For Whom the Brown Tolls

In 1987, after a third successive General Election victory, Margaret Thatcher introduced her most controversial policy of the Poll Tax, which was seen to be robbing from the poor and allowing the rich to live in relative comfort. Within 2-3 years she was out of office.

Now Gordon Brown may well have met his Poll Tax - it's known as the 10p tax rate: which as far as I can tell, is the removal of lower taxation for anyone whose tax band income is only 10p in the Pound - and raising it to 20p along with other more affluent taxpayers. In other words, the poor have to pay more out of their pockets, and the rich don't have to pay quite so much.

I can sympathise with the objective; everyone should be allowed to pay their fair share. A minimum rate can only remain that way for so long; and so many "minimum" charges are being raised nowadays - what's the big deal with this one?

The public clamour of disapproval, however - overturning a 7,000 Labour majority into an 8,000 Conservative majority at the Crewe & Nantwich by-election - is surely a sign. And thus far, Gordon isn't backing down. An extra injection of cash for the less well-off seemed a desperate last throw of the dice.

In 2-3 years time will be the next General Election, which may well prove to be good news for the enterprising but rather superficial and ineffectual David Cameron. By that time it may well prove the old maxim that parties don't win general elections - Governments lose them.