A catalogue of broken Tory promises – is this the worst UK government ever?

First topic message reminder :

When Labour came to power in 1997, their manifesto contained 229 promises. A BBC analysis five years later found that 181 of the promises, 80%, had been kept. As to the remaining 48 promises, the BBC decided that they were “either too difficult to judge or have not been met.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1961522.stm

Those people who make negative remarks such as “all politicians and parties are the same” would do well to compare Labour’s record on keeping promises with that of the Tories in the past two years. Dr Eoin Clarke has analysed the 2010 Tory manifesto and exposed some of its biggest lies:-

- The Tories said they would offer personalised tailored help to the long term unemployed (p.15), but they hid their plans to force disabled young people and others to work, unpaid, for profit-making companies like Tesco.

- The Tories said they would create 400,000 work-pairing college-based apprenticeship schemes over two years (p.17), but there are fewer than 10,000 apprenticeship places UK-wide.

- The Tories promised to reduce youth unemployment (p.5), but it has risen to an all-time high.

- The Tories said they'd cut child benefit for families earning more than £50,000, but they actually cut it for families where one person earns £44,000.

- The Tories said they'd raise the state pension age to 66, but then raised it to 67.

- The Tories promised to protect Child Trust Funds for the 33% poorest children, but instead axed them for all children.

- The Tories said they would give power to the Bank of England to crack down on bonuses (p.29), but nothing was done and bank bonuses have topped £6 billion in the past year.

- The Tories said they would protect the Winter Fuel Payment to pensioners (p.42), then cut it by £50 for some and £100 for others.

- The Tories said they would provide 4,200 extra Sure Start personnel (p.43). Instead they have cut £812 million in funding, which has resulted in the closing of more than 300 Sure Start Centres.

- The Tories claimed they would reduce unemployment and improve economic growth (p.3), but the opposite has occurred.

- The Tories concealed their plans to cut the Education Maintenance Allowance and raise VAT to 20%. They were also deliberately vague on their support for trebling tuition fees.

- The Tories promised to protect funding for Disability Living Allowance (p.42), which Cameron claimed for his own son, but then cut it for children receiving chemotherapy after they came to power. Now they’ve scrapped it altogether.

http://eoin-clarke.blogspot.com/2011/12/exposing-10-biggest-lies-in-tory.html

For more on the on the human cost of Tory disability cuts:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/16/human-cost-disability-cuts?newsfeed=true

Other broken promises have been listed by 'Twitter' member @GracieSamuels:-

No cuts to public spending in 2010-11 (just 'efficiency savings').

No bonuses over £2,000 for bankers.

3,000 more police officers.

Keeping the Future Jobs Fund.

Pupil Premium to be additional to the schools budget.

‘Bonfire of the quangos’ (4,500 more bureaucrats have been recruited).

A Post Office Bank.

No cuts to the navy.

Three more army battalions.

Reduce immigration (it’s risen by 21% in one year).

Automatic prison sentence for carrying a knife.

Cutting rail fares each year.

NHS budget to be protected.

No cuts to frontline services.

3,000 more midwives.

No A&E and maternity unit closures.

And of course, the worst and most disgusting broken Tory promise, hidden from the voters but planned for years and rewarded by private healthcare firms:-

No top-down reorganisation of the NHS.

Is this the worst UK government ever? Have you ever read about or lived through two years of more malevolence towards the weakest in society, and more lies from a Prime Minister so mired in sleaze and corruption?

I feel everyone is entitled to know how much any employee of the Government earns, along with anyone who is paid by the tax payers by whatever means.

There is no reason why not.

As for tax evoidance, I think we should take Ken Dodd on board as an advisor.

tlttf wrote:Not everybody in the private sector are paid immense salaries melly. For clarification could you highlight which parties mp's were at it regarding expenses, or was it just the one. Not so hard to move cash around without paying the correct tax, perhaps we should ask Ken Livingstone.

Obviously not everybody in the private sector are paid "immense salaries" Land and obviously they are not the ones in question. It is obvious that those who are rare and extreemely brilliant big business executives who can demand saleries that make politicians salaries (including PM's) look like peanuts, who we need to have in government. Not wealthy toffs who know nothing about business and running a country, who are there for the ego trip and to assist their own kind as their priority.

Who's talking "expenses" and Livingstone anyway??

It must surely be the duty of any government to identify unfairness in society and to seek its eradication so far as is possible.

Failure to do so may justifiably lead to criticism and to that administration being relieved of their position at a subsequent election.

So what are we British to make of a government which not only fails to address the inherent lack of fairness and justice, but actively pursues policies which perpetuate those imbalances which they know fully-well exist? It is unforgivable, and they deserve to be held in the highest contempt.

I have the great good fortune to be immune from the effects of their spite and venom. God only knows what those who are suffering from the Tory determination to deliberately increase the gap between the better-off and the disadvantaged must feel...

Phil Hornby wrote:

So what are we British to make of a government which not only fails to address the inherent lack of fairness and justice, but actively pursues policies which perpetuate those imbalances which they know fully-well exist? It is unforgivable, and they deserve to be held in the highest contempt.

...

They were so held, in 1997, and we thought we were rid of the slime. Unfortunately the Lib-Dem Trojan Horse let the illegitimates back in again.

Something which is unlikely to be overlooked at the next General Election, if there is a God.

Worried, depressed, scared, furious, desperate, alienated, alone, afraid, that's how I feel at least...

Whatever happens, you can always feel confidently superior to this bunch of self-seekers calling themselves a Government.

Adele Carlyon wrote:Worried, depressed, scared, furious, desperate, alienated, alone, afraid, that's how I feel at least...

Adele - There's a whole group of people out there feeling the same. It's a shame they can't gang together.....there's strength in numbers.

Phil Hornby wrote:It must surely be the duty of any government to identify unfairness in society and to seek its eradication so far as is possible.

Failure to do so may justifiably lead to criticism and to that administration being relieved of their position at a subsequent election.

So what are we British to make of a government which not only fails to address the inherent lack of fairness and justice, but actively pursues policies which perpetuate those imbalances which they know fully-well exist? It is unforgivable, and they deserve to be held in the highest contempt.

I have the great good fortune to be immune from the effects of their spite and venom. God only knows what those who are suffering from the Tory determination to deliberately increase the gap between the better-off and the disadvantaged must feel...

I couldn't agree more Phil, excellent post. We've swapped one centre left bunch of lying cheats for another coalition of lying cheats. I wonder why a group of the most vicious aggressive least intelligent species of apes (baboons) is called a Parliament?

sickchip wrote:

Adele Carlyon wrote:Worried, depressed, scared, furious, desperate, alienated, alone, afraid, that's how I feel at least...

Adele - There's a whole group of people out there feeling the same. It's a shame they can't gang together.....there's strength in numbers.

I have often wondered the same thing SC, I have just came back from holiday in England and found that they are suffering plus I buy an English daily once or twice a week and see the people complaining about this tosspot of a gov't I live in Scotland and its pretty bad here so why will the English not band together and get rid of the Tory shyte in the H.O.C.

Re: A catalogue of broken Tory promises – is this the worst UK government ever?
by tlttf Today at 8:05 am

.Phil Hornby wrote:
It must surely be the duty of any government to identify unfairness in society and to seek its eradication so far as is possible.

Failure to do so may justifiably lead to criticism and to that administration being relieved of their position at a subsequent election.

So what are we British to make of a government which not only fails to address the inherent lack of fairness and justice, but actively pursues policies which perpetuate those imbalances which they know fully-well exist? It is unforgivable, and they deserve to be held in the highest contempt.

I have the great good fortune to be immune from the effects of their spite and venom. God only knows what those who are suffering from the Tory determination to deliberately increase the gap between the better-off and the disadvantaged must feel...

I couldn't agree more Phil, excellent post. We've swapped one centre left bunch of lying cheats for another coalition of lying cheats. I wonder why a group of the most vicious aggressive least intelligent species of apes (baboons) is called a Parliament?.
tlttf


As a matter of interest flocks of rooks and crows are known as a 'Parliaments'. Perhaps a more fitting description of the UK Parliament.
To 'rook' is to cheat or insult someone. And we all know what to 'crow' means.

'Birds of a feather' also comes to mind.

Or am I being cynical?

Nah, not cynical...spot on more like Trevor!

The only trouble is where on earth can you possibly find enough honest people to form any government.

Bankers, MPs, members of the clergy and those in every position in the country have members who have proven to be less than acceptable in any way regarding reasonable behaviour and this includes people from every walk of life.

So how do you tell the good from the bad?

It takes only one bad apple to ruin a barrel full and the same applies to politics and unfortunately we have more bad apples than sound ones in politics at the present time.

The answer? I haven't a clue, that is unless the vast majority of people become involved in their own future and demand change..

Trust your dog poly, is the only answer I fear. At least the dog will let you know where you stand.
With humans unfortunately Thatcher's doctine has left a dog eat dog attitude that exists in the UK today, therefore beware of people bringing gifts as nothing is given, only taken. A true legacy of a Witch and may God help us, no one else will.

Good day.

Well I cannot remember many good Tory governments but this one has to rank as one of the worst of the lot.

What's required to describe this government is a single word that continues the grammatical progression of BAD - WORSE - WORST - ****.

(guardian.co.uk)

" What do you recommend for lunch, David...?"

" A diet in your case, Eric..."

‘The return of the toxic Tories?’

Extracts from an article by Stewart Wood:-

“If Cameron’s time as Leader of the Opposition had a uniting theme, it was the ambition to detoxify the Tory brand. It was more than a central theme in fact: it was the driving mission…..Over the next five years, Cameron used every opportunity to put symbolic distance between his Conservative Party and that of the Thatcherite era.

Two years into government and the detoxification strategy seems to be a distant memory. The government’s green credentials have been unceremoniously binned. Cameron’s response to last summer’s riots was all zero tolerance for the feckless underclass. On Europe, the Eurosceptic backbenchers will not be silenced: last year they inflicted the biggest backbench rebellion on a sitting government since 1945.

Meanwhile, Osborne’s savage cuts during an economic downturn are making the plight of the most vulnerable more precarious, and the old-time religion of “there is no alternative” has been revived to justify austerity. And in a move that was the policy equivalent of sticking two fingers up to the apostles of detoxification, Osborne’s budget gave an income tax break to the top 1% earning over £150,000 a year of over £40,000 each.

And the NHS? You’d be hard-pushed to find a patient, doctor, nurse or even taxpayer who would agree that the dog’s dinner of reforms that were sausage-machined through Parliament adds up to an NHS that is safe in Cameron’s hands.”

For the full article:-
http://shiftinggrounds.org/2012/07/the-return-of-the-toxic-tories/

Yes. We're all agreed that the Coalition government manifestly does not work in the interests of the general public, but how do we get rid of the parasites?

“If Cameron’s time as Leader of the Opposition had a uniting theme, it was the ambition to detoxify the Tory brand. It was more than a central theme in fact: it was the driving mission…..Over the next five years, Cameron used every opportunity to put symbolic distance between his Conservative Party and that of the Thatcherite era.

Exactly the same as Miliband trying to distance himself from New Labour...Dont you think Ivan?

The ongoing problem at Westminster shows no signs of resolution. Clever people at University find themselves drawn to the political debating groups, move to becoming "Personal Assistants" to an MP and ultimately stand for Parliament in their own right.

Clearly their experience of the routine commercial world is minimal, though they will eventually find themselves making recommendations on matters of which they have no personal direct knowledge.

"Clearly their experience of the routine commercial world is minimal, though they will eventually find themselves making recommendations on matters of which they have no personal direct knowledge."

Nail on head!!!

Mel wrote:"Clearly their experience of the routine commercial world is minimal, though they will eventually find themselves making recommendations on matters of which they have no personal direct knowledge."

Nail on head!!!

You will never say a truer word Mel, or he could not hit a cow in the bum with a stick even when instructions where given.

All the buggers know is how to get filthy richer and help their friends get richer at the expense of the majority.
It's bordering upon a dictatorship Red, worse even than Thatcher's attempt.

Good to see you Red.

Mel wrote:All the buggers know is how to get filthy richer and help their friends get richer at the expense of the majority.
It's bordering upon a dictatorship Red, worse even than Thatcher's attempt.

Good to see you Red.

He has to be better than Thatcher Mel how else is he going to build his reputation in the Tory party, his ideology is anything she can do I can do better even if it is at the expense of the majority of the UK. But he will get his at the next election when he is booted out at the next GE, then he will be known as the leader of the "One Term Firm".

Phil Hornby wrote:(guardian.co.uk)

" What do you recommend for lunch, David...?"

" A diet in your case, Eric..."

That was dead funny Phil. nice post

Ivan wrote:‘The return of the toxic Tories?’

Extracts from an article by Stewart Wood:-

“If Cameron’s time as Leader of the Opposition had a uniting theme, it was the ambition to detoxify the Tory brand. It was more than a central theme in fact: it was the driving mission…..Over the next five years, Cameron used every opportunity to put symbolic distance between his Conservative Party and that of the Thatcherite era.

Two years into government and the detoxification strategy seems to be a distant memory. The government’s green credentials have been unceremoniously binned. Cameron’s response to last summer’s riots was all zero tolerance for the feckless underclass. On Europe, the Eurosceptic backbenchers will not be silenced: last year they inflicted the biggest backbench rebellion on a sitting government since 1945.

Meanwhile, Osborne’s savage cuts during an economic downturn are making the plight of the most vulnerable more precarious, and the old-time religion of “there is no alternative” has been revived to justify austerity. And in a move that was the policy equivalent of sticking two fingers up to the apostles of detoxification, Osborne’s budget gave an income tax break to the top 1% earning over £150,000 a year of over £40,000 each.

And the NHS? You’d be hard-pushed to find a patient, doctor, nurse or even taxpayer who would agree that the dog’s dinner of reforms that were sausage-machined through Parliament adds up to an NHS that is safe in Cameron’s hands.”

For the full article:-
http://shiftinggrounds.org/2012/07/the-return-of-the-toxic-tories/

Good post that Ivan. I enjoyed it

Mel wrote:"Clearly their experience of the routine commercial world is minimal, though they will eventually find themselves making recommendations on matters of which they have no personal direct knowledge."

Nail on head!!!

I could not of put it better myself Mel

I'm going to announce something really important, so please pay attention.

I know I've made lots of promises, which we've had to break due to the disastrous situation we inherited from the previous administration, but now we are setting the Country on course to a brilliant future by making some completely different promises.

For instance we're going to increase benefit payments to people fit enough to participate in the Paralympics, and reduce the amount of tax on pensions, while arranging free places at Eton and Harrow for the children of families where nobody has worked for three generations. There! That ought to be enough broken promises to carry us through into next year.

Thank you.

Mel wrote:All the buggers know is how to get filthy richer and help their friends get richer at the expense of the majority.
It's bordering upon a dictatorship Red, worse even than Thatcher's attempt.

Good to see you Red.

Hi Mel

You and I and the rest of the UK know that he is going to break even more promises before he is KICK OUT of office by the UK public, and I hope that when Labour get back in they make the people that are filling there boots at the expense of the sick disabled and the vulnerable PAY and pay DEARLY for what they have done and that includes the fcuking FRONT BENCH of the Tory party.

.....and lo and behold the weak and powerless british public allow them to remain at the helm - aided and abetted by the lib-dems.

Absolutely correct sickchip, no guts, just sit back and take it like lambs. It's about time the soap boxes came out in Hyde Park and the unions start to wake up and do something before we suffer more of these tyrants dirty work.

Mel wrote:Absolutely correct sickchip, no guts, just sit back and take it like lambs. It's about time the soap boxes came out in Hyde Park and the unions start to wake up and do something before we suffer more of these tyrants dirty work.

The worm COULD just be turning maybe, I was watching Clegg on the Parliament channel he was making a statement on the Lords reform bill and he said on several times that he and his MPs will not support the boundaries changes bill when it comes before the House, so if Scam..er..ons talks him round he will be putting his leadership in JEOPARDY.

So I think the next few months are going to well worth watching it will be better than going to a comedy club.

Redflag wrote:

Mel wrote:All the buggers know is how to get filthy richer and help their friends get richer at the expense of the majority.
It's bordering upon a dictatorship Red, worse even than Thatcher's attempt.

Good to see you Red.

Hi Mel

You and I and the rest of the UK know that he is going to break even more promises before he is KICK OUT of office by the UK public, and I hope that when Labour get back in they make the people that are filling there boots at the expense of the sick disabled and the vulnerable PAY and pay DEARLY for what they have done and that includes the fcuking FRONT BENCH of the Tory party.

Well we should know by now that all Tory manifesto promises are complete and utter lies. Always have been, always will be!

I note now that the Tories are now getting so panicky about their electoral prospects with Cameron, it's reported that Zac Goldsmith has offered to give up his seat so Boris J can be parachuted in to take over the running of the Tories in time for the next election. How pathetic, the Tories are currently so toxic, even BoJo couldn't save them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19534268

"how pathetic" and how cruel, and mercinary the Tories are LWS and quite blatant with it.

Mel wrote:"how pathetic" and how cruel, and mercinary the Tories are LWS and quite blatant with it.

Surely it does not supprise you Mel you know what the Tories REALLY ARE, as someone has said in an earlier post the Unions need to join together and make Scam..er..on and Osbourn sit up and take notice and to let them KNOW the UK public will not stand for there MERCENARY clap trap.

“David Cameron's men go where Margaret Thatcher never dared”

Brilliant article by Polly Toynbee about the most right-wing of all post-war UK governments:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/17/cameron-goes-where-thatcher-never-dared?CMP=twt_gu

"David Cameron's men go where Margaret Thatcher never dared”

The quote from Sherlock Holmes runs, "once you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however unlikely it seems, must be the truth."

With the benefit of hindsight and Cameron's record of U-turns, it is at least possible that the Dirty Digger may have had a hand in the obvious step-change which took place in the Tory's policy a few months after forming the axis alliance with dozy Clegg. Via the Murdoch Commissar Andy Coulson, it's believable that the Tory front bench received input from Republican advisors in the US which made them realise that a likely one-term Government provided a last-chance opportunity to push through all of the dogma which Thatcher had not got around to implementing.

Thank you for the Toynbee link Ivan. For those who have not the time nor inclination to read the whole article, here are the imprtant bones of it.---

"If his pre-election "equality" soundbites made his right wing queasy, in office Cameron has proved as anti-woman as any reactionary might wish: promising a third of his ministers would be women, he appointed only 23 out of 121. He promised "the most family-friendly government ever", and "a more civilised work-life balance", amid pictures of him cooking his children's breakfast. Yet the IFS finds mothers and children hit hardest, the child trust fund abolished, and tax credits, childcare, Sure Start and much more cut. On child benefit, Cameron said, "I wouldn't means-test it", but he did. Education maintenance allowance would be kept: it's gone. Thousands more midwives were promised, none were delivered. He signed the pledge on child poverty, yet the IFS predicts half a million more poor children. He said, "I'd never do anything to damage disabled children": two-thirds will lose Disability Living Allowance.

Big Society? Charities have suffered swingeing grant cuts. No rise in VAT, he promised; it rose. How his party hated him hugging hoodies – but now community sentencer Ken Clarke is replaced with prison-addict Chris Grayling, and G4S wins the contracts. Vote blue, go green? The new windmill-hating energy and climate secretary supports the dash for gas, cutting renewables.

Days before the election Cameron said: "Any minister who comes to me and says here are my plans and they involve frontline reductions, they'll be sent straight back to their department to go away and think again." Tell that to the nurses and police whose ranks have shrunk by thousands. Why aren't the right satisfied when "We're all in this together" turned out to mean £14,000 tax cuts for millionaires? Or that 10,000 HMRC staff are cut from catching tax-dodgers?"

Stox 16 wrote:Well I cannot remember many good Tory governments but this one has to rank as one of the worst of the lot.

Quite agree Stox and worst of all thanks to the L/Ds they have another two and half years to go, so heaven knows what more they will do I have been waiting for the minimum wage to go and maybe the Regional pay that they are trying to bring in will be the nail in the coffin for the minimum wage.