Do we at last have a good reason to vote for the Conservatives?

At the last election, there was an effective non-aggression pact between the two main parties when it came to tax and spend. However, there have recently been encouraging developments within the Conservative party.

One of the depressing features of the last general election was that the electorate didn't have much of a choice. There was effectively a non-aggression pact on vital issues of public spending and taxation. The way Labour and the Conservatives formed policies made it likely they would give similar answers. Each party has core voters who are taken for granted and ignored. Then there are those who would never vote for that party, who are also ignored. It's the swing voters in marginal seats who are wooed. As both parties are advised by marketing wonks from similar backgrounds, they tend to register similar findings from their focus groups. And so similar policies are advanced.

If the main concern is to appeal to "Worcester Woman" or "Mondeo Man" then politics will go nowhere. The state will grow relentlessly because policy advisors believe that public spending cuts are deeply unpopular. There are two reasons for this. One, the supposed benefits of pouring public money into schools and hospitals are enjoyed by a large section of the electorate, while the higher tax burden to pay for it comes from a narrower base 50% of income tax comes from 10% of taxpayers. Two, the public still seem uncritical of higher public spending.

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Brian has contributed to MoneyWeek with his expertise in investment strategy, for example how to quadruple your dividend income and how to navigate through the stock market in the 2008 financial crisis. He’s also touched on personal finance such as the housing market and the UK economy.