"Don't Believe Tory election promises" - Robinson

4.32.27am GMT Sat 19th Feb 2005

Stephen Robinson - "Why should we believe them when they introduced madcap schemes like the Council Tax?

Chelmsford's Lib Dem PPC Stephen Robinson has poured scorn over our Tory MP's attempts to make his discredited party more credible. Stephen said, "Why should we believe Conservative low tax 'promises' when they always raised them? Or that they will devolve powers to the very local authorities they worked to sideline? Or that they can take sensible decisions when they introduced madcap schemes like the Council tax?"

Stephen went on, "No experts give any credence to Michael Howard's promise of lower taxes through efficiency savings without service cuts. They say it is a con (juring) trick."

At all recent General Elections the Liberal Democrats have put forward carefully costed proposals. Spending pledges with savings or income clearly identified. ONLY the Liberal Democrats submitted their manifesto to be audited by an independent body. Both the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the BBC's Economics Editor had to admit that it was the ONLY manifesto that really added up.

The Liberal Democrats will make similarly costed proposals at the coming election. Until the Conservatives (and Labour for that matter) pledge to put their promises up for independent scrutiny, their pledges are not worth the paper they are written on.