Conservatives to freeze pay of public sector staff on £18,000+

There are times in politics when a political party scores an own goal, and then there are days like yesterday when not just an own goal, but a spectacular own goal is scored.

This time it is the turn of Annabel Goldie, George Osborne, David Cameron and the Conservatives.

Every soldier, nurse, police man and woman, fireman and women, teacher and office staff who earn just £18,000 a year (or more if they are lucky) is to get a pay freeze under the Conservatives and what's more, if you are a millionaire then the Conservatives will give you tax cuts.

That's right, hit the workers hardest and help the fat cat rich folk get even richer - same old Conservatives.

They are out of touch with the needs of ordinary people like you and me, not just here in Scotland but across the UK.

It’s obvious that life would get worse, not better, for most people under a Conservative Government.

Whereas the Scottish Liberal Democrats have shown that 3,031 out of half a million public sector workers who earn over £100,000, are costing us £413 million a year.

People just cannot understand it when they learn that highest earners in the NHS are also able to nominate themselves for bonuses worth up to £75,000 a year on top of their salaries.

Some even get paid more than Alex Salmond’s three salaries as MP, MSP and First Minister added together.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have asked the Scottish government to freeze the pay of these high earners.

We want these high earners to shoulder the burden of cutting the public sector pay bill, not those who earn a fraction of this and who would be hit by these new Conservative plans.

The Conservatives would exempt the troops who are serving in Afghanistan, great, but what about the troops everywhere else? They still get their pay frozen!

It's about time people realised that Dave's Conservatives are still the same old Tories with new soundbites, they have not changed, they are still the party of the rich and this unfair tax policy just proves it.

It's time for fairer taxes, and the Liberal Democrats are giving you that choice.

Hypocritical Tories - Zac Goldsmith admits to being a 'non-dom' and avoiding paying tax in UK

Another week and another Tory being a complete hypocrite shock, this week it is the turn of Zac Goldsmith who has finally admitted being a 'non-dom', short for non-domicile tax status, enabling him to avoid paying sums of tax on his estimated £200million personal fortune.

David Cameron's green advisers disclosure further risks embarrassing the Conservative party, he confirmed that he is a “non-dom” who can legitimately escape paying tax on his inheritance from his late father, Sir James Goldsmith. Much of it is held offshore to The Sunday Times.

Zac Goldsmith, who is the Tory candidate in Richmond Park has told The Sunday Times that he plans to give up his non-dom status next year. Hmmm, is it a coincidence that the general election is next year?

Well, I really hope Susan Kramer MP will ensure every voter in Richmond Park knows about this tax avoidance from the Tory candidate, how on earth can the Tories criticise tax plans from the government when members of David Cameron's team are not paying their share?

The Tories have long criticised non-doms for avoiding tax. George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, has pledged to impose a £25,000 annual levy on their wealth. While Lord Ashcroft, the party’s biggest donor, is under pressure to confirm his tax status to comply with promises made when he took a peerage. But here we have one of their big names openly admitting tax avoidance.

Zac Goldsmith's comment has draw criticism from key opposition politicians including Lord Matthew Oakeshott, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman in the House of Lords who said to The Sunday Times: “Cameron must sack Zac Goldsmith as a candidate now. He’s not fit to sit in parliament, when he’s claimed non-dom status all his life to keep his offshore hundreds of millions free of income, capital gains or inheritance tax. He must pay the millions he’s dodged to the British taxman.”

Well done to Matthew, absolutely spot on.

George Osborne and David Cameron say one thing to the public to try and get votes and here we see how they act in private, utterly appalling and once again highlights their hypocritical approach and attitude.

Lib Dems radical reform versus Labour's 10% cuts versus Tory Defence & job cuts

So, finally the "C" word is out in the open, cuts, cuts, cuts.

We all knew it was coming. Vince Cable was first out of the blocks with his pamphlet 'Tackling the Fiscal Crisis: A recovery plan for the UK'. Vince outlined nine specific areas of potential savings that are identified as a start to a radical programme of reform, with the emphasis on controlling public spending, not higher taxes.

Today's Scotsman has a fantastic editorial where it says "....we can only hope that both Mr Brown and ....David Cameron, are as honest as Mr Cable has been." "....the Liberal Democrats, has been the most candid with voters."

Yesterday saw Gordon Brown outline his latest vision at the TUC conference in Liverpool, outlining spending cuts had to be made, but fell short of actually stating where the axe may fall - "Labour will cut costs, cut inefficiencies, cut unnecessary programmes and cut lower-priority budgets."

Then the Tories, the same old Tories, I am astounded about the way they have got away with their sheer arrogance on MPs expenses, moats, duck houses and hundreds of thousands repaid because they over claimed.

In today's Scotsman we see that they will treat Scotland with sheer contempt, try and win a handful of seats up here and then along with their independence obsessed bedfellows the SNP they will crap from a great height.

4,600 jobs in the Clyde shipyards are dependent on the construction of the aircraft carriers, but this contract may be under threat if the Tories win George Osborne suggested yesterday. He is will also look at the euro fighter, which will be based at RAF Leuchars in Fife, so more jobs threatened there then.

Instead of these stupid suggestions why not be bold as Nick Clegg has been and declare that we will not renew Britain's trident system - and spend that money where it is needed not where politicians think it is needed.

Cuts, cuts and more cuts - fine but let us see a well thought out spending review and proposals.

At the current time, it is only Nick Clegg and Vince Cable who are daring to think, and then talk about the unthinkable. That is brave.