Gordon Brown - Worst Ever Chancellor?
Discussion
Blair calls him his "brilliant chancellor" but in reality Brown has been a disaster.
Because of the Granita Deal Brown has had a free hand on domestic policy and the economy since 1997. He inherited a very strong economy indeed from the Tories since when he has allowed the public sector to grow to such an extent that we now have a situation where he requires 42.5% of the nations income to pay for it.
The result of Brown squeezing the private sector to pay for a bloated public sector is what? Increased efficiency and huge improvements to service? On the contrary some hospitals are so short of cash that they are having to close wards and my local council has just had to cancel a much needed CCTV system on the grounds of cost, despite a 76% increase in council tax since 1997!
Public sector workers have seen both their numbers and their benefits increase dramatically since 1997 whilst Brown has taken £5 billion per year from the penions of the private sector. The cost of this huge increase in the public sector must be borne by the people who actually create the wealth, the dwindling private sector.
Since Labour came to power our public sector cost as a % of GDP has risen to a point where it is now higher than Germany, our tax burden is higher than Germany (and much higher than the USA) and our productivity is much lower than Germany.
The old labour adage of tax and spend cannot be applied to Brown. His mantra is much more that of tax and waste.
We currently have rising unemployment (from a low base), falling productivity, rising government spending and a rising tax burden. What's so brilliant about that Tony?
Because of the Granita Deal Brown has had a free hand on domestic policy and the economy since 1997. He inherited a very strong economy indeed from the Tories since when he has allowed the public sector to grow to such an extent that we now have a situation where he requires 42.5% of the nations income to pay for it.
The result of Brown squeezing the private sector to pay for a bloated public sector is what? Increased efficiency and huge improvements to service? On the contrary some hospitals are so short of cash that they are having to close wards and my local council has just had to cancel a much needed CCTV system on the grounds of cost, despite a 76% increase in council tax since 1997!
Public sector workers have seen both their numbers and their benefits increase dramatically since 1997 whilst Brown has taken £5 billion per year from the penions of the private sector. The cost of this huge increase in the public sector must be borne by the people who actually create the wealth, the dwindling private sector.
Since Labour came to power our public sector cost as a % of GDP has risen to a point where it is now higher than Germany, our tax burden is higher than Germany (and much higher than the USA) and our productivity is much lower than Germany.
The old labour adage of tax and spend cannot be applied to Brown. His mantra is much more that of tax and waste.
We currently have rising unemployment (from a low base), falling productivity, rising government spending and a rising tax burden. What's so brilliant about that Tony?
worst part is that the majority of the electorate are oblivious to this IMHO. As such, if another government are required to dig the country out of the financial mess we're getting into, its going to require some pulling in of the purse strings (starting with reducing the ridiculous number of civil servants) which will leave them with reduced support because people are short sighted. Total sham.
Labour Chancellors of the 70's were worse, since they combined high taxes with economic mismanagement.
But I’m glad people are starting to see through Gordon's claim to be ‘prudent’. He has squeezed the private sector and wasted it on 100's of thousands of non jobs. With the result that the economy is suffering, hard working people's disposal income is falling and we face possible bankruptcy as a nation in the future as the pensions for all these lavishly paid staff have to be paid.
But I’m glad people are starting to see through Gordon's claim to be ‘prudent’. He has squeezed the private sector and wasted it on 100's of thousands of non jobs. With the result that the economy is suffering, hard working people's disposal income is falling and we face possible bankruptcy as a nation in the future as the pensions for all these lavishly paid staff have to be paid.
Don't expect a change anytime soon. Dave has seen the light!
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article340
The Indipendent said:
As Tory MPs compared Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, the Tory leader denied that he was turning the Conservatives into "a pale imitation of New Labour", as Mr Murdoch had suggested. He added that the policies of the right had delivered the Tories defeat in the past two elections. "We supported tax cuts at previous general elections, but Murdoch didn't support us then. We should not take his words at face value," said one ally of Mr Cameron.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article340
Jaglover said:
With the result that the economy is suffering, hard working people's disposal income is falling and we face possible bankruptcy as a nation in the future as the pensions for all these lavishly paid staff have to be paid.
To compound the problem we can't do FA about it, the unions will threaten strikes, as per usual.
scorp said:
Labour have built themselves a huge stable voting base in the public sector, it's these people who think prudent g is the best thing since sliced bread.
Isn't mob rule/ democracy a wonderful thing. Now that the majority of the population of Wales and Scotland are either on the sick, on benefits or work for the state they are guarenteed Labour strong holds, and the same can be said of large parts of England, arguably the SE in the last remaining area where the majority of the population work in the private sector and therefore aren't on Browns payroll.
They won't vote against him as PM, not until the money runs out anyway.
scorp said:This man has got it! One of Labour's principal projects has been to do this. No, revise that to: Labour's principal project.
Labour have built themselves a huge stable voting base in the public sector, it's these people who think prudent g is the best thing since sliced bread.
ahhh always thought Mr. Broon was a man who took a recovering strong economy and flushed it down the pan...
but then most folk i end up arguing about this with just think it was torys who mucked up the economy in the 60s and 70s, and it was the tories fault for the 3 day week, and the strikes in the 70s, laid everyone off in the 80s, miners strikes, poll tax, then black wednesday and depression
but then most folk i end up arguing about this with just think it was torys who mucked up the economy in the 60s and 70s, and it was the tories fault for the 3 day week, and the strikes in the 70s, laid everyone off in the 80s, miners strikes, poll tax, then black wednesday and depression
And lets not forget Norman Lament and Piggy Lawson, what a brilliant success story. The men who presided over the biggest overnight devaluation of the pound this century. Part of a government which presided over an increase of unemployment from under a million at the end of the Callaghan administration, to over three million, and interest rates of 15%. UNDER THE TORIES FROM 1979 TO 1997 WE HAD THE HIGHEST EVER RATE OF BANKRUPTCIES AND BUSINESS FAILURES, SPIRALLING CRIME RATES, the collapse of social codes and checks in the greedy rush for capital at any price, and the utter disregard of the needs of disadvantaged sectors of society such as the pensioners left behind in the inflation driven by speculation on housing.
I'd say Gordon and the Labour administration looks pretty benign alongside the eighteen years of Tory misrule, incompetence, stop-start economics, ideological bollox and large dollops of corrupt activity from a long list of Tory ministers and minions.
I'd say Gordon and the Labour administration looks pretty benign alongside the eighteen years of Tory misrule, incompetence, stop-start economics, ideological bollox and large dollops of corrupt activity from a long list of Tory ministers and minions.
tallbloke said:In terms of stability, you can't fault Gordon Brown. But he didn't create the stability.
And lets not forget Norman Lament and Piggy Lawson, what a brilliant success story. The men who presided over the biggest overnight devaluation of the pound this century. Part of a government which presided over an increase of unemployment from under a million at the end of the Callaghan administration, to over three million, and interest rates of 15%. UNDER THE TORIES FROM 1979 TO 1997 WE HAD THE HIGHEST EVER RATE OF BANKRUPTCIES AND BUSINESS FAILURES, SPIRALLING CRIME RATES, the collapse of social codes and checks in the greedy rush for capital at any price, and the utter disregard of the needs of disadvantaged sectors of society such as the pensioners left behind in the inflation driven by speculation on housing.
I'd say Gordon and the Labour administration looks pretty benign alongside the eighteen years of Tory misrule, incompetence, stop-start economics, ideological bollox and large dollops of corrupt activity from a long list of Tory ministers and minions.
In terms of crime, frankly I'm amazed you're brazen enough to bring it up!!! Crime (and the fear of crime) is spiralling out of control, especially caused by those who can't remember the previous administrations you mention.
And lets see, pensioners - was it good old Gordon that gave them a 50p hike in pensions. Really generous...
Take the rose tinted specs off, eh?
tallbloke said:
The men who presided over the biggest overnight devaluation of the pound this century.
Yes, and let's not forget that us leaving the ERM is what boosted our economy compared with what was going on across the Channel. If we had stayed in we would now be like E Germany was 20 years ago. Which I believe is Gordon's goal for 2009.
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