Steve, put very succinctly-however if you recall from the last election Labour was voted in on a mandate of lower personal taxation- democratically I recall. The fact that the electorate supports an action because they envisage the government will cave and fuel prices will lessen says a lot about society today.i.e I want it all I want it now and if I can get away with not paying for it all the better . Anyway, I am one of the minority who would be happy to see higher N.I. and tax for proper provision in the health service and education and I would insist of compulsory savings toward pension provision. I am afraid when 1 in 4 of working people in this country do not have any kind of non state pension provision then I think it says something about the state of affairs. However, I should think any political party expounding the same would likely lose its deposit (Who are the lib dems anyway)