The Darling deception

Nick

Darling certainly didn't "misspeak". He repeated the "pretty much flat" line three times after Evan Davies very rightly expressed bewilderment and questioned whether what he meant to say was cuts of 10% plus.

Ed P

If this is an election-winning budget, it's not really working out for NuLab, is it? This cynical, "delayed until after it's not our problem any more" approach to the debt is like paying off a credit card using the same credit card! Unsustainable and disgraceful.

Wily Trout

Readers of Private Eye when Darling was Transport Secretary would have quickly been cured of the 'honest man' idea.

peter

He had his chance to be his own man and say what needed to be said, but he flunked it. Instead he showed that he is still His Master's Voice and eminently forgettable for it.

Naomi Muse

A Party Election Broadcast in the guise of the PBR - end of story.

The delusions continue. The real world will judge.

Vulture

OK Guys. That's enough abt dear Darling's lies. We know its Balls with a capital 'B'.

Now how about a few posts on this morning's troughing regulations : quite eye-watering actually. Do you know you've been paying for Jacqui Smith's double bed? (And Mark Oaten's). And for Bruin's domestic servant?
And for Spectator pet Purnell's laundry and cleaning bills? No wonder we're squillions in debt.

The corruption of our political masters is once more revealed in all its hideous and ugly greed. To misquote another famous trougher, Reichsmarshal Goering: my finger itches for the safety catch on a revolver.

Nicholas

It is impossible for socialists to be honest. What they believe in is inherently dishonest. They are fantasists whose morality is entirely governed by the imperative that the end justifies any means. Their intentions are everything for them and take supreme precedence over the true realities of any given situation, the impacting practicalities and the unintended consequences.

Their mindset, personified by Brown, is "Because my way is good and right nothing else matters and everything else is to be disregarded." Even where their projects bring actual horror and misery they are more outraged by the words used in criticism of them and/or the perceived sins of others than their own deeds.

How it is that the practicalities and calculations of Conservative policies and ideas come under more scrutiny and challenge than those of New Labour I have no idea but put it down to a widely held presumption in the media that socialism is the "right" direction and conservatism is the "wrong" direction, where "progression" is conflated with "change" . Even Cameron seems to subscribe to this left-leaning view where all "change" becomes "progressive" and "good" regardless of the consequences. Essentially this polarisation, ironically reinforced by Cameron, results in the media and commentariat always looking for the downside of Tory plans, the hidden agenda, but presuming a "good" intention and progressiveness in socialist planned change and therefore overlooking or disregarding what doesn't add up or what is hidden in the small print or most threatening by its ommission (q.v. Jack Straw).

Of course small 'c' conservatives know that in cause and effect the socialist "good" is inevitably reversed to result in the direct opposite of their aspirations. One supposedly privileged elite is just replaced by another, usually more cynical, and the exploited mass usually grows in size and loses much more opportunity. The East Europeans had to learn this the hard way but here we have a vociferous minority determined that we should all experience the misery of the same experiment, presumably in the faint hope that it may turn out differently with the application of their "good intentions". So far it is not looking good.

Until the media and commentariat take a hard and realistic view of this left and left of centre idealism to finally discredit it and get off the bandwagon that the way we have always done things needs reforming we will keep going round and round in an ever decreasing downwards spiral.

People complain that they don't know what Cameron and the Tories stand for. Can anyone explain, for goodness sake, what New Labour stands for - other than the continuous manipulation and distortion of the truth to remain in power?

Nicholas

" . . . my finger itches for the safety catch on a revolver."

The revolver you don't have and are prevented from owning for legitimate sport and self-defence on pain of prosecution as a result of New Labour's 1997 Firearms Act and the hitherto creeping erosion of the Englishman's right to bear arms (1689 Bill of Rights) and to defend hearth and home. This deprivation of rights does not of course extend to the tooled-up criminals robbing and murdering with guilty intent.

wrinkled weasel

Is there any chance, any chance at all, of prosecuting Darling, Brown, Balls and the rest for Treason? Else, what is the meaning of Treason?

At the end of the Nazi era, some leading Nazis attempted to block the scorched earth policy that Hitler pursued during the last days of the Reich.

Will any Labour minister, or even and MP, stand up and speak for the country, not this Party, that has shredded the United Kingdom in a way that we shall never recover from?

Mr. Green

I totally agree, Nicholas.

I think the issue stems from the word "Socialism"; sounds very....social! If it was renamed "dogma" or "ideology" or if socialists were forced to accept the fact that Hitler was a Socialist as was/are most if the tirants, then I think people would be less willing to insist on viewing Socialism as being inherently good.

Brownloather

I cannot believe how gullible you journalists are. Of course, Alistair Darling is dishonest. How could a man of principle possibly allow himself to be forced to deliver such utterly dishonest forecasts etc during the past two years by a moral delinquent, bully and coward like Gordon Brown. Why are you so surprised when it is obvious he is incapable of civilised and honorable behaviour? Yours absolutely exasperated.

Hugh

Nicholas, I thought you might like to be reminded of another extract from the 1689 Act. The Oaths.

And that the oaths hereafter mentioned be taken by all persons of whom the oaths have allegiance and supremacy might be required by law, instead of them; and that the said oaths of allegiance and supremacy be abrogated.

"I, A.B., do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to their Majesties King William and Queen Mary. So help me God."

"I, A.B., do swear that I do from my heart abhor, detest and abjure as impious and heretical this damnable doctrine and position, that princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope or any authority of the see of Rome may be deposed or murdered by their subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm. So help me God."

Watt Tyler

Nicholas: "Even Cameron seems to subscribe to this left-leaning view where all "change" becomes "progressive" and "good" regardless of the consequences."

Its a really good reason not to vote for him.

What the Consevatives need is a strong anchor that people can move to when they are sick of the social ill caused by "progression". And beyond the hold of the scrutiny of Islington, the real people have moved past that point. There are places to go, but they aren't BluLabour (and today Lord Monckton, the leading AGW sceptic was recruited by UKIP, and will be talking to the representations from the worlds democracies at Copenhagen - not the EU countries, therefore. Tim Yeo, on the other hand, called on David Cameron to fight the corner of AGW).

Coffee Housers, instead of telling Cameron that you are going to vote for him, send the message that you are not. I suspect even a small amount of concerted dissent will get the Tory leadership rethinking. And when they have done a U-turn, you should perhaps wonder if you want to vote for them after all.

TGF UKIP

WOW! A Speccie hack uses the "L" word. So when are The Clique going to have the balls to stick it to Labour as Labour stuck it to them as a mantra pre-97.

Remember? No Labour media appearance passed without the use of the phrases "Tory sleaze" and "Tory lies."

Unfortunately, Blair, Brown, Campbell and Mandelson understood propaganda whereas the Mekon goes for the subliminal, so bleedin' subliminal that Brown, Darling and the rest of them get away with it over and over again.

Has HM ever had such a lame and feeble Official "Opposition"?

Minnie Ovens

The UK is now in the extraordinary position of believing that lying is a sign of intelligence.

Leon Vestey

What we have in this forum is a bunch of well-informed people, mostly educated and with opinions based on good sense.
They put their points well and in an articulate manner.
Meantime, the ship of state is sinking and has been for years because we all talk and talk and talk and write and write and write.
No shortage of speeches and articles.
No sign at all of any action.

richardj

The only recourse that would work is the refusal of all electors and businesses to withhold their tax payments. How quickly would the state have to change?

Is there anyone to organise this?

michael

I find myself agreeing with one of TGF's
u-quips: The Tories are in danger of becoming too clever by half.

Leave the brooding to Heathcliff...

The decade of deceit may well turn into a generation.

Mike Woodman

Nicolas 12.22:

Absolutely spot on. There is (as you say far better than I can) a pervasive cultural bias that is left-leaning. I put it down the roots of socialism being in certain Christian circles, as did Nietzsche.