Not another Jurassic Park!

There's a real sense of deja vu about the "tax cuts row" stories in the media. In what is supposed to be a debate about the future direction of the party, who are the faces at the head of the calls for tax cuts?

So far I've seen Edward Leigh, Simon Heffer, John Redwood and Norman Tebbit.

Rather than Clash of the Titans this feels more like a stroll round a palaeontology exhibit. All that the "Old Conservatives" have achieved is to show ever more clearly that today's leadership is not driven by the obsessions of yesteryear.

As for tax cuts themselves, I've always been sceptical that this is the most pressing issue. Economic stability must be the keystone of government policy and that is not going to be achieved by reckless spending cut pledges made years earlier. It is more important to ensure the public are able to access high quality services than to run around cutting taxes.

(All that said, as one who calculates and writes salary cheques part of me would personally prefer a flat rate tax cute if for no other reason than it makes that job easier.)