Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh
So does that mean that any political party/grouping (if they are not currently in office) can be treated as a campaign group, as they are not in government (therefore cannot set "official government policy"), and any and all of their Manifestos can be dismissed, if they are later elected, as "aspirational"?
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It means what I said - that a campaign group can't make promises which only a government can. Simple. You can call it what you like but it wasn't a promise. We've been over and over this time and time again and there really is no point carrying on. The figure quoted is clearly debatable but whatever the number, the sentiment was and is the same - the money we send to the EU can be spent on the NHS instead. Clearly the government of the day would need to decide that and any successor government could choose to reverse it if they so wished.
The fact that politicians of all colours routinely lie or renege on their pre-election promises is neither here nor there but it surprises me that so many supposedly intelligent people who're highly cynical when it comes to politics and soundbites seem to be claiming they were taken in by that one statement for some reason and it altered everything. I wonder why...
