Nothing Changes

Writing in The Independent, David Cameron claims the Tories, not Labour, are now the party of progress:

A painful reality is dawning on Labour MPs: in its longest unbroken period in office, Labour has done little to advance progressive ideals. A government that promised social justice and economic efficiency has in fact delivered neither, to the dismay of the Labour Party. Instead, it is the Conservative Party that is the champion of progressive ideals in Britain today.

If the word progressive now refers to change per se then he may well be right: there are many in Cameron's party who would like to strip back union rights, scrap the minimum wage, privatize health care, dramatically reduce immigration and pull out of the EU. It's difficult to argue with his assessment of Labour either (though he's deluded if he thinks they're a centre-left government; our last chance of that died with John Smith) - if anything, social inequality has widened in the past eleven years, and Brown's reputation for economic efficiency was built on the fortune of a worldwide boom only now coming to an end (and biting back hard).

Nevertheless, the self-anointment of the Conservatives as the champions of progressive ideals is either cynically disingenuous or just plain desperate. If Labour does very little for the poor, the Tories would do nothing at all (despite making capital out of the 10p tax band, Cameron refuses to say whether he'd reinstate it - mainly because he wouldn't). Labour may be slavish to the interests of big business, but they do at least throw the occasional sop to the masses.

A painful reality? For most of us, that'll be the day after David Cameron wins the next election.

UPDATE: Quoting the other heir presumptive, Rossinisbird points out the poor are no longer poor, just less well-off. Very goodthinkwise.