PC 12: Shadow Budget(s)

[Will Frost]

If the budget debate has made one thing clear, it's that Rebecca Flair's greatest aspiration in life is to be nothing more than a Labour backbench MP. Rebecca Flair would happily serve as an un-paid attack dog for the Labour Party in exchange for an autographed picture of the Prime Minister that she can hang up in her university dorm room, and stare at longingly each morning before hopping on her unicycle and pedaling off to her morning lecture. Her policies and views change as fast as her team of teenage advisors make edits to their party's budget proposal while they think no one is looking. The only thing that remains consistent is her ever present desire to be of use to Dr. MacAndrews and the Labour Party. She's like the understudy cast to shadow the actor playing the lead role - she's got nothing in her head other than someone else's lines.

I'd laugh if the situation wasn't so depressing for the members of the Liberal Democrat Party, but... actually, you know? I'll laugh.

[Dr. James Webster]

Croft stated in his leadership platform: "I think the key to both energy independence and addressing climate change lies in embracing nuclear energy. I want to invest massively in this energy source, providing clean, safe, and affordable energy to households across Britain." Croft clearly can't be trusted to keep his own promises in trying to tackle climate change, or energy independence. The shadow budget ultimately fails to live up the the hype and promises made by the Leader of the Conservative party. If Croft can't keep his pledges to the Conservative Party how will he keep his electoral promises to the British people. This is just another example of Croft changing his mind as the win changes directions.

[Rebecca Flair]

As touching as the Leader of the Opposition's concern for the Liberal Democrats is I feel like he would be better placed having concern for the sheer number of promises he's broken, people he's failed, and budgets he's ruined. While I am more than happy to disagree with Labour about a great many things they can at least say that they tried to invest, they may have fallen short in many areas, but the intention is there. The Conservative Party meanwhile have tried to sell the post office, sell out our rural and local communities, and sell a flawed vision of our economy. So it should come as little surprise to the Conservative Party when I call them out for putting a 1% Corporation Tax cut above a much more useful 2.5% VAT cut, when they put a a 10% Capital Gains Tax cut above lifting everyone earning less than £6,000 out of tax altogether, and when they put a 1% Income Tax cut above investing in the health and future of our nation leaving the NHS, our schools, and our public services high and dry again.

[Dr. James Webster]

Speaking about how much William Croft's mind chances according to wind speed. While live on Newsnight, the Leader of the opposition said that the Surplus he proposes will be no less than 10 billion pounds. Well comically once it was released the overall surplus from his shadow budget is over 6 billion dollars less than what he promised? How can the British public trust William Croft if he can't even keep his own economic advisors to inform him of a plan before he makes a promise on television. Was lowing taxes on capital gains more important than keeping your promises Croft? As the days go on it's becoming ever increasing that maybe instead of flip-flop Croft, maybe he's just not truly in control of the Conservative Party anymore. I think the British public deserve to know Croft, how many times are you going to lie to them?

[CWard]

I think the Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Chancellor need to aplogise for misleading the people and breaking commitments. When they pledge a £10 billion surplus and only show £4 billion it’s a break of the public trust.

[Langston Wolfe]

For all the media sensation about Mr. Croft's interview with Jeremy Paxman, today we've seen that he's done precisely what he promised to do on tax. The Shadow Budget delivers on William Croft's commitment to create a low tax economy, and does so by returning billions of pounds back to the British people through sweeping tax cuts. Mr. Mountstuart should be commended for this budget, and for the bold action he has taken to provide major tax relief to millions of people. It stands in stark contrast to the budget introduced by the Chancellor, that if anything represents a continuation of business as usual when our country sorely needs a change in direction. Mr. Croft and Mr. Mountstuart are the bold and principled duo we need leading Britain's economy, and I look forward to seeing the positive change they deliver in a future Conservative Government.

[Will Frost]

What actually matters to people isn't who performed best in some interview, or how eloquently a question was answered. Me getting a pat on the back from Jeremy Paxman isn't going to help a working single mother get food on the table every night. What I think does matter to people is being rewarded for their hard work through tax cuts, knowing that their public services are well looked after, and feeling confident that their neighborhoods are safe for their children - and on all counts our Shadow Budget delivers. Rather than hoarding the national surplus in the hands of the state, and it serving no good for anyone, we've decided to invest that money back into the British people through a tax cut of historic proportions. We've also safeguarded state pensions and funding for our excellent NHS so that we can cut down on wait times and get people the medical care they deserve and expect. Critically, we're hiring some 2,500 police officers, in just our first wave of massive hirings that will see more police out on the streets keeping our communities safe and free from the scourge of rising violent crime. This is a budget that seeks to unleash the full potential of our country, that boldly states that we believe Britain's best days remain ahead of us. I could not be more confident in our Shadow Chancellor or more proud in the budget he has produced.

[Brown]

I don't think many people in the United Kingdom are worried about whether or not the Leader of the Opposition gets a pat on the back from the media, but they are rightfully concerned when the Leader of the Opposition says that his party's shadow budget will do one thing and then his party fails to follow through on several critical commitments made on national television thereafter. Either Mr. Croft did not tell the truth to the British people, he did not know what was in his own party's Shadow Budget, or the Shadow Chancellor failed to follow through with Mr. Croft's directives. Any one of these issues shows, yet again, why Conservatives can not be trusted with Government when they cannot seem to be able to muster even marginally competent opposition.

[Rebecca Flair]

Whilst the Shadow Chancellor tells "your mum" jokes in the soapbox there are families in our country suffering from his party's 18yrs of negligence. If the best he can come up with is "Calvin is so fat, when he went to the beach, the whales sang, "We are family!"" in response to legitimate concerns about his Shadow Budget, a Shadow Budget which builds hospitals but doesn't put anything in them, builds schools but gives them no money, and breaks about a dozen of his own leader's most valued (and short-lived) policy promises then I think that he'll find that he is the punchline.

[Will Frost]

The respective budget conferences held by the Chancellor and Becky Flair make one thing very clear. Only the Conservatives are genuinely committed to honoring the advice of our military commanders put forth in Strategic Defense Review and spend the money necessary to recruit new troops. The defense of our nation is one of the best important responsibilities of any Government, and the Conservative Party I lead will never seek to cut costs at the expense of our national security. In order to be an independent military power that has the capacity to meet the threats of the 21st century we need a larger military force, it is just that simple. The Shadow Budget takes those concerns seriously, and puts funding behind our commitment by ensuring that we recruit the thousands of new soldiers that are necessary for the protection of our people and the safeguarding of the British way of life.