This year's politics are going to be defined by one thing - the state of the economy. And much of Labour's prospects depend on whether Gordon Brown can hoodwink the electorate into believing that the state of the economy has absolutely nothing to do with him. He's been relatively successful so far in doing just that. But it won't last, and it's the job of the Conservative and LibDem front benches to point out some important home truths in the following areas...
* Borrowing
* Debt
* Unemployment
* Currency
* Debt
* Unemployment
* Currency
As the recession deepens, people will increasingly hold one person responsible. The Conservatives need to develop three or four very simple messages on the economy - partly to enhance their own economic credentials, but also to assign blame for the current mess where it belongs.
It's up to Cameron and Osborne to hammer the nails, one by one, into Gordon Brown's political coffin. And then make sure the lid is well and truly shut.
27 comments:
Iain, you know that, I know that, why haven't Cameron and Osborne done much about it to date? It is so frustrating.
Amen to that Brother Dale, the end is nigh.
PS I know this won't float your boat, but Lucy Pinder admitted she's a 'Tory girl'...
Iain,
I believe a more softer approach is required, as David Cameron has not got the killer instinct to bang nails in a coffin - be it a political one!
I believe the one rumour which is gaining much support is the one suggesting that Gordon Brown is suffering from a mental illness.
So a considerate, caring approach, is required. Suggesting that the strain of looking after the world is having an effect which is concerning us all!
Asking questions from all the Tory/Lib Dem front bench teams of their respective Minister - "Is the Prime Minister well"?
I believe that there is something wrong with Brown and I can see him having to retire - through ill health.
Cameron is not attracting the supprt he needs. Can he or will he up the ante?
"It's up to Cameron and Osborne to hammer the nails, one by one, into Gordon Brown's political coffin. And then make sure the lid is well and truly shut."
.......................
Iain i think Alistair Darling can manege to do that by himself with out Cameron and Osborne!!
Brown's is without its apostrophe !
That will never do.
Alan Douglas
Indeed. Not my fault though! The software doesn't accept apostrophes.
Just so we're clear, the global economic crisis is Labour's fault?
And even those political titans Mssrs Cameron and Osborne are having difficulty persuading the public of this?
It's a puzzler isn't it?
Actually, Jimmy, the entire global crisis is your fault. You caused it all when you passed up that two-for-one offer on frozen prawns at Sainsbury's in May 2004. It snowballed from there.
It's no more insane than your own extrapolation - from the idea that the man who was in charge of the nation's finances for ten years might be held responsible for our utter lack of reserves, you extrapolate that he is being blamed for the world crisis.
Of course you don't. Not really. You'd just like us to think that's what we're saying.
You're setting up an extreme position that no-one has asserted so that you can easily knock it back.
I call 'strawman'.
You'll call me 'right-wing'.
Let's play.
At least it took Gordon Brown 14 years. It only took Helen Clark in NZ 9 years to go from boom to bust.
Still we now have a Conservative government (National)to get us out of the hole Labour left us in.
Poor you, you have to wait a little longer before you can vote those idiots out.
With the help of Tracksuit Tony of course!
Strapworld has a point. DC still has the problem of 'tory cuts' alienating the vast client state. This crisis needs to be seen as a huge opportunity to really transform public services and make them relevant; people should not be kept to their job descriptions (even ones like 'transformation coordinator') and should get to the frontline where they are needed. DC can sell this e.g. on the basis of his CPS speech some time back.
This Conservative opposition have missed so many open goals that they are incapable of recognizing another.
On their performance over the last year they are not fit for government.
During the American Presidential election much was made of 'the Big Mo'. The idea being that once one candidate had (the big) momentum behind them, it would be very difficult to change the electorates' view.
Even though Gordon Brown is useless, he still has the tatters of the Big Mo around him. He still benefits from the social attitudes of Old Labour, despite increasing poverty. He still benefits from earlier claims of 'prudence' despite this claim being totally exposed as rubbish. He still benefits from a lack of internal NuLabour criticism - despite there being much to criticise him for.
Most of all Brown still benefits from a supine main stream media, despite being a warmongering fascist. Strange how the luvvies have always pandered to such types.
Cameron's task is to grab the Big Mo. It can't be done by sniping, it can't be done by rational argument. It can only be done by passion, smashing against chosen weaknesses. I think he was on to something with his PMQ over Baby P. Can you imagine the impact of Cameron being angry about *individual* specific failures of the welfare state, each and every PMQ? It would undercut Brown's reputation in a most fundamental way, and build Cameron's reputation as a caring person.
The economic issues are *merely* the icing on the cake. Cameron must grab the Big Mo by demonstrating that Brown is self-serving, ruthless, and uncaring.
The problem that Cameron and Osborne face is being seen to enjoy the collapse of the economy as much as Brown.
They have to stay on message and not be seen to take advantage of the terrible national plight.
Problems are:
We can't be sure that Brown has failed although every sign is that he has;
Osbone is too young.
Brown needs to be sandbagged on every possible occasion with two simple facts; savers have effectively been wiped out and a thirty per cent devauluation of the pound is not exactly an international vote of confidence.
No point in asking Brown anything - he never answers. So have the heavies like Clarke, Davis and Hague with a little help from IDS hammering home the loss to savers and the scandal of devaluation.
The economic ideology that has failed is a Conservative ideology. It was once called Reagonomics or Thatcherism and it was adopted, not lock stock and barrel but substantially, by Blair/Brown. However at the Tory Party conference in 2007 David Cameron and George Osborne hammered Brown for his economic emphasis saying that it was too Stalinist and that they would introduce much less tight controls and far greater freedoms for private enterprise. In other words they offered a return to even purer Thatcher/Reagan and the Friedman approach to macroeconomics.
Yes Brown’s elimination of boom and bust is a chimera. But the Conservatives have not one ounce of credibility in their position because, let me say again, they wanted more not less of the very thing that has dumped us in the excreta. At least Brown has now realised that electorally useful though laissez-faire was it was the cause of the problems and, unlike the naked Tories bereft of any policy clothing at all, more of it would be an even greater disaster.
I don’t want the Conservatives suddenly to become Keynesians! But in the absence of any credible alternative their positions are fraudulent if they don’t recognise where they were coming from in September 2007, and deficient and unpatriotic if they fail to support the US/UK efforts to help get things back in shape by implementing policies that have worked well in other times of difficulty (1930s and Post War). Keynes lives.
Shouldn't it read:
ASHES TO ASHES, BOOM TO BUST
Strapworld suggests that Brown sufferring is from a mental illness? This would expalin a lot. There are only 3 possible explainations for the madness of the last 11 years (soon to be 12) of economic policies.
1 - Brown is a complete idiot.
2 - He is stark raving mad.
3 - It is all deliberate - to bring equality at the lowest common denominator.
I read yesterday that Blair has said that the years of growth under Labour was due to luck. Pity the luck did not run out earlier, the bust would have been a lot less painful.
The Times is reporting the failure of the bank bailout.
If the Bank of England cuts interest rates even further, this will be a disaster. The banks will not pass on any more rate cuts to borrowers but they will penalise savers, investors and pensioners. This is not entirely the fault of the banks, but the unintended consequences of panic-driven rate cuts.
Brown's script is beginning to unravel quickly. The job losses this year will be counted in the millions and they will not be queuing up to vote Labour - neither will pensioners, savers or those looking to buy or sell a house.
Add holiday travellers (stuck with the Brown pound) to the list of Brown-haters...
You know what Iain and Yellowbelly and Lord Elvis and all?
This schtick won't stick unless you can produce a Tory-style economy somewhere in the known world where there were no problems from the world/US situation.
If you can do that and if it is a comparable economy - Japan? Germany? USA? FRance even? - someone might believe that a Tory Govt would have avoided the problem.
If you cannot, and you cannot now can you, then Gordon will continue to enjoy the confidence of the electorate for providing action and leadership instead of these weak and unbackable assertions.
The gravestone is of course in the worst possible taste. This sort of thing is why you will retain the title as the Labour Party's Favourite Tory Blogger Iain.
Osbourne is not delivering - time for an urgent reshuffle.
Chris Paul, it is oft repeated on Guido that you are on benefits. Is this true? Is this why you are such a supporter of Brown? Are you are one of his client state and fear having to actually go and earn a living?
No apostrophes then Iain?
Chris Paul said:
"You know what Iain and Yellowbelly and Lord Elvis and all?
This schtick won't stick unless you can produce a Tory-style economy somewhere in the known world where there were no problems from the world/US situation."
You have perhaps inadvertantly hit the nail on the head. There are no major conservative Governments who have been in this mess from the start. Only statist or socialist ones.
No wonder this problem is global.
Yet that does not get Brown off the hook for the perilous state of our economy, what with it being so skewed towards house price inflation and the financial sector.(In a similar fashion to Germany being horribly weighted towards expensive luxury engineering which far fewer people will now borrow money to purchase.) Nor does that excuse the gross inflation in public sector worker numbers, the gross inflation in management level wages, the vast wastes of time that are most quangoes and pretend charities or the pernicious cheapening of education and healthcare standards. The disgusting treatment of the military or the shady accounting over PFI contracts, public sector debt and whatnot.
You only have to look at Brown's track record on predicting the public sector borrowing requirement to see how inept he is and what an arse he's made of things. What a great idea neutering the Bank of England was. And what fine, competent people he put in their stead at the FSA. What clever people at the Treasury who have devised an ever more complicated, costly and regressive tax regime.
"it is oft repeated on Guido... Is this true?"
I think you just answered your own question.
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