Way back in 2007 when things started to go wrong, the bottom started to fall out of the stock market, the pound began to lose value against the dollar and the euro, Brown refused to even countenance the word “recession”.
Eventually, of course, the inevitable happened, and although everyone else had been talking about it for weeks, Brown eventually stuttered the word for the first time at question time in the Commons. Of course it was nothing to do with him at that point. Oh no sir. It had started in America. Then it had spread to France and Germany, and, as I recall, a list of other countries as long as your arm before daring to show its face on these shores.
The proud boast of the Prime Minister that he had beaten “boom and bust” with his “prudent” policies had turned out not just to be wrong, but to be disastrously and monumentally wrong. In fact just about as wrong as you could get.
While other countries were suffering a light or medium recession (mainly caused by the knock on effect of America’s serious downturn) the UK with its disastrous light touch policies on the massive financial centres in Edinburgh and London, the house price boom (which MPs had been so quick to exploit) and credit card lending on a scale previously unknown, fell deeper and deeper into depression.
With it being impossible to refute, Brown had admitted that policies needed to be put into place to deal with the financial situation, but he dithered as always and many of the policies remained just that. Of course there wasn’t that much to fix in Britain so he decided that he had to “save the world” (which of course involved a shed load of grandstanding with the Presidents of China and the US). He even, at one stage, told us that he had, in fact, done just that. Doesn’t it make you....erm .... proud?
The reality is that it was all in his dreams. His government’s handling of the crisis, in fact, was lamentable and all the more amazing when you consider that he imported so-called City experts into the government (and thus the aristocracy) in order to advise him.
Still he told us that Britain, because of his prudent policies, was better placed than other countries to come out of the recession early and in better fettle than our partners in the EU.
The reality of the situation is, of course, that whilst our continental neighbours have started to come out of their medium depth recessions, “the [British] economy shrank for a record sixth quarter in a row between July and September, new figures showed today. Forecasters had predicted slight growth but their hopes were dashed and the UK remains mired in the longest period of continuous decline since records began in 1955”.
Wouldn’t it be nice if just once in a while you could believe something the Prime Minister says? And wouldn’t it be nice if somewhere in this population of 60 million there was someone who knew something about running an economy for the good of the people, not just a few troughing bankers, MPs and Lords.
Eventually, of course, the inevitable happened, and although everyone else had been talking about it for weeks, Brown eventually stuttered the word for the first time at question time in the Commons. Of course it was nothing to do with him at that point. Oh no sir. It had started in America. Then it had spread to France and Germany, and, as I recall, a list of other countries as long as your arm before daring to show its face on these shores.
The proud boast of the Prime Minister that he had beaten “boom and bust” with his “prudent” policies had turned out not just to be wrong, but to be disastrously and monumentally wrong. In fact just about as wrong as you could get.
While other countries were suffering a light or medium recession (mainly caused by the knock on effect of America’s serious downturn) the UK with its disastrous light touch policies on the massive financial centres in Edinburgh and London, the house price boom (which MPs had been so quick to exploit) and credit card lending on a scale previously unknown, fell deeper and deeper into depression.
With it being impossible to refute, Brown had admitted that policies needed to be put into place to deal with the financial situation, but he dithered as always and many of the policies remained just that. Of course there wasn’t that much to fix in Britain so he decided that he had to “save the world” (which of course involved a shed load of grandstanding with the Presidents of China and the US). He even, at one stage, told us that he had, in fact, done just that. Doesn’t it make you....erm .... proud?
The reality is that it was all in his dreams. His government’s handling of the crisis, in fact, was lamentable and all the more amazing when you consider that he imported so-called City experts into the government (and thus the aristocracy) in order to advise him.
Still he told us that Britain, because of his prudent policies, was better placed than other countries to come out of the recession early and in better fettle than our partners in the EU.
The reality of the situation is, of course, that whilst our continental neighbours have started to come out of their medium depth recessions, “the [British] economy shrank for a record sixth quarter in a row between July and September, new figures showed today. Forecasters had predicted slight growth but their hopes were dashed and the UK remains mired in the longest period of continuous decline since records began in 1955”.
Wouldn’t it be nice if just once in a while you could believe something the Prime Minister says? And wouldn’t it be nice if somewhere in this population of 60 million there was someone who knew something about running an economy for the good of the people, not just a few troughing bankers, MPs and Lords.
Tris...
ReplyDeleteAnd to think Brown lectured other European leaders at the G20 summit to follow his examples for stimulating the economy back into growth.
Thankfully for them they did not and now look at them, they are back in growth.
Strange, the Labour papers in Scotland tell us all that the recession is over yet lambast Scotland's economy and blame the SNP but fail to report on the UK recession.
Gordon Brown was a rubbish calculator pusher and a crap PM.
The UN should move in and remove him for all our sakes :)
It's not surprising Spook that when Brown lectured everyone and set about "saving the world" most leaders ignored him completely.
ReplyDeleteThis is a man who has overseen some of the stupidest financial policies ever. His flogging off UK gold at rock bottom prices was the act of a financial moron; his raid on the pensions ruined one of the few things that Britian had done better than most other countries, leaving millions with pathetic coverage in a country where the state pension is a joke. The "anglo-saxon" model where everyone no matter how poor must own their own house, have 5 credit cards, and live entirely on credit, based on house prices, was another thing that, whilst he didn't start, he certainly encouraged.
It occurred to me at one point that if house prices kept rising at 10-20% p.a and wages rose at 4-6%, it would be only a matter of time before the only people who could to get onto the housing ladder would be the royal family, who don't need them as they have grace and favours, and MPs, who lie to get us to pay for them.
The man is, without doubt the Moose Murders of British politics. I'm glad he has never admitted to being Scottish!
I guess its a case of telling too many lies. Now when Brown opens his mouth people don’t believe him before he has said anything. He loves to try these little tricks and often enough they work for the first time, like re-launching yourself, it works once maybe but by the sixth time in 2 years its wearing a bit thin. Its much the same with all his lies over the economy, they come thick and fast and often contradict each other until as I said people go into “don’t believe” mode before he speaks.
ReplyDeleteBut the Tories recently tried the “telling it like it is” game with a huge stress on honesty about how awful things are and how bad its going to be. But that did not seem to work either. That’s not what people seem to want to hear. No wonder then that some are inclined to turn to the quick fix knee jerk policies of say the BNP or UKip. Either way: note to David Cameron “wait till you have the keys to Number 10 BEFORE you start dishing out the nasty medicine”. Simples!!
Difficult one to solve Munguin. We are a bit fickle with the politicians... we moan when they tell us the truth and we moan when they lie through their teeth.... Although, many people moaned when the Tories were telling it the way it is, it hasn't adversely affected their poll ratings.
ReplyDelete