I do accept your point that the so-called fair fuel duty “stabiliser” will serve to provide greater economic stability. But I think the point would be lost on many people.
Indeed, by the time the Coservatives come into power the price of oil will probably have reached an unrealistic high and will be falling or if not already stable.
It offers not a crumb of comfort for those struggling to pay their bills.

a “little” cheating would be an improvement.

Young people will always rebel and react against the Govt, if given really obvious reasons to do so. The 10p fiasco, the non-election, student fees are such reasons.

Plus the fact that Brown doesn’t look like he’s ever smoked a joint, whereas Cameron needed a bit of luck to avoid being expelled for doing so. If I were a kid, I’d be much more likely to be voting tory than I am.

It’s certainly sound economicallyto smooth out tax-raising, but politically he might be making a rod for his own back.

Perhaps Osborne’s hedge-fund friends have tipped him the wink that they can manipulate the price downwards once he gets in and thereby boost the tax revenues. (politically not great, but economically sound and he’d be in by then anyway so who cares about the polls then?)

That may mean they have *more* respect for politicians than older people