Common features
in the two manifestos.
If you choose
to - you can find a great deal of similarity in the two manifestos.
They agree that if we are to have a functioning civilized economy,
capable of holding its own in the brave new world ahead, we need
a massive injection of investment in infrastructure, education,
skills, R & D and innovation. The investment will have to be
paid for later by taxed raised from wealth created in the future,
so it had better be made to pay off. No posing. This is for real.
Both sides (all
sides actually) appear to agree on these main items - so I say -
'get on with it'.
For myself -
I think Education is the key to releasing and harnessing our human
potential. We should immediately start implementing a Labour style
approach to the funding of lifelong education, with most sensible
education (and I a happy to be the person who decides what that
covers and who gets it) funded out of general taxation - but Labour
should not be allowed anywhere near the content or the administration
of the education (lets learn from our mistakes shall we) - the content
should be based on the kind of whole person education Conservatives
organize for themselves and their own children.
To my mind the
biggest unresolved issue - is how to manage public sector services.
State monopolies are a proven failure and the private sector model
has intolerable problems as well. We should really focus on this
problem as a top priority. look at how other countries have tried
to do it, learn from everyone's successes and failures and try to
design a better system.
If you choose
to get tribal about it, you may say you don't believe that one,
or other, or either side really mean what they say. You may even
say that you know that they don't mean it, that they are
wolves in sheep's clothing, and that you know for sure what
they are actually planning (in which case you should maybe consider
seeing a doctor).
If you choose
to - you may decide to look at these manifestos in a way that highlights
all the differences in their policies, or values, or underlying
beliefs.
Discuss.
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