‘Nick Clegg sneers at Mr and Mrs Britain’
So read the headline on Page 2 of the Sunday Express today. I saw it laid out on my father-in-law’s table as we fetched him for his 89th birthday lunch at the wonderful Queen Victoria pub at Hare Hatch. (Special thanks to landlady Chrissie who made us feel a million dollars. When was the last time the landlady of a pub opened the door especially to you and welcomed you in? Well it happened to us today – thank you Chrissie.)
The article is a particularly venomous, twisted take on a speech which Nick Clegg is yet to make. The BBC has a more sensible report here.
Basically, Nick’s point was repeatedly made by the LibDems during the last general election campaign. It is not the place of the tax system to “reward” a particular lifestyle. Right wingers are often complaining about the “nanny state”. There is nothing more “nanny state” about trying to engineer or reward people’s personal lifestyle choices through the tax system.
I emphasise “try”. Is a few quid a week likely to persuade people to get married who otherwise would not get married? Is it likely to persuade people who would otherwise seperate to stay together in marriage? I think the answer is “no” in both cases.
But let us just suppose, for a moment, that the answer is “yes”. What sort of marriage is it that comes about because the partners decide to get married to receive a few extra quid a week? What sort of marriage is it when the partners stay together because they don’t want to lose their tax benefit?
No, there is absolutely no point in tax breaks for married couples. There is no good reason why it should be in place. It is a simple bribe to one part of the electorate. A patronising bribe which makes some of the recipients and/or donors (decision makers who put it in place) feel smug.
Why reward countless unhappy marriages (yes, they exist) while not rewarding countless stable and happy partnerships and different family models?
Back to the Sunday Express.
How can Nick Clegg sneer at himself? He has made the lifestyle choice of marriage.
NICK CLEGG will risk a new Coalition split tomorrow with a sneering attack on marriage and traditional family life.
No. He’ll say there is no place in the tax system for rewarding a particular lifestyle choice. That is different, Sunday Express.
Marriage ring photo credit: Some rights reserved by jcoterhals
Tweet
Related posts:
Leave a Reply
Burbler-in-chief
