Liberal Democrat hypocrisy over rail fares and energy prices
Pre-election policy reversals are suggesting that the Liberal Democrats’ co-operation with the Conservative Party will cost them dearly.
The Liberal Democrats say they want to make it much easier for households to switch energy suppliers, and are pledging to end above-inflation rail fare increases.
They’ve got a nerve, haven’t they?
Check They Work For You and you may find that most Liberal Democrat MPs have voted against slowing the rise in rail fares. Vince Cable did. So did Danny Alexander and Ed Davey – and This Writer’s own MP, Roger Williams.
As for making it easier to switch energy suppliers, let’s look at the record of Mr Davey – who, until very recently, was the Coalition Government’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
Faced with Labour’s proposals to freeze energy prices, he said this would be disastrous because the so-called ‘Big Six’ energy firms would all push up their prices both before and after such a freeze.
He was, of course, completely wrong. The energy firms have all cut their prices – before Labour even had a chance to gain office and implement its planned freeze.
According to the BBC, “the Liberal Democrats say their plans will shift the balance of power back in favour of consumers and commuters to ease the cost of living and save families hundreds of pounds a year” – but Labour’s price freeze plans have ensured that this has already happened.
So it seems the Liberal Democrats are proposing a complete policy reversal on rail fares, while refusing to face the facts about energy.
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hum the backstabbing partys off to the wilderness
It’s just a question of how bad the beating for the Liberal Democrats is going to be. Clegg himself might get thrown out of his own seat in disgrace.