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Finance (No. 2) Bill

Indeed. To simplify, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, which is, of course, not a member of the European Union—I am open to criticism, because I do not know all those countries intimately—all have high-wage, high-social- safety-net, high-taxation economies, and what do we find? On the UN’s happiness index—I hope that hon. Members will forgive me, but I do not know exactly how that index is created by the UN—those countries, presumably on the basis of how happy people are there, come out higher on the smileometer than we do and higher than countries that have that wonderful, low-tax regime, because they have a social security net, which certainly all Labour Members and, I hope, all other hon. Members wish to see. We must bear in mind that the measures in the Bill—they are broadly decried by the two main Opposition parties, both of whom, I am saddened to know, have said they will vote against the Bill—are intended to make us more of a caring society, where we have continuing opportunity, prosperity, economic stability and dignity of work for those who can work. We are continuing to lay down the seedcorn for the future, by educating our young and giving them skills, as well as making training available to older people, particularly those who are not currently in work. That is the way that we will counteract globalisation. When I set it out in three sentences like that, I agree with the House that it sounds quite platitudinous. Often the simple things in life—the right things to do in life—are platitudinous. If one said, ““I think that people should show respect for other people””, I suspect that all right hon. and hon. Members would put up their hands and say, ““Oh, yes, you should show respect for other people””—something that I passionately agree with—but it does sound platitudinous. However, the platitudes are sometimes worth saying. They do not come out of thin air, and simply talking the talk, as it is now called, is not sufficient. The building blocks of a modern civilised society, as most hon. Members would call it, do not drop out of the sky. Unfortunately, some electors seem to think that they do, but they come about because of political decisions taken for ideological reasons by the Government, as manifested in things such as the Budget. That is not to say that the Budget and the Finance No. 2 Bill are perfect, but they are a concrete realisation of ideological positions taken by a majority of hon. Members. Unless there is such a concrete manifestation, it all remains talk. To talk is cheap, as we all know—although with the amount that we get paid, one could argue that it is expensive—and it must be put into action. The Opposition are simply taking a few pot shots at the Bill, by saying, ““Oh, we’re not going to vote for it””, knowing full well that, on past trends, it is very likely to pass tonight, because, fortunately, the Labour party, of which I am a long-standing member, has a majority. That is a cop-out by Opposition Members. The Bill is not perfect, but it contains a large number of measures that are steps forward on the road to building the kind of—for shorthand—Scandinavian economy and society that I should like to see in the United Kingdom; a route on which the Government have been engaged for the past nine years, and long may they continue on it.