Clocking on
Peter Hoskin 9:13pmAs publicity stunts go, the debt clock the Tories beamed onto Battersea Power Station this evening is quite a decent idea. Their thinking's pretty clear – get some coverage in tomorrow's papers, and increase the likelihood that the horrendous state of the public finances becomes the story of the PBR – but it's probably no less effective for it. Anyway, here are some pictures so you can judge for yourself:
P.S. Yes, I know it's out of sync with the Coffee House debt counter. We're going to update our numbers on the back of tomorrow's PBR.
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Chuck Unsworth
December 8th, 2009 9:28pm Report this commentIt'd be nice to see/have larger images, Peter. My eyesight ain't what it was and the numbers matter....
Yow Min Lye
December 8th, 2009 9:36pm Report this commentThe debt counter looks like it's reading different to the Speccie's own. Which PFI liability or bank bail-out have the Tories omitted to include?
Pete Hoskin
December 8th, 2009 9:44pm Report this commentChuck: I'll see what I can do. But in the meantime, the number is £847,943,648,012 ... and rising.
If you like, you can send me an email on phoskin @ spectator.co.uk - and I can send you a massive photo in return.
Tiberius
December 8th, 2009 9:47pm Report this commentWill this story make the 10pm news bulletins this evening?
Moraymint
December 8th, 2009 9:49pm Report this commentThe majority of the dumbed-down British public can't count, so this is a pointless exercise.
Seriously, I think that far too many British citizens wouldn't know their budget deficit from their bingo money if it appeared on their bank statement.
This is the problem. The UK's economic crisis is almost beyond most people's imagination and/or understanding. That's why Brown and his spin mafia constantly get away with treasonable levels of propaganda.
One could despair. Just what the Marxists want, really.
I want an historian to post on Coffee House and tell us if/when the UK's economic and political circumstances have ever been as bad as this - please.
Pete Hoskin
December 8th, 2009 9:55pm Report this commentYow Min Lye: I mentioned that above. Ours is actually lower than the Tories' - we'll update it after the PBR.
We use the Treasury's figures for debt - but, you're right, it might be worth using a more complete figure which accounts for PFI etc. Will give it some thought...
Woody
December 8th, 2009 9:59pm Report this commentHas this made the BBC 24 hour news I wonder?
Beer Moth
December 8th, 2009 10:16pm Report this commentYeah great.
How about that immigration counter I suggested a while back?
Sean Lever
December 8th, 2009 10:30pm Report this commentOf course, I bigger photograph might reveal the number when it was taken, but of course by the time I see it it will be millions of pounds out. A web Cam is what we need . . .
2trueblue
December 8th, 2009 11:15pm Report this commentTiberus, not really. Campbell is now back in business and the Brown Broadcasting Corp is what true to form. We have no real reporting in this country. Thats the trouble. We now have the Eu to worry about and Gordon wants to have a satellite in the sky to detect whether anyone world wide is not keeping to their carbon emissions agreement! Wonderful, absolutley wonderful. Just don't have beans for tea.
2trueblue
December 8th, 2009 11:17pm Report this commentForgot to say good effort on the Tories part, a bit more of this kind of thing and the public will be educated as to where the money has gone.
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