The Lib Dems’ flip-flop on prescription charges is really too easy a target, as Vaughan pointed out yesterday. Free prescriptions have gone from being an example of wasteful and unnecessary expenditure to being a key element of the party’s health policy.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with any party changing its policy, and I suppose we should all be pleased that the Lib Dems have seen the light. Keynes famously said that “When the facts change, I change my mind.”; so the question going through my mind is simply this – “Which are the facts that have changed, as far as the Lib Dems are concerned?”.
In 2007, their then health spokesperson declared that “Free prescriptions for all sounds great on election leaflets”, before proceeding to set out why, even though it might be a popular policy, they thought that it was the wrong one. Presumably, their own election leaflets will look a bit better this year as a result of their change of heart, but surely the policy change can’t just be down to an acceptance that free prescriptions are popular? Responsible politicians wouldn’t just support something that they’d previously argued was wrong in principle for such an unprincipled reason would they?
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I have this memory of David Steele addressing his party when they thought they were about to make a "Break Through" back in the 70's.
"I have no interest in power without principle and only a passing interest in principle without power."
He was talking about the necessity of changing his party's long term commitment to CND because it was an electoral handicap. Nowadays it's something else but "Plus la change' plus c'est la meme chose." for me personally the sad and disappointing part is the way that Plaid Cymru seems to have fallen into the same mold. The principles once held so dear are reduced for the sake of political expediency.
"The principles once held so dear are reduced for the sake of political expediency."
Without being facetious, what expediency has Plaid gained? Which of their principles have they dropped for votes? Because they are currently losing votes, not gaining them.
A massive chunk of the Welsh electorate won't vote for Plaid precisely because of their principles- whereas with Labour, the Tories and even the Lib Dems, their potential target audience is usually (not always, but usually) much broader.
A massive chunk of the Welsh electorate won't vote for Plaid precisely because of their principles- whereas with Labour, the Tories and even the Lib Dem's, their potential target audience is usually (not always, but usually) much broader.
Well the Liberal have just stated they back Alarm clock Britain the people who get up go to work pay taxes, mean people like myself stuck at home with a disability have a real problem finding a party.
Never mind I might well be part of the alarm clock profession before long, I suspect i will be picking up litter from my wheelchair in a training program, or does that not count as work these days.
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