He [Gordon Brown] won't say sorry for his mistakes because he really doesn't think he made any.
That's undoubtedly true, and the more his cabinet ministers admit things were got wrong, the more isolated Brown appears. The Tories don't need to harp on about this any longer because it has already become part of the public narrative.
What I believe the Tories should do now is explain exactly how Labour's policies helped get us in this mess and how they failed to insulate us against the prospect of recession. And then to explain how all of these faux initiatives have either not even been implemented (cf William Hague at PMQs) or how they are having next to no effect whatsoever.
The Conservatives are ready to tell people these home truths and the country is ready to hear them.
This echoes the language David Cameron used in his interview a few weeks ago, and it also echoes the langauge Margaret Thatcher used in the early 1980s. Even those who didn't agree with her recognised that when she said the country needed to take some unpalatable medicine, she had a point. But she was also able to articulate the means by which her government would get us out of the economic malaise the country was in. And it's that part of the equation which today's Conservatives now need to concentrate on.
27 comments:
Like the £200bn of borrowing accumulated between the end of FY 2000-01 and FY 2007-08? (Not including pension liabilities and PFI projects.)
Simple fact, impossible to refute. Deadly effect.
When did Maggie Thatcher or John Major ever apologise? Barry Obama apologised for Bush in effect. It is hard to see any reason at all for Brown to apologise, he has been quite ready to admit that we could've and should've done better and that we have to do better in future. That's the way it goes in this game.
Politicians just don't make these kind of apologies. It is a ridiculous demand that any politician should say sorry in this kind of way.
They all do their best, according to their politics and their judgement and the advice they get and so on and so forth.
Maggie presided over a time of great misery and rancour. Brown has not done so. So well done Iain for suggesting the Tories move on.
John Moss: "Deadly effect"? What are you on matey?
"The Tories don't need to harp on about this any longer because it has already become part of the public narrative."
Nail. Head.
Doesn't matter whether he 'fesses up or not.
Gordon Brown could never apologies. If he did he would remove the foundation of his Premiership.
Got to move on. The Tories really have to prepare the public. Life is going to be Grim under the Tories and I'd hate for Labour to get back in because the Tories had to clean up their mess.
Principle One: Don't attack until you are fairly sure you can win.
Principle Two: Only attack when you are overwhelmingly superior in forces.
They are not the same. Napoleon knew it. Haig didn't. It's beginning to look as if Cameron does.
Good.
And of course the Tories should make sure they remind the public how they fought tooth and nail since 1997 in their demands for greater regulation. After all, it's not as if the Tories spent 10 years demanding less red tape, less bureaucracy and less of Labour's nanny state until Northern Rock went tits up.
Please spare us all the sanctimonious claptrap. There has been a catastrophic failure on the part of all the mainstream parties to demand additional regulation. Sure, you can dig out some generic comments from the Tories as to the dangers of allowing borrowing to increase in the past few years but that had nothing to do with a demand for more regulatory oversight.
The fact is that Labour have in power so they have to carry the can and at the moment the Tory poll lead is down exclusively to a feeling that people want change, any change. The Tories have not articulated their own recovery plan (other than uncontroversial policy free demands that credit needs to flow again) and the simple reason for that is that no one on either side of the Atlantic has the slightest clue what the solution is.
The REAL job for Cameron is not winning the next election but working out what on earth he is going to do when he gets in to government. Opposing and governing are two very different things.
Work harder!Ian Gow said it in the 1970s.
By not apologising Gordon has ensured that his enemies are the ones who will "write their version of history".
Hence - Gordon's legacy will be written by the Tories.
If an “apology” of any sort is due from Gordon Brown, the Tories are the very last people who are due it or should be calling for it.
What a cheek. What a nerve.
Brown and Blair continued enthusiastically with Thatcherite policies including all that “light touch” regulation that has bitten Brown (and the country) on the bum. Just replay numerous Heseltine speeches about red tape being such a burden on commerce, finance, business etc and how the Tories would tear them all up.
If Brown needs to apologise, then the Tories certainly need to as well. It beggars belief that any Tory politician has the brass neck to blame Brown for Tory policies he merely continued to carry out (with the possible exception of “freeing” the Bank of England).
They were dreadful policies; but they were dreadful Tory policies.
It ill behoves any Tory to complain now.
[Oh and by the by and quite off the point, I seem to recall you were asking a few days back “where’s Mandelson?” Since then he’s hardly been off the box - and that was before today’s green ‘custard’ anti-airport assault. (Now who was the Thatcher Tory that had paint emptied over his suit; I can’t recall, I just remember it being very funny and he did NOT take the joke at all?]
Simon Gardner said...
Brown and Blair continued enthusiastically with Thatcherite policies including all that “light touch” regulation that has bitten Brown (and the country) on the bum.
.......................
If Brown needs to apologise, then the Tories certainly need to as well. It beggars belief that any Tory politician has the brass neck to blame Brown for Tory policies he merely continued to carry out.............
Seems to me that Brown had every chance to change that policy any time he wanted - and failed to do so.
Keep demanding apologies, as refusal makes Brown look silly.
Keep pointing out Government keeps knicking our policies, to disproce the "you do nothing" line.
And present a credible narrative- that is what is missing, there are policies but not an overall narrative.
Oliver
Quite right. The point is that the Tories were not in any way, shape or form, advocating for the sort of regulation that they now belatedly believe is required. No one was. All we heard were passe partout calls for "less red tape" and letting business get on with what they are best at; all part of the usual free market speak. We certainly didn't hear any concerns voiced that banks were taking too much risk and that their activities should in any way be more closely regulated. It would have been anathema to free market conservative philosophy (beholden by the Tories and aped by Blair) which is why no one said anything until Northern Rock started to go south.
Like I said this is not a defence of Brown. When you're the team on the field, you take the plaudits as well as the hits. But it's a little bit like Black Wednesday where Labour crowed over the Tories' struggles but ultimately any objective observer knew that Labour wouldn't have avoided the same fate.
And for Simon G-
Actually I was in the City back in Thatcher's day and regulation was not at all "light touch"- the Bank of England regulated and knew what it was doing and did it really well. There was the odd fraud (BCCI) but never any systemic problem. That is why there had not been a bank run in over 100 years.
Brown introduced the "tripartite"- ie nobody regulates as noone is fully in charge- "light touch" system.
Also Brown blew the proceeds of the longest period of economic boom in history (and yes, that was started by the Tories- Ken Clarke, prop) on an enourmous increase in public spending which has brought incredibly little result.
And now the Government massively raises borrowing to clearly unsustainable levels, gets the Bank of England to buy the Government debt and print lots of money, etc. Interesting policy...
Yes and they need to stop going on about a broken society. We now have a broken economy like Mrs T had to fix. So lets sort that out first - again.
titus-aduxas said... “Seems to me that Brown had every chance to change that policy any time he wanted - and failed to do so.”
Oh indeed. I couldn’t agree more. But the point stands; it was a continuation of Tory policies. If there is to be an apology, it should be a joint one.
The tories could do with expressing their regrets for their backing of Gordon Brown's policies concerning the financial disaster now present.
Would be appreciated up here, us Scots like apologies.
Thatcher also said what had to be done - cutting back the state & relatively unproductive nationalised industries.
We now have a state that is over 50% of the economy & since the industries have been sold off ALL of it is competely unproductive.
In one way that is easier to fix - there is so much wrong that there are more opportunities & an enthusiastic programme of reform (cutting the £200 billion increase in real government spending; ending the regulations that make housebuilding 4 times more than it need; cutting the Health & Safety rules that destroy the equivalent of vthe wealth produced by 4 million workers; build new nuclear) which would thus have far more positive effects than what Thatcher could do.
But the Tories have to sound like they believe in it if they are to persuade others to.
By not putting forward a coherent enough alternative policy (which I recognise does entail risking annoying some people too) the Tories have let Labour make the running. They can say the tories want to do nothin. They can say "the world" supports their print & bail policy by quoting Obama & the Conservatives don't dare to quote Putin (or the Germans or Chinese) saying the opposite. In politics when you are are always defending your position, no matter how good a position, or explaining why the opposition's attack is unjustified, no matter how unjustified it is, you are on the run. Whenever you parry a blow you should then strike at the opponent.
Yes, they must move on - to an immediate demand for the dissolution of parliament and a general election, no matter what the state of their manifesto. Brown, isolated as he might be, has no mandate to take the kinds of reckless actions he's taking - betting not just our wealth but the wealth of future generations on experiments which have never worked anywhere else in the past and will probably not work here.
He has no moral right or right in precident to do this. An honourable man would have gone to the country first - most likely before the bailouts began but certainly before launching the lunacy that is 'quantitative easing'. That's the place to attack him (and because it's the truth - forget about the 'public narrative').
Now the Tories have to force him out - by whatever means available in this crisis - including boycotting parliament if necessary!
*My brother told me the other day that the reason Brown has opted to mortgage future generations to pay for his mistakes is because they can't defend themselves.
Sir Iain of Walden said "What I believe the Tories should do now is explain exactly how Labour's policies helped get us in this mess and how they failed to insulate us against the prospect of recession."
Surely they should just tell us how they'd get us out of the recession instead?
Blaming Brown is like kicking an open door - his ineptitude is a given.
Cameron now needs to focus on getting ready for government and to have a real understanding of what needs to be done. He must already have identified what waste can be cut, what spending priorities must be, how tax can be restructured. He need not fear further capital flight if taxes are increased as all that could flee has flown or has been wiped out.
There are still some weak shadow Ministers to weed out and some strong back-bench talent. He should establish a new department within the Treasury with a Minister for Oversight of Financial Services - perfect for Redwood, a bull terrier to get rid of the rats.
We need a health professional as Minister of Health - the NHS is too vital to be left to apparatchiks.
On education we must deliver what we say with total single-minded purpose. The Technical Colleges must be built up and heavily funded.
We must keep non-EU immigration to a minimum, restore the supremacy of Parliament, reform the Lords, put fit benefit claimants to work for welfare, enforce National Service for unemployed 18 to 25 year olds without qualifications.
Workers on the minimum wage must not be taxed in any way.
We must get out of Iraq and Afghanistan - we cannot afford military adventures.
So never mind an apology from Brown - let us do the things he ought to have done.
Victor, NW Kent said... “There are still some weak shadow Ministers to weed out...”
Prime candidate amongst those would be the dismally incompetent Shadow Chancellor.
Re Chris Paul, P Smith, Simon Gardener.
I work within FS regulation - and it is crap. It is crap because it is (a) manically excessive and nit picking (b) regulating the wrong things and (c) acts like nationalisation by proxy.
The Tories are dead right, firstly when they want less regulation - it is an absolute necessity if you want any sort of economic recovery. And secondly when they say they want better regulation.
Brown is entirely responsible for this debacle. One, by abandoning the principle of sound money - a critical responsibility of governemnt with a monopoly of money. Two, by creating an entirely disfunctional financial regulatory system, thats erved to transfer power to Brown to allow him to manipulate all the numbers to serve his own purposes. Three by lying through his teeth at every opportunity from 1997 onwards and four by taxing and spending so profligately with much of the exepnditure being the exepnditure of capital.
And finally these bonkers policies have come predicatbly unstuck as the markets - that is me and you - have judged him incompetent and irresponsible. The markets are working. The credit crunch is the judgement of a system of natural liberty finalling telling him, enough.
Re The GRim Reaper - an accurate diagnosis of the problem is necessary before prescribing the cure. The Tories - in fact the opposition in general - need to clearly set out how and why Brown has let us down so badly. Having done that logically and accurately the remedies will present themselves. These remedies will not be pleasant and as such the voter needs to recognise this and deal with it. The voter (me and you) needs to understand that governments are almost always universally useless and almost always let down the electorate. Consequently it is us, the -electorate - that will have to sort out this mess.
And BTW whilst all governments are useless, and the Tories will be fairly dire this lot, New Labour, are totally, absolutely, catastrophically, breathtakingly, endemically incompetent to a degree never seen before in any public administration. They are like ZanuPF, except that they don't kill their own people directly.
Simon Gardner said...
Oh indeed. I couldn’t agree more. But the point stands; it was a continuation of Tory policies. If there is to be an apology, it should be a joint one.
And my point still stands - when you take on an existing policy, it becomes yours. You are in charge, you take the responsibility for it working or not working.
Brown did not change the policy when he should have. He had every opportunity (and the necessary majority) to bring his policies into line with current market forces. He didn't.
The fact is the policy may have been relevant, when it was introduced, but times change and policies become no longer viable. When that happens, you change them not leave them alone and blame the person that introduced them, when the s**t finally hits the fan.
Simon Gardener:- "Brown and Blair continued enthusiastically with Thatcherite policies [No, they did't. They brought in the 'Third way' = adopt free market industrial / commercial policy and tax the bejeesus out of it to fund a bloated state spending spree] including all that “light touch” regulation [No, they didn't - the FSMA 2000 introduced the most draconian nit picking regulation on FS that there has ever been. It is drafted, set up and operated as nationalisation by one remove. It also removed bank controls on capital and solvency that has stood the test of centuries] that has bitten Brown (and the country) on the bum. Just replay numerous Heseltine speeches about red tape being such a burden on commerce, finance, business etc and how the Tories would tear them all up [Heseltine is dead right, that is exactly what needs to be done, now, after 11 years of regulation working as nationalisation].
If Brown needs to apologise, then the Tories certainly need to as well. [No, they don't. Brown did not adopt the one key policy necessary and to which every Chancellor is entrusted, which is to ensure that the Pound remained a sound currency. He ran a completely unsound and inflationary monetary policy. You cannot do that and get away with it forever, as mugabe has found out]. It beggars belief that any Tory politician has the brass neck to blame Brown for Tory policies he merely continued to carry out (with the possible exception of “freeing” the Bank of England). [Brown did NOT continue Tory policies, he just pretented he did so that he can alwasy blame someone else. He has had plenty of time to change them if he thought they were wrong, and that is exactly waht he did - he abandoned the successful tory policies of sound money, de-regulation and efficient small government.
BTW in 1997 on the day that Brown announced the taxation of pension funds I was scheduled to give a presentation on pensions to a group of accountants. The moment he announced the policy I re-wrote the presentation. I set out how this was so damaging, made and estimate of the cost - £175Bn over 10 years - and predicted that it would (a) casue the closure of many many Final salary schemes (b) increase the cost of capital to business and consequently reduce the returns from the capital markets. All of this has come to pass. Brown is a useless f*ckwit.
They were dreadful policies; but they were dreadful Tory policies.
It ill behoves any Tory to complain now.
Post a Comment