We will be told that Conservatives want other groups to bear the brunt of cuts in public spending whilst protecting Tory voters. It is hard both to be an advocate of a small state and of the Triple Lock.
Their campaign was still in full flow during the brief period that I was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. I was not persuaded by their arguments then and I am not persuaded now.
The Opposition cannot deliver a 1979-style transformation without making difficult decisions, or only picking fights with easy targets such as non-doms and parents of private-school children.
Last week, Jeremy Hunt took important first steps toward solving three serious problems: the system’s anti-family bias, too much disparity in how earned and unearned income is treated, and absurd marginal rates.
Home ownership is a fundamental cornerstone of conservatism, and everyone must be given the opportunity to reach this life milestone through hard work and determination.
Maintaining the current welfare state will mean wringing even more taxation out of a shrinking working-age population – and a growing grey vote means politicians have little incentive to change course.
Birth rates. Pension ages. Increasing ill-health. Migration. A host of issues are increasingly seen through the prism of a shortage of the workers we need.
To make progress over the coming year, the Party needs to reach out to more voters and the danger is that fighting culture wars just puts people off.
The key problem is stagnation. Margaret Thatcher’s reforms promoted mobility and opportunity. Now we are an economy which doesn’t change enough.
As we live and work for longer, good work is vital to provide a better later life. We believe that government and employers both have a role to play in enabling good work for the benefit of the economy, businesses and individuals.
The Chancellor has opened a consultation on giving employees the “legal right to require a new employer to pay pension contributions into their existing pension if they choose”.
Monday’s speech and today’s announcement show them choosing their ground for the next election. And since Hunt may find no money for further tax cuts next spring, the option of a May general election is opening up.
This move will not only make people richer but will also stimulate economic growth, as many such ISAs are invested into UK stocks and shares.
Voters clearly want it – and the recent past suggests he’s a more credible agent of it than Sir Keir.
Our forebears worked hard to place us in our privileged place in today’s world. But we inherited that position without having to work for it, and now we’re far more interested in spending and consuming our wealth than in earning it.