Whilst Ed Balls descends into bellicose self-caricature, Andy Burnham, the quiet man of this campaign, has written an incendiary article for the Guardian. It is subtly constructed: behind the veneer of his folksy idiom, Burnham
proclaims a self-conscious radicalism. He has sharpened some of the ideas expressed so loosely in his pamphlet Aspirational
Socialism. He advocates the adoption of land value tax, the abolition of inheritance tax and a very tough Blairite stance on crime and the causes of crime. He angrily dismisses the Milibands as
thoughtless ‘comfort zone’ politicians, both stuck dumb in a trance to the mantra of ‘tax and spend’.
Burnham’s aides must be as aghast as me because they are incapable of answering the phone. Has a Labour politician with such obvious working class roots called for the abolition of inheritance tax in favour of a 10 percent levy on all estates to pay for care for the elderly? Has that same politician averred that the tax system needs urgent simplification? Is a Labour politician finally interested in the aspirational voters of middle England? It seems he is.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in