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What, if anything, do Conservatives now believe in?

(82 Posts)
Whitewavemark2 Mon 11-Jul-22 09:13:12

I have been reading the promises being put out by the hopeful candidates.

They don’t seem to be saying anything about the crises in the cost of living or the NHS.

All they are talking about is cutting tax. The trouble with cutting tax is that it is inflationary, and with the current rate at 10% this doesn’t seem terribly sensible.

I also can’t see how it would help resolve the growing inequality gap.

RichmondPark Mon 11-Jul-22 09:08:50

Amongst all the lies, backstabbing and posturing from all the new candidates it's hard to find anything concrete, positive or believable.

The Conservatives seem to be entirely focused on their leader and have ceased to work as a functioning team.

Whitewavemark2 Mon 11-Jul-22 08:52:37

Yes and as bluebell says.

Protect the ability to avoid tax at all costs.

Kandinsky Mon 11-Jul-22 08:52:30

In answer to your title ….feathering their own nests

Same as most other politicians - liberals included.
Have you seen the news about Macron & Uber?

Whitewavemark2 Mon 11-Jul-22 08:51:44

Small state low taxes is what most conservatives believe in. To achieve a smaller state they will have to cut deeper into public services.

I honestly can’t see the NHS or the proposed social care surviving, or the proposed beefing up of the military.

They also (most) believe in a free market. How they square that with Brexit is also a mystery.

BlueBelle Mon 11-Jul-22 08:48:57

In answer to your title ….feathering their own nests

DaisyAnne Mon 11-Jul-22 08:44:38

I appreciate this is difficult for conservative voters to explain. The "Conservative" government has not been in the least 'conservative' in the commonly understood way so it is anyone's guess at the moment.

We are, it seems, exiting the Johnson cult. Then it was easy to understand what they believed in - it was Johnson. They worshipped Johnson and his ability to get and keep them in power. They would stand for almost anything to keep him while he could perform. So we had the Johnson cult. It still exists, in the same way the Trump cult does, but it doesn't feel as if the majority "believe" anymore.

The mantra common to all those standing for the leadership is "tax cuts". Generally, it doesn't seem to matter which taxes they cut, nor do they seem to have an answer as to how this will revive the economy - it won't. Ask what they will do about inflation, poverty, low growth and cuts to public spending. There is no answer. This tax-cutting, wealth-retaining party is going to borrow to do this. So where is Prudence now?

Tax is not our problem - growth is. This swath of walking egos talk endlessly about tax but rarely, if at all, about growth. Perhaps, along the way to poverty, they will offer another useless clown to entertain us. Let's face it, they are quite good at that. Such a pity we can't live on laughter.