Friday, October 17, 2008

Cameron Starts the Conservative Fightback

David Cameron's speech at Bloomberg this morning attempted to answer two questions: how did we get into this mess, and how can we get out of it? Not an easy thing to do in a 45 minute speech.

It certainly signalled a more robust approach by David Cameron, who laid the blame fairly and squarely at the feet of the Prime Minister. Many have interpreted this as the end of the truce. If it is, good. Cameron and Osborne need to get back in the driving seat on economic policy, as the results of a poll for today's Daily Politics show.

Over the last two weeks Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling have nearly doubled their lead over David Cameron and George Osborne as the team more trusted on the economy (from 6% lead to 11% lead) according to. When asked in the poll who people trust most to steer Britain's economy through the current downturn 42% of those polled said Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling (up from 40% on 3rd October); 31% said David Cameron and George Osborne (down from 34%); with 7% of those polled saying Nick Clegg and Vince Cable (up from 5%).

I am not remotely surprised by that. In such times it is extremely difficult for an Opposition to make their voices heard and the media coverage is dominated by those in power. But Cameron's speech has a single message: we're back, and we intend to demonstrate what we would do to rescue our economy. The speech demolished the left's argument that the centre-right has no answers to the crisis. I'm not going to analyse it line by line - you get go to ConHome for that,

The thing I liked about the speech, apart from the bits explaining how Brown got us here, was that Cameron set out his roadmap for a far more balanced economy. Instead of an economy reliant on debt and the City, the Conservatives would create a framework that draws upon a much wider range of industries, markets, people, towns and cities. Cameron also was eloquent in outlining how he would repair public finances and financial services, making the point that it is not a case of replacing the free market but fixing it.


The failure to regulate U.S. sub-prime mortgages was an American failure. And the failure to regulate public and private debt in Britain was a British failure. It was a failure Gordon Brown was warned about time and again. And time and again he ignored those warnings. Four years ago he was telling the city: “I want us to do even more to encourage the risk takers”. Two years ago, he was dismissing calls for what he called a “regulatory crackdown” on the City. And only last year, he was celebrating what he called a “golden age for the City of London”….

…Now he’s describing that very same time an “Age of Irresponsibility”.

“A Golden Age” to an “Age of Irresponsibility” – in less than a year. That’s what I call a Rock of Stability.

Does Gordon Brown really think he’s going to get away with that? He cannot hide from his mistakes. He cannot hide from the truth.
I think this speech struck the right balance, It wasn't heavy on detail on the issue of what the Conservatives would do to prevent the recession. In my view it is too late to do that anyway, all any government can do is to mitigate some of its effects. Cameron outlined a few measures but didn't go further. I understand that there will be further speeches doing this over the next few weeks. If you are a wise politician you don't announce everything all at one, because if all you do is repeat announcements, the media loses interest.

So I thought this speech served its purpose. It put down markers for the future and gave an indication of a new Conservative approach. Just as importantly, it put the blame where it deserves to be. Firmly at Gordon Brown's feet.

72 comments:

  1. Cameron was vague, telling us nothing new.

    And on the same morning Osborne was shredded on the Today programme.

    It does not bode well for the Tories I'm afraid.

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  2. The Tory claim that public debt is a contributor to this holds no merit.

    I challenge anyone to come up with a serious reason that tells me why Northern Rock or Lehman's collapse has anything to do with public borrowing. It's a joke proposition and if the Tories really believed it why were are they still pledging to match Labour's spending plans - and hence borrowing - for the first year they spend in office.

    FAIL.

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  3. I listened to Osborne on the Today programme and he came across as weak and ineffectual,he may well be a chum of Camerons but the Tories need someone who has mastery of his brief i.e. John Redwood.

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  4. As a blame casting finger-pointing exercise it was pretty good.

    Most criticism will come from those who expect(ed) Cameron to lay out a detailed route-map out of the economic shambles.

    I'm not convinced that is the job of an Opposition. We've got months ahead of us of much worse news than to date. It's unlikely that any government (or Opposition) can put up an instant get-out-of-trouble plan.

    But Cameron is right to highlight the fact that Brown is doing everything he can to avoid the slightest responsibility for where we are. So the question is, do you trust the liar?

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  5. Cameron is right that in the medium and long term we need to repair the public finances and get to a balanced economy. But for the next year or two the deficit needs to widen. We need sharp tax cuts now to avoid deflation.

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  6. "Most criticism will come from those who expect(ed) Cameron to lay out a detailed route-map out of the economic shambles.

    I'm not convinced that is the job of an Opposition. We've got months ahead of us of much worse news than to date. It's unlikely that any government (or Opposition) can put up an instant get-out-of-trouble plan."

    Well said. Imagine if Cameron did actually announce more specifics. Next week in the HoC, a dour nose-picker rises to his feet "M-m-m-m Mr. Speaker; I announce my new economic recovery policies. They came to me in a dream."

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  7. It was good to hear that Britain would be encouraged to start making things again under a Conservative government

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  8. Iain,

    I half-agree with you. He (at last!) provided a robust critique of Brown and explained how he thought Labour had contributed to the problem. But in terms of setting out what he'd do to get us out of it, I thought he was extremely poor. Coupled with Osborne's embarrassing performance on Today, it's all adding to the impression that now's not the time to be turning to the Tories. No wonder that 'novice' line put the wind up Cameron so much - he knows he's out of his depth on the economy and getting precious little input from Osborne.

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  9. Come off it, Iain. The speech was pretty lame. Why should I vote Conservative if their leader won't tell me how he's going to solve the biggest problem that would be in his prime ministerial in-tray?

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  10. I was pleased to hear him getting stuck in to Brown but he has to be careful not to over-do that. Trying to say it's all Brown's fault lacks credibility with the public who can see that it's clearly a global problem (to some extent, at least). A difficult line to tread, I know.

    (By the way, what is up with Osborne? He was useless this morning.)

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  11. If Brown tells us when the election will be then I'm sure Cameron will tell us what his recovery plan will be.

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  12. There's one thing that's emerged from Dave's speech today......Gideon has to go. He's totally ineffectual.
    Bring back Clarke. I don't like his European stance but he'd wipe the floor with Darling and Brown!

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  13. Why was George sat on the stage?

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  14. We do need to get back to making things again. Creating real wealth not paper money

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  15. You said it Iain, it gave an indication. We need more than that.

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  16. Vague,out of his depth, nothing concrete, tinkering at the edges- the economy need stimulating not strangling-

    A very poor outing for the potential next PM ( Osborne sounded like a whining sixth former on Radio 4- sack him he is enbarrassing)

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  17. Looks like the Useless Tories are back.

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  18. What is there new to tell ...

    Trolls trolls trolls ....

    Route map ? From where? The mass has a lot further to go yet.

    We have had some inadvertent tax cuts thanks to the 10 fiasco. The Olympics are committing us to a raft of spending, pity its all pointless. We need a radical overhaul of the tax system ... no hostages to fortune yet ...

    More trolls trolls trolls ...

    Solutions? The solution is easy ... its just not very palitable ... PAIN PAIN and more PAIN. When the Tories get a look at the books we will all realise what a disaster Brown has dropped us into....

    The whole paradigm of the last 11 years of Brown is , as Cameron pointed out, building an economy predicated to financial services. Unfortunately the govt chose to deal with the barrow boys of the sector not the fine art salesmen.

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  19. I've been asking myself for the past two week's "Where's Geoorge" but after his performance this morning (with one of the Programme's weaker interviewers at that), to quote Prime Minister Attlee he's "not up to the job"

    There are two powerful alternatives either John Redwood or Ken Clarke but whatever else DC is being let down by his chum. Jeff Randall had Osbourne bang to rights this morning

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  20. Osborne had nothing to say on the Today programme apart from setting up a government quango.

    Going back on their unity call makes Tories look opportunitistic and cavalier - exactly what Borwn's tam wants, so well done for playing into their hands...

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  21. What about the elephant in the room? No mention of that in Cameron's speech. He would still have to go cap in hand to Brussels to get permission to do ANYTHING. Look at the Lloyds/HBOS merger, no dividends for 5 years, why, because the EU says so.

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  22. Any respect Brown may have earned over the past couple of weeks will quickly evaporate the closer we get to an election, when people recall the basic fact of life in NuLab UK: you pay ever-increasing tax for ever-decreasing public services. Unlike the NuLab trolls on this forum, the public aren't actually too stupid to work this one out.

    Ultimately it's the sheet waste of public money and the lack of productivity of the dysfunctional public sector that will drive people away from Labour. And all the corruption of course (remind me again of the going price for an exemption from tabacco legislation?).

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  23. Iain,

    But you had a real go at those of us who asked the pertinent question "Where are Cameron and Osborne?" in an earlier blog some days ago. You certainly got upset!

    I and those that took a similar viewpoint were demanding a speech such as this weeks ago! Not today.

    The truth is that Brown sidelined both opposition parties into supporting what he was doing! That was done without any recall of parliament and, thus, any debate!
    I do not call that democracy. It would have been far far better to have called for a recall of Parliament as soon as the problem arose! The people may have taken a more sympathetic view of the stance of both opposition parties.

    This speech was, in my opinion, too little too late.

    I am also of the view that Cameron must beef up his treasury team. I would welcome Ken Clarke back leading with John Redwood. Two fighters!! Not Boy George, who ,again in my opinion, prefers to throw silly and childish taunts rather than get involved in a real fight.

    Another area Cameron should consider, is getting all the former Tory Chancellor's together to look at the situation and advise him on sensible options for the future.

    He does appear to like to have his chosen 'few' around him. I am sorry he must show he is willing to listen and to involve more.

    That he has not brought back David Davis is also quite amazing.But that, again, is my opinion.

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  24. Oh the Annoymous trolls are out again - Camerons rattled their cage!

    Ann 11.34 - Debt, and falling assets is your answer. Go and read a good article on the subject there are many around.

    Ann 11.49 - So you'd rather stay with the person that cause the problem would you? Why should the Tories give away policy details - they'll be pinched by 'super man'. Cameron out of his depth? - for heaven's sake Brown's been 'out of his depth' for 11 years: and continues.

    Ann 11.52 - you wouldn't vote conservative anyway. But, why you vote for a man who is definately going to make you worse off, heaven only knows. What I totally resent about you is that you vote for someone who has and will make me worse off as well - despite the evidence infront of your nose!!

    Cameon has made a good start he needs to keep going. Many, many, many of us just know Brown is the problem, and we want it shouting from the rooftops.

    Nick Clegg is the worst kind of double crossing politician out to make hay as soon as he catches a sight of 'moonlight'.

    The media can call it 'breaking the unity' if they like, but no one agreed that Brown was not to blame. They are just lazy, dull reporters repeating the spin from Labour. The 'man in the pub' is telling a different story - they need to get out amoungst their customers more!!


    Ann

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  25. I was going to say what I though of the speech and Iain's speech but I'll just be - hilariously - dismissed as a Draper clone. But carry on ignoring the criticisms guys, it's worked well these past 11 years.

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  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  27. Guido not so sure...

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  28. The comres poll is unweighted and therefore pretty useless

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  29. Well said Summer! Brown has always believed that if he repeats his boring mantra over and over again, it will eventually sink into peoples heads. The fact that most of the thoughts of Chairman Brown are now being hastily dumped and forgotten (by him!), he expects everyone else to forget also. Having experienced the trap of being bitten by his own words, an intelligent man would rapidly learn never to be caught out again.

    Instead, the braggart can't help himself, and is off on his "saviour of the world" tour and repeating his "Five new Rules for International Banking" to anyone idiot enough to listen. He's forgotten all about the last 10 years and can only recall Conservatives failures from 20 years ago! He really is stark raving mad!

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  30. Sorry Iain - this is not about media coverage - and Vince Cable is proof about that. It is about having something to say and the Tories just haven't. They have been bland and clearly lack the clout that Cable has or that Darling and Brown have demonstrated. Cameron's speech today is nearly an economic Cameron relaunch because he has been vacuos of late.

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  31. The idea that the Tories warned aboubt debt levels is fantasy. I challenge you to find any reference to it, other than after repeated warnings from Vince Cable.

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  32. Considering all spin doctor reshuffle that's going on in No10, the return of the Prince of Darkness and Porno King and not forgetting the bye-election thats coming up, when is the most likely date for a snap election?

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  33. What was it Harperson said at the conference? Oh yeah...

    THE FIGHTBACK STARTS HERE! Hope Dave can keep sticking it to Crash Gordon and has learned his lesson when Brown chose to spit in his eye after Dave offered his support.

    No.10 Drowning Street

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  34. Molly, here you go...this report is from 2005.

    What Price Credit

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  35. This U-tube of Brown is amusing but for the circumstances we find the fatherland in!

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jbgwR1pA1k0

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  36. Gordon says the Tories are to blame! Whether they opposed his policies or not!

    The man is mad!

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  37. Cameron is a snake-oil merchant.

    Let's hone in on the blame game shall we? Did Cam explain how globally the Conservatives - as USA (for much of the time, if not entirely the last 20 months), Germany, Italy, France, Japan etc - are in the same damned global mess? And with less answers than Team GB.

    If he cannot do that he might as well stay home.

    And he certainly needs to have some answers of his own. Perhaps he should make a study of the car park at Tonbridge BR?

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  38. About time the Tories spoke up. The public have rumbled the left, never mind any spurious polls released by their fellow plotters.
    http://asuburbanvoterwrites.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-did-1917-happen-again.html

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  39. If this is start if the fight back, it's lucky that the next election is probably still some time off.

    With every passing day Osborne looks and sounds out of his depth. He was marmalised by the journalistic and presentational nonsense that is Sarah Montague this morning.

    If he's not up to the job in terms of the detail, functional knowledge or even intellect, then he needs to get some big hitters around him fast.

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  40. Summer,

    I posted anonymously at 11.49 (the second one). I'm not a troll and have never voted Labour. I just don't think Cameron and Osborne have been strong enough on this issue and the speech today only slightly reassured me. That's all. Go over to Guido's and you'll see plenty of non-anonymous Tory supporters who agree with me.

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  41. What an absolute joke. Not Cameron's speech - which was just the tonic both the party and country needed - but the amount of people Dolly Draper must be employing to fill in 40 comments in such a small splace of time.

    A few points:
    Cameron's speech addressed everything he had to - both the cause of this crisis (Brown) and the solution (electing a Conservative government).

    Anybody who thinks Osbourne was shredded on Today is not even a believable troll. His performance was solid in the face of a pro-Labour programme designed to trip him up. And don't believe the lie Vince Cable has performed well in this/warned about it in advance. He's a much a Labour sycophant as the Beed.

    Finally, the continued lie this is a "global crisis". Hardly. It was caused entirely by one Mr G Brown Esq.

    Now find something better to do, Labour trolls.

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  42. The Tories cannot solve the problem, neither can Labour or the Lid Dems.

    If the Tories win the next election; it'll be the same, nothing will change.

    If you (over) regulate the financial companies will move to Dubai or Singapore. Nothing can be dont to reign in capatilism. FOr politicans to say otherwise they are either stupid or incompetent.

    Government should provide Schooling, police, health service - leave eveything else to the market. Far better, far cheaper and far more honest.

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  43. As a "non-Labour" type I can say that for me the speech was alright as far as it went, but I came away thinking so what?

    I want to see Bean out ASAP, but really Dave...

    Are we having a re-run of the IRAQ war vote where the Tories went in and supported Labour without having checked as best they could first?

    We all know that for years this has left them unable to raise valid points.

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  44. Jon @ 2.18pm. Are you serious? All these criticisms are just being put up by Draper stooges? What about Guido? His post on the speech was pretty critical. Is he now in Brown's pocket? And Osborne did alright on Today? It was one of the feeblest performances I've heard for a long time. As for, 'this is all Brown's fault, not a global crisis', you are making yourself look foolish. I personally believe Brown's policies in recent years have made things worse for Britain but to say it's not a global problem is frankly stupid. Iceland? The US? Need I go on. I'm afraid, Jon, you are a clown. Maybe you should become one of Dave's economic advisers.

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  45. Iain,

    After reading the telegraph over lunch, especially the article written by Jeff Randall ("IF ANYONE CAN FIND OSBORNE,TELL HIM HIS COUNTRY NEEDS HIM") I do believe that I and many others - who you criticised in no uncertain terms- deserve an apology.

    Mr Randall has articulated, in a far more elequent manner, just what we all complained about - the absence of both Cameron and boy george!

    Indeed, having read this excellent article, I am convinced that Cameron got the tip off late last evening and had this morning's speech hastily written! hence his 'reading' the script - which I thought at the time was highly unusual.

    This whole episode shows he is being poorly advised or he is being arrogant in not taking advice!

    I watched with interest Question Time, last evening, which came from Stoke on Trent. The anger of the people over the money to the banks was, as I wrote on your blog, just the same as the anger I heard whilst attending hospital in the waiting room.

    WAKE UP Cameron.

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  46. Anonymous @ 2.27pm.

    Sorry to upset you Dolly. Still, I'm sure you'll get over it.

    If this is the best Labour can do, it's pathetic. Here's an idea - instead of employing staff to post pathetic criticisms on blogs of a speech which contained more sensible ideas on the economy than Brown's had in 11 years, why not put them to work sorting out the problem.

    Pathetic, Draper, pathetic.

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  47. Leave him, Jon, he's not worth it...

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  48. ... mind you, he's got a point, you are a twat.

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  49. It is of course all hypocritical nonsense from Cameron.

    A year ago he said at Conference:

     “Every generation of Conservatives has to make the argument all over again for free enterprise, for freedom, for responsibility, for limited government.”

     “I don't believe in an ever larger state doing more and more.”

     “…this new world of freedom is having huge effects on business and our economy. Big business can now locate anywhere in the world, small businesses can find customers anywhere in the world and Britain has some great advantages in this globalised world. Not least because of the changes we made 15 or 20 years ago.”

     “And I know that business wants to hear from the Conservative Party how we will reduce regulation and reduce taxation to give them more freedom in this new world… and we heard from Alan Duncan how we will introduce regulatory budgets to cut that regulation...”

     “[We will] get tax and regulation down for the long term good of our economy and that is the modern Conservative change for this new world of freedom.”

    The events of the last few months have shown undisputedly that what the corporate world needs is not, as Cameron a year ago tried to lead us to believe, less regulation but more. And now he is saying that too – what a hypocrite!

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  50. Hogwash Paddy. he has never said he wants more regulation. He wants better regulation. That is very different.

    This thread demonstrates how desperate the left are.

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  51. Paddy,

    You are absolutely spot on about Cameron's hypocrisy. Basically, the Tory position since 1979 (deregulation, let markets run unfettered etc) has been blown out of the water and as a result they have absolutely nothing to say about the global financial crisis. It's not just that he's a shallow PR man or that Osborne's out of his depth, the fundamental Tory ideology of the last 30 years has been discredited. I almost feel sorry for him.

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  52. Hogwash, Iain. Your original post demonstrates how desperate the right are on this.

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  53. Iain,

    That's a pretty facile defence, if you don't mind me saying. Is anyone saying they want 'worse' regulation? The point Paddy makes is a sound one. For years, Tories have been banging on about deregulation. Now all this happens and it's clear that there wasn't enough regulation, or rather enough effective regulation. The idea that it would have been helpful to have 'slashed' regulation has been shown to be foolish. And so, I'm afraid to say, are you on this thread.

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  54. Desperate stuff. Better = more effective, not more.

    Funny how every single one of these comments is anonymous, isn't it?

    just sayin'

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  55. But the point is that Tories have tended to say that 'regulation' is by definition 'bad' because it fetters the free market. Have a look at 'The Wealth of Nations', for example. The current crisis shows that to be wrong as an ideological position, at least for the contemporary situation.

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  56. To consider that the majority, if not all, of the anonymous pro left observations are coming from that failed phsycologist, Draper, and his childish morons, being paid out of the public purse, in offices paid from the public purse shows just how low Brown can go!

    Gordon Brown is a disgrace to democracy, to decency and I guess his father must be turning in his grave seeing what BROWN has turned into!

    BROWN could, of course, order Draper out into the streets (or gutter, I should say). He could order honesty and truth to be the order of the day. But somehow I doubt that he has the guts or 'moral compass' to show such decency.

    He has brought disgrace upon his high office.

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  57. Are you feeling OK, Strapworld?

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  58. The funny thing is, I've actually posted most of the anonymous posts here today (off sick and bored at home), so if this Draper unit really does exist they're a bunch of lazy bastards! Get posting, Dolly, I'm doing all this for free!

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  59. where was cameron during the tories financial meltdown

    slagging off Brown to this level will not work and is a sign of weakness

    Did Blair ??

    No the closer to power the more he said he wanted to work with the Government

    But what would the Conservatives have done differently ???

    Speak up Mr Osbourne

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  60. I didn't do that one just now at 3.18pm. I'd never misuse punctuation like that...Maybe that's a real Draper contribution.

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  61. Boris is right more deregulation of the City is what we need not more

    what wrong with City bonuses

    why are we slagging off our supporters in the City

    If only we had Boris and not Cameron

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  62. Hello ... is anybody in?

    Bullingdon Dave is a shallow salesman. No?

    Boy George is out of his depth - and a privileged toff. No?

    Come on, I want to play.

    I think Gordon's the best PM since Atlee. Actually, I've gone too far... sorry

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  63. This is from the Eureferendum blog:

    Friday, October 17, 2008

    An "Enron" speech

    Mr David Cameron has delivered a speech, heralding The Conservative plan for a responsible economy. Parts of it are good – some of it is very good, very good indeed.

    However, good or bad, in 4,956 words, there are two words missing: "European Union". Nowhere in this wide-ranging speech can those two words be found.

    Oddly enough, the speech opens with this stirring passage:

    Politics is about many things – the words you speak, the understanding you have of the problems we face, the vision you have, the policies you draw up and your ability to implement them.
    With this, of course, we could hardly disagree. But we would add a small rejoinder of our own. Politics is also about the words you don't speak. And in this case, the silence speaks volumes – it screams out and attacks, nay destroys the last part of the sentence: "…the policies you draw up and your ability to implement them".

    Mr Cameron, you need to be aware of a few facts of life – although I guess you must know them already, but they need restating:

    The regulation of financial services is an exclusive European Union competence – it comes under the Single Market provisions and is touched by other aspects of the treaties, such as the "freedom of movement of capital" and "right of establishment".

    Not only is this an exclusive competence, it is also what is known as an "occupied field", an area in which the European Union has chosen to legislate.

    This means that member states have very limited powers. They may not legislate in areas which are already covered by EU law and which will interfere with or in any way contradict EU law. And EU law, as you well know, is supreme and cannot be changed unilaterally.

    As a general rule, the member states may only legislate in this field in order to implement EU law, to clarify it or to ensure its proper enforcement.

    A member state may, however, go further than EU law, but only if it does not contradict EU law and does not impinge upon treaty provisions, such as "freedom of movement of capital", and then only with the express permission of the EU commission.

    The scope for any British government to legislate and control financial services is, therefore, extremely limited. Many of your proposals thus, while excellent on their own account, would – if you tried to implement them – impinge on EU law. In short, you could not implement them – at least, not without confronting the EU, which you have no intention of doing.

    In my school days, we were taught the meaning, the definition of a lie. It is not simply the utterance of an untruth. In full, it is the "act, default or sufferance". You can also tell a lie by not saying something, which conveys thereby an untruth.

    In omitting the words "European Union," you seek to convey that you, as leader of a Conservative government, could and would do certain things which you must know – you cannot avoid knowing – you cannot do. You seek to convey the impression that you are in control when you must know that you are not.

    This, Mr Cameron, is an "Enron" speech. In the US, they put the Enron directors in jail. What should we do with you?

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  64. We should stand on a platform of total deregulation of the City

    what are we scared of

    No one really cares and the City earns billions for UK PLC so why be shy

    Lets say it loud and proud

    Let Market Forces rule

    Dont let politics or politicians get in the way - what do they know

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  65. To Jon @ 2:18

    I'm as far from a regime supporting troll as it's possible to be.

    By acting like IDS did in the run up to the Iraq war - ie desperately trying to appear all statesman like & co-operative and not properly holding the government to account, Dave and George have very little room for maneuver now. The tories have lost momentum and are being outclassed and taken to pieces by campbell and mandleson on a daily basis.

    What's needed is a co-ordinated communication strategy for multiple audiences. There's no political point in Cameron doing what he did today. The majority of people in the city either genuinely believe brown is in the frame for the economic mess that afflicts the UK, or they're more than happy to point the finger at him to deflect criticism. Cameron needs to find a way to get a very simple, sound bite based message across to the general public.

    Most people, barring the thick, the naive and the evil (the 3 main constituencies of the labour party), instinctively want to hate brown and his cronies. Cameron should take every opportunity and use every channel to reinforce our prejudices.

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  66. ALL of the ANON's who are saying that Cameron wanted less regulation; wasn't it GB who wanted "lighter touch" regulation?

    Is there much difference?

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  67. cmq - the bale out was the correct thing to do - how we got there is quite different. Brown will say its none of his fault, try to say the whole mess comes from outside - as a conservand economy is in is down to HIS economic mistakes. That is just what Cameron is saying now.

    Theres is just no satisfying some people.

    Do the anonymous trolls and off work 'sickies' think we are all thick? BROWN is in charge - oh shock horror its all Camerons fault now is it?
    Bog off - Whats Brown done? Spend £37 billion of our money (just for starters just watch him spend to try to save his neck at the next election) -- 'gizza job, I could do that'.

    Support the bale out?
    We saw the the mess the partisan Pelosi made in her sickening diatribe.
    Tories were right to NOT behave like that. The markets were in meltdown.

    Recapitalisation of the banks was the right thing to do, Osborne called for it 2 weeks ago and said it might need govt help.

    In all the chaos lets not forget that just two banks HBOS and RBS out of 6 need govt help (Lloyds only need any because of their take over of HBOS) so Osborne's judgement seems sound to me.

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  68. Cameron's problem is that he seeks to heap the all the blame on Brown - nobody seriously thinks that is true. As such the Conservatives appear to be either dishonest or that they dont really understand the real problems. This makes his media "onslaught" on the Prime Minister lose its effectiveness.

    Osborne has several policy solutions, some of which deserve examination as useful additions to the Brown Banking rescue - but Cameron's rather speech has now dissipated that story. Cameron and his Tory central office spinners who were busy briefing the BBC and others last night about this "onslaught" , failed to understand that the story should have been about a Tory economic revival plan - rather than an attack on Brown. As a result the media did as CCO briefed and reported this as an attack on Brown. Osborne meanwhile is attacked today for the Telegraph for dissapearing. Is it any suprise when his boss is whirling around the City dervishly delivering attacks on the Prime Minister.?

    Cameron, is not equipped to address these economic issues. He needs to move out of his media manipulation comfort zone, start to trust his shadow chancellor to deal with this, and lay off the personal attacks on Brown who is genuinely on top of things and is calmly getting on with a real plan.

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  69. Dolly's boys are here again.....

    I really wonder if any of them actually heard the speech given the totally biased analysis on Sky and Beeb - and selective clips, swiftly followed by pictures of the Great Gordon in the Sky looking like the cat that had swallowed the cream (ugh). How anyone can defend Brown's economic record is beyond me. He courted the rich and stole from the poor.

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  70. "Dolly's boys are here again"

    If you really want to believe that, I hope it makes you happy. There are lots of Conservatives here who are despairing at Cameron's feeble response so far. His speech was OK but severely lacking in vision for the future. I don't think that's good enough for a potential future PM - do you?

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  71. The tories are finished.

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