tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post2691699404563689936..comments2024-02-13T10:20:04.888+00:00Comments on David Hepworth's blog: Is this the election nobody wanted to win?David Hepworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973053694541321308noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post-1584415738822581162010-05-16T20:16:24.976+01:002010-05-16T20:16:24.976+01:00I take it you saw this article:
http://www.newsbi...I take it you saw this article:<br /><br />http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2010/05/08/poll-shows-uk-very-happy-with-lack-of-government/Mike Churchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05503749721449886415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post-66936470147225976572010-05-11T15:56:08.160+01:002010-05-11T15:56:08.160+01:00It is extraordinary how people have been taken in ...It is extraordinary how people have been taken in by this nonsense about the national debt.<br /><br />By historic standards, or those of other G20 countries, the debt is not huge. It is the ability to service the debt that is crucial, not the debt itself. Every major industrial country operates in debt. The problems faced by Greece are to do with not being able to honour their payments on the debt and that is not a situation that currently applies to the UK.<br /><br />The irony is that the one thing that might make this a reality is if the economy goes back into deep recession which is far more likely to happen if the Tories slash public spending than if Labour continues to borrow to fund public spending.<br /><br />Why, you might ask, did the Tories campaign on a policy (reducing the debt immediately) that will be likely to make them deeply unpopular during the course of the next parliament (assuming they get in) and which won't actually improve the economic state of the country (may even make it worse)?<br /><br />The answer seems partly to be that it gave them some 'clear blue water' in the election campaign - Tory and Labour manifestos weren't actually that different if you took out the economic policies. But also some sense that the British public feels debt to be somehow 'wrong' and that if you're in debt you should do your best to pay it back.<br /><br />In international finance terms this is complete nonsense. But I can see how it would play well with some parts of 'middle England'.<br /><br />If the Tories do now get in and unless the Liberals can restrain them from the worst of the cuts, the wrong-headedness of our attitude towards the national debt may become all too apparent.Steve Lakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02823945072463797169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post-82355357579398669212010-05-11T07:08:40.971+01:002010-05-11T07:08:40.971+01:00The clever thing would be for the tories to "...The clever thing would be for the tories to "fail" to agree with the LD's. Leaving Lab to have their go.<br />This would ensure that Cons would get a large majority next time. Why would they want power now? They'll be out of government again in 30 month (My guess) and wont return for ten years.<br />Then we come to Lab - Why would any of the Leadership contenders want to Lead this thing? Sanity suggests that GB be left to run if for a bit (More than four months) so that he can run the treasury from No 10 (as he will, and as circumstance require). His resignation should be part of the deal BUT take place in 30 months (my guess?) allowing the stink (some of it) to leave the stage with him.<br />But Politicians are probably not very strategic when they can smell the power ... maybe anything now is better ... <br />I'm not a politician ...TPChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11578318542606481849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post-60023648681181739662010-05-10T20:34:57.961+01:002010-05-10T20:34:57.961+01:00At the risk of complacency I'd like to just po...At the risk of complacency I'd like to just point out that we are not Greece. Nor are we Spain, Italy, Portugal. Our public sector has its flaws but endemic corruption is not not among them. Also, turns out that all those much-derided Euro-sceptics were probably, er, bang on the money. I therefore predict that we will experience something short of the apacalyptic meltdown that the likes of Will Hutton are darkly prophesying. Once this phony phase is over we'll know soon enough anyway.Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03345758492182779923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post-71274369625581539382010-05-10T16:40:26.897+01:002010-05-10T16:40:26.897+01:00Clegg has a remarkably difficult choice - real inf...Clegg has a remarkably difficult choice - real influence (and possibly even power) with the Tories, or a chance at an electoral system that will give them PR with Labour. I think in either case in the short term the LDs are going to get stuffed.trail of breadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07404750750499578001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post-44170532030437290672010-05-10T12:41:52.236+01:002010-05-10T12:41:52.236+01:00Personally I wouldn't want to win as it's ...Personally I wouldn't want to win as it's like your previous comments about The Wire and the bowls of shit - but this time the bowl of shit are a tsunami of turds and nobody will be able to gobble them quick enough.<br /><br />However I think the Tories really really wanted it but blew their campaign by not updating it.<br /><br />The nice guy Cameron approach was pitched at a 2005 world where Blair was still in power and the economy hadn't fallen over yet.<br /><br />Then the world changed but they kept the campaign the same as they were scared to rock the boat.<br /><br />I think if they'd campaigned with a different leader under more old school Tory values, "the economy is bankrupt and we're going to dismantle benefit culture" they'd be on a huge majority right now.<br /><br />However I'm hoping that we might get an functional government out of this - huge Tory cuts but the pro Europe Lib Dems curbing the Tory plans to flick Vs at Europe. And gosh - anything to keep George Osborne out of the treasury. Vince Cable / Ken Clarke please.robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17891781037248090988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38548109.post-84714581881043624202010-05-10T11:33:36.539+01:002010-05-10T11:33:36.539+01:00Spot on. "Quantative Easing" will come b...Spot on. "Quantative Easing" will come back and haunt us as the euphemism of the decade for "printing money".Roghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780409453528524865noreply@blogger.com