Tough but fair ??

Almost this very day last year, at the 2009 Tory Party conference, the then Shadow Chancellor said:

"We will preserve child benefit, winter fuel payments and free TV licenses. They are valued by millions."

OK - we can all change our minds ... but to claim that its tough but fair that:

- a family with one worker earning £45,000 with one parent staying at home to care for their three children will lose the grand total of £2,400 per year

- compared to a couple with two people earning £42,000 each (£84,000 earnings in total!) who will lose absolutely nothing

... just seems to underline how badly thought-out today's Child Benefit changes have been.

I just don't see the above scenario as being fair at all - but that scenario is exactly what's going to happen come 2013 :-(

And that's before you consider all the arguments about the ending of universality?