The world of politics is a we all now know, a game played by mainly public school educated career minded individuals. The whole process of politicking has long since dropped the straight policy model, and is now a full-on American style popularity contest with the tweet being almost as important as the white paper. Bandwagons are leapt for political gain, irrespective of true allegiance, and the latest bandwagon to be leapt on is the issue of bingo taxation.
However, this may be to bingo’s advantage, as it would appear that some politicians are now playing the ‘bingo card’. Many cards are played for different motives, the ‘race card’, and the ‘tough on crime card’ being the most frequently used. It now appears that a new card has arisen. The ‘bingo card’ is now being played by politicians as an assertion of their care about the ‘community’.
It has recently been claimed that bingo is an important ‘community resource’, a ‘fact’ that various politicians have been using in an attempt to gain support for the campaign to lower the current unfair bingo taxation level. David Skelton presents a very coherent and succinct argument in support of taxation reduction in his article “If we Tories are the real workers’ party, we’ll cut taxes on bingo” on the ‘conservative home’ website.
He deploys a lot of hard facts in his article, covering bingo attendance, employment figures, and references the Henley Centre’s finding of the detrimental effects bingo hall closures have on local communities. It is quite surprising that a call for support of what is basically a working class institution is coming from the right, however, it does fit in with Mr Skelton’s attempt to broaden the appeal of the conservatives, with particular reference to the working classes and ethnic minorities.
While his assertion that bingo halls are the type of place that “we Conservatives, rightly, cherish.” is perhaps laughable coming from a Tory, (what about the polo?!), the same might be said for many Labour politicians. However, issues of political gain and motivation aside, what he and many other politicians are doing, is highlighting exactly why the taxes should be lowered. The calls to reduce the taxation on the grounds that it is simply ‘unfair’ don’t really carry much weight, because, as we all know, life is not fair. What the campaign needs, and is now happening is for support to be garnered not based on sentiment, but, as Mr Skelton has done, coherent, supported and forceful argument, that reference both the economic and societal impact of taxation.
Whether the support from the right is a real turnaround for the ‘little person’, or just another vote grabber is perhaps another question, but if it works for bingo…
Well done David Skelton, thank you for showing your support by doing your homework, the cause needs your more academic approach, press coverage of MPs calling the numbers does help, but it is hard facts like yours that will hopefully win the argument.
