Presentation, presentation, presentation

A lot of nonsense has been written about Brown being different from Blair. Don't believe it. In one vital respect, at least, they are tediously alike. Take, er, its presentation of things. The recent tax reforms are a case in point. They are ideologically presented as an abolition of tax, something that, up to a point, sounds good. The 'abolition of the ten pence tax rate' has become the way this tax reform has been described. All the media describe it as such. On further investigation, though, the tax change is really about lifting up five million people to the 20 pence thresh hold - thus their tax rate will almost double. But "Doubling the tax rate on the poorest" wouldn't sound New Labour enough. Hence, 'abolishing the 10 pence tax rate'. The presentation is all.