UKIP manifesto attracts Liberal Democrat attention

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-n...-dem-attention
http://www.indhome.com/2010/04/ukip-...dem-attention/

Key UKIP policies have been copied and inserted into the Liberal Democrat election manifesto.

UKIP introduced a provisional manifesto at the party’s spring conference in March and it appears the Liberal Democrats have taken a healthy interest in three of the straight talking ideas. The Lib Dems say they would like to introduce a flat-tax and take the low paid out of tax altogether, a UKIP policy since 2006. Nick Clegg’s party also says it wants to introduce elected County Health Boards – a policy the liberals have copied word for word. And finally, the Lib Dems have followed UKIP on transport policy by adopting plans to re-open thousands of miles of railway lines and invest some £3 billion in the UK’s ageing railway system.

However, unlike UKIP, they say they will pay for the new infrastructure by robbing money from the road budget – not by making a £6.4 billion annual saving by leaving the EU. David Campbell Bannerman, UKIP’s deputy leader and head of policy, said: “I am flattered that the Liberal Democrats are taking UKIP’s lead but we wonder why their own policy nest is so empty. “UKIP’s policy package is overflowing with potential and it’s clear that only UKIP have the policies to put Britain back on the road to prosperity."

Labour and the Conservatives are yet to launch full election manifestos. The UKIP manifesto can be downloaded here.

Well i'm glad to see their [the Liberal Democrats] taking some good ideas at least, it reminds me of how Labour also stole Conservative policies over the past decade and attempted to pass them off as their own. What do you think about flat taxation - it basically means the poorest are taken out of the taxation system altogether and at the moment thats one problem of the benefits system because for some people it makes sense to be on benefits rather than working on a lower wage, because with the lower wage they have to pay taxes which makes them worse off than if they were not working and being on the benefits system.

The problems with the system now (which I believe is ranked as the second most complicated tax system in the world) is that we take peoples money (tax), spend it on the state re-organising that money and then giving it back. The same applies for EMA, rather than giving your parents £30 off their tax bill, they take say £40 or £50, spend the £10 to £20 on red tape and then give £30 back to you.

Thoughts?

[MrPinkPanther]

My thoughts are thats bull. All of those (expect reinvesting in the Railways) have been long term Liberal Democrat pledges. Just because they are reaffirming those pledges it doesn't mean that they are copied from UKIP since they were in place before 2006. But even then I don't claim that UKIP are stealing Liberal Democrat policy because that would be naive, this idea of "stealing" policies is totally stupid, all it means is that there is cross party support on a certain area. Parties aren't supposed to be like businesses where stealing ideas is a bad idea, bi-partisan agreement is a good and healthy thing for democracy.

[-:Undertaker:-]

The taxation idea was only just introduced by the Liberal Democrats, along with the Country Health Board plans so I am afraid it is not 'bull'. UKIP had an early spring conference (and have had the flat tax policy since 2006 regardless, yet the Liberal Democrats just seem to of now (after the UKIP manifesto has been launched) thought of it, what a coincidence(!). Theres nothing wrong with it of course because it makes great sense as I explained with the taxation system at the start of the thread.

[MrPinkPanther]

Yes it is bull, they are long term party aims. I'd also like to point out how the Liberal Democrats spring party conference, which included the manifesto launch, was held BEFORE UKIPs. So unless Nick Clegg has a Tardis (He wouldn't, it's blue) then how could he know their policies?

[alexxxxx]

this is meant to be the role of smaller parties/pressure groups - to make the large parties to take their ideas on board.