biggest issue feeding the body politic. And as the cut and thrust warms towards spring with earnestness to ape animal mating calls of the season. Tory posturing against Labour is the territorial chatter we’re all accustomed to.
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Miliband moved his piece on the Westminster chess board first, staying close to the old red sore point, the wealthy and their tax dodging practices. The Labour leader has vowed total transparency must be behind the functions of tax havens and has issued caveats to the likes of Bermuda, Jersey et al. to reveal their practices and expose those registered there, adopting zero tolerance towards any haven’s delays and secrecy, warning of blacklisting should they fail to comply with a Labour government’s wishes.
It’s a hard line initiative that strikes a note of resonance with the British fair play tune that we all like to hum. A large portion of voters advocate that the more privileged dig deeper and offer more in the way of taxes. When “We’re All This Together,” is the motto of the ruling caste, tax parity seems a cruel joke to such a sentiment, equality doesn’t always equal justice. But Miliband is striving for a sense of justice in what has been a cruel world of austerity for many, but like his adversary, it may yet be a dangling carrot.
David Cameron had waded into the arena bolstered by a well-known politician’s ally, demagogy. Draping the passage towards election day in promises that appear grand, but lack any true weight. The Prime Minister is preparing to inform business heads nationwide that workers need a pay rise, as “costs are falling and it’s cheaper to do business.”
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This is a genius stroke by the Prime Minister. To the masses, he hopes to be seen as coming good on his “We’re All This Together,” promise. This is a slap on the back for our dogged persistence in sticking through the mire of austerity years and a reward to us serfs for the little choice we had in it. It has a far more personal touch than Ed’s faceless war against the kind of far removed edifices of corporate cliff faces. Gaining tax back will not have a tangible effect on the wider populace. However, a few more quid in the back pocket will. It is a master stroke for Cameron to tug away the rug on the shaky foundations of Labour’s lead, slamming the door to Number Ten in Ed’s face before he even gets a sniff of what it’s like inside. But what does this say about us lowly voters? Are we so easily swayed by an offhand promise of a populist who has reneged on many of his vows, with a deputy that essentially trod and ground his own policies into mush? Do a few shiny coins waved in front of our faces suffice to keep our mouths shut and except the status quo? We have mere months to find out…
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