I was not able to go North to Blackpool today, and for the second year in succession, I will have missed our Annual Party Conference. Deeply disappointing, and made all the worse on reading today's Telegraph - which featured a very fetching photograph of Theresa May at the event, wearing an above-the-knee chiffon skirt and calf length leopardskin print boots. Worth the cover price of 70p on its own.
Its probably shockingly non PC to say this - but Theresa is a strikingly handsome woman. She must have made a big impact on any non PC males attending the Conference. She has form on this sort of thing. A lot of us remember the 'kitten' shoes she wore to lambast us as the 'nasty' party some years ago. And I remember Theresa, as a newish MP coming to help me to campaign in 1997. After a long session door knocking, we retired to the Talbot in Berriew for 'refreshment'. She was wearing a short skirt and driving an open top BMW. She made a very big impact. I'm not sure that Dai Pryce and a couple of other regulars have ever fully recovered.
Anyway I heard George Osborne's speech on the car radio. It was terrific stuff. Some genuine help to first time house buyers and the emasculation of Inheritance Tax (its effective abolition in low wage economies such as Wales). And he followed it up with a promise of changes to the tax system to encourage both parents to carry on living together. Its easy to tell that this has rattled Labour because Gordon's spin machine has been put on full throttle to rubbish the policy. I think Ming Campbell has said something negative as well - but it's been ignored by everyone. It may be that Gordon Brown will feel pressured into 'bottling out' of calling his 'cut and run' Election after all. To be honest, I hope he does. I'm not as ready for an election as I would be in May. Perhaps Theresa can be persuaded to come to Montgomeryshire to campaign for me again!
6 comments:
so rich people are not going to pay inheritance tax and single mothers are going to lose out. same old tories.
anon - its the 'not so rich' people who would not have to pay Inheritance Tax. And single mothers are not going to lose out. Its just that I don't think we should have a tax system that discourages the two parents from staying together - when every bit of research tells us that children do better when living with both parents.
"Its just that I don't think we should have a tax system that discourages the two parents from staying together."
Glyn, if there are any couples out there discouraged from staying together just because of a tax system, then their relationship isn't worth saving!
I think the opposite is true - if couples are forced to stay together rather than face financial ruin, then this can have a devastating effect - especially is there are children involved.
gwe - I just do not agree with you. This doesn't happen often on this blog. I have been criticised before for supporting marriage - but I do think that, on average, it provides the surest environment for children to be brought up - and this fully recognises the fantastic job that many singe parents do, and that many become single through death and genuinely irretrievable breakdown.
Glyn, my argument is not about the merits of marriage, but rather with your claim that changing the tax system will somehow encourage people not to split up!!
gwe - I agree that some small financial benefit will not change many people's decisions - but Governments have to make policy decisions that deliver messages about themselves and what sort of society they want to encourage. I want my party to say that we want both parents to take responsibility for bringing up their children - and empirical evidence seems to tell us that couples are far more likely to stay together if they are married. We should not have a tax system that penalises two parents who stay together.
My views on this issue are nothing to do with morality - but about doing our best to tackle the growing problem of disengaged children.
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