Greens: Tax move means Tories and Lib Dems now one party
For immediate release 28 March 2011
The announcement by Vince Cable that the coalition will scrap the 50p top rate of tax today confirms the death of the Lib Dems as an independent party, Greens said.
Patrick Harvie said:
"We regularly hear Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander and Vince Cable say 'we're all in this together', and I think what they mean is that they're all in the Conservative Party. This Coalition government has made its priorities very clear, and they are classic Tory self-interest: tax cuts for the rich and big business, public services slashed for the vulnerable.
"There's no point considering the Tories and the Lib Dems as separate parties in any way from now on. It's the old joke - "we'll take the word 'Conservative' from our name, and 'Party' from yours". History tells us what happens next - a split. The right of the Lib Dems join the Tories and what remains of a left join other parties or wander the wilderness for decades.
"The central issue of the Holyrood campaign is this - do the Scottish people want investment in public services through fairer taxes, or do they prefer cuts? With the Lib Dems signed up to the Tory agenda, and with the SNP and Labour too scared to talk about tax, the Greens will remain the only alternative for centre-left Scotland."