The long-term plan: blame it on the other lot
George Osborne spent his first term as Chancellor blaming everything on the last government. He’s spending his second term blaming everything on the last government but one. No matter how distant the days of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown may now feel, to Mr Osborne their memory remains hideously fresh. All Britain’s problems are their fault, and will go on being their fault throughout this parliament and beyond.
Yesterday in the Commons it was Treasury Questions. And, whenever a Labour MP challenged Mr Osborne on his record, he would reply that Labour’s record had been worse.
“The people who suffer most when we cannot afford Government services and welfare are the poorest in our country, and we saw that when Labour was in office!” he cried, when asked to justify his cuts to tax credits.
“It’s a bit rich coming from a Labour Party that was in power for 13 years and did absolutely nothing to cap those costs!” he cried, when asked why he would shelved his pledge to cap the costs of social care.
Repetitive though this tactic may seem, Mr Osborne clearly sees no reason to abandon it. In fact, given how successful it’s been, future Tory chancellors may well use it too. We’ll probably still be hearing it decades from now. “Mr Speaker, we on the Conservative benches will not take lectures from a party that during its last spell in office, in… hang on, just checking Wikipedia… well, well! The early 21st century! Learn something new every day. Anyway: we will not take lectures from a party that during its last spell in office in the early 21st century raised the duty on fuel for something called the ‘car’, which according to historians was a popular mode of transport at the time. It is also said that Labour increased ‘benefits’, a term for money that was given by the State to people with either no income or an income insufficient to live on. Mr Speaker, if our greatgreat-grandparents were alive today they would surely warn us of the dangers of voting for Labour – and that’s why both of its honourable members should pipe down!”
Another success the Tories have carried over from the last parliament is the catchphrase “LongTerm Economic Plan”. In a single hour yesterday it was used by the Chancellor and his colleagues nine times, each one earning a cheer. For example: “My constituents would like to commend the Chancellor on the Long-Term Economic Plan” (Stephen Hammond, Wimbledon).
One man, however, can always be relied on to spoil the Tories’ fun. Mr Osborne was just getting stuck into a hearty spot of Labourbashing when the Speaker decided he’d heard enough.
“Sit down!” he shouted. Yet the Chancellor went on talking.
“SIT DOWN, MAN!” bellowed the Speaker. “I told you to sit down, so SIT DOWN!” John Bercow was elected Speaker in 2009. Yet another legacy of the last Labour government.