Johnson's admission puts Darling on the spot
Peter Hoskin 2:06pm
As an addendum to Fraser's interview with Alan Johnson in the latest issue of the mag, it's worth flagging up this exchange between George Osborne and Alistair Darling in the Commons earlier. Osborne picks up on Johnson's claim that we've got to be prepared for two more years of recession:
Mr. Osborne: Either the Chancellor knew what was going on and did nothing, or he was entirely ignorant, and neither is much of a defence. Is not the net closing in on the Prime Minister and the Chancellor? Their accomplices are resigning, their alibi that no one knew what was going on has been blown apart, and their fingerprints are all over the mistakes that were made during the age of irresponsibility.Is there a coherent view in the Cabinet about how long this recession will last? We know what the Treasury's forecasts are, and we know what the Chancellor says about the economy recovering halfway through this year, but today the Health Secretary has said that we need to be ready for two years of recession. Is the Health Secretary expressing the collective view of the Government on this issue?
Mr. Darling: In relation to the FSA, the hon. Gentleman's claims are frankly ridiculous. Appointments were made in the normal way, which is a great deal more open than for some of the appointments that were made in the past. At the time, there was no reason not to accept the recommendations in relation to Sir James Crosby.
On the broader economic picture, as I have said to the House on a number of occasions, there has been an extremely sharp downturn not just in this country but in countries right across the world, and we can see the effects of that. I am clear, though, that if we had followed the hon. Gentleman's advice and done absolutely nothing to prevent the full effects of the recession from being felt, the impact and the long-term
damage to this country would have been substantial. I believe that the action that we have taken is not only justified but will ensure that this recession will be shorter and less painful than would otherwise be the case. I am sorry that the Conservative party continues to take the view that there is absolutely nothing that they are prepared to do to help people and businesses in this country.
It's yet another example of the pit the Chancellor has cast himself into with his stupidly optimistic forecasts in the PBR. The stock get-out clause now seems to be that the "global" problems impinging on the UK economy have (unforeseeably) worsened since then. But I wonder whether that will wash once it becomes clear that other countries are beating us in the race to recovery.
Previous
TrevorsDen
February 12th, 2009 3:30pm Report this commentBut Darling is also wrong - to the point of telling barefaced lies - about his claims that the opposition want to do nothing. Do comething different maybe - but not nothing.
Indeed the Conservatives proposed a loan guarantee scheme before the govt announce one.
The egregious Ken Livingstone was on Brillo's programme today along with the overrated Cable. His attitude to the Labour party doing better in the polls was that both Labour and LibDems should join together in attacking the Tories. Cable chose not to defer. An interesting set of priorities for the LibDems and their concerns for the nations future. Self promotion at the expense of maintaining Browns position.
Gareth
February 12th, 2009 4:11pm Report this comment"The stock get-out clause now seems to be that the "global" problems impinging on the UK economy have (unforeseeably) worsened since then."
The get out clause is increasingly becoming the bit Darling said towards the end - labelling the Tories as a do nothing party.
Doing 'something' isn't the same as doing the right thing, but that is the mindset the Government has. Even when it patently does the wrong thing.
Vern
February 12th, 2009 4:11pm Report this commentIt hardly needs saying the present administration have royally taken their (collective) eye off the ball. My only question, given the tories will inevitably get in at the next ballot box, is what they would do to alleviate matters instead? I'm not sure anyone really knows, but that's no reason to let Messrs Brown and co. off the hook.
Hawkeye
February 12th, 2009 4:31pm Report this commentThey have to learn that you can lie about reality, but reality has a way of getting noticed and does not respond to political suggestion.
The problem Labour has is that it is now impossible to paper over the cracks - indeed, what were once cracks are fast becoming yawning chasms - and try as they might they simply cannot bluff, mislead and spin their way out of trouble.
The other major problem is that the story to date leaves no way back. They cannot turn round and say "ignore what we said in the past - we just made it up because it bolstered our cause". So now they are trapped between their past statements and the obviously approaching reality and the two cannot be reconciled.
This is why even the Soviet Union eventually noticed that the tractor production figures bore absolutely no relation to reality. It is an occupational disease of politicians, but it is far more of a danger for the left than it is for the right. Those on the left believe that reality can be brought into line with any policy no matter how stupid.
The left deal with the world as they would like it to be, the right tend to deal with the world as it is. Pragmatism helps. A lot.
Ken
February 12th, 2009 4:43pm Report this comment...and Mcruined was trotting out his usual lies to the committee this morning about how the UK has a lower deficit than.. (vitually the whole globe). No parliamentarian challenged him, abysmal.
adrian drummond
February 12th, 2009 4:51pm Report this commentOff topic I know, but could we have a comment on the disappointing decision taken by the UK government to ban the Dutch politician Geert Wilders from entering the UK.
Mark
February 12th, 2009 5:11pm Report this commentCable is a fraud of the highest order. Livingstone is beyond any serious consideration, and now just a wonky cog in the Labour propaganda machine.
Thomas Cussans
February 12th, 2009 6:36pm Report this commentVery interesting comment from Hawkeye. Having lied, bluffed, spun and dissembled about the recession, invariably for short-term advantage, the government is indeed faced with the appalling reality of economic collapse. And it has no way out.
It is this more than anything that explains why Brown, a man convinced he can do no wrong, 'Britain's greatest-ever chancellor', is on the point of a complete breakdown.
His 'genius' cannot possibly be reconciled with the horror of the actual situation confronting us. He is like a computer programmed to perform two contradictory tasks simultaneously. The inevitable result is that the machine blows up, sometimes silently, more often in a spectacular explosion.
My betting is that the latter is much more likely than the former. Either way, it is imminent.
Hawkeye
February 12th, 2009 8:06pm Report this commentThomas Cussans said: "It is this more than anything that explains why Brown, a man convinced he can do no wrong, 'Britain's greatest-ever chancellor', is on the point of a complete breakdown."
Brown does not look good. He looks like he is being ground down by the job, but I do not think he will blow up. I think that when (not if) Labour's poll rating goes under 25% the pressure from his "colleagues" will start to mount and he will be forced out.
It is getting to the point where Cameron declaring a vote of no confidence would be an effective tactic forcing Labour to back the most monumentally unsuccessful leader in their history. The resulting dissonance would be very interesting as the party is publicly forced to swallow its pride and publicly back a loser in the face of public opinion.
Cameron could annihilate Labour as a political force and I think he should try to do so.
Athesius the Facilitator
February 12th, 2009 8:09pm Report this commentHave Mandy and Gord had a "tiff" or something? The Machiavelli has gone to ground.
Verity
February 12th, 2009 10:03pm Report this commentAdrian Drummon - "Disappointing"???
A perfectly respectable, legally elected legislator of another democratic country has been deported from Britain for a thought crime.
Disappointing????
C Powell
February 12th, 2009 10:31pm Report this commentAdrian: I second your request. The government's decision is what one would expect from a government with no principles but Grayling's statement on this is the most weaselly feeble cave-in, devoid of understanding, principles or courage. If the Tories do not understand - and they appear not to - the importance of free speech, even for those who say things they don't like or in a manner they don't like, there is simply no point in voting for them.
Debt can be paid off but if free speech - and all are other liberties are lost - and they are, before our eyes - then we have lost something truly precious. That this should happen in the country of Milton and Locke and Mill and Burke and Paine is so sad.
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