So, which party's leader came out with the following quote in the last few days?

People don't mind paying tax, as long as they get something in return.

Whose leader do you think came out with that lefty sentiment? The Greens? The LibDems (perhaps with an eye on maternity pay and universal child benefits)? Respect? The SNP? Even (ulp, perhaps the bobble-hat covered earpiece crackled at the vital moment) the Labour Party..?

Think again, Comrades. It was that renowned social democrat and convert to the public spending cause, Mr Michael Howard, launching the manifesto.

If you ask me, it echoes Oliver Wendell Holmes' utopian statement carved into the US Treasury Building: Taxes are what we pay for civilised society