“Read my lips,” Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance

Last night’s Newsnight focused on the row between George Osborne and Iain Duncan Smith over expensive changes to the welfare system. Cuts to universal benefits, such as the Winter Fuel Allowance, appear to be the compromise on the table. David Cameron famously referred to Labour literature during the election that warned of these cuts as “lies“. But Sunder Katwala has unearthed another unfortunate turn of phrase used by David Cameron to reassure voters.

Next Left today dig out David Cameron’s eve of election mimic of President George H. W. Bush. On May 4th, referring to pensioner provisions such as the Winter Fuel Allowance, David Cameron told an election rally:

“And let me say very clearly to pensioners if you have a Conservative Government your Winter Fuel Allowance, your bus pass, your Pension Credit, your free TV licence all these things are safe. You can read my lips, that is a promise from my heart. Don’t believe the lies you’re being told by the Labour Party just because they’ve got nothing positive to say.”

As the BBC’s Nick Robinson blogged at the time:

“It’s an unfortunate phrase given its history. George Bush Sr was the first to say “read my lips”. The rest of the sentence was “no new taxes”. It helped him win the presidency in 1988. He went on to raise taxes to reduce the deficit and “read my lips” became shorthand for broken political promises.”

Watch President Bush’s famous remarks:

Labour leadership contender David Miliband has launched a campaign calling for David Cameron to “come clean on Winter Fuel Payments”. You can join the campaign here.

http://twitter.com/wdjstraw/status/21563389311 Will Straw

David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/mediaactivist/status/21563399641 Jay Baker

RT @leftfootfwd: "Read my lips," Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/therailwayman/status/21563409275 Steve Wakefield

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/michael2lewis/status/21563413487 Michael Lewis

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/jackstone36/status/21563434870 Jack Stone

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/21563443682 Shamik Das

"Read my lips," Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance: http://bit.ly/ceZlbK <— Cameron's deceit exposed @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/jackstone36/status/21563459601 Jack Stone

RT @leftfootfwd: "Read my lips," Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/snookcocker/status/21563510805 Reverend TykeTaff

RT @leftfootfwd: "Read my lips," Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/teachertalks/status/21563526963 TeacherTalks

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/rosarubicondior/status/21563573536 Rosa Rubicondior

RT @leftfootfwd: "Read my lips," Cameron… on Winter Fuel Allowance http://bit.ly/ceZlbK >Would YOU believe a spiv's promise? #NastyParties
http://twitter.com/cllrcowley/status/21563585485 James Cowley

RT @leftfootfwd: "Read my lips," Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/drjonathanphd/status/21563860315 Jonathan Davies

RT @wdjstraw David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK #ukpolitics
http://twitter.com/pmphillips/status/21563870387 Pete Phillips

RT @leftfootfwd "Read my lips," Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/lockpickernet/status/21564609380 LockPickerNet

"Read my lips," Cameron told voters on Winter Fuel Allowance http://bit.ly/ceZlbK via @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/potofstu/status/21565233664 Stuart Miles

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/owencotterill/status/21565331233 Owen Cotterill

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/alexsavage4/status/21567827833 Alex Savage

Why you should never use the phrase 'read my lips' on the campaign trail – http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/nextleft/status/21568566712 Sunder Katwala

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
http://twitter.com/saltsea/status/21570415230 Ella Saltmarshe

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
Patrick Raeburn

And be these juggling fiends no more believed,That palter with us in a double sense;That keep the word of promise to our ear,And break it to our hope.

MACBETH ACT V Scene VIII

I think the above quote Summarises Cameron’s and the Coalitions promises.
http://twitter.com/khutchinsondean/status/21602794063 KieranHutchinsonDean

RT @wdjstraw: David Cameron borrowed President Bush's "Read my lips" promise. Will he also break it? http://bit.ly/ceZlbK
AJ

What exactly is this progressive website’s view on regressive universal benefits like this one? That would be more interesting than naff political points like this one.

And yes, I know this post is about a politician’s mendacity and not the substantive issue. But you are avoiding the substantive issue because you would sooner make the purely political point than admit you agree with the substance of the decision Cameron might make. This looks like courage of the Gordon Brown variety.
Mr. Sensible

When Cameron said that, I was sceptical at the time given what my local council was up to.

I have been proved right.
http://twitter.com/angelholme/status/51438439257735170 angelholme

#condem (re Winter Fuel Allowance) http://bit.ly/ceZlbK vs http://yhoo.it/hHI1oR Can Cameron do anything other than lie?