Tory
propaganda manifesto.
Other key pledges include a promise not to raise income tax, National Insurance contributions or VAT and an extra £250m a year for childcare support.
All too many governments have made promises like this and then used tricks to get round their “promises”. Like not increasing basic rate income tax but changing the bands, the rates other than basic rate, the rules. Similarly for NI and VAT.
Hospital parking charges will be axed for selected patients and NHS staff.
There are no longer hospital parking charges in Wales. Making promises that are that hollow doesn’t exactly invite support. My regular hospital parking problem in England was going for a blood test when I could be in and out in less than ten minutes. But had to pay for at least an hour of parking - if I could find anywhere to park.
Boris Johnson will vow to "unleash the potential" of the UK.
Speaking in the West Midlands, the prime minister will promise to "get Brexit done" and "turn the page from the dither, delay and division of recent years".
As if 31st January actually gets anything done. There will be an eternity of trying to sort out the mess.
Other headline manifesto commitments are set to include a national pothole-filling programme, and a pledge to raise the National Insurance threshold to £9,500 in 2020, with an ambition to raise it further to £12,500.
To me, it doesn’t look like the money that is spent on pothole filling that is the main issue. It is a combination of things including lack of proper long-term resurfacing. Also, looks like there are companies which specialise in poor-quality repairs. They chuck a spit of tarmac in a hole and move on. In no time, it is as bad as it was, or worse. A proper repair, bonded to the rest of the surface and smooth, should last well.
Wales is sometimes held up as the poster example of poor roads. My experience, in Pembrokeshire, is that the roads are better than next door in Carmarthenshire, and than where I used to live in England. Someone seems to try to get roads properly maintained. When they do a major resurfacing, it looks like it is done properly. Spot pothole repairs are also generally done adequately.
