Reality Bites at Last !
June 10th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Today we finally saw the start of the campaign for a General Election and it started with a big goof by Andrew Lansley the Conservative Shadow Health Minister in a radio interview where he stated that in order to protect health spending beyond 2011, all the other spending Departments would have to face cuts of 10%
Lansley may well have goofed but even so, it is time some reality started to bite so, a fortuitous foot in gob, as it were. Brown can prattle on as much as he likes but, he has put himself in a very difficult position because “Labour Investment” turns out to be “Tory Cuts” by another name.
Time to End The BS
Brown has exposed the whole sham that is the Labour Government which comes back to his bad management of the UK economy for the past 12 years.
He is right when he says that there will be a choice at the next election and that choice is simple: “Who do you want to administer the cuts, Labour or the Tories ?” Because after today, it is clear that this is what it all comes down to. My personal view is that as Brown and Labour created this total mess, they should go and the Tories have a try to get the UK finances back on a sound footing.
Keynesian Economics
Yesterday a Labour supporter accused me of dismissing Keynesian economics because I said in effect that Brown had made a total Horlicks of running the economy. To be honest, I wasn’t too sure that this chap understood too much of the principles either so my reply was as follows:
“As to dismissing Keynesian economics, I’m not sure that I am but I am dismissing a man who as Chancellor, clearly didn’t understand the first thing about it. Allow me to illustrate: The principle of using Public Spending as a counter cyclical tool obviously makes sense. To gear up Public Borrowing to spend and long term sleight of hand things such as PFI during a period of buoyant economic activity in the private sector is the act of a lunatic.”
This came to mind earlier today on reading an article in the Economist on UK railways which is exactly the sort of capital intensive, long term infrastructure projects that a Government should be investing in at this point of the business cycle but the simple fact is that there is no money available to do so, Gordon pissed all against the wall in the “Good Times” !
A Cost Cutting Exercise
There is one really big saving we could all contribute to, get rid of the “Compensation Culture” that has grown up in the UK because whilst it keeps fat cat lawyers in business, it is responsible for likely 95 percent of all the target and clipboard culture which just costs time and money.
I saw this at first hand when my 88 year old Mother had a fall whilst staying in hospital some months ago. All the form filling which followed was simply I suspect was to protect the Trust being sued was frankly ridiculous. She is an old lady, she slipped off a chair she was sitting on – it happens to old people !
Now we know there is going to be pain, even Brown is now owning up to it, all we need to do is work out the fairest way to spread it between us all and look to where voluntary work in our own communities can help the vulnerable be they young, old or sick.
Posted in Politics, The Media | 
Tags: Conservatives, Labour, Political Parties, UK Economy, Within the UK
Even a very basic understanding of demand and supply would tell anyone who’s interested why Brown was an unmitigated disaster as Chancellor. The “economic miracle” for which he was widely congratulated was caused by a huge increase in spending and supply of money to be spent. Complacency over accumulated debt levels was shattered by the dawning realisation that inflation, in the form of a rocketing oil price, could cost many people their homes.
It is utter nonsense to say house prices are stabilising, as they remain far too high relative to income and, as these houses still represent the only security on some of the massive public debt, this country is a great deal poorer than it appears even now.
Those who are dribbling rubbish about green shoots and economic recovery still have no real appreciation of how far above long-term trends consumption had risen before the recession and how hard it will be all around before any sustainable recovery can occur.
It was pointed out to Brown in 2003, by Vince Cable, that the domestic property market had already boomed and was at unsustainable levels, Brown said he was wrong and repeated that recently. It is not just that Brown is wrong, he knows he is unable to argue his case, which is why he always changes the subject when challenged.
There is no rational argument in favour of Brown’s time in 11 Downing Street and it is truly shocking he has been allowed to be an even more inept Prime Minister.