A solid enough start
Mark Littlewood 7:57pm
The Liberal-Conservative administration deserves to pass its 100 day probation. It
hasn’t done much yet, but it has said some of the right things and sounds like it might even get round to doing a few of these things at some point in the not-too-distant future. I’d
pretty much accept that from a new staff member, so I guess I should be half-pleased that I seem to be getting this level of performance from my government.
The coalition partners were right to shelve their timid pre-election rhetoric about the size of the hole in the public finances. The Liberal Democrats’ implausible insistence that cuts shouldn’t start until next year was ditched as soon as they had “looked at the figures”. I remain bewildered at how and why the figures they looked at after May 5th differed in any meaningful way from the figures that were publicly available beforehand. But at least they reached the right conclusion. We should be grateful for small mercies, even if we do have to endure the sight of Vince Cable looking like he’s permanently sucking on a lemon.
George Osborne started to sound like a truly radical reformer. Swathes of government activity would be looked at for possible transfer to the private or voluntary sector. Even if activities stayed in the public sector, they would have to be done more efficiently (and presumably less expensively). Government departments were to prepare for cuts of up to 40 percent.
However, the bold rhetoric belies a frustratingly meek policy agenda. On many estimates, for every pound the government is spending today, it will be spending – in real terms – 99.8p at the end of the Parliament. Only in the parallel universe of the public sector does this amount to a serious cut. It’s not even a trim or a shave. Apologists may say that an ongoing rise in spending has been halted. But if you’re merely taming the beast, you shouldn’t claim you’re slaying the dragon.
The Big Society rhetoric looms large in the media every time the Prime Minister addresses the topic. Mainly because no one can decipher what on Earth he’s going on about. On one level, he’s just applauding the Cub Scouts and the Rotary Club. This is a perfectly decent thing to do – but hardly amounts to a strategy for national recovery. On another level, he seems to yearn for a completely new relationship between citizen and state with a radical shift of power to the former. But where are the practical policies to back it up? They seem very thin on the ground, although the government is considering giving local councils the power to fix alcohol prices in local supermarkets. That diminishes personal freedom and treats voters like children.
Nevertheless, the coalition is often pointing in the right direction. But it needs to actually move in that direction rather than just face in it. You can’t just talk down the deficit or wish away bureaucracy. For now, we can still just about credit the coalition for their words. But by this time next year, we need to judge them on their actions.
Mark Littlewood is Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs
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Dimoto
August 18th, 2010 9:00pm Report this commentIs it a coincidence that the drift started soon after Laws resigned ?
Time to get him back and move up a few gears.
John Richardson
August 18th, 2010 9:15pm Report this comment"Cameron prefers the Coalition to a Tory majority
David Cameron is happier sharing power with the Liberal Democrats than he would be with an all-Conservative government, according to one of his inner circle.
By By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM BST 14 Aug 2010"
From 'The Sunday Telegraph'
It must be great for those who campaigned for and voted for 'Cameron's Conservatives'.
Great to know their leader is actually happier than if he had won an election.
Not only will he be able to fight the next election without all those bothersome 'conservatives'. His current 'grassroots party activists' can take the election off....and ensure that they don't accidentally campaign too successfully.
Letting those nasty Conservatives get in.
The stupid b*******.
You were warned. You knew who he really was.
Those who still 'believe' in Mr David Cameron are a mortal danger to Conservatives.
However, given his inept, slithery performances, if he and his ilk (MSM) can overcome C/conservatives, then they probably do not deserve to survive.
After all, they voted for him.
davidk
August 18th, 2010 9:23pm Report this commentAny comment to make on the coalition's promise for electoral reform, Mr Littlewood? A strange omission in your analysis.
Fiona
August 18th, 2010 9:37pm Report this commentFull marks for optimism, but isn't it the case that after 100 days the Lib Dems are scraping along the bottom, and the Tories are about neck and neck with Labour.
"Solid enough start"? Compared to what, exactly? Has any previous Government been this unpopular after 100 days?
John Richardson
August 18th, 2010 9:39pm Report this comment"Cameron prefers the Coalition to a Tory majority
David Cameron is happier sharing power with the Liberal Democrats than he would be with an all-Conservative government, according to one of his inner circle.
By By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM BST 14 Aug 2010"
From 'The Sunday Telegraph'
It must be great for those who campaigned for and voted for 'Cameron's Conservatives'.
Great to know their leader is actually happier than if he had won an election.
Not only will he be able to fight the next election without all those bothersome 'conservatives'. His current 'grassroots party activists' can take the election off....and ensure that they don't accidentally campaign too successfully.
Letting those nasty Conservatives get in.
The stupid b*******.
You were warned. You knew who he really was.
Those who still 'believe' in Mr David Cameron are a mortal danger to Conservatives.
However, given his inept, slithery performances, if he and his ilk (MSM) can overcome C/conservatives, then they probably do not deserve to survive.
After all, they voted for him.
John Richardson
August 18th, 2010 9:39pm Report this comment"Cameron prefers the Coalition to a Tory majority
David Cameron is happier sharing power with the Liberal Democrats than he would be with an all-Conservative government, according to one of his inner circle.
By By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM BST 14 Aug 2010"
From 'The Sunday Telegraph'
It must be great for those who campaigned for and voted for 'Cameron's Conservatives'.
Great to know their leader is actually happier than if he had won an election.
Not only will he be able to fight the next election without all those bothersome 'conservatives'. His current 'grassroots party activists' can take the election off....and ensure that they don't accidentally campaign too successfully.
Letting those nasty Conservatives get in.
The stupid b*******.
You were warned. You knew who he really was.
Those who still 'believe' in Mr David Cameron are a mortal danger to Conservatives.
However, given his inept, slithery performances, if he and his ilk (MSM) can overcome C/conservatives, then they probably do not deserve to survive.
After all, they voted for him.
Dave B
August 18th, 2010 10:12pm Report this commentAs I understand it, while gov't spending isn't planned to reduce much, the proportion of that is spent on services is, while debt servicing costs, and PFI contracts will be taking a larger share of gov't spending.
Perhaps the IEA could make some 'before' and 'after' pie charts! :-)
Adro
August 19th, 2010 12:23am Report this commentJohn Richardson: What the hell are you on about. Your post wreaks of paranoia (wittering on about Cameron's supporters supposed control of the media), as well as quoting a James Kirkup article from the Telegraph as if it was from Cameron himself. You seem to conveniently forget the BBC 2 '5 Days which changed Britain' documentary, in which Cameron himself said he was unhappy that he had not won a majority, but felt the best had been made of the situation with which the parties had been presented post-election. The simple fact is most of the public, and most of the party, is happy with the progress the Government is making, and would whole heartedly disagree with what you've said.
2trueblue
August 19th, 2010 12:56am Report this commentSounds good, so far. What we need is to see the reality played out. So far there are too many mutterings in the field. The 'middle classes' were stung by Liebore, pensions ruined, and all efforts to look after their future dealt many blows. Now we are expected to feel the axe strike again. What is the point in being frugal and paying ones way?
When we see the details then we can judge. Right now it is all just chatter. We have had 13yrs of vacuous chatter and I hope that Cameron is not about to do the same.
As we are to tackle big government why are we paying to increase it in the EU? We should also be tackling the waste there. I am concerned that we are giving more and more power to the EU and little is being said or done about it. It will be irrelevant who is in power at Westminster if the EU continue their march over our us.
Austin Barry
August 19th, 2010 7:51am Report this commentThe coalition's first 100 day 'probation' has been blighted by cogent evidence that David Cameron is as remote as the Man on the Moon from the people he purports to represent, and is quite possibly as bonkers as Brown.
This, after all, is the man who has promised to "fight" for Turkey's EU membership saying he is "angry" at the slow pace of negotiations.
He clearly hasn't thought through the inevitable consequences of Turkey's EU accession to the UK's infrastructure, community cohesion and welfare costs.
So a B- for Cameron as PM.
Moraymint
August 19th, 2010 8:39am Report this commentFor me, the only measure of how good this government (or any government) is from here on in will be how it tackles the size, intrusiveness and cost of the state.
Actions must speak louder than words.
If we don't grip the shocking hemorrhaging of cash that now seems to characterise governing the country, I fail to see the point in expounding other grand political ideas and plans.
For me, the jury is still out on whether this government is up to the job. In reality, we'll only know how effective they are in 12 - 24 months time. And there's a socio-economic mountain to climb meantime.
oldtimer
August 19th, 2010 8:50am Report this commentIt is the actions that implement the implied intent of the words that will count. Otherwise Cameron will be dismissed as the Witney windbag.
Tarka the Rotter
August 19th, 2010 3:37pm Report this commentOne hundred days into this administration and we still get landed with Harman's Equalities Bill, nothing has been done on the extradition treaty with the USA, nothing has been done to repeal the Coroners and Justice Bill and we get Labour politicians becoming 'Czars' (God I hate that word). So, coupled with Dav'es desire to throw the doors open to Turkey, I'm not impressed.
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