7 Comments

• Millian 4th Nov '07 - 1:02pm

  It was interesting, pity though that my question about public services wasn’t published.

• Kevin 4th Nov '07 - 8:02pm

  I see that Nick’s support for education vouchers is referred to. Unsurprisingly, I had missed it in the original Torygraph interview.

• Sam 5th Nov '07 - 9:30am

  All Nick needs to do is say clearly that he will oppose education vouchers and that he will oppose a health care system based on the individual insurance model.

  That would shut Chris up on the subject and reassure those of us that chris is trying to appeal to on these issues.

• Anonymous 5th Nov '07 - 12:51pm

  Why on earth do the Lib Dems so dogmatically oppose education vouchers and health care system based on the individual insurance model? Both are in place in the Netherlands already for ages, and the Netherlans is a much more equal society than UK.

  Is it because William Beveridge invented the NHS? That was already more than 60 years ago, don’t you think that even if NHS was considered the best alternative back then, the things might have changed, and a new liberal reformer could introduce an even better alternative?

  The Lib Dems seem to be just too conservative for me, they are not ready to even consider more liberal alternatives for the public services.

• Angus Huck 5th Nov '07 - 1:27pm

  What do the two candidates have to say about Brown’s proposals to extend educational conscription to the age of 18 by 2013?

  Brown gives every impression of being a bossy, peternalist pater familias who knows what’s best for us and regards a yearning for individual freedom as an infantile disorder.

  What will Brown do next? Compulsory diet control? Surveillance cameras in our homes?

  I regard the biggest single threat to the health service is not the tinkering around with internal reforms, but the rise of private health insurance (much of it provided by employers).

  It will not be long before the NHS (or at least the non-emergency services of NHS hospitals) will be there only for the underclass.

  What, if anything, do the two candidates propose to do about it?

• tim leunig 6th Nov '07 - 12:35am

  David Laws has opposed extending the leaving age to 18

• Sam 6th Nov '07 - 10:51am

  4 Well I simply don’t think they will make any real change to the quality or fairness of our public services, and that putting effort into other reforms will make more difference.

  But that wasn’t really my point. Chris has been criticised for challenging Nick to be specific on these issues.

  The point I was making is that all Nick needs to do is give a clear answer. This will either shut Chris up, or open up a clear difference in approach between them, either of which would be useful.