Well bugger me. I have been away for a few days, locked in my ivory tower, counting my gold etc, and come back to see M'unlearned friend mentioning me in a thread. Nice to feel wanted I suppose...

You know, feeling strongly about tax dodging is noble. Feeling strongly about conservatives can be noble too.

But to differentiate tax dodgers who happen to have a different political view to you? That is rather odious and not worthy of debate in decent company.

Though as there's bugger all decent about me, I'll debate it anyway.

Assuming that by tax avoidance we are speaking about illegal behaviour, then we have courts and a few competent legal dudes (in the main) to deal with that. If however, we are lumping in those who analyse the tax system to ensure they are only paying what they are legally due for, then that is another matter.

I am not a conservative, and have never (hitherto) voted for them. I also think their solution to the chronic public debt situation is both knee jerk, founded on hysteria and relying on a false hope, that of private sector recovery.

But they are the only party who seem to hate debt, the only party who don't see managing debt as being the same as managing wealth, the only party who at least acknowledge the idea of "one nation," whilst I am listing their good points.

Cast your vote as you wish, you'll get the government. A labour government will perhaps have a bit more thought for the more vulnerable in society and a conservative government will try to ensure we can afford to look after the more vulnerable in society. But that's the only real difference.

The both have card carrying members either in prison, about to go to prison, (I once got drunk with Elliot Morley, not a nice piece of work...) or know what a prison cell looks like.

They both have tax dodgers... I wouldn't recommend using "I am Labour" as a prefix to moaning about Ashcroft & Osborne. Some kind person might whisper "Maxwell."

Oh, and Tony Benn wants for nothing more than a flask of tea and a few history books. His inherited wealth is rather irrelevant don't you think?