Keir Starmer: Labour has changed. No rise of Income Tax or National Insurance?

 

There was a candidate in times past standing for election in Latin America. He said that he was going to build roads that could allow motorists to save money. The brilliant idea, he said, was to build one side of the roads going upwards and the other side of the roads going downwards.

Massive investment in salaries in the public sector and in Welfare without spending a penny? Somebody will have to pay for it.

'Read my lips', was the catch phrase of President George Bush Sr.

Monies for salaries and welfare will have come from somewhere - either from borrowing or from higher taxes or from both borrowing and higher taxes. There is no way out. Father Christmas promises will not do. Public budgets will have to be financed with sound economics or we will end up having Britain as the new Slough or the new Birmingham. What was the emergency measure approved for Bimingham? A rise of Council Tax to try to shore up a bankrupt authority that, in spite of tax rises, was forced to stop offering vital services.

We are at a crosswords. Grant Shapps made promises about defense that cannot be delivered - not even by cutting down other vital sectors of the administration. The fact remains that Britain is unfit for war because Britain does no longer have the industries that supported strong military capabilities. But things are a lot worse than that. In a country with more than 60 million people, the numbers of those serving in the Armed Forces are below 70,000 and those capable and fit enough for combat are far below than that. So the Conservative proposal in terms of bringing in National Service are not just a realistic solution, but the only solution available. Keir Starmer should be asked about how you can fight a war without Armed Forces.