Anything you can do, I can do better. Gordon Brown does two 9am press conferences on the economy. So today David Cameron popped up at 8am in the City to end the short-lived truce between the two main parties and try to pin the blame for the downturn on Brown. The Tories deny it's a U-turn, insisting that their promise of consensus politics related to the banks rescue, now a done deal, and not the economic crisis.
In a hard-hitting speech at Bloomberg attacking the "complete and utter failure" of Brown's economic policies, Cameron sought to stop Brown putting all the blame on America, insisting the crisis was also made in Britain. Cameron's dilemma is this: he knows he'll be accused by Labour of running Britain down, but fears Brown is using the crisis to cover up a record as Chancellor which helped to create it.
The Tories have been frustrated at being written out of the media script, as Brown wins international plaudits for Britain's banks rescue. Cameron will focus relentlessly on proposals to ease the pain of the downturn in Britain, believing that is what the voters want, rather than grandstanding on the world stage. After his speech, Cameron fielded questions confidently from his City audience, no doubt keen to bely Brown's "novice" tag. But he was reluctant to give the Prime Minister credit for the way he handled the financial crisis. "It's business as usual," one Cameroon told me.
Brown is certainly as much to blame as anyone. But Cameron's condemnation doesn't go nearly far enough. Frankly, the Prime Minister should be forcibly replaced and 95% of his personal wealth tossed into the Banks buy-out pot...! Ditto, EVERY chief executive who presided over ANY failing financial institution - from Northern Rock onwards...!!!
Any who utters a single word of protest - pack 'em off to jail...!!!
You know it makes sense...! They'd never do it again...!! Nor would anyone else...!!!
Posted by: Joanna Jay | Friday, 17 October 2008 at 12:16 PM
This is ridiculous nit-picking on behalf of a naive politician with no real policies of his own. And to stand there saying, [we need] ”more science, more hi-tech services, more green technologies, more engineering and more high-value manufacturing,” after the tories systematically decimated our manufacturing industry and education system - without which, we now have no science graduates - is just bare faced cheek. If only the electorate had a long term memory.
Posted by: Joinroe | Friday, 17 October 2008 at 12:55 PM
Brown is more guilty than the bankers. Brown set a framework for boom. He changed inflation measures to the discredited CPI, housing and energy excluded, so far too low. It was a Brown lie. So interest rates were set far too low. Housing boomed. How often did Brown boast? 'No more boom and bust'. A Brown Lie. In the Ecclestone farce Brown stated 'I lied, I lied, I lied, I will be destroyed'. He has always misled, spun and lied.
The Brown Big Lie 'no more Boom and Bust' was insane. Under FSA rules he should be sued. He was boasting 'no more risk', 'Borrow more'. He conned people, who took extra loans, and they will suffer.
He compounded his stupid recklessness by removing proper regulation. So there was certain to be a crash.
Brown made sure there would be no safety. He removed all state and private savings and safety nets. Gold and state reserves sold off, pensions raided for £5 Billion a year. Brown hosed almost all of £5 billion a year into fraud and waste in so called Tax credits.
Brown's boasting induces strong feelings of sickness. He has been the worst, most dishonest Chancellor and PM for 150 years.
Posted by: jimmy | Monday, 20 October 2008 at 09:25 PM