THROWING good money after bad is not the way to solve problems.
If an organisation like the NHS is running inefficiently, you reform it, work out what money is needed and where, and deliver.
What the Government did on Wednesday night is deeply unConservative and raises the tax burden to its highest level since the war.
And for what?
True, there is a backlog of cases in the NHS; true, proper social care funding is long overdue; and, true, we’ve been through unprecedented times with this pandemic.
However, it’s also true that no Party has attempted wholesale reform of health provision, which is desperately needed.
And, regrettably, Lord Lilley’s idea of a state-sponsored insurance policy was rejected by the Government out of hand.
This must be explored further.
But, to me, this issue is about our core beliefs as Conservatives.
I am passionately less State and low tax.
For, without the latter, we simply will not have the revenue to pay for all our public services.
And it’s proven that the lower the tax, the more money the Treasury raises.
We should never forget that the money we spend is generated by the taxpayer; that’s our hard-earned cash.
Of course, employees are important contributors, but they are employed by the entrepreneurs and the businessmen and women who risk everything to fuel our economy.
Raise taxes and you throw out a drag anchor, disincentivising the very people you need to create jobs and prosperity.
The Prime Minister is right to address the problems in the health service, but, as I’ve suggested, there are other ways of doing it.
I fear that this new money will simply disappear down a black hole, and it certainly won’t be enough, anyway.