Brown goes for growth – fails
Peter Hoskin 11:37am
So the dividing line persists. Today, both Gordon Brown and David Cameron will talk about "going for growth" at the CBI's annual conference. But it all, more or less, comes down to the same, dreary "investment vs cuts" line that we've heard countless times before. According to the Times, Brown is going to say that growth is the best way of tackling the deficit, rather than those nasty Tory cuts. And, what's more, "he hopes investment from China will drive the recovery".
Of course, growth will have a role to play in reducing the deficit. A vibrant economy will have a better chance of tackling record deficits and debt levels than a sinking one. But to indicate that extensive cuts will not be necessary is disingenuous in the extreme.
And that's not the only inconsistency in Brown's story. Will foreign investment - from China or wherever - really flood into the UK when the government's best solution to the debt problem is, er, foreign investment? "Come to our country and help fix our fiscal crisis," is hardly the best business pitch ever. And I doubt, somehow, that a 50p tax rate, or Brown's talk of a Tobin tax, will make it much more attractive. Bottom line is: the long, hard slog to recovery may require a few business-friendly policies.
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Chris lancashire
November 23rd, 2009 12:29pm Report this commentWhere did "investment from China" come from? The man is a complete idiot.
China is busy investing in securing basic commodities around the world, not looking for economic basket cases to rescue out of a sense of altruism.
The Bellman
November 23rd, 2009 12:31pm Report this commentAnd a change of government.
luke
November 23rd, 2009 12:35pm Report this commentTo be fair to gordon, he was on the growth message well well in advance of cameron.
michael
November 23rd, 2009 12:51pm Report this commentGB's virtual economy QEased for growth.
-Powered by fatasmic investment from the dragons den whose beady eyes are on our mineral deposits at stip mine depths.
More bacon saving family silver to give away...
Meerkat
November 23rd, 2009 1:04pm Report this commentWith only four months to go as PM once Christmas is over, Brown is clearly not bothered about the long term future.He knows he will relegated to the back benches on May 6th.
In2minds
November 23rd, 2009 1:43pm Report this commentGrowth or cuts is one way of looking at the problem but how about not wasting money? If the science of climate change is just a lot of hot air and the scientists who would drive this agenda are devious why are we wasting money here?
Rob C
November 23rd, 2009 2:00pm Report this commentBrown's 'growth' is very evident: The national debt, the welfare bill, our debt legacy to our children, the size of his ego and our utter despair are all growing. More worrying however is the death-toll from Afghanistan which we read more and more is due to incompetence in Government and Whitehall. When incompetence costs lives then drastic change is needed. The country needs confidence in competent leadership to escape the spiral of despair that grips us and this simply cannot be achieved by the present incumbent. The longer he waits the worse it will be. I received an email this morning of the 'top 10 most expensive catastrophes' - guess who was number one - above events like Challenger, Piper Alpha and even Chernobyl! Such emails whilst intended in humor, detract from the serious situation we face - we have a government that is not only costing us dearly but now making us the subject of international ridicule. It simply has to go - a general election tomorrow wouldn't be too soon...
Hysteria
November 23rd, 2009 3:10pm Report this commentAnd of course more phantasy claims of high speed rail links from Newcastle to Cologne - putting us in the heart of Europe - all this is within our grasp .... - the quotes really do sound like Brezhnev!
Nicholas
November 23rd, 2009 3:38pm Report this commentWhen I watched the chump walk into the Huse of Lords for the Queen's Speech I was struck by how Maoist he looks. Like a 1960's communist dictator. Just needs a Little Red Book.
Holly ......
November 23rd, 2009 3:58pm Report this comment'To be fair to Gordon' IS the most banal phrase of the day. The media love it.
This one man has caused all this mess single handedly and deserves NO FAIRNESS!
To be fair to the country he should be strung up.
george
November 23rd, 2009 4:46pm Report this commentA spectacular example of Chinese investment in the UK was the takeover of Rover.The plant,engines,blueprints and knowhow were all shipped to China and since then ? Any new models rolled out of Longbridge ?.The Germans export a great deal to China,but have had many of their products copied including the high speed Maglev train.If Brown thinks China is going to rescue us, then think again.The emphasis on how wonderful Europe is ,is a new song from him. He hopes the EU (especially France and Germany) will favour his ideas on dealing with the banks that the US,Canada and some other industrialised countries rubbished at the recent G20 meeting.Someone has to love him somewhere and that as well be in Beijing,Paris and Berlin,certainly not in the City nor amongst the public at large.
Ivy Eileen
November 23rd, 2009 5:51pm Report this commentLuke - "he was on the growth message well well in advance of cameron" ...please, this kite cannot be allowed to fly. Brown operates off a different vocabulary from the rest of us.
His "investment" is what we mean by "spend". What he means by "growth" is throwing our money at the problem. Remember how at the end of the London G20 Conference he announced a package of measures had been agreed, but which turned out to be nothing more than aspirations (and his, not those of the other participants). Another variation is "zero per cent. growth". It's fantasy land.
........... and the guy has no inkling of value for money.
What is also sick-making is that this man is, as our Prime Minister, supposed to act like a Statesman and run the country (o.K.,it is downhill) but all he does is play around at petty, tribal politics that would be demeaning in a fourth form debating society.
Moraymint
November 23rd, 2009 7:51pm Report this comment"... Bottom line is: the long, hard slog to recovery may require a few business-friendly policies ..."
Wrong.
Bottom line is, the next government must make the facilitation of wealth creation its main effort; its Number One Priority; its Shit or Bust Policy.
Anything else will consign the UK to becoming the first nation to join the Post-Developed-World Club. A third rate nation that set out to embrace 21st Century Marxism ... and won first prize.
Oh boy; these politicos just do not get it, do they?
Colin Pritchard
November 23rd, 2009 10:13pm Report this commentI don't know why he doesn't buy, say, 10,000,000 lottery tickets a week. Statistically he'd have a very good chance of winning and he could pay for it out of the lottery tax.
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