Caring Conservativism - A new kind of Thatcherism

On a separate forum I was reminded of a speech made by Neil Kinnock back in 1984. Now I am no great fan of Kinnock. His witch hunt of the left and the expulsion of honest socialists who were supporters of the Militant Tendency was the second biggest travesty to hit the Labour Party this century (this first being the rewriting of Clause lV of the Constitution of the Party).
Having said that, in this speech he really hit the button.

He said:

If Margaret Thatcher is re-elected as prime minister on Thursday, I warn you. I warn you that you will have pain–when healing and relief depend upon payment. I warn you that you will have ignorance–when talents are untended and wits are wasted, when learning is a privilege and not a right. I warn you that you will have poverty–when pensions slip and benefits are whittled away by a government that won’t pay in an economy that can’t pay. I warn you that you will be cold–when fuel charges are used as a tax system that the rich don’t notice and the poor can’t afford. I warn you that you must not expect work–when many cannot spend, more will not be able to earn. When they don’t earn, they don’t spend. When they don’t spend, work dies. I warn you not to go into the streets alone after dark or into the streets in large crowds of protest in the light. I warn you that you will be quiet–when the curfew of fear and the gibbet of unemployment make you obedient. I warn you that you will have defence of a sort–with a risk and at a price that passes all understanding. I warn you that you will be home-bound–when fares and transport bills kill leisure and lock you up. I warn you that you will borrow less–when credit, loans, mortgages and easy payments are refused to people on your melting income. If Margaret Thatcher wins on Thursday– • I warn you not to be ordinary • I warn you not to be young • I warn you not to fall ill • I warn you not to get old.

As Citizen Dave’s cuts start to bite, his words are as relevant today as they were all those years ago. The poor, the disabled, the unemployed and the ill are all being hurt by Cameron’s plans. But before we lay the blame wholly on Citizen Dave, let us look at who is the philosophical ‘father’ behind these measures – none other than the silent man himself, Iain Duncan Smith.

During his period as leader of the Conservative Party he was ineffectual and lacking any charisma, but as a ‘backroom boy’ he has been central to the development of current Tory policies. His think tank, the Centre for Social Justice, has been at the heart of many of the current policies and for the last few years has acted as a resource to ‘humanise’ modern Conservativism.

The trouble is that it has all been a guise to bring about Thatcherism under another name. The proposed welfare reforms will not bring about a level playing field for all, they will introduce inequality and disadvantage. Meanwhile, leading businessmen will continue to avoid tax, multinationals will continue to make large profits and those with money will continue to milk the system.

Twenty seven years later and we still haven’t learned – you can never trust the Tories