Passing the buck politics…

Simon Heffer, in a brilliant piece for the Telegraph today claims that New Labour’s main skill is in passing the buck. Labour were fortunate in that they could always blame the Conservatives if things went wrong. This argument has looked increasingly feeble as 1997 has faded into the distance. In his pre-budget speech Gordon Brown talked about putting right the shortcomings of the Education system. No doubt these shortcomings are either down to the previous Conservative Government, the one voted out ten years ago, or someone else. As I say this is looking increasingly feeble, and people can see through it. This passing the buck doesn’t stop at the Government either, they now have otherwise intelligent people doing it for them. Digby Jones, former Chairman of the CBI and now ‘Skills Tsar’ told us this week that it is up to business and the media to fill the skills gap, nevermind then the Government, who after ten years in office are still clueless.

This, Heffer argues, is part of a trend where the Government through it’s own ineptitude passes the blame on to someone, in fact anyone else. In fact also this week, Patricia Hewitt told people in more affluent areas that it was their own fault casualty units were closing because they obviously didn’t need them. It also appears to be our fault that the NHS is crumbling because so many of us have the nerve to inflict illness on ourselves by smoking, drinking, or eating too much. Incidentally, 14,000 people every year cause themselves serious injury while putting their socks on, this too I gather must share some of the blame for the state of the NHS. Nothing to do of course with the Government, it’s obviously down to the Conservatives or the rest of us.