General Election
The Gurn notes no one seems to be canvassing Nairn for votes – which is not surprising when you consider few of the political parties have a brain among them. To summarise:
Labour - demands to make it more expensive for companies to employ people, and makes snide comments at anyone who points out it’s a tax on jobs. Shoddy economic record, and exceptionally cautious and conservative about economic reform (our big economic boost to spending was a 2.5% reduction in VAT, much of which was never even passed on through the shops – well done!). Labour: have no brains.
Lib Dems - My goodness, I used to vote Lib Dem most of the time, but Nick Clegg has shown an astonishing lack of understanding about anything outside of the Lib Deb world. Supports Labour’s economic policy. And much as though I’ve met Danny Alexander and he seems a lovely lad, and probably puts in an above average amount of effort for an MP, his party have already decreed they’ll not invest in roads, but in rail instead. That will go down well in north Scotland, which has been screaming for a dualled A9, and various by-passes for the A96, not least Nairn and Elgin. Lib Dems: have no brains.
Conservatives – Want to bring back fox-hunting, and brought Kenneth Clarke – famous for vote rigging interest rates as chancellor, and promoting tobacco companies – back to the front benches. Unfortunately, the Tories are the only major party that seems to realise that when faced with the biggest public debt since World War 2, it needs measures to address it now, rather than in two years time. Conservatives: have half a brain.
SNP – Want to blow two decades of transport budget for Scotland on a new Firth of Forth Bridge to serve as a legacy to Scottish Nationalism. SNP: have no brains.
Overall – anything but a Danny vote up here is probably wasted, but am shocked to find myself considering voting Tory, if nothing else to get a protest vote showing disenchantment with Labour and the Lib Dems especially. Too many people paid public money feeling overly-comfortable, methinks.
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Hi Brian, for what it’s worth the Lib Dem transport policy you mention is for England and Wales. Scottish transport policy is devolved, so how to use the available funding is a decision taken separately, north of the border.
I don’t think it’s difficult to see there’s a difference between widening motorways in a futile bid to battle congestion in heavily populated areas of England and taking basic steps to make the A9 and the A96 safe.
It’s ironic given the SNP’s protestations about the irrelevance to Scotland of the TV debate this week that they have set about promoting this confusion locally because it suits them to do so – while no major projects in the Highlands (road or rail) are showing any sign of real progress.
You’re right to identify the deficit as a huge issue, but the Lib Dems have said a lot more about how they would bring it down than the other two parties. You can search in vain through the Conservative manifesto to find out how they will make £5.6bn in extra efficiency savings, on top of Labour’s projected efficiency savings that they previously claimed weren’t credible.
Tory and Lib Dem posters up in the town centre and Waverly Road/Station area now
Gone are the days when people used to put posters up on their homes?