Our Labour reforms.The test of a substantial, meaningful speech is one that stands the test of time. A mere five and a half years later, this speech sounds shallow and hubristic. Brown's economic reputation deserves to lie in tatters. By the end of this year it won't just be me and the Conservatives who are saying so. The whole country will realise it. Judging by the polls, more and more people have come to that conclusion already.
All of which have added to employment costs and discouraged employers from creating jobs.
Bank of England independence.
Ok, I'll give you that one. Although in the last six months you've done your best to undermine it and claw back control. In any case, it was the MPC you made independent, not the whole Bank.
A symmetrical inflation target.
Which has regularly been breached.
Long term fiscal rules.
And what happened to them when the going got tough? You threw them out of the window just after you despatched Prudence.
The obligations of the New Deal.
Which has been an expensive flop.
Long term fundamental Labour reforms. Opposed by the Tories.
Quite rightly, too.
These reforms show that our economic strength didn't just happen, we made it happen. Labour values made it happen.
Economic strength came out because of the foundations laid by Ken Clarke and the fact that you followed Tory spending plans for three years.
Don't ever let people tell you this happened because we were lucky, it happened because we are Labour.
Tony Blair said a few weeks ago that it did indeed happen because you were lucky. I think I'll take his word over yours.
It's because we understood a Labour truth, that recessions hit pensioners, the low paid, small businesses;
Actually, recessions hit everyone. Particularly you. In the ballot box.
It's because we recognised a Labour reality, that high and volatile inflation may help the speculator but hurts the poor; it's because we were driven forward by a Labour cause, rooted in our beliefs, that economic stability matters most to hard working families;
That phrase again. Actually, stability matters to everyone equally.
It's because we never forgot where we come from and where we want to take Britain.
Meaningless drivel. You're taking us towards bankruptcy.
And I tell you honestly that if we had built our policies on the shifting sands of Tory short-termism and not on the solid rock of Labour responsibility and long term planning, if we had followed the Tory road - the Tories against Bank independence, the Tories against our fiscal rules; even today Tories demanding public spending cuts and then vouchers and charges - let us tell the British people that under the Tories Britain would again be in recession today.
Er, and we are where now exactly?
Where, instead, Britain with Labour is growing and I can tell you today with Labour that our economy will grow even stronger in the months to come.
Pity about the years...
And what our economic policy is proving is that you do not defeat the Tories by imitation or just by better presentation but by Labour policies and Labour reforms grounded in Labour values.
And as long as I am Chancellor I will never ask you to abandon fiscal responsibility.
Is that hollow laughter I hear at the back?
Never to set aside economic discipline.
LMFAO
Never to abandon long term reform for quick fixes.
Sorry, my sides are now splitting.
Never to succumb to Tory short termism.
No, just stick to Labour short termism and hope no one notices.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Brownonomics: What a Difference 6 Years Make
While I am at Upton Park shouting my mouth off at Craig Bellamy, do enjoy this extract from Gordon Brown's 2003 Labour Party Conference speech which a reader sent me last night. I thought it deserved a light fisking...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
I can honestly say I never believed a word of it then, let alone anything he comes out with now.
1) Tony Blair: 1997 Conference Speech
"I want this to be the New Labour Government that ended Tory boom and bust forever."
2) Gordon Brown: July 1997
"Today, the Bank of England has agreed with me that, if we are to prevent the cycle of boom and bust, inflationary pressures in the economy, which the previous Government negligently failed to tackle, must be brought under control "
3) Gordon Brown: November 1997
"I am satisfied that the new monetary policy arrangements will deliver long-term price stability, and prevent a return to the cycle of boom and bust."
4) Gordon Brown: April 1998
"We will not return to the stop-go, boom-bust years which we saw under the Conservatives. "
5) Gordon Brown: May 1998
"The Government have put in place policies to deliver that objective and are determined to avoid a return to boom and bust."
6) Gordon Brown: June 1998
"rigorous financial discipline that, together with monetary stability, ends once and for all the boom and bust that for 30 years has undermined stability "
7) Tony Blair: February 1999
"Moreover, for decades we have been prone to far greater swings in the economic cycle than our continental counterparts. It has been boom and bust....Under this Government, there is an entirely new framework for economic management in place "
8) Ruth Kelly: November 1999
"The Government have rejected the boom and bust of the Conservative party "
9) Tony Blair: November 1999
"We have the best chance of ending boom and bust in years."
10) Gordon Brown: November 1999
"Indeed, Britain was set to repeat the old, familiar cycle of boom and bust. Since then, we have created and rigorously adhered to a new framework of modern economic management "
10) Alistair Darling: January 2000
"On top of that, we have a healthy and stable economy and an end to the boom and bust that characterised the Tory years."
11) Alan Johnson: February 2000
"The Government's first priority on coming to office was to secure long-term economic stability and put an end to the damaging cycle of boom and bust."
12) Gordon Brown: March 2000
"Britain does not want a return to boom and bust. "
13) Tony Blair: 2000 Conference Speech
"The first big choice: a government with the strength to deliver stability, or a government that takes the country back to boom and bust."
14) Gordon Brown: November 2000
"Our approach is to reject the old vicious circle of the '80s--rising debt, higher long-term interest rates, higher debt repayment costs, lower growth, higher unemployment, then enforced cuts in public spending. That was the old boom and bust."
15) Gordon Brown: March 2001
"We will not return to boom and bust."
16) Ruth Kelly: May 2002
"We must avoid a return to the days of boom and bust that manufacturers had to endure for a long time under the Conservatives."
17) Yvette Cooper: May 2004
"We know that they want to turn the clock back, but it would be foolish to turn it back to a policy of boom and bust."
18) John Prescott : January 2005
"Labour economic stability has replaced Tory boom and bust "
19) Tony Blair: 2005 Conference Speech
"In the first two terms we corrected the weaknesses of the Tory years: boom-and-bust economics "
20) Alistair Darling: March 2005
"As I said, there are two approaches—first, a strong economy, stability and helping families or, secondly, the Tory cuts, the undermining of stability, and a return to the boom and bust of the 1990s."
21) Gordon Brown: March 2006
"I have said before: no return to boom and bust."
22) Gordon Brown: December 2006
"Boom and bust is a term that applied to the Conservative years and two of the worst recessions in history"
23) Gordon Brown: March 2007
"We will not return to the old boom and bust."
24) Alistair Darling: June 2007
"...acknowledges the outstanding performance of the economy under this Government with the longest unbroken economic expansion on record, in contrast to the boom and bust of the previous Government "
Well, that's all right then.
The Penguin
It is weird that they even achieve 32% of the poll.
For years the majority of Labour politicians have spouted equal drivel. You could successfully'lightly fisk' almost any minister, in any speech.
Why don't you have a go at fisking Cameron's so-called "debate" on Channel M in Manchester a week or so ago. That was ripe rubbish.
Inflation level and stability clearly matter more critically to some in society more than to others ... unless you mean that the rich do well out of instability and inflation?
Still waiting for signposting to Tory-run economies internationally that escaped the crunch and/or maintained the long term stability and low inflation that the UK has had under Brown.
Until the whole world caught cold over Tory-man greed and wide practices.
Do you honestly think that the Conservatives are going to be any better?
When 80% of our laws are already made by Brussels with more to follow the Lisbon treaty, what can any incoming party do?
The Conservatives have been unable to oppose the excesses of Labour and have nothing to offer the voters of this country.
We need to start again with a new political grouping, get out of the evil EU and take control of the government of our country. The Tory left leaning green crap will not do.
Robert I hardly think that is the question.
I think you ought to be asking, How can they do any worse? My answer to that would be it's impossible.
Bank of England independence was not Brown's idea but a LudDim policy which Labour had opposed during the election & adopted within days of coming to power. That is indeed his one claim to competence & has quite clearly been actually if not officially ditched as current interest rates prove.
This would make a great video with accompanying captions or voiceovers.
Mr Paul
Why don't you do a fisk on Mr Cameron's speech if you feel so strongly about it?
Brown and Labour are a disaster but I don't see things being much different at all under the Tories. You're not exactly the party of economic stability.
Chris Paul:
It's nearly 6 years since the Iraq war. Given all we now know and witnessed, you still openly support them - why?
I know it's off topic, but these trolls need to be reminded of it at every opportunity.
It sounded shallow and hubristic five and a half months ago.
Sound national economics do not happen because of government policy, and certainly not because of government meddling with short term interest rates. They happen because business enterprises manage to create sustainable long term profitabilty in the face of national and international competition. This usually fails to happen when companies get incessant meddling from government.
While stitching up the hand of a 75 year old Devon farmer, who cut it on a gate while working cattle, the rural doctor struck up a conversation with the old man.
Eventually the topic got around to Gordon Brown and his appointment as Prime Minister.
Well, you know," drawled the old farmer, "this Brown fellow is what they call a fencepost tortoise."
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a fencepost tortoise was.
The old farmer said, "When you're driving along a country road and you come across a fence post with a tortoise balanced on top, that's called a fencepost tortoise."
The old farmer saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain, "You know he didn't get up there by himself, he definitely doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he is up there, and you just have to wonder what kind of idiot put him up there in the first place.
(probably a very old story, but not one I can remember having heard, but very true nonetheless)
@ Chris Paul
"Tory-man greed and wide practices."
Oh, so you think this is limited to those evil Tories? Take a good look around the Labour benches - and Councillors etc. You may find it educational - and you certainly need some of that.
Gordon Brown, 2003: "Don't ever let people tell you this happened because we were lucky, it happened because we are Labour."
Tony Blair, 2008: "Decade of economic growth was 'luck' "
Shurely shome mistake!
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/4061195/Tony-Blair-Decade-of-economic-growth-was-luck.html)
Post a Comment