Gordon Brown cosies up
UNTIL now the quickest way to get a rise out of an opinion pollster has been to tell him that you are happy to pay more tax in the hope of better services, naturally. As the link between the twin propositions grows fainter, the joke has begun to wear ?ff. In America, the Democratic Party had its own way of telling this one: 'We'll tax and tax, and spend and spend, and elect and elect and elect.' That is not the way that a Democratic President, triumphantly re-elected, now tells it. He says that he wants to walk hand in hand with a Republi- can Congress towards a balanced budget. Not to be outdone, Gordon Brown is cosy- ing up to Self. The top rate of tax which was Nigel Lawson's legacy — on that budget night, the roof of Annabel's was peppered with champagne corks — has found its way into his opponents' doctrine. Self might say that to be docked eight shillings in the pound (plus National Insurance contribu- tions and whatever other hazards Mr Brown may have in mind) is quite enough for anyone. Giving Self what he wants for his money must be the harder part of this act. His assessments will continue.
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