Good to hear that David Cameron has no plans of implementing the proposal from one of his policy groups to levy charges on shoppers in out-of-town shopping centres.
Yes, it was only a proposal, and it hadn’t even been adopted by the party, but the media were all out with the line that ‘Cameron considers taxing shoppers for parking their cars.’ He was therefore wise to come out and disown the policy before it caused any more trouble.
The media obviously do not get the distinction between a proposal that has been put to the party for consideration, and one that has been adopted by the party. This out-of-town shoppers’ tax was clearly the former, but you wouldn’t know that from reading the headlines.
Still, in a way, I blame Cameron. What really is the point of making public all these mad ideas coming out from these policy groups? Why not consider the proposals in private until they have been adopted as party policy? Yes, I know, he is trying to counter the charge that he has no policies, but frankly, it is better to have no policies than to have daft ones.
Is there perhaps some way that any looney ideas from these policy groups can be put to David Cameron in private? On second thought, better not. David Cameron has shown himself to lack judgement on some very serious issues (remember grammar schools?). Who therefore knows what proposals the man may adopt in private, without the eye of the media (and the public) on him? The public reaction has told him to disown this ’shoppers’ tax’ policy fast, and that is a very good thing. I for one do not trust David Cameron’s judgement, so perhaps it is better for all the policy proposals to be given as wide publicity as possible. That way, if he is tempted to abandon common sense and adopt some crazy proposal, then maybe, just maybe, the media reaction will talk him out of it.
September 11th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Phew… I’m glad he has distanced himself from that one, because it is a really bad idea.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:13 am
The problem was that Cameron wanted to get lots of policy ideas without him having to do a lot of work whilst giving the impression that he’s listening to lots of people in and around the Conservative Party. I think your idea of doing some of it behind closed doors (plus some serious editing before the media get hold of it) could have helped Cameron.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
People are still talking about this as if it is a proposal, I’ve never heard such a ridiculous idea, it merely shows Cameron as being totally out of touch. He has had a terrible mauling on his blog about it.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Wrong in every way here Bel .I dealt with the same subject and there is a lot more behind the proposal not to say a large constituency of support. It is also a good thing that the message becomes multi faceted . It has been far too distilled while Labour have been able to be not so much a Janus as Hydra .I `ll pop back with my take on it….one for the Zacolytes
September 12th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Bed hopping Zac Goldsmith wants Supermarkets to charge us for Parking .The thinking comes from the constituency surrounding the Communities Bill and I have attended a couple of their meetings in which they roll up a lot of worthy local issues in this case the hollowing our of CBD`s ( Central Business Districts ).They are joined in their stand against slash and burn big business, by disparate groups like local shop owners and CAMRA . All those, in fact, who value commercial heterogeneity at a local level. Nice people and I partly approve.
.Given the parking restrictions driving local shops to bankruptcy, it is silly to talk about the free market. The supermarkets operate as a Cartel against farmers and buy up land so as to thwart proper competition. They use their monopoly status to undercut smaller retailers who provide the sort of cultural capital we should ascribe value to.
The Zacolytes ( Thankyou Lud) , are also to the fore in demanding local people have a greater say in planning decisions. As ancient woodlands and gardens to fall into the gaping maugh of the Mantioch ,big business ,for ordeuve .My approval grows … I want to like the idea ……
But….and it’s a big but. Here are the pictures in my mind . Harassed wives on a budget crying with frustration that they are forced to add pounds onto their bill so Toff totty can roll up outside the Farmers Pork Pie shop in ? “ The Village” …of Highgate in a Prius ( Dad has a Range Rover). People who tut at the supposed exploitation of the third world accidentally picking up free trade bananas and dropping them as if they were scalded when they see the price difference. . David Cameron promised green taxes should be, ”or” not ,‘and’ but in this case this “ environmental tax” is said to be ploughed back into Public transport . A bad bad start.
I suspect Supermarkets do use supernormal profits to subsidise Parking then surely this is matter for the Monopoly board and the legislation is already in place. Shouldn`t we look carefully at the way in which monopolistic practices go under the radar whereby they have the spare cash. Supermarkets may be loathed by those with the time and money to source original Orkney Lamb hung in the medieval fashion ,but they are loved by everyone else for delivering us from the disgusting sub quality and over priced produce my mother struggled home from local shops with in the 1970s .
They have scoured the word for Avocado Pears ….Olive Oil. ….sun dried tomatoes humus fetta cheese, yoghurts with no fruit in them (which I thought was the point of yoghurt). Big prawns, John Dorry , Ostrich , Covent garden Soups and . To Zac this may be terribly passé but most if us are still think of Supermarkets as a miracle of global Capitalism.This has all the signs of being an idea with promise not properly thought through. It is half baked and I want it double baked. (Like the twice baked banana cake they do in Tescos …its lovely try some tomorrow ! )
Posted by Newmania at 9:58 AM 37 comments
Incidentally I disagree also about the idea of having diagreement we have to clear a space for this whithin Parties . The way the Press behaved over Grammars was absurd. As Conservatives we have to learn to debate amicably accepting that core agreements count for more …and if anyone says diffrent I `ll slap the taste out of their mouths !!
Hi bell