Spot The Difference

The Great Helmsman launches this year's empty promises

Spot the difference:

Statement 1

"We will not raise the basic or top rates of income tax in the next Parliament."

Statement 2

"We will not raise the basic, higher and new top rates of tax in the next Parliament."

Have you spotted the difference yet?

Yes, that's right - it's that bit about the new top rate of tax.

As you will know, Statement 1 comes from the 2005 Labour election manifesto, when they solemnly promised not to raise either the basic or top rates of income tax. Statement 2 comes from their 2010 election manifesto, after they'd increased the top rate in direct contravention of their promise in 2005. Plus of course, they've also slammed us with the NICs increase, which is income tax by another name.

And even if you're a trusting soul who believes they weren't necessarily lying through their teeth in 2005, it underlines the fact that promises from NuLabour ain't worth a bucket of warm spit.

So WTF should anyone take these busted charlatons seriously?

They haven't a clue how they'd fix our problems, be it our debt, our bombed out economy, or our dysfunctional public services. All Brown could come up with today was yet more top-down Stalinist direction from the desk of Mr Bean. Who has done quite enough damage already.

And as for launching the manifesto in a new NHS hospital that is costing us taxpayers £2.5bn, who do they think they are? That hospital belongs to us, not them.

Add to that their scare cancer cards - obviously sent using confidential NHS data - and we're looking at the politics of the gutter.

Last night we watched Health minister Mike O'Brien struggling to explain this outrage away. We actually ended up feeling sorry for him. He was probably a decent enough guy until he got involved with this crowd. He looks like he might even have gone into politics for those now ludicrous "public service" reasons. But here he is on telly, squirming around attempting to defend the indefensible. A bullet in the head would be a kindness.