Reasons to have faith in Cameron and Osborne

michael dowding

H'm nice to see some more positive stuff from you, Fraser. If this Country has the slightest chance of ever being a shadow of it's former self, i.e a successful manufacturer, exporter, proud succour to genuine aysulum seekers,a sustainable level of population in employment and a more confident and happy populace, we need HOPE and CHANGE.

Bob.India

Ok, but while a decent economic policy is being forged, for God's sake can Cameron/Osborne get moving, pronto, on shooting down Brown's fake narrative?

We are all writhing in desperate fury out here as Brown gets away with the most outrageous lies and distortions and most people I know are desperate for the smell of blood (Brown's).

Corfu is now a distant summer memory and people care more about competence than caste, so come Georgie, start asserting yourself!

oldtimer

I mostly agree with this. The big issue is the economy and how to respond to the recession (or worse) and much criticism of Cameron/Osborne relates to their response to the financial crisis - namely that it falls short of what is needed. I think that their immediate response - to support the bank rescue - was correct.

The problem is that we have an asset crunch as well as a credit crunch to deal with - as anyone depending on a pension fund and/or hard earned life savings knows all too well. I blame Brown for this; I think Cameron/Osborne have done an OK job making the points (destruction of private pension
schemes via the pensions tax, excessive private and public debt).

The more difficult job is charting a way out of the mess. No politician, or economist, has yet produced a convincing answer. Tax cuts are part of the answer but only, I believe, if accompanied by root and branch reform of the tax system. Such reforms need to reduce the cost and complexity of the tax system and also to redirect the incentives built into it. The Forsyth commission has pointed the way to radical changes; I hope that they are quietly working on them.

John Page

So Cameron has put two good people in place. But you rightly say that the party is failing on the economic front. Close your eyes and imagine the hay Ken Clarke would be making! Osborne shows no sign of being up to it.

Tiberius

Glad to see you've stepped back from the Dark Side, Fraser, but there is one point I beg to differ on.

I cannot believe Cameron and Osborne ever thought Brown was a good Chancellor. Many did, but some never did (Stephen Pollard, for example, has never had regard for him). The Cameroon message on the economy was what the electorate needed to hear at the time, but it is now being weaned off Brown's ruinous narrative as the cold is now biting.

Mr Leatherhead

You're right of course Fraser but, be patient! The next year will dramatically erode support for the incumbent Government & Brown in particular. The media narrative will increasingly focus on the bad news & I just don't believe voters will shrug their shoulders & take on board Brown's mantra that the cause is global.

Rhoda Klapp

So, your premise is that the people we have percieved as doing a pathetic job are soon, any day now, going to stop being pathetic and be the powerful and effective team you knew they were all along. Really.

That's kinda like jam tomorrow without having had jam yesterday. Mr Micawber's strategy has now been adopted on bot sides.

Damien Vaugh

Can Cameron and Osborne have a word with Boris?. Part of Obamas success was tapping into the need to reassure the public that he would concentrate on public infastructure and job creation.

Mayor Boris Johnson seems to be developing his own unique economic response to the recession that is now hitting the Capital. In his 36 page report 'way-to-go' he is intending to abandon any new spending on infastructure projects not already under contract.

Johnson makes no reference to previously proposed transport projects such as Thames Gateway Bridge,East London River Crossing, Cross River Tram, Greenwich Waterfront Transit guided bus and East London Transit guided bus . This on top of the decision to scrap the DLR extension to Dagenham Dock.

There is no suggestion that he is doing any of this out of political malice towards the goodburgers of East London, but he should remember after all he is the Mayor Of London not just the Westend !.

Bernanke and others who studied the causes of the great depression know that the last thing policy makers should be doing is proposing cutting back on investment in infastructure. Many thousands of employees and small business will be relying on work from these public projects to get through the next few difficult years.

The Mayor has invited invited comments by email: waytogo@london.gov.uk

Michael McGowan

Fraser, I think you are being a tad over-optimistic. The Cameron strategy is still in essence to ignore his bedrock support and placate the left, at least in part to give him the option of a coalition with Clegg, if there is a hung Parliament. As Bush discovered to his cost, the left can always outbid the right when it comes to more tax, more spending and more bossy interference in people's lives. If Cameron attempts to backtrack, he will be monstered by the BBC whom he is actively appeasing already.

Punk Economist

Cameron and Osborne are financial masterminds:

(1) They support Labour's spending plans; and

(2) In a recession tax revenues will go down; but

(3) They oppose Brown's plans to borrow more; so

(4) They can't borrow to balance the lost revenue, therefore:

(5) The Tories must be planning to increase taxes, to support public spending; whilst at the same time

(6) The Tories promise to cut council tax (George Osborne, 29 September 2008) and oppose stealth taxes (George Osborne, 3 July 2008).

Winner.

Old Skool Cynic

You've really got to rid yourself of this silly conceit that you've been 'pretty hard' on Dave. You've pretty not.

Ian Walker

I'd like to see John Redwood brought in to the fold as an attack dog to go for Darling. His economic analysis during the unfolding crisis has been unswervingly excellent, grounded in proper economics rather than populist student socialism.

geoff

Cameron yes.

Osbourne no.

Think you overestimate how radical they are on welfare reform. Unless we are time limiting benefits or means testing them we are just continuing the blairite approach. We can keep saying Purnell copied us - but the truth is Grayling and Purnell are both just continuing the process started under Blair, based on the Freud report.

Wily Trout

Nobody in the real world ever gave a hoot about Corfu, outside the meejah and in particular the BBC. We seem to just get one story a week now (Corfu, Ross/Brand, Obama) to the absolute exclusion of any other news at all. It's really unbalanced.

Hereford

They may have good ideas Fraser, but they simply aren't making enough noise about them.

Brown uses volume/repitition of message to get people to believe what he says. His Brownies are so often repeated and so rarely challenged openly that they become truth in the minds of the populace.

If Cameron wants to stop Brown clawing his way back up the polls he has to go seriously on the offensive. Consensus politics is a load of bollocks and will get the Tories nowhere.

Education, welfare and your other points (apart from tax cuts possibly) are just not on the citzens' radar at the moment and it is probably pointless indulging in anything more than a tick over noise level. Cameron must mercilessly attack Brown's lies and misrepresentations.

Hysteria

Fraser - I like the positive notes and the background on the individuals. But remind me - when have you been hard on DC and GO? I can't recall that so much....

David Belchamber

Bob.India at 11:07am

"Ok, but while a decent economic policy is being forged, for God's sake can Cameron/Osborne get moving, pronto, on shooting down Brown's fake narrative?"

I agree entirely; we need a forensic analysis of Brown's "fake facts", so that anyone can tear into shreds the mantra from any minister on inflation, interest rates, unemployment etc.

We also need a detailed comparison between the regulatory regime for banks in Spain and here to demonstrate what government can - and should - do as opposed to what Brown did as chancellor with the consequences we now see.

TGF UKIP

God, Fraser, you're good but really good and it can only be a matter of time before Lord Bell sweeps you up and nominates you as the future of Bell Pottinger and mega bucks will be yours.

When it comes to putting gloss on dross who could possibly rival Fraser Cameron and his valiant efforts for the Precious Pair.

That they are OPPOSITION politicians facing the worst, most incompetent, sleazy, sinister and corrupt government in living memory and can only achieve a headline poll lead in single figures is bad enough. But when they even poll behind Spend, Borrow and Bust Brown on economic management that really is some feat.

Nothing, however, like your feat, Fraser, in dressing up their "achievements" and I just love your line "So when they do get a better economic policy....." Just remind us all Fraser, how long have they had to find this "better economic policy." Is it 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months or is it, good heavens, very nearly three years!

If, Dave ever stops shooting himself in the foot long enough and does actually make it to Downing Street, the very least you will deserve is Alastair Campbell's old job. Always assuming of course you will have been able to resist Lord Bell's blandishments in the interim.

Simon

What seems to have become established over the last 20 years or so is that the default position of advantage, for individuals, businesses and the country as a whole, is to be borrowed up to the maximum amount lenders will give you. There is never room made in any discussion for this article of faith to be questioned.

So we have been seduced into a way of thinking in which the only restriction on public spending is the ability to raise the finance. Increasing it from the current level of 40+% of GDP is viewed as being unquestionably desirable if only it wasn't quite so difficult to fund it out of increased taxes or borrowing.

To my mind, we should be questioning the logic of this way of thinking. What is so superior about centrally-directed spending that we should accept without question that it is in our best interests for it to be maximised?

Wouldn't the Conservative Party, and indeed the country as a whole, be forever grateful to anyone who was able to expose this myth for what it is?

Fraser Nelson

Guys, apologies. I should have said "I have despaired of Cameron and Osborne" - I could and probably should have been a lot harder. Still time yet!

Cogito Ergosum

This article is wishful thinking at its worst, particularly about education.

Half the children are of below average ability, and no amount of tinkering with pseudo-independent schools will alter that. What we need are grammar schools, about 1000 of them as opposed to the 130 or so currently.

We also need a similar number of special schools for the weakest children. Then about 4000 midstream schools for the great majority of children who are near average. These midstream schools could be of a manageable size, admitting ca 100 pupils per year, since they would not have to support academic/grammar streams or special/weakest streams. Being of reasonable size, they could achieve discipline and pride.

Finally, it seems strange to praise Cameron and Osborne when you report that Grayling is the really useful man.

TGF UKIP

Attaboy, Fraser, you're getting there. Slowly but surely I sense the scales dropping from your eyes.