Kennedy rounds on Howard’s “timetable for action”
The Liberal Democrat leader has sharply criticised the recent “timetable for action” laid out by the Conservatives at their annual conference.
Michael Howard, Conservative Party leader, promised a “timetable for action” outlining what a Conservative government would do in its first day, week and month in office as part of his drive to restore trust in politics and the party.
This approach, however, has come under attack from Charles Kennedy, who claimed that far from promoting trust and accountability “at best it is ill thought out. At worst it is unworkable, and misleading.
“The reality is Michael Howard’s timetable isn’t a plan for action it’s a piece of spin. It’s presentation not policy,” he argued.
In a critique of the plans, Mr Kennedy poured scorn on the idea of an immediate freeze in civil service recruitment, saying: “Actually it would be lunacy. It would achieve nothing but administrative chaos.
“Civil servants are not an ill in themselves. The actual number of civil servants should be organic, at a level that provides good, efficient government. But what this policy means is that if civil servants retire or leave for other jobs, they cannot be replaced.
“Far from achieving value for money for the tax-payers – an across the board recruitment freeze is likely to result in inefficient, overstretched areas of government.”
Mr Kennedy also queried the promise to end Labour’s early release from prison scheme, asking where the 3000 prisoners currently on the scheme would be put, considering that there is already chronic overcrowding within the prison system.
Turning to accountability, he claimed that it was the Liberal Democrats, not the Conservatives, who have provided opposition to the Government, saying: “As for accountability, which party – in the run up to war, week after week – asked the difficult questions of the Prime Minister? It was the Liberal Democrats.
“On the other hand, which party was for university tuition fees, then against them, then for them, then against them again? The Conservatives.
“Which is the party that is now offering tax cuts – but can’t say when they will cut taxes, what taxes they will cut and by how much, and what spending they will cut to provide them? The Conservatives.
“And if the Conservatives can’t fullfill their responsibilities to hold the Government to account in opposition – how can they hope to be accountable in Government?” he concluded.
