Osborne on the front foot against "do nothing" Brown

Jamie

Except turning the attack back on brown is an admission its hurt them.

I still feel Osborne is in the wrong place. At a time of crisis people want a shadow chancellor with a better plan - not a politician with nasty attacks however well worded they might be.

JONNY

The Shadow Chancellor does not need to come up with policies, plans, ideas or any of that rigmarole.
What he does need to do is to present himself to the British Electorate as adult. Experienced. Compassionate. Sympathetic. Reasonably heavy weight. And - this being the clincher - able to cope competently and with skill with whatever economic horror is thrown at him out of the blue.
I submit that there's only one candidate that meets these requirements.

Chuck Unsworth

@ Jamie

"Except turning the attack back on brown is an admission its hurt them."

Why? How?

The job of the Opposition is to attack. That's what Osborne is doing.

Sally Chatterjee

He needs to spend half a day with a voice coach. I know this is shallow but his voice sounds shrill and schoolboyish and it will be turning people off. If he could just lower the voice and add a hint of relaxation and confidence and reduce his urgency, it would work.

Look at Vince Cable, he sounds reassuring even if his ideas are rambling.

Athesius the Facilitator

Did Mrs Smith of 2 Ironside Cottages Scunthorpe here George's full frontal attack. I don't think so! He can make as many speeches as he wants but if the country isn't able to here him then he will continue to be considered a lightweight. Mind you I don't think he's a lightweight but from reading these blogs it would appear that most people do.

William Church

Jonny: I assume you're alluding to Eric Pickles?

TGF UKIP

And so the Speccie's unceasing promotion of Boy George goes on.

Fraser's at it, James is at it and now Peter's having a go.

All to no avail though chaps. Joe Public tuned Osborne out about two years ago as the polls on the handling the economy question repeatedly demonstrate.

Cameron's insistence on putting personal friendship and Bullingdon membership before party interest could easily cost the Tories any sort of majority at the GE.

And you lot will be just as guilty as Dave.

strapworld

There is no argument that Kenneth Clarke was an exceptional Chancellor. He was also an exceptional Home Secretary. He has gravitas. He is KNOWN as a solid performer by the people.

He has an understanding of people.

George Osborne is a lightweight. He has never held any office of note. He was born with the silver spoon. He has no idea whatsoever of people on the other side of the street.

Yet Cameron persists with Osborne. He persists with a Chairman who fiddled her expenses. If anyone from the other side of the street did what she has done, they would be in court!

Cameron is proving quite a disaster. He talks behind the backs of his shadow cabinet colleagues. He has no leadership qualities whatsoever. He has no killer instincts. How many open doors must he have before he can 'slay' Gordn Brown?

The more I think about it Cameron needs to be replaced.

SeanG

I read the speech. It is spot-on about the root cause of today's recession which is credit. Any serious analyst would see the intellectual depth in that speech.

Lou Dacht

I'm afraid that looking like he does, it's going to be very difficult for him to win over ordinary people (please, none of the 'what's ordinary' drivel).

I know it's not what it's supposed to be about but you can't escape the fact that he looks like the grown-up Lord Snooty. As such he would have to do and say some eye-catching things to overcome his, what amounts to a disability - and he just seems to wheedle and snipe.

Oh, and the photographer who forwarded that shot is no friend of Mr Osborne.

jon dee

Despite an excellent speech by Osborne,repeating solid economic ideas,we are confronted with the Labour pantomime playing to empty houses around the country.
Brown's paralytic grin,manufactured by Mandelson and activated by the camera lens,is scary in the present circumstances.For an allegedly dour depressive,his apparent happiness while he struts around barking sound bites at perplexed passers-by,does nothing to solve the country's problems or open credit lines to British businesses.
The government were asleep at the wheel before the credit bubble burst and despite panic measures since,they have resumed their sedentary position.Action is needed now,not electioneering on station platforms.

Juliana

er... did it need the Shadow Chancellor to make a speech to tell us all that the root cause of today`s recession is credit ? I think most people over the age of 10 know that.

THX1138

Wrong kind of arrogant Tory toff living on a trust fund lecturing us about fiscal prudence, how he gets on my nerves.

I know it's wrong & I know it's shallow but something about Osborne really rubs me up the wrong way, all my mates politico Tory and otherwise agree, the rest haven't even heard of him. He's wrong'en Dave should dump him PDQ.

Chuck Unsworth

@ Juliana

Er, no. Most people with a mental age of ten and above might know that.

Now, what about the readers of The Sun?

Verity

Strapworld, I'm in accord with every word you wrote.

I wish the Tories could get the point: Cameron doesn't have what it takes to be a leader. It doesn't mean he's not a nice chap and a good husband and father. But he cannot inspire people to follow him - partly because, despite all the pantomimes of hugging hoodies et al, he is remote from the everyday voter. (Were he genuinely simpatico with them, he would never have stuffed the Shadow Cabinet with fellow Bullingdon Boys and OEs. One might have been regarded as a mistake, but a plethora looks deliberate.) It doesn't matter that he is pleasant to everyone. So what?

He cannot, with the best will in the world, relate to the average person; and to be candid, I don't think he has the best will in the world.

He has let us down over Europe once, and he will do it again, because that is where he sees his REAL future; like Tony Blair's REAL career only began after he had used the premiership of our ancient country, which he gave away, as a launch pad.

CCTV

Now, what about the readers of The Sun?

Oh they're convinced by Osborne..he's winning them over in droves....

JOHN

Brown fiddles while Rome burns, I would like to think that the Tories could do better, shouldn't be that difficult!!!

Bruce, UK

Chuck, the Sun readers know. You must be thinking of the Mirror.

JONNY

No point knocking Cameron Verity (though there are times when I'd agree with you).
But I'm keeping stumm.
He has higher approval ratings than any Tory since about 1992.
And Fact: he's not going to go this side of the election.
So I say to you Verity - just wake up to reality.
Use your mentality (we all know you have it in spades).
Stop sowing doubt and discord in the ranks. Stop shooting us all in the foot.
If you're after blood...
go for Georgie Osborne - there's a plush partridge ripe for the plucking.

THX1138

Matthew Parris joins the bring back Ken camp in today's Times.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5484697.ece.

Just at the end of piece on why Dave should stop pretending to be Blair.

I love Matthew Parris, head & shoulders the best political commentator in Britain.

JONNY

Nice one Verity.
Getting rid of Cameron now would cut the Tory Party into ribbons. And lead to electoral massacre.
And who exactly do you recommend we replace him with?
Bertie Pie in the Sky?
Put it another way...
are you by chance a Brown Mole?

Fergus Pickering

Good God, Verity, you don't have to inspire people. People just have to trust you, more or less. Were people inspired by Baldwin or Macmillan. Well, even I am a little young to remember Honest Stan, the people's man, but they weren't inspired by Supermac. They likedhim and they, more or less, trusted him. Similarly with Sir Alec, a much underrated man, who nearly pulled it off against a much dodgier Harold. Brown is crooked and has obvious social/mental problems. Issues, as we say now. He is surrounded by people I wouldn't trust to tell me the time and I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire. Dave seems a decent sort of bloke. A no brainer, another thing they say now.

Diswiss

Verity, I don't agree with you
at all. DC will win the next
election with a huge majority.
As Heseltine said "He's got it"

Verity

Jonny - If the Tories win, it will be by default. I do not believe that anyone will think, "I'm voting for Cameron!" the way they thought, "I'm voting Maggie!"

I am baffled as to how British politics, which spawned the parliamentary system in at least a dozen countries, has turned into dog sick.

TGF UKIP

Well, there you have it Peter, James, Fraser, Matthew, CCHQ trawlers.

On this very, very, Tory blogsite, support for Osborne to continue as Shadow Chancellor is:

ZERO!

Verity

Fergus P and others, Cameron is a Europhile and as such is not to be trusted with the fate of our country.

Yes, Brown is not only thuggish (and as lacking in the ability to think quickly and elegantly as any other thug) and, as you say, has "issues" - as in, he's as mad as a hatter - and that's why we need someone with Britain's interests front and centre. Cameron sees his personal future in the EUSSR - he's a social democrat at heart. I'm sorry, but there is a dichotomy there. I just cannot believe we have to go for any old port in a storm. Don't forget, Cameron already broke one promise over the EU. That tells me he has no fierce love of his country.

TGF UKIP

THX1138, an excellent piece of annalysis by Matthew Parris which deserves to be read by all Coffee Housers fanzine hacks and Cameron Crazies and Cameron Sceptics alike.

I would suggest that it should ideally be taken in conjunction with Simon Heffer's piece in the Browngraph on Wednesday last, to provide a forensic analysis of the defects of the Cameron leadership while charting a credible way forward to election victory for the Tories. Not that their analysis will be accepted nor their path followed by the clique of course.

PS I particularly enjoyed Mr Parris's withering critique of the Cameron Tory marketing plan. Perhaps, one of the fanzine hacks could remind us just who the "marketing genius" is.

Verity

Disswiss - Ah yes, Heseltine. The same genealogy as Edward Heath, Douglas Hurd, Chris Patten et Cie.

BTW, Europe has imposed more than 120,000 (!!) new laws on Britain since 1992. David Cameron is pro the EU. Thus, he is, like Blair, an illiberal control freak.

Do we really want someone who styles himself the heir to Blair running the country?

David Barker

I agree that the Tories really ought to have a plan of some kind on the table, but in all honesty I can understand their reluctance.
Past history has shown that Brown steals good ideas (as all politicians do) so perhaps discretion is the better part of valour at the moment in this long, long election run in. Cameron and Osborne can afford to keep their cards close to their chest and reap the rewards that will surely come their way this year as Labour's frantic bailing fails.
The Conservative plan can wait until just prior to the election, when even Brown would find it hard to steal. In the meantime, the Tories can cross the Ts and dot the Is and make absolutely sure the plan is right and relevent. That, I'm afraid, is politics.

Hoolio

Before going on about personalities, I would advise those who may not have read Osborne's speech to do so. It's the sort of grown-up, intelligent speech that is sadly so utterly lacking from the likes of Brown, Darling and other Labour lackies. I think GO's analysis and prescription, Verity, that could help to cure the sick dog that New Labour has created. If Sun readers don't understand concepts such as "long term repo facility" (I admit I read the Sun sometimes!), then too bad, but we need intelligent speeches such as GO delivered to the Policy Exchange. GO iv it!

THX1138

Hoolio- Give me a break don't go on about personalities, of course we should go about personalities and character that's what politics is about, can you trust the guy in the big chair.

Do you really think that anyone outside the bubble gives a toss about wonk Osborne making some boring speech to a bunch of other wonks at some wonk think tank.? I'll tell you - NO

Osborne is a wonker. He's all wrong and he needs to go and go now before he does anymore damage and according to popbitch he can't even fold his FT properly on the tube.

TGF I'm not very, very, Tory, I'm Toryish.

Verity

I don't blame them for playing their cards close to their chests. Obviously. However, I believe the reason Cameron doesn't attack more viciously is, he is not entirely in disagreement with all the "social justice" aims of the Labourite thugs. And I don't think he has the foggiest idea of how the Labourites have destroyed education in Britain.

JONNY

Verity we can't go on and on about Europe.
The issue plugged Hague in the hull and sent him and the Good Ship Tory to the bottom of the ocean.
Remember?
"5 days, 22 hours, 12 minutes and 4 seconds to Save the Pound...."
Verity, Europe is the Tory Party's doom and destruction.
Madam Arcati told me so and she's never wrong when it comes to tea leaves.
Portillo says so.
I say so.
And so do Charlie and Eileen Farnes-Barnes.
And incidentally Cameron is NOT NOT NOT NOT a Europhile.
Got it?
No, Nay, Never

Verity

The Matthew Parris piece is a bullseye.

Verity

Jonny - as a Noel Coward fan, I can assure you that Madam Arcati did not read tea leaves. She was the medium in the play "Blithe Spirit".

You present no evidence for Cameron not seeing our future in Europe. He's a social liberal. He buys into a lot of European adolescent garbage about saving the world.

The Matthew Parris piece hits the nail on the head.

JONNY

David Cameron, has a high and positive profile. A strong, sure-footed and commanding character, he enjoys pretty favourable ratings in polls.

So you agree Verity

Chuck Unsworth

@ Bruce UK

Do I really have to?

I had hoped it was all a dreadful nightmare...

THX1138

Verity-Noel Coward fan I would never have guessed but I suppose you do have a talent to amuse.

I know were never going to agree on much buts lets try and be civil to each other this year.

A treat for you. Noel Coward - I like America.

http://tinyurl.com/9doent

So do I apart from Immigration at the airport of course.

Happy New Year to you.

Hoolio

THX138, OK, I agree personalities are important, but do you not think maybe less so in a Chancellor or potential Chancellor? In that job, maybe we need wonkers?

THX1138

Hoolio I agree that we need brainiac politicians, but being chancellor is all about oozing confidence, charm & competence.

Osborne has none of the above he's just a complete and utter wonker.

Verity

Number Plate, well, I suppose it would be churlish, not courteous and girlish, to spurn such a gift since it really gave a lift ... ooops, I must stop that! ... not to say 'thank you'. I hadn't heart that song before. The myth of the flying fith of Mandalay was very funny.

Verity

PS - The 't' in "heart" was a typo, not an arcane attempt to say something Cowardesque and clever. It was meant to be "heard".

THX1138

Verity- You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it. Back to the fray but lets keep clean shall we!

BTW My name comes from a famous George Lucas si fi film from the 70's

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066434/

But he did also use THX 1138 as number plate a couple of years later in American Graffiti.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069704/

Verity

Number Plate - Who cares?

THX1138

Me!