What they did well:
The Good...
- Labour government would be whiter than white
- Giving control of interest rates to the Bank of England
- Investment in Social Housing
- Write-off of 3rd World Debt
- We will help build strong families and strong communities, and lay the foundations of a modern welfare state in pensions and community care
- There will be no increase in the basic or top rates of income tax
- Investment in school and hospital buildings
- Right to Roam - Access Land
- "We will clean up politics, decentralise political power throughout the United Kingdom"
The Bad & the Ugly
- Allowing Spin doctors to dictate the message to the electorate
- Signing the Human Rights legislation
- ID Cards
- Capital Advance Tax: One of Gordon Brown's first acts was to remove a tax credit for dividends paid into pension funds
- Not planning for the aftermath of the Iraq invasion
- Reduction of Civil Liberties
- Sold the UK Gold reserves at a price of $280 per ounce
- There has been a massive increase in the regulatory and administrative burden imposed on, especially small, firms.
- Increase in NI rates
- Removal of married couple's allowance
- Destruction of the independence of the Lords
- Removal of tax relief on mortgages
- Reduction in limits on tax-free savings
- Income tax relief on health insurance abolished
- Insurance Premium Tax extended to some health insurance
- Road Fuel Tax escalator increased
- Vehicle Excise Duty increased
- Tax on company cars increased
- Tax relief on foreign earnings abolished
- Tax concessions for certain professions abolished
- Capital gains tax imposed on certain non-residents
- Restriction of Capital Gains Tax relief on reinvestment
- Corporation tax payments on account brought forward
- Stamp duty increased again
- Certain hydrocarbon duties increased
- Additional diesel duties introduced
- Landfill Tax increased
- NI Contributions for employers raised
- NI Contributions for employees raised
- NI Contributions for self-employed raised
- VAT imposed on electronically supplied services
- £35 added to all fines and £5 added to the cost of a home insurance policy
- Airport Tax doubled
- 40% extra Council Tax on second homes
- A 'Victims Fund' surcharge fine on everyone who passes through the courts
- Legal Aid for the middle classes abolished
- The failure of the higher-rate tax threshold to increase at the same rate as earnings.
- The failure of the nil-rate inheritance tax band to increase by the rate of inflation.
- Tax credits fiasco
- Presided over Single Farm Payment system at RPA which has cost the UK a 300M pound fine
- "Allowed John Prescott to remain in post after significant and serial failure of his policies, and his proven moral turpitude."
- Promoted Margaret Beckett despite her failure at Defra to implement EU Farm Subsidies.
- Added over 3000 new criminal offences (over 1800 of which were not even debated in Parliament)
- Restricted freedom of speech
- Government watchdog
- Money for peerages
- Politicisation of the Civil Service
- "According to the Office for National Statistics, there are around 5.9 million jobs in the public sector, accounting for just over 20 per cent of total UK employment."
- Increase in Crime rates (http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk/output/Page6.asp)
- Lowest disposable income since 1981
- Multiculturalism
- Closure of local hospitals
- NHS drug availability by postcode lottery
- WMD dossier
- Dr Kelly affair
- Unelected Regional Assemblies
- Early release of prisoners
- Home inspections for council tax banding
- Fortnighly rubbish collections (in some places)
- Electoral chaos in Birmingham and Scotland
- Surrender of border controls to Europe
- NHS rationing of treatment
- Renege on promise of Referendum for EU Constitution
No comments:
Post a Comment