Losing perspective 

Billy Blofeld

Faisal Islam's blog is an eye opener.

The other surprise is that Brown is surviving the accusations of misleading parliament.

What is Vince Cable banging on about when he says Gordon Brown didn't mislead parliament? Yes he did. It is on the record.

Chris lancashire

I would think the financial markets would actually have some confidence that , whilst the Govt has lied, at least they had a rough idea of the real numbers.

This story is a real slow burner set to explode. The MSM may not yet appreciate its significance but, once again, the blogosphere is well ahead.

James

The 'government' are not only playing fast and loose with our finances, they are lying about it to our faces. Exposing the truth is not a risk but a duty.

john miller

He should look at the insufferably smug young Brown on youtube in 1995 bragging about his own mole.

Any Colour but Brown

"Chris lancashire
I would think the financial markets would actually have some confidence that , whilst the Govt has lied, at least they had a rough idea of the real numbers."

Which makes the Govt incompetent liars.
They not only lied to the public about the true figures, but, even having them, still managed to destroy the British economy

Dean

I thought the Tories were proposing 10% cuts in 2010, whereas the Government is talking about 10% cuts in 2011, by which time hopefully the economy will be nearer to recovery. Whatever one thinks of Brown, that is a significant difference in policy terms, so I'm inclined to agree with Vince Cable that Brown didn't mislead Parliament.

Fernando

The sooner we know how dire is the financial position, the sooner we can face up to the size of the cuts and possible tax rises.
The anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers should concentrate the mind. Paulson wanted to make an example of one of the financial institutions but did not want to put the whole economy at risk by pulling the rug beneath the likes of Fanny Mae and AIG. So, he alighted on one of the smaller players. The Chinese must be very concerned about their investment in the West and worried about the huge level of borrowing in the USA and UK. If they wanted to make an example of someone it would make sense to follow Paulson and chose one of the smaller players.....like us.
Academic economists warning against removing the economic stimulus too early don’t seem to appreciate the fears of the lenders who ultimately finance this. We might have less time thank we think.

Tiberius

No doubt some will try to argue that the Tories have taken a risk with this (indeed just existing sometimes feels like a risk for a Tory), but isn't it just a little bit in the public interest, even if Brown mounts a defence based on the 0.7% difference?

luke

Im afraid that rather boringly Im still in the camp that thinks your breathlessness is an over-reaction.

This is the kind of detailed scenario work which govt departments do all the time. Only if ministers had asked for it and only if it was THE PLAN rather than simple A PLAN could we possibly say that this reflects government policy or that anyone had midsled anyone else

Verity

What's a "budget situation"?

Dirty Euro

How is 9.3% the same as 10%. Plus the tories want to cut the budget in absolute terms by 10%.
This is this complicated real terms sums, with fancy sums to con people into believing the government want to do the same as the tories, when you only get this figure 3 years down the line in real terms and pretending it the same as an absolute cit of 10%. Even then it is only 9,3%.

One minute the tories are claiming they will cut spending more the the government the next they are claiming they will do the same. It is devious,. Also I hate the civil service they are all right wing hypocrites who get tax funded jobs to tell us how right wing they are.

The Bellman

Slightly O/T, but if this really is of national economic significance - as opposed to purely political inconvenience - it should have been classified Secret, if not higher. That would make it difficult to work on, and, given the backgrounds of the kinds of people working in the public sector now, finding people with sufficient security vetting status would be a problem.

Brian Williamson

Brown lies just as the rest draw breath. It's in his DNA, the boy can't help it.

It's nothing new.

Previously shielded by Blair who took the Bliar flak, he's now exposed and he serves up more whoppers than a Burger King during school holidays.

This is more like it, Tories on the attack and there's not one thing those Beeboids can do about it but wriggle and do what their remit states. Report impartially.

Either that, or do nothing which then gets picked up, thus adding more fuel to the fire on funding when the Tories do get elected.

David

You know the Labourites are worried when both Luke and Dirty Euro turn up to tell us there's nothing to see here.

Moraymint

I don't suppose the BBC will take much interest.

TrevorsDen

"How is 9.3% the same as 10%. Plus the tories want to cut the budget in absolute terms by 10%."
"One minute the tories are claiming they will cut spending more the the government the next they are claiming they will do the same. It is devious,".

The Tories Mr Dirty Euro are and were not talking about 10% cuts 'in absolute terms' They were following the figures based on labours departmental budgets and ring fencing Health - this led to 10% cuts in dept budgets as opposed to the 7% implicit in labours red book.
Tories are NOT saying they would cut more than the govt - the deviousness (I could call it stronger) comes from you - they are saying they would ring fence Health from the govts cuts as implicit in the red book. Only ONLY Brown has been saying there would be no cuts only ONLY Brown has been characterising Tory policy as 10% across the board - whilst all the time preparing for not 7% but 9.3% cuts to dept budgets.

How massively notable Mr (aptly named) Dirty that that you seek to apologise for the liar Brown.
Thank you Mr Dirty for exposing yourself as utterly incompetent and totally prejudiced.

Blofeld's Cat

Dirty Euro - you're (probably deliberately) missing the point. Whether Labour intended to cut 9.3% over 3 years or whether the Conservatives want to cut 10% immediately is not the point. The point is that Labour - or more particularly Gordon Brown - has been telling us, with hand on the Manse bible and moral compass, that he was going to continue to spend on public services.

It is his publicly humiliating volte face that is the point. It comes down to the core issues of trust and truth.

Blofeld's Cat

Dirty Euro - you're (probably deliberately) missing the point. Whether Labour intended to cut 9.3% over 3 years or whether the Conservatives want to cut 10% immediately is not the point. The point is that Labour - or more particularly Gordon Brown - has been telling us, with hand on the Manse bible and moral compass, that he was going to continue to spend on public services.

It is his publicly humiliating volte face that is the point. It comes down to the core issues of trust and truth.

Dorothy Wilson

"I thought the Tories were proposing 10% cuts in 2010, whereas the Government is talking about 10% cuts in 2011, by which time hopefully the economy will be nearer to recovery."

Dean: Darling has said that the economy will be back into growth by the end of this year and will rise sharply in 2010. Thus, it is difficult to see on what grounds he - and his Labour cronies can throw mud at the Conservatives on the basis that they will make cuts after the mid-2010 election.

David Ossitt

TrevorsDen
September 16th, 2009 3:12pm.

Very well put; but how you managed to keep your patience with Dirty Euro is beyond me, sometimes I can hardly understand just what he is on about.

Very odd chap.

Bocephus

Vince Cable really is quite astonishing. His view seems to be "I knew he was lying so I wasn't misled.'

Looks like the LibDems are going to be in the tank with Labour until the very end.

Chuck Unsworth

@ David Ossitt

I can't understand Dirty Euro at all, ever.

And I aim to keep it that way.

Kristian Pedersen

Inasmuch that roughly a third of the budget is now being spent on financing the national debt and social security, there is little option but to cut public spending sharply. At least this leak demonstrates that Labour is aware of the severity of the situation, although their predilection for misrepresenting the situation for political advantage is patronising and idiotic. They seem to tell whatever lie seems convenient to them, to attempt to gain votes. At first they insisted that Britain was best placed to weather the storm of the recession, then they claimed that economic growth would return rapidly, followed by claims that the would not reduce public expenditure. On every occasion, they have been wrong or forced to reverse their position because of a misunderstanding of the economic situation. Assuming the worst, that Labour win another term, they will be forced to reduce spending by the international markets. As 30% of the budget is being spent on servicing the debt, this means that even when retaining our services the budgets of each department must be slashed unless tax revenues are raised. We cannot sustain higher taxes without the country being demolished, so it is time for the apologists of this government to realise that public services must be cut sharply to manage to financing of the debt. So much for the 'prudent Chancellor' and the economic genius of Brown that was widely peddled in the media and by the public before the onset of the recession !

emil

Brownonomics tell us that 9.3% can be rounded up to 10%, or rounded down to 9% to suit, or indeed even be double counted to actually be 4.65% or 18.6%. Guess it all depends on whether you believe 0% is an increase, or a cut, at the end of the day.

Athesius the Facilitator

I like Dirty Euro, he makes me feel intelligent even though I know I am not.

Anyway Dirty I wouldn't tell Mark Sawotka (the CS union leader) that he is a Tory. He's a communist and is my representative at the high table. However in my case you are correct, I am a MOD employee and am on the right and always have been. I am also proud that I was aware that New Labour was a lie and always was a lie.

How pathetic this all is. C'mon agree with me Dirty it's pathetic. Brown fights his own fires while Britain burns and you think he's in the right.

Vince Cable-What a "sap".

Dirty Euro

Ossit = Ostrich. It is not difficult to go over your head.

David Ossitt

Dirty Euro.

My name is Ossitt; not Ossit, but then we regular posters are well aware that your illiterate posts often have spelling and grammatical errors.

The content of your posts; is in the main pure socialist cant and drivel.

Hysteria

I am never sure if DES actually believes the stuff he/she posts, or really is as stupid as the posts suggests - one is tempted to basically hit ignore (well - if that function existed in this blog post thingummy)

Dirty Euro

Ossit, am I supposed to care