Liz Truss’s desire to cosplay Margaret Thatcher didn’t survive its first real test, when she u-turned within hours on her plan to force down wages in the regions outside London.
Allegedly lifted word for word from the Tax Payers Alliance, which is neither an Alliance nor allows tax payers to join, the best description I heard of the policy was “it is not clear if she can’t count or just hates nurses.”
Public sector workers in the regions already have lower pay than those in London, they don’t get London weighting. Even so the regions have to offer competitive wages because otherwise people won’t work there, it is that simple.
But this all masks a wider and deeper issue, the Tories want to shrink the state and cut taxes at all costs, the next obvious target is public sector pensions.
Having allowed the private sector to destroy a very good system for higher profits, public sector pensions now look generous. In part they make up for lower wage rises and bonuses in the public sector but they now look generous just because the private sector has slashed theirs.
This will be the next target. You can already see the headlines and the constant barrage of attacks by right wing think tanks and commentators.
“Why should you pay for pens pushers pensions when you don’t have one?”
The politics of envy is really a Tory policy.
And so the gradual, consistent, relentless and ruthless assault on a state that works will continue.
I think they call it creative destruction, but it is just destruction really.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
Does everyone know the "Tax Payers Alliance" is Matthew Elliott - disciple of William Rees Mogg and chief architect of Brexit?