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Why I Pay the Tories

I can't believe I decided to sponsor a political party - and particularly one that seems hell-bent on self-destruction. But I'm filled with terror that the Labour shower will get in again, no doubt assisted by their hard-left Liberal chums. Blair/Brown didn't scare me as much. They got the unions to put up and shut up by getting the enterprise/worker balance about right. Miliband/Balls/Clegg probably also understand enterprise has to come before labour (small l), but they need votes from people with short memories. And those people, who need little reminder their wealth is declining day by day, are being goaded by journalists who are relentlessly forcing us to believe that making money ('cos they don't and can't perhaps) is bad. Fat Cats, bonuses, evil millionaires sunning themselves in the Caribbean while wage-slaves work themselves to the bone to line their pockets.... And what about our growing fear of immigrants 'taking our jobs' while costly dole queues lengthen. It's very easy to whip up loathing and anger about the wealthy.

Now as a matter of principle, I generally assume that whoever gets in will either cock things up, or do nothing and let things cock themselves up. So whoever the Great British public decide has the best hairdo, we're buggered. But we're extra buggered if spend spend spend Labour/Liberals get in, and incentives for amassing wealth are driven out of the UK into the arms of our competitors.

So I'm contributing to the Tory's war-chest to help them put up a fight. Probably pointless as we descend inexorably towards another recession, albeit a less severe one than if Balls had been allowed to 'balls' it up (what a shame it's too obvious to say 'Balls by name, balls by nature'), but the basic message I want them to put out there is this:

Who is more likely to be able to create sustainable jobs? People who have a track record in job creation, or politicians and civil servants? And if you really believe jobs should be created by governments, whose taxes are going to pay for them? If your answer to the second question is Public Sector Workers taxes, then you're an idiot and will probably vote Labour.

In my view the difference between the parties is simple.

Capitalism = Do everything you can legally and sensibly to encourage money-making first, then decide how to use the taxes resulting from a growing economy to support the welfare state (which will be cheaper anyway, because fewer people will be relying on handouts). Painful start (as every self-made businessman will recognise), but you reap what you sow.

Socialism = The economy will be what the economy will be. Spend as much as you can today to maximise votes because the next election is 5 years way and if we're lucky, we'll end on a high. If not, we'll blame the world economy and the fat cats. Popular softer start, and luck will prevent us heading into deeper waters. Luck like finding oil under the North Sea and fat cats deciding on London to sell financial services - but which incredibly the Labour government tried to prevent with a Selective Employment Tax (SET). Watch socialism in action, and be very afraid....



So I'm paying the Conservatives to remind us what happens when socialist principals interfere with markets. (And get well soon Andrew Marr! Not all journalists are rabid haters of job-creators).

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