Not with a bang but a whimper
James Forsyth 1:58am
Today was meant to be the start of a fiercely contested general election campaign. Last night, the mood in centre-right circles was grim—the feeling was that Brown was about to pull off another Houdini act. But instead today has ended with Labour routed. Tories are striding around Westminster tonight with renewed confidence while Labour MPs look downcast.
So comprehensive has been the rout that the news that the 45p rate will raise less than a billion pound just seems like a small detail. The genuine concern in Conservative circles that this tax rise would seem like a plausible way to pay for the borrowing binge has been forgotten.
The political plates have shifted yet again: the Tories are now back on the front foot and it is George Osborne, the politician who has possibly received the most flak in the past month, who is leading the charge. If there is not growth by the third quarter next year, the Tories will be able to label the biggest ever gamble with the public finances a failure. Darling’s downbeat demeanour today suggests that he knows that the real reckoning is to come for Labour.
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Patrick
November 25th, 2008 2:55am Report this comment..and do Labour ever deserve a reckoning...
Wilhelm
November 25th, 2008 3:25am Report this commentGordon Broon and Alistair Darling.
A here today, gone tomorrow poltician.
Wilhelm
November 25th, 2008 3:31am Report this commentIt took a weekend for Gordon Broon to destroy
the British economy.
Even Herman Goering's luftwaffe couldnt do that, not bad going for a born and bred Glasgow boy. Well done lad.
mitch
November 25th, 2008 5:35am Report this commentThats the message for the Tories
LABOUR HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!
simple and true.
Joe Mooney
November 25th, 2008 7:48am Report this commentBrown and Darling should not be allowed to get away with blaming America. This downturn was made in Dowing Street and I for one hope that Labour get chucked out at the next election. The Brown and darling tax grab is under way and as they say middle England is going to pay.
TPR
November 25th, 2008 8:28am Report this commentEven John Humphreys has turned on Darling and is finally telling him how it is (Today Programme).
HJ
November 25th, 2008 8:41am Report this commentThe Tories should include in their manifesto a pledge to remove generous final salary pensions for former prime ministers.
People are revolted that Brown will walk away from this debacle with a totally secure financial future paid for by the rest of us. It is sickening.
Brook Whelan
November 25th, 2008 8:42am Report this commentIt's obvious that this pre-budget report was a political one, not an economic one.
Gordon Brown is far more interested in party political street-fighting than with saving the economy.
It seems he will do whatever it takes to ruin the public finannces simply in order to give his poll ratings a boost.
Paul B
November 25th, 2008 8:46am Report this commentAgree with Mitch, "Labour isn`t working...again" Married to an apolocalyptic image. Or "Labour isn`t working, again and again and again and again" With images of unemployed trades persons for every again. Once the idea & image is in the publics mind, you go with posters with just "Again" with yet another image of an unemployed person.
Fairminded Fred
November 25th, 2008 8:47am Report this commentRemind me again - what is the Tory policy for dealing with the recession?
Susan Hill
November 25th, 2008 8:58am Report this commentNo, this downturn was not made in Downing Street but Downing Street did not help. America is partly to blame. And though Osborne had a good day he only had it because the PBR was such a damp squib which everyone had seen through even before it was all unveiled. I don`t yet see a single Tory economic proposal which does any better. Pro-Action is what is needed from Osborne - reaction to yesterday was so easy a child could have done it.
Mike
November 25th, 2008 9:34am Report this commentHumphreys should be retired NOW - compare his Osborne interview with that of Nicky Campbell on Radio Five Live this morning and it is quickly apparent how his cynical offensive style sheds little light on events, how little he understands the complex issues and how often he gets himself worked up in his own editorialising. He has had a shocking credit crunch and he should go now as BBC taxpayers deserve better.
Paul B
November 25th, 2008 9:41am Report this commentFair minded Fred, good question. For starters, cut out the cause of the cancer. Bye Bye Brown. Hows Derek by the way?
Chuck Unsworth
November 25th, 2008 9:57am Report this comment@ Fairminded Fred
Are we in the process of a General Election now? Seems to me that the Conservatives are not obliged to put any policies forward. Their job, as Her Majesty's opposition, is to oppose. I guess they're doing that quite well these days.
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