Brown missed a trick by not deploying the 'c-word' earlier

mouse1

Credit to Fraser Nelson for outing the lie in the first place.

Archie

Interesting to hear David Mellor on Radio Bloke today. Commenting on Brown's speech saying he would cut "waste". If there is waste, what HAS the man been doing for the last twelve years? And, more to the point, why does the NatWest drop-down disable my computer?

Trevor Holcroft

Browns acceptance of cuts was heavily couched.

What exactly is unnecessary spending?

golfwidow

If Kirsty McNeill was responsible for that speech, she should be sacked. Mind you, it wasn't helped any by the frequent stumbling over words and the leaden delivery. Plus ça change.....

Any Colour but Brown

"Trevor Holcroft
What exactly is unnecessary spending?"

Anything that ZaNu Labour has introduced.

Kristian Pedersen

The unnecessary spending is the 'job creation' that Labour has claimed credit for so many times--hiring more and more bureaucrats and little Stasi operatives to monitor our every move. All these pernicious figures, siphoning money out of the economy to fund their salaries, expenses and pensions, should be sacked and let us hope that no one in the private sector would ever hire these apparatchniks and collaborators.

TrevorsDen

Thank you 'any colour' ....

The problem that labour have with their theory of explaining away cutting the deficit without cutting services and generally not causing any problems for anybody is twofold.

There is no reason why the Tories (or anybody) could not do exactly the same and simply branding the Tories as evil is no sane response. Cutting spending is cutting the size of govt.

But any cut is a cut and is going to have the unfortunate side effects that Labour protest about. IF labour are serious about cutting the deficit then the broad economic effect is going to be the same.

Ray

Brown's cuts with be 'delayed' until Labour is safely out of office and David Cameron can take the flak for it.

Moraymint

I own and run a small business. When the going gets tough and we need to get the business out of a hole, our first action ... to retain or restore profitability ... is to cut costs.

Here in the real world it is not possible to adopt the Mr Micawber approach and simply hope that something will, miraculously, turn up ... at which time we can cut costs.

The "proceeds of growth" in this country can/will only come when the state is shrunk and its gross excess of resources made available to the wealth-creating sector of the economy.

Sadly, such schoolboy economics are beyond the ken of the Marxist elite that has been running/ruining the country for the past 12 years ... ably led (perversely) by Gordon Brown.

Look where it's got us.

Malcolm

Poor old McBust, he has well and truly painted himself into a corner as only he knows how. Always behind the curve! And if he intends to cut out all the waste and the low-priority stuff, does he not realise that it was his wretched party that has placed us in this position over the past 12 years?? And that he played a leading part in this state of affairs?

Rarely has such a speech included so much hot air with so little of any substance, even by NuLiebour standards. He's a dead man walking and he knows it. Anyone with any honour would put himself up for election right now.

Austin Barry

The 'photo gives lie to the theory that Brown is incapable of self-criticism.

Cuffleyburgers

@ Austin Barry - well spotted sir!

stephen

It's an absolute disgrace that an unelected PM Brown is holding on to power until the very last minute. It is clearly in the Public Interest to have a General Election immediately and let the electorate decide what economic strategy the UK should pursue now. Continued dithering by Brown can only make our economic situation worse. Pity the Queen cannot in the National Interest disolve Parliament now and let us have an immediate election

dorothy wilson

"That said, the majority of Labour’s spending cuts will be delayed until we start enjoying the ‘proceeds of growth’ once more"

But hasn't the government claimed that growth will return by the end of this year and that it will be quite strong next year? So surely according to that prediction by the time of the next election - the earliest at which the Conservatives will have the power to do so - there will be no reason to delay implementing the necessary cuts. Thus, Labour has no grounds for criticising the Conservatives if they propose to do just that.

Or am I missing something?

Procrustes

Shades of 1997 here - remember Blair's 'I will be radical but nothing will change' mantra.

Brown and co are just following the same tired and stupod strategy. So much for the government of all the talents. Bankrupt,like the country.