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During 23 years with the BBC, and a 41 year journalistic career (when he was trained to use clear and simple language, avoiding jargon), for our Editor, Welshman Phil Parry examining the reality of politicians’ unbelievable promises has always been important – and now this is emphasised by events in the US where political leaders are limbering up for the Presidential election.
It seems they will say almost anything to get elected!
Politicians make extraordinary promises to voters about putting more money in their pockets, offering a secure (even booming) economy, better jobs, and improved health care.
These supposed guarantees come almost daily during an election campaign.
But how much is real, what do they add up to for taxpayers, and when in power did they actually do anything about these pledges?
Let’s examine, first, what Labour have said more than two-and-a-half months after the party won 27 of Wales’ 32 seats at the General Election (GE), and almost four months since Sir Keir Starmer’s first election campaign visit to the country.
Sir Keir unveiled six Welsh commitments on his campaign trip to Abergavenny, and among them was creating a more stable economy, bringing down NHS waiting lists, providing safer streets with 13,000 more community police officers across the UK, and promoting green energy investment.
Yet once in power at Westminster did he make good on these statements?
There may be a sour taste in the mouth for a lot of voters if you are one who is losing the winter fuel payment, or if your job is being axed at Tata Steel in Port Talbot.
On the health service too there is some doubt.
Tell a person waiting months for an urgent hip replacement about a politician’s promise to bring down NHS waiting lists!
Welsh NHS waiting times have just hit another record high, and cutting them is First Minister of Wales (FMW) Eluned Morgan’s top priority.
However funding – and tight public finances – will come into making this ‘top priority’ a reality. Words are easier than actions.
Making families safer is a noble aspiration, but the reality here too is rather different.
The Welsh government’s draft budget last December included a £7.5 million cut to the budget for police community support officers, and they are often on the front line in tackling anti-social behaviour.
As for green energy, you might need to put up with more pylons to connect to the grid some of the undoubted potential in Wales.
The Prime Minister is relying on patience (and a tolerance of short term pain) from voters in Wales and across the UK.
It isn’t simply centre-left politicians, though, and in the US it is much the same.
Donald Trump wants to impose enormous tariffs, give a much lower corporate tax (the rate he has in mind is 15 per cent), offer a raft of individual tax cuts, with a lot of people not paying tax AT ALL, and ensure that 10 regulations are cut (many of which protect people’s rights) for every ONE that’s imposed (last time the pledge was only to cut TWO for every one imposed!).
But analysts are highly sceptical.
Experts calculate that this will cost the taxpayer between $1.3 trillion and $4 trillion – the vast difference reflects the uncertainty surrounding these political promises.
So my advice is that whenever you listen to a politician making a pledge at election time, have a large amount of salt handy!
Other stories Phil has covered in his long journalistic career, as he was gripped by the rare neurological condition Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have been released in a major book ‘A GOOD STORY’. Order it now!
