Nothing exceptional, but a job well done by Osborne
Peter Hoskin 1:00pm
They stopped letting people into the conference hall for George Osborne's speech long before the Shadow Chancellor took to the platform - it was packed, not even standing room. There was certainly an anticipatory buzz among Tory supporters, particularly after some of the policy announcements trailed in the papers this morning. One delegate assured me that "this is the speech when George will convince the nation that he's the man to deal with Brown's mess." Everyone seemed pretty breathless.
So did he pull it off? Well, my immediate response is "yes and no". Probably more "yes" than "no". There was much that was impressive in the speech. Osborne touched on all the right themes: debt, reform, compassionate conservatism, etc. And he did so with a clarity that we haven't really seen since his response to the Pre-Budget Report last year.
The greatest success of the speech was how Osborne deflected any "nasty Tory" attacks that Labour might be lining up. When he trumped Alistair Darling by announcing a pay freeze across "each part of the public sector", he followed it by saying that this both protects the public sector from job losses, and ensures that the budget isn't balanced "on the backs" of the poorest in society or our troops in Afghansitan. It may be an emotive apporach, but it's also right. Labour will struggle to argue against it.
But when it came to the specific proposals, there was a little something lacking. The Tories were hawking this speech as one which would make their spending restraint plans a great deal clearer, and they're pushing the line that it would save £23 billion over the course of the next Parliament. Which is welcome, in that every little helps in dealing with the debt crisis. But it still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. What about the other £billions upon £billions that will need to be saved? Just how will they cut the Whitehall bureaucracy by a third in four years? Word is, the Tories will deal with this in time. But the election - and the Tories' window of opportunity for the far-ranging mandate they need - is closing fast.
Overall, though, Team Osborne will be pleased at a job well done. Labour will probably get stuck into Osborne's claim that, while the inheritance tax cut won't be a priority, they would introduce it during the next Parliament. But they'll struggle to land any blows. Osborne is becoming more confident mixing "cuts" with "compassionate conservatism". And it doesn't leave much room for Brown & Co.
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DavidDP
October 6th, 2009 1:28pm Report this commentYou want him to present even more cuts?
Do you want the Tories to win the next election? It's a gamble enough as it is.
Paul B
October 6th, 2009 1:34pm Report this commentWhats blatantly obvious is how unfair the pension system is to men in comparison to women. Equalise both in 2016 at 66 and get on with it.
ollie
October 6th, 2009 1:43pm Report this commentfunny lot, the public. 80% say that cuts are necessary - indeed, urgently needed. Now Labour will go round telling them that they're not that necessary after all.
So - do the public swallow reality or the socialist utopia that Labour want to peddle?
Hmm. Massive, massive gamble by the Tories - but showed more guts than Brown has shown in 12 yrs.
Paul B
October 6th, 2009 1:44pm Report this commentFurther to my post about equalising the retirement age, after all we are all in this together. Yawn
JohnPage
October 6th, 2009 2:01pm Report this comment"Expectional"?
Cough cough :)
Dorothy Wilson
October 6th, 2009 2:14pm Report this commentPhilip Hammond did a good follow-up interview in TWATW. The rest of that programme was, however, typical Labour-bias.
Irene
October 6th, 2009 2:20pm Report this commentI thought he was impressive and confident and makes Darling look old and yesterday's man.
He has just brought forward what was already in the Government's own plans for penions.
I see the Unions are starting to voice their opinions!
DM
October 6th, 2009 2:21pm Report this commentIt needed to be said.
Rhoda Klapp
October 6th, 2009 2:22pm Report this commentExpectional OUGHT to be a word, and this would have been the right context.
Nicholas
October 6th, 2009 2:47pm Report this commentGood speech by Caroline Spellman, unreported. Lots of good stuff for those of us fed up with Brown's Bullying State. Regionalisation (Prescott's Folly) - kaput. Revaluation tax (annual home inspections by the Stasi to see if we have nice views) - kaput. New Labour's local government champagne socialist CEO elite - kaput. New Labour's top-down, tick-box hindrance of frontline services - kaput.
New Labour - kaput.
Verity
October 6th, 2009 2:57pm Report this comment"Nothing exceptional, but a job well done by Osborne" ...
"Small earthquake in Peru. Not many dead".
David Lindsay
October 6th, 2009 4:08pm Report this commentThere goes the Election for them. Trying to recount the ways would call to mind the ending of Saint John's Gospel. So let's just say two things. Lots of public sector workers live in marginal seats. And people in their fifties are very, very, very likely to vote. Especially after this.
David Lindsay
October 6th, 2009 4:09pm Report this commentThere goes the Election for them. Trying to recount the ways would call to mind the ending of Saint John's Gospel. So let's just say two things. Lots of public sector workers live in marginal seats. And people in their fifties are very, very, very likely to vote. Especially after this.
Hawkeye
October 6th, 2009 5:21pm Report this commentJust listened to the PM programme playing a blinder. The reporter said "Let's nip outside the conference centre and ask members of the public what they think of Osbourne's speech."
Where does he go? To Salford. Rock solid Labour Salford. Nowhere near the venue. Oddly enough the voters he finds are not very Tory friendly... imagine that.
daniel maris
October 6th, 2009 8:10pm Report this commentLabour still hold the record for the longest suicide note in history. But this looks like being just as effective, if rather short.
I'd be surprised if there isn't a Labour bounce after this.
People are in the mood for realistic financial thinking. But they are not in the mood for seeing their working conditions go backwards in the 21st century. They are prepared in my view to pay increased contributions to maintain their benefits, but NOT to see those conditions constantly being eroded.
Especially not when they can see the bankers putting the upset trough back in place, with the old remuneration committees ready to get to work again.
Cameron and Osborn have no idea what it means to struggle on an ordinary wage and people are not going to like being lectured by Old Etonians.
The Tories should simply commit to balancing the books. There are lots of ways of doing this, e.g. through firstly a recruitment freeze and natural wastage in the civil service (and removing all those nonsense health advisory and similar jobs) and through requiring local government to follow the example of boroughs like Hammersmith who are currently cutting their budget by 3% per annum.
Dorothy Wilson
October 6th, 2009 8:14pm Report this commentHawkeye: It is not just the PM programme. This approach is pretty general on the BBC. It is obviously the agreed editorial line and it is a disgrace.
Rabyrover
October 6th, 2009 8:46pm Report this commentOsborne needs to ram home time and time again that only the conservatives have the guts to clear up the mountain of mess left by Brown.
David Skitmore
October 7th, 2009 6:59am Report this commentWe have to work another year lose one year's state pension at the same time Osborne will increase foreign aid now that's a vote winner.
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