If Cameron shifted Osborne, he would place himself in danger

StephenDC

Agree with this article alot. Osborne is the shield for cameron - picking up all the flak for the unwinding of 3 years of political strategy now gone badly awry.

If Osborne is moved, Cameron just puts himself in the firing line.

Of course, this is also the conclusion Labour will come to - better for them if Osborne stays on now that he is badly, possibly fatally, weakened.

Tories will limp on to next election without a coherent economic plan. They better hope the recovery comes sooner rather than later.

Martin Griffin

Who is to gain by all these stories? Labour. Who is orchestrating them? Peter Mandleson. So unless we want Labour to win I suggest we all get behind George Osborne and support him constructively.

Short the UK

I am a trader and I live or die by my trades. If my trade is wrong I cut my losses. If I am right I run the profit. I have to be brutal and only look forward. The market will find my weaknesses and in humility I accept this as part of the process and use it as a point of learning.

For a year Osborne has had a beautiful trade and he has fluffed it. He set no agenda.

His Sterling intervention is a first step and once Sterling really collapses he will look a genius. People will listen to him.

He is experiencing some volatility with this utterance but as soon as you place a trade you will get volatility and it can bounce you out of the trade.

George has to think like a trader not an Index Tracker.

This has been his achilles heel.

No risk, no reward.

This is his first serious trade.

kinglear

Why would Cameron move him? He understands more of economics that Brown and Darling combined ever will.

JONNY

Even more so because it looks as if Osborne has at last got his act in order.
The Falling Pound issue is the brilliant one to select because:

1.The Pound will continue to fall.
2. It's a clear-cut symptom of incompetence we can all understand - even touching on voters' holidays.
3.It's unique to the UK - our problem - Gordon's problem - nothing to do with the global debacle. Ours all ours.
4. It blinks familiar red warning lights for Labour - re-pening old Harold Wilson 'Pound in Your Pocket'scars.

wonderfulforhisage

If Brown can bring back Mandleson surely Cameron could invite Redwood back into the inner circle. Not only has Redwood been forecasting today's mess for well over a year, he's also (unlike Cameron and Osborne) been highly critical of Brown's plans to get us out of the do do. Perhaps more importantly he's got thought through ideas that might help get us out of the mire.

Jim

Osborne came across very well in this morning's Andrew Marr interview despite some aggresive questioning. Cameron should keep him where he is.

Hysteria

Sunday's article in the Telegraph will help DC/GO get back on track

TGF UKIP

Great for Gordon isn't it! Each time he takes a shot at the Tories' weakest link the more he ensures that that weakest link stays exactly where it is.

Meanwhile in the S. Times YouGov poll today- "Who would you trust most to handle this crisis?" Brown/Darling 36%, Cameron/Osborne 25%, Neither 26%.

Lucky, lucky Gordon to have such an "opposition."

Summer

Martin Griffin
I totally agree.

The press are either pathetic, or their being blackmailed or both.

Philip Wright

I agree with James' analysis here.

Having listened to Alistair Darling at lunchtime, a man I had previously thought not prepared to stoop to the mendacious level of Brown, he now appears just as much of a peddler of Brownies as the great Fife fearty himself.

He conflated the inevitable rise in public borrowing that is a natural result of the recession, due to the automatic stabilisers, that Cameron and Osborne had said some weeks ago was natural and acceptable, with their, and particularly George Osborne's comments this weekend, about the unfettering of borrowing for a tax stimulus which Darling and Brown are about to unleash in the next few days.

No, no, no - this is not inconsistent! What Osborne is rightly warning about is the scorched earth policy that Fraser has blogged about previously. We all know that borrowing is bound to increase but the question is to what purpose? I agree with many Coffee Housers that the Tories have been behind the curve on the economy recently, but I think that now Osborne is prepared to stick the knife in this is the right strategy. I think that Fraser and Jeff Randall at the Telegraph have given exactly the right commentary on our economic situation and these are the points that Cameron and Osborne should be making very forcibly right now in the public arena.

This alone doe not amount to a set of policies and where the Tories would take the country. Nevertheless the attacks must be made so as not to give Brown and Darling a clear field to fool the electorate. Then the Tories must put forward a cogent and well deliberated strategy for which direction they would take us in to enable the recovery to start with a road map for how it will be sustained over the medium term.

Carol-Ann

I disagree. Why would moving Osborne to party chairman, a role where he would be most effective, be a scalp for Labour? Osborne staying as shadow chancellor is the best situation for the Labour party as he has no credibility and is not liked by the public. Your piece and Frasers' is all inside baseball stuff. Cameron can be defiant/stubborn and keep Osborne as shadow chancellor but that will only result in a labour win at the next election or he can be bold and like Obama recognise that experience is needed as well as change. It's a judgement call that Cameron has to make asap.

Hugh

George Osborne, as weak link, don't be daft. He has focussed us to watch the consequence of Brown's profligacy: falling Sterling. No doubt we shall also get another result of all the extra money swilling about ina yer or so, even more inflation.

RH

Come on, are we really falling for the Labour narrative on this one? The plan is to discredit Osborne in order to strengthen the line that only the 'powerhouse' of Brown and Darling can get us out of this mess. There are signs that it will work too; the choice for the electorate now is whether to keep spending and sod the next generation or recognise the profligacy of the past decade and do something about it. Sadly the British electorate is likley to be drawn to the former rather than the latter. This is a problem for the Tories, but they cannot afford to be diverted from what is right even though (if the media are to be believed) telling the truth and disagreeing with the Government master plan is now tantamount to unpatriotic behaviour. There will be a political price for this, Brown will do his best to delay it until after the next election through irresponsible borrowing, but ultimately the Labour party will be toast, hopefully forever.

John Page

If you weren't Osborne groupies, you could just as easily work up an argument that a decision to move him would show the leader's strength, not his weakness. Of course it wouldn't be done in isolation but be presented as part of a larger reshuffle. Even Fraser's NoW column seems to suggest Osborne is on probation.

Labour will of course be desperate to keep him where he is, as he manages to get himself on the defensive whatever the situation.

The best shadow chancellor would obviously be Ken Clarke.

Tiberius

The two polls out today can be interpreted in any way one wants, of course, but both show the Tories in the low 40%s (41 and 43), with Labour on 36% and 31%.

I cannot see Labour getting 36% with the Tories in the low 40s. That would be a historical anomaly. And since the Tory percentages are consistent, I'd suggest the Yougov 36% is freakish.

Gareth

In a way, GO has nothing to lose so should just go for it. He has not benefitted from a cautious approach to the situation, he just might by going for the jugular. Bring it on say I!!

Drew

I note that David Davis, a man of lamentably small talent, is once again on manoeuvres.

His self-promoting appearances in the New Statesman and on Desert Island Discs (accompanied by Jurassic advice from Lord Kalms of Electrical Tatt) suggest that he sniffs a way to make mischief once again.

When asking "Cui Bono?" one should look beyond the Court of the Prince of Darkness.

max usher

Like it or not, Osborne’s fortunes and the prospects of Tory victory at the next election are inextricably interlinked. My problem is that I don't like it- I like Cameron but I've never liked GO. Now I am expected to shut up when what we predicted would happen does happen.

Huw Thornton

Absolutely right, George Osborne must not be moved. He has made an effective jab about the exchange rate, and I am confident that we will start now to hear about a distinctive Tory response to the crisis.

ChrisD

Well it taken weeks, but at least a political journalist is now stating the blindingly obvious political implications for Cameron and the party.
Some of us realised this right at the start!

And no, this is not good news for Brown or the Labour party. Because they were desperate to see the Tories revert to their old tricks of disloyalty and back stabbing which resulted in them dominating the political news for all the wrong reasons and that is a big turn off to the voters.
All the government had to do then was sit back and chortle as the Tories fought amongst themselves rather than opposing the government.

Cameron shows his mettle as a leader by standing firm against the usual suspects. Its taken a while, but god if ever a party needed to grow a spine in recent years, it was the Tories.

If Osborne stays, Brown doesn't get the present he asked for this Christmas.

As for the political Lobby these days, what happens when the Emperor loses his clothes again?
They built up this political myth around the most unsuitable politician to grace No10 in years, and every time he is found without clothes they dress him up again.
That lycra superman costume didn't fit when they squeezed him into it a few weeks ago, and its getting so stretched at the moment......

jean baker

Carol-Ann - You've the right to speak for yourself, but not everyone else. You presume too much - do you work in media ?

Roy Simpson

Totally agree with "wonderfulforhisage" regarding the return of John Redwood to the front bench. If anyone has any doubts read his daily blog, and listen (on i player), to his excellent performance on Any Questions last Friday. Furthermore, David Davis should also be brought back on board.

mckenzie

“The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”

Cicero - 55 BC

Ethan Hurlington

Osborne was impressive on the andrew marr show, despite marr's blatant attempts to trip him up. Osborne did exactly what he is paid to do, to point out where the government going wrong, and pointing out his alternative path. He talks well and is able to set out what a mess of the economy brown and darling have governed over...he sets it out better than any of the shadow cabinet. Thus it would be madness to hound him out...

TGF UKIP

Mckenzie, many thanks for that post which I've printed off for my future reference.

It just goes to show that sensible people have always been conservatives.

Now if only you could get the modern Tory Party to wholeheartedly embrace those principles.

clare

mckenzie - that quote form Cicero was amazing. Talk about there being nothing new under the sun.

Hereford

I think Osborne did well on the Marr show, despite it being, effectively, a Labour party political broadcast (two Labour voices allowed to get in the counter punches before Osborne's recorded interview was screened.)

Good auld Andy of course ensured that there was time for them to address GO's points during interviews that were supposedly about other subjects.

But at least Osborne was clearly and effectively on the attack. At last!

Fergus Pickering

Don't forget that Cicero came to a bad end. Mark Antony had him rubbed out. For Mark Antony read....

erasmus

Let us resolve to creat a society that ensures that what you cannot pay for, you cannot have. Let us BAN Hire Purchase in all its forms!

Let us educate our children from the earliest age to SAVE.
Let us educate our children to respect one another.

Let us ensure our children are brought up in the knowledge that competition is healthy, but to learn how to lose and how to win.

Let us restore our manufacturing industries.

Let us again lead the world on inventiveness.

Let us respect each other be we white, black or brown. Christian. Hindu, Sikh,Muslim or agnostic. But never forgetting that this Island is a Christian Country, but tolerant of other beliefs.

Let us regain a moral base to our lives.

Let us moderate our drinking of alcohol.

Let us return the Police Force to policing and fighting crime.

Let us re open courts in all towns to make Justice local to the needs of the people.

Let us make the punishment fit the crime.

Let us bring back National Service for three years for ALL young people between the ages of 18 and 21. With no exceptions whatsoever. National Service meaning serving within the Armed Services or the Police Force.

Let us appreciate the opposition in sport.

Let us love thy neighbour.

Let us determine never, ever, to allow socialism- as shown vividly by Harringey- ruin our society again.

Let us establish a modern parliament and local governance based on our true democratic past.

Let us revive the Victorian Legislation so stupidy discarded by New Labour.

Let us be swift and ruthless on those that cause us harm.

Let us vow to never, again, let the tail wag the dog.

Let us be a Nation again.

seb

This is a useful point that Larry Elliot's been making in the Toynbee Gazette.
Brown's been arguing that the world, of which he is of course Chancellor, is in dire straits and needs drastic action, to wit, maxing out on the credit card, with no need being paid to eventually having to fend off the bailiff. Darling, by way of contrast, is saying that things aren't so bad, that we'll have a shortish downturn, whereupon the storm clouds will blow over and the drenched picnickers will re-emerge from their cars. If Darling is right, then Brown cannot be. If Darling is right, we don't need the dire post-G20 warnings or Brown's latest berserk threats to borrow another fifteen billion just to slip us all a Christmas bung.

Darling, surely, must know that Brown is angry and terrified and will do anything i.e. bribe anyone, to cling on. Darling also knows that the Credit Card Option, so popular with desperate private citizens, is a catastrophe waiting to happen.
Osborne [or even his poltergeist, Osbourne] needs to work on this angle and to hammer on about funding some cuts as long as they're matched by cuts in the government's gargantuan spending black holes.
The relationship between Brown, an increasingly manic economic illiterate driven to extremes of recklessness, and Darling, who appears rational, must be rancid. Keep Osborne where he is and point him towards the smell.

Blogg King

Amazing. Nulabour incompetence put us in this position but its now doen to the Tories to put it right or they won't get elected. Hold on The Tories are not in power they dont have to do anything its the government stupid!

Ken Johns

Unfortunately, the perception of the electorate is what really counts and if we insulate ourselves from them, then we will stay in opposition. Clearly Brown's "leave it to experience" jibe has worked with many and caused a re-examination by the public of the Tory front bench. The view is of a team of wannabes' with an obvious lack of experience and very few ideas, if any, of handling the current economic crisis. Everyone knows that Brown is responsible for the mess, but there is nobody else currently, who could be trusted to handle the situation as it stands.

This is why it is absolutely vital to bring someone forward very quickly to take the battle to Brown and it is essential that the person is mature and experienced, such as Ken Clarke or John Redwood. Nothing else will do!