How To Lose An Argument: Jim Murphy Edition

Meanwhile, in more examples of sloppy Labour arguments here’s a tweet Jim Murphy sent this afternoon:

Oh dear. Murphy is usually better than this. I know and everyone else who pays any attention to Scottish politics (this includes Jim Murphy) knows that Alex Salmond has long admired the Republic of Ireland’s low corporation taxes; he has almost never bothered talking about personal or consumption taxes.

Furthermore, few sensible people think Ireland’s boom and bust was fuelled by or made significantly worse by its low rates of corporation tax. To hint otherwise, as Murphy seems to here, is either foolish or dishonest. It is possible to think low business taxes a good thing while also supposing it might be a good idea to avoid the mistakes and excesses that led Ireland to bankruptcy.

Granted, Salmond and the SNP are, generally speaking, more interested in lowering taxes on business than on income or consumption but that’s a different matter and one Murphy would be better-off addressing.