Vince Cable’s speech to the Lib Dem spring conference today showed how fortunate it was for the two main parties that he did not become leader either in 2006 or after Ming Campbell’s departure. He is able to deliver cutting criticism of the two main parties while staking out political positions that appeal to both Labour and Tory voters.
The address was littered with Cable’s usual telling jokes. His one on Northern Rock definitely hit home:
But the most powerful part of Cable’s speech was the section on tax:“During the Northern Rock crisis the boat was drifting listlessly. Captain Brown was hiding in his cabin. And Midshipman Osborne was jumping excitedly in and out of a lifeboat.”
“We cannot tolerate a two nation society divided between the tax payers and the tax dodgers.
The extent of tax avoidance amongst many rich people has become a national scandal.
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