Mullaney: Coalition Government can mean end of Thatcherism

Speaking to yesterday’s Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham Michael Mullaney welcomed the big Liberal Democrat input into the new government’s economic policy and said that it could finally mean the end of Thatcherism.

Michael Mullaney said to the conference “Many people, including myself, were worried during the election about the return of a Conservative government, that it would mean massive cuts to public services and a return to mass unemployment as happened under previous Tory governments during a recession.

“But we don’t need to fear this now. For who would have thought that the Liberal Democrats could force the Conservatives to drop their plans to cut taxes for millionaires and instead cut taxes for people on middle and low incomes taking many of the lowest paid workers out of tax altogether?

“Who would have thought that we could force the Conservatives to invest billions of pounds into early year’s state education to give every child, whatever their background, a fair start in life?

“Who would have thought we could get the Conservatives to accept the need for job creation programmes to deal with unemployment?

“We have heard a lot in recent days about the end of New Labour. Well maybe we are witnessing the end of an even worse ideology; Thatcherism.

“Liberal Democrats have got the Tories to accept the need for investment in education, taking action to combat unemployment and cutting taxes for people on middle and low incomes.

“The Liberal Democrats have forced the Conservatives onto the middle ground and we must keep them there.

“With this agreement and the likelihood of a change to a fairer voting system it looks as if we may have finally consigned Thatcherism to the dustbin of history where it belongs. If that is the outcome of this coalition it shall have been worth it”.