Are the Tories guilty of incompetence?

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

The prevailing media narrative in recent weeks has revolved around the unfairness of coalition cuts – especially those relating to housing and child benefit. However, it appears that the shadow cabinet are changing tack this morning, moving the focus away from unfairness, and towards incompetence as the major criticism of the government.

Speaking to BBC News this morning, Alan Johnson attacked the “incompetence and inconsistency” over the means testing of child benefit:

“What the Conservatives have done is not thought this through, we’re now seeing incompetence and we’re seeing inconsistency.”

“What happens if a mother, perhaps widowed, if she goes to live with her parents and her father is a higher rate taxpayer? What happens if she forms a relationship with someone? Has she got to record every person that she has met to determine whether they’re a higher rate taxpayer.”

Later this morning, Douglas Alexander upped the ante further by referring to a “Thick of It” style panic over child benefit implementation ever since Iain Martin of the Wall Street Journal reported a senior official describing the proposed change as “unenforceable”.

Whilst attacking the Tories on the grounds of unfairness (especially over cuts) is important and neccessary, it is a little too easy. That sort of messaging doesn’t bring down governments – after all no-one votes Tory in the belief that they will see increased fairness – but the charge of incompetence is a killer for an administration, and once it sticks it’s incredibly difficult to shed. Expect to see this line repeated and seized upon by the party in the coming days. And if it sticks, expect to see a knock-on in the poll ratings.