Labour Gets the Boot

Britain's Labour Party must be missing Tony Blair about now. From Investor's Business Daily:

For Labour, it was the worst election in 40 years. In a massive
turnout, the Conservative Party took 256 seats in parliament, along with control
of 12 town councils and 44% of the vote. Labour and moderate Liberal Democrats
got to split the remains, and even the Liberal Democrats ,with 25%, won more
than Labour.

Here's why:

At a time of high oil prices, Labour taxed motor fuel and, for good
measure, threw on a $16 daily "congestion tax" in the city of London. It also
made a $5 billion raid on company pensions, which had been the best of Europe,
and left British pensioners poorer.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown also imposed
a 10% payroll tax that was so ill-received it drove angry fishmongers in the
Labour stronghold of Bury (now turned Tory) to yell "Brown Out" until the tax
was withdrawn.
In London, green taxes were tacked onto everything from
renewable-energy schemes to plastic bags. This month, Londoners are bracing for
a $50-a-day tax to be slapped on those driving SUVs or luxury cars.

American Democrats and "compassionate conservatives" should take note, that socialist policies destroying wealth and chasing corporations out of the country by over-taxing them is no way to make themselves popular. The lessons of Reagan and Thatcher still hold true.