Brown's patriotism, the last refuge of a scoundrel

Short the UK

Getting ahead of the curve.

Attack, attack, attack.

This is war.

Brown is a psychopath - attack his weakness. He does not feel. He does not realise that he is the architect of the biggest bust in British history. Ask him how he feels about this.

Keep asking him how he feels!!!!

He has no conscience.

Val Adam

Osborne is very foolish making this kind of comment - it looks to me like he is almost wishing for a run on the pound.

It seems to me that Osborne is a too clever by half political tactician but as a potential Chancellor? He just doesn't cut it.

David Lindsay

The weak pound will restore the manufacturing base of this country. That's why Osborne is against it. And that's why the North and the Midlands will reject his party again next time.

Heaven knows, it's not because the other lot are so wonderful. But even so.

luke

One significant change in the last week is that Labour are now clearly hoping Osborne stays.

They think he is a major liability in middle-england and apparently the focus groups think he is too big a risk with the economy.

That should ease the pressure on Osborne but doesn't bode well for tories overall.

Alfred T Mahan

The worst part of this story today has been the media - especially, of course, the BBC. The main story has to be the state of the economy, not the effect on it of what an opposition spokesman, even an important one, says - and yet the headline everywhere has been to do with Osborne's behaviour.

There is a world of difference between "Osborne says govt. policies causing fall in sterling; Brown says this is talking down the economy" and "Osborne accused of talking down the economy by saying sterling will fall". One is balanced - the other most decidedly isn't.

Let's hope that Osborne will make many more such comments. Heaven knows they need to be said.

Too much debt isn't cured by more debt.

Russ

Brown is totally deluded and out of control. I seriously think the man is ill and should be relieved of his position.The tories need to attack Brown's insane borrowing much more as well as his delusions of grandure.

liz Brown

Val - the pound has been sinking like a stone since the cut in interest rates
David - there is virtually no manufacturing base in the Uk so low interest rate s don't matter one whit
Good to see the Labour stooges at work on a Saurday

TGF UKIP

"Osborne has been prematurely written off before." Come off it, James!

Osborne has never cut the mustard ever since he was first surprisingly appointed by Howard back in 2005. Unsuprisingly, therefore, the Tories have persistently lagged on the economic question ever since often polling only in high single figures on that issue even in those heady days when the headline lead was 20%+.

Iain Martin called it dead right in the DT this week but the blunt truth is that The Speccie is so besotted with Dave and Boy George and so firmly nailed its own colours to their mast that Speccie hacks are simply incapable of facing up to the appalling deficiencies of their Precious Pair as opposition leaders.

Luke get's it dead right - Boy George is now Gordon's best friend.

Tiberius

Brown's pathetic comments could make a manx cat chase its tail.

The run on sterling has already started. Osborne's comments will make no difference if, as he's allowing to be expected, Brown's borrowing continues to rise.

And that article also states that the BoE, which he has so often boasted about giving independence, is also at fault because it didn't cut rates early enough. It's your creation, Gordy, so not even you can have it both ways.

The banking crisis is American bankers fault; the sterling fall is Osborne's fault; and failed monetary policy is the BoE's fault.

Makes you wonder why Brown bothers when he's surrounded by so many idiots.

Chuck Unsworth

@ Val Adam. In case you hadn't noticed, the pound has devalued massively over the past six months. Why might that be, do you suppose?

@ David Lindsay
Preposterous nonsense. Who in their right minds is going to invest in British manufacturing? We don't have manufacturing skills any more - they've been exported. We're pretty good at service industries, such as KFC, MacDonalds and Pizza Hut - but then again they're American owned, aren't they?

Brown's 'investment' in education and the health service have been staggering disasters, with efficiency going right down the tubes. PFI anyone?

Summer

3.32, 3.35, 3.37 - three of the silliest comments; so must be from the Labour stooges on their piece rates!! Is this the best they can do? Not really very good value for money!!

Val - the pound HAS fallen, it is now the lowest ever against the Euro. Or hadn't you noticed!! What on earth is it about telling truth that makes George Osbourne unfit to be a Chancellor. A Labour Chancellor yes, but not a British Chancellor.

David Lindsay. So you think a weak pound is a good thing do you? Just wait for all the imported inflation!!! Just where is the manufacturing investment and skill to come from? Labour has destroyed it all. And just for good measure the Conservatives have a number of plans for real apprenticeships and manufacting investment when they get into power. So don't worry dear man. I'm from the North and I know where my vote is going, along with a huge number of my friends, neighbours and colleagues . In fact, I'm been having just that conversation with a few friends.

Luke. Are they? They continue to brief against George Osbourne like he was the devil incarnate. The biggest risk for the economy is Brown and I would say from opinion polls that 70% of the country agree.

John Moss

Brown has not balanced a budget since 2002. His Goebells-like mantra of the oft-repeated lie cannot be allowed to go unchallenged and Osborne is absolutely correct both in his analysis and his warning to the Government that their proposed "solution" to the problem has significant risks.

As usual, the BBC have allowed themselves to be spun and the story is not now, is this level of borrowing dangerous and risky, but, is George Osborne at risk of being sacked.

Just very, very poor journalism really.

David

"he weak pound will restore the manufacturing base of this country. That's why Osborne is against it."

Foil hat time again, David?

Nicholas

More classic leftist tactics. Accuse those disagreeing of being "disloyal", etc., seize the moral high ground and batter the dissenters to silence by making their dissent appear "wrong" and against the majority interest.

As with "broken Britain" so now the economy, this ghastly charlatan sets himself up as "saviour" and any attack becomes an attack on the people. The adversarial politics of parliament, intended to hold a government to account now become "partisan". Priceless! School of East Germany and other assorted leftist totalitarians. I'm surprised after all the lessons of socialist history that anyone would fall for such guff.

Frankly I'd rather have a cabinet full of Osbornes than any more of this repulsive ego-tripper's sanctimonious nonsense. He is entirely responsible for the state of modern Britain. He is a destroyer. The Conservatives should take no lectures from this Mugabesque madman who puts self and party before country.

Draughtsman

David Lindsay - what that you could be proved right about manufacturing industry. Unfortunately however low the Pound goes we will never be able to compete with Asian manufacturers whose workers are prepared to toil in conditions and for wages that would be unacceptable in our society.

We do still have the export advantage in engineering design services which is the field in which I work, but I foresee even that falling away in time as us older guys hang up our boots with no youngsters coming along to replace us.

Gordon Musgo-soon

Whilst the tories were supposed to be supporting the govt in a time of national unity, GB never stopped the [artisan attacks, indeed was only too pleased to use the new weapon of disloyalty. The tories should never have gone for the untiy in the first place, it isn't appropriate unless the nation is at war.

Among the BBCs outrageous statements today was 'Gordon is urging other nations to follow Britain's lead in cutting taxes. What the hell are they talking about, there is no tax cut save the Brownie of the 10percent rate cockup allowance change as being a cut.
There are no cuts announced yet either, and one may be very sure that the PBR has nothing in it but spin, no cut which could ever stimulate its way out of this one.

The tory plan should be to call every lie a lie, and swamp the media with it. If the Beeb won't play, boycott it.

luke

These posts about Labour stooges really are moronic. Summer - grow up, just because someone doesnt share your view doesnt make them a stooge for someone else.

I happen to be a very centtrist spectator reader - left leaning on some social issues - and interested in politics.

I am not a labour stooge. Deal with it, or find some other boards on which to show your contempt for anyone who doesnt agree with you

luke

I actually think the nightmare scenario for labour would be osborne moved to a political strategy job and Hague made shadow chancellor or clarke brought back.

Either would immediatley give the tories a credible populist touch in the only policy area (except from health maybe) where they are hurting.

John F Aberdeen

I cannot think of anything more hypocritical and nausiating then the words Brown and British Patrioism in the same sentance.
The same Brown the unelected PM, who, despite having been one of the Nulab 2005 manifesto architects pledging a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, sneaked off to to sign it on behalf of the UK.
Far from being patriotic, Brown and Zanulabour are little better than traitors.
So George Osborne is right to attack, attack, attack, the pound has been dropping long before his comments. As for Bottlers "scorched earth" policy again Osborne is correct because the socialists will do anything to stay in power,, or if they can,t have it, ruin the country they, the BBC and the liberal left hate, Great Britain.
Zanulabour, the Liberal left and the BBC truly are Britains axis of evil.

To attack a traitorous PM and government is as acceptible as the Norwegian patriots executing Quisling or the Romanian patriots executing Caucescu.

So George and the rest of the Tories,, as we say at Old Trafford,, Attack Attack, Attack

David Preiser

I have to agree with TGF UKIP. Call Me Dave has shown the occasional glimmer of direction with a clue, but that's about it. It's time to think about another leader, guys. Plus, if George Osborne was of any use in his current position, the Tories would have a more substantial economic policy than going around saying, "Gordon's doing it wrong".

You should ask yourself, James, why does the BBC always seem to have Vince Cable on when discussing economics? Aside from the fact that they're in the tank for Mr. Brown, that is.

Charlie T

As Goering said attack all criticism as unpatriotic

strapworld

Osborne is the shadow chancellor of the exchequer...Brown is Prime Minister...There is no way that Osborne can 'take on Brown!!' That job is for Cameron.

Is Cameron up for the fight? I doubt it on this weeks showing.

I have said time and again we are now in the dirtiest pre election campaign which will get dirtier. Cameron has got to start getting really angry and putting the boot in.
It was HIS responsibility to give that interview today and not leave it to the discredited and disloyal shadow chancellor!

Again, Cameron has shown no leadership skills whatsoever. He should be wiping the floor with Brown.

Get to it man or stand down.

Ken

David Lindsay@3:35pm
What manufacturing base? (http://tinyurl.com/5pngbr): "The manufacturing base is less than 17% of the UK economy ..."
unlike France which has real heavy industry (TGV, Airbus Industrie, nucleur reactors etc) and which this week was the only EU major to record an albeit tiny amount of Q3 growth. Apart from all his other sins of ommission and commission Brown must be held to account for his disasterous and narrow focus on the City as the prime driver of UK plc.

japstick

It would appear that opposition to Broon will not be tolerated. Even if it is by HM opposition.

With Mandelson and Campbell's sinister influence with the media becoming daily more apparent, Dave and co are going to have to get down and get dirty over the coming months. The next election campaign is going to be the dirtiest ever and the entire opposition front bench need to be made aware of the steel required. Expect smear, spin, innuendo, half truths and ridicule to appear daily, these being the favorite devices of this regime.

J H Holloway

David Lindsay. Oxford is the global source for all Mini models (until 2010, anyway).

Despite the pound's trajectory, the factory is closing for a month in December. meanwhile my mate in the HK city tells me dollar-pound parity is on the cards.

Typical insightful comments from one of great university lecturers.

Fergus Pickering

I have a prejuduice aganstposh voices and toffs which doubtless comes from my childhood. However, this ridiculous campaign against George Osborne ought not to be fuelled by right-thinking people. The man who is the enemy is Brown and he is aided by his side-kick and stooge, the posh-voiced, public-school educated Alsitair Darling. I realise that the English would not recognise a posh Scottish voice but, take it from me, Darling has one and Loretto School (if that's how you spell it) is a nest of toffe-nosed snobs etc etc. As for Broon, he's an oick.

Peter Wilson

Labour accuse the Tories of talking down the pound?! Would this be the same Labour party whose Chancellor said we were facing the worse economic crisis for 60 years? Comments which led to sharp fall in the FTSE

Nicholas

luke "I am not a labour stooge"

Trouble is you read just like one and your wishy-washy centre-left politics are what brought the national socialists to power and will keep them there. New Labour should be the subject of your ire at being misrepresented rather than Summer, because it is they who have decided to engage in covert cyber war and use bogus bloggers to post thinly veiled national socialist propaganda on the net.

Your posts are exactly similar to Draper's blogging Schutz-Staffel so it is quite understandable that Summer should identify you as a Labour creature. For all we know even your rebuttal might be a carefully worded ploy by one of Draper's gang to promote the concept of support from the "reasonable" centre-left for New Labour's national socialism. The "reasonable" centre-left that got us into this mess and will keep us there if they don't wise up their voting intentions. Highly irresponsible of you, I call it.

And please don't write about "tribal" and "partisan" in supercilious manner. The Left and New Labour have been doing the most blatant "tribal" and "partisan" party politics for decades. The right is just rising up to clobber you with the same medicine - and about time too.

JONNY

Brown better get his election over before late May.
Before the demise of the once perky Pound starts hitting hundreds of thousands of holiday makers where it hurts. And they come back baying for his blood.

luke

Nicholas, is the Draper thing really true? I suspect its a myth.

Anyway - i bet they dont post on sundays! ;)

Much rather people called me wishy washy than a stooge. I dont read the spectator just to hear people agreeing with me, but i dont expect to be taken for a nulab cyber terrorist

Barnaby Trubble

Rapid Rebuttal? It's not just a net rumour. It seems to have some tells. The posts are very quick after the stories. The posters use plain names, often common surnames or just first names. The post is in line with the labour spindocs 'line to take', just as you hear the same thing from the Beeb. It's likely to be on a subject that makes the TV news too, not just anything which might crop up on Coffee House. It does not contain any personal observations or positions which might be different from what a front bench spokesman or 'source close to' might say.

If your post meets many or all of these criteria, it may be thought to be from Rapid Rebuttal.

On the other hand, anti-labour posts here don't fit into a template. People who are anti-Gord still aren't totally happy with the tories. RR people SUPPORT the govt, even after all this time and all those cockups, they have no doubts. Anyone writing this sort of stuff is in their employ, or a loony.

Dear Spectator, while not wishing to have their emails exposed, or their IP addresses, couldn't someone from IT check the sources of the suspect posts and see whether they come from the same place with multiple names? And tell us about it? Maybe not with the real address, but keeep a list of suspect addresses and tell us whether they come from adress A, B, C etc. It IS in the interest of the magazine to detect whether this sort of thing is going on.

(I confess I post from the same email under a few noms de keyboard here, but I don't mind who knows)

Paul L

Luke. Some advice, if you don't like being called a Labour stooge then stop sounding like one.

For example, telling someone to "grow up" is a core New Labour tactic. A dead give away.

And I bet they do post on a Sunday if Derek tells them to.

IvyEileen

Summer and Unsworth have already answered the silly comments.

But you could almost laugh with tears in your eyes at the way the NuLab machine react so childishly to any criticism. "It's my ball and I'm going to take it away if you won't play according to my rules".

This is the party that criticised the Major Govt. for taking us out of the ERM - which they hadn't wanted us to join in the first place("talking the pound down"). It was also Labour who departed from the conventions that (i) M.P.'s did not criticise their country whilst abroad, (ii) you did not oppose an incumbent Speaker's parliamentary seat at General Election time and (iii) P.M.'s did not engage in electioneering at by-elections.

David Lindsay

The whole of the financial services sector, never mind the City alone, still accounts for less than half the GDP that manufacturing does.

And as for imports from sweatshops, quite. Which is why we should do as the Americans have done, and indentify and elect economically patriotic candidates. Protectionists, if you will.

Barrie Singleton

The 'psychopath leader' as a norm, is long established. But the party system ensures we get another and another. It's the system stupid.