Labour to cut standard rate of tax to 18%

[White Horse]

As a Labour party member, I find this move a little disconcerting. Are we trying to beat the PDs at the tax-cuts game? Are we satisfied that public services in the very basic areas of health, education and housing are as good as they are going to get, and don't need further investment.

No, your leader is trying to win votes. That may appear a base motive to some of the ideologically pure Labour party members.

Politics is a dirty business, especially if you want to remove FF from power.

Rabitte's speach ticked all the boxes. Also it was unusual for the Labour party, it actually was directed at the average voter.

Well done Rabitte.

[qtman]

No, your leader is trying to win votes. That may appear a base motive to some of the ideologically pure Labour party members.

...and over the last 4 years has failed miserably in this pursuit, despite various lurches to the right. (ASBOs, Immigration, and now Tax cuts).

Irish voters do not want 'hand outs'.

They want responsible Government, and consistency of approach is the first tenet of responsible Government.

Parties who bob around on the tide like Labour are currently doing give off an air of uncertainty and unpredictability that does not resonate with voters.

Parties who stick to their principles and whom are open an and honest with voters will eventually prosper.

[tonys]

Overall I don’t think this is a good political move. If you spend all your time before the budget warning voters that the government is about to try and buy the election and then they don’t , your next move should not be to try and do that same thing yourself, even if that’s not what you’re doing, the voters, put on alert by yourself, will think that’s exactly what you’re up to.

[Coles]

Parties who stick to their principles and whom are open an and honest with voters will eventually prosper.

And who's that then?

[White Horse]

Parties who stick to their principles and whom are open an and honest with voters will eventually prosper.

Grow up.

They vote FF into government 70% of the time. The average Irish voter wants to have his cake and eat it at the same time. They care nothing about principle. They voted for Haughey in droves and swallowed Ahern's lies abour his "dig-out".

Rabitte realises that he has to woo some of these voters, if he is to form a government.

[qtman]

Parties who stick to their principles and whom are open an and honest with voters will eventually prosper.

Grow up.

They vote FF into government 70% of the time. The average Irish voter wants to have his cake and eat it at the same time. They care nothing about principle. They voted for Haughey in droves and swallowed Ahern's lies abour his "dig-out".

Rabitte realises that he has to woo some of these voters, if he is to form a government.

Labour have polled at 11% for nearly 7 years, despite every effort to fish for floating middle class votes. They may very well lose seats at the next General Election.

70% of people vote FF/FG out of tradition. No amount of woo'ing on the part of Labour will change that. The other 30% (which is growing, slowly) is up for grabs, and Labour is losing its share of this vote by trying to tap into popular wisdom.

Like I say, if I'm wrong, why isn't Labour winning more votes?

[White Horse]

Like I say, if I'm wrong, why isn't Labour winning more votes?

They would have if they had adopted this approach earlier.

For the last 20 years, Labour have been a stuffy intellectually focused party, completely out of touch with middle Ireland.

Dick Spring started this trend with his bombastic sanctimony. Ruari Quinn and his silver spoon kept it up.

Rabitte may not be to everone's liking, but he is an ordinary joe.

Labour need to fight for the same votes as FF. I think Rabitte is positioning them to do this.

[dermotoffice]

I remember in Uni we used to give out lollipops and other goodues to sway voters for the election of student union president...

The Rabbit and Inde learned a lot from those days!!!!

[Clon]

In the last budget Cowen expanded the standard rate by €2000 for a single person, saving them €420 from the top rate (41%-20%), the tax credits expanded by €400 (personal and PAYE), with hindsight if he had cut the standard rate band by one or two percent and did less of the credits and bands then he could have made more political capital from it. Cowen made a boo boo, although I expect FF will try to meet the tax cut promises with their own promises later.

[Cork Rebel]

Lower the tax rate to 18% over two years, increase spending on public services........Hmmmm

Bring in less money through tax but spend more on public services....Be interested to know how he plans on doing this....

Increase Stealth Taxes?
Increase the higher rate?

Does FG agree with this?

Lies, Lies and more Lies from the Sticky Leader