CAMERON'S OMISSIONS

“WHEN we say, We are all in this together, that is not a cry for help, but a call to arms.” David Cameron's revision on Wednesday of the phrase he used soon after the general election does nothing to disguise the fact that the original words, spoken before details of public spending cuts became known, were questionable in the first place and have since lost almost all credibility. It is clear from all the analyses that have been made of George Osborne's cuts that the people who will suffer most from them are those who are already at the bottom of the Britain's living standards. He has been told by the most respected financial think tank in the country that his proposals are “regressive”. Perhaps this week's last minute decision to withdraw child benefit from higher rate taxpayers was taken to show that cuts will not be confined to the poorer sections of the community -- but initial reactions suggest that that the outcome may not be what was intended. Behind all Mr Cameron's clarion Kitchener calls two facts stand out: his two most controversial policies -- total reform of the NHS and the changes to child benefit -- were not in the Conservative manifesto or the coalition policy agreement. If they had been, would Mr Cameron even have had enough seats to form a coalition? He has apologised for the omission but that is the easy way out. The electorate was misled.