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Sunday, May 06, 2007

New Labour Scoresheet

Gorse Fox has been thinking about the last ten years of New Labour and the Sainted Tony (and best of all... his imminent departure), and decided that they should have some form of report card, or analysis.

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

What has the Gorse Fox missed? Well it looks like we can soon add:
  • NHS rationing of treatment
  • Renege on promise of Referendum for EU Constitution

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