ON national radio, Michael Portillo outlined his plans to give back £8 billion in tax cuts.

The money, he said, is that which the current Chancellor has in his ''war chest''.

In effect, this is Mr Portillo putting his fingers into the ''cookie jar''.

Pressed on what actions he would take to ensure he could continue to provide tax cuts, he was obviously reticent in committing himself. However, on two points he did provide some clarification.

Firstly, he would take universities out of the public domain. In other words, he would privatise them.

Would this mean that different universities could charge whatever rates they choose for their tuition fees? Would then our elite universities become available only to those with the ability to pay?

Secondly, a list of core operations would be provided on the NHS. Any operations not on this list, and the patient would have to pay for them.

Such operations could include hip replacements and cataract removal. The current cost for these operations under private treatment is £6,500 and £2,600 respectively.

Such creative accounting reminds me of the old adage, "you get owt for nowt."

Mike Ashall

Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Redditch

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