OpEd: Election 14-04-15

The commentators 14-04-15

...on the general election manifestos

Political manifestos are almost always grandiose exercises in smoke and mirrors. But he finds it hard to think of one that has struck him as so completely implausible, unconvincing and downright disingenuous as labour's. History suggests that when politicians make impossible financial promises, the result is almost always chaos and calamity.
- Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Mail

David Cameron will today publish the Conservative manifesto but even before the party’s programme for government has been set out, the internal rows and recriminations have begun. The prime minister’s buzzword will be “security” as he promises to make the Tories the “party of working people”. There will be pledges on childcare, the NHS and housing as he attempts to make his election pitch more positive.
- Rachel Sylvester, The Times

Up in the stratosphere, ignored by many voters on the ground, the air war brings the clash of manifestos. Though few ever read them, their vapour trails leave deep impressions, or so the parties fervently hope. Up in the thin air, the talk is in billions cut, saved, taxed or spent – numbers rarely believed. But Labour has finally framed its policies into an idea of a country where shared success trumps government for and by the few.
- Polly Toynbee, The Guardian

It is going to be hard for Ed Miliband to persuade doubting taxpayers in just three weeks that he would be careful with their money, but he decided long ago that he didn’t need to worry too much about that. He isn’t trying to win. He is trying to stop David Cameron winning and so far he is on course to succeed in that unambitious objective.
- John Rentoul, Independent

This is an election campaign that befits a country with a small fiscal deficit. Sadly, Britain is not that country. It will borrow about £90bn this year. The most obvious cuts and tax rises have already been made, leaving some excruciating work ahead under either party’s consolidation plan. And that work might take place in the context of a slowing world economy.
- Janan Ganesh, Financial Times

Why was Justine furious? Because a man she had never met before - a man who didn't seem particularly interested in her or her choice of conversation - was involved with her hostess friend?
Was she furious with him because he didn't interrupt a conversation about economics to say "by the way, I'm going out with Stephanie". Was she furious with Stephanie for not mentioning the secret relationship?
Or was she perhaps furious because she thought she might have made a fool of herself by making a play for a man who wasn't available?
- Getting into a tangle over Miliband's love life

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