Gordon Brown's mantra of aspiration is either a remarkable reversal of his policies, or cynical spin at par with the lies floated by Labour back in 1997.
After thirteen years social mobility is at an all time low. Vast numbers of people have been pushed into state dependency and are punished if they try to climb out of it. As a councillor I regularly meet perfectly able and intelligent young people who only work minimum hours out of fear that otherwise their welfare payments will be taken away. Grammar schools are stifled in their expansion and the assisted places scheme – allowing the poorest to go to the best schools – have been abolished by Labour. Labour doubled the tax rate for the working poor from 10 to 20 % and urged them to claim tax credits instead. Clear red water: give us your pay and we'll give you state alms instead. For thirteen years Brown was the driving force behind pushing aspiration to the margins of society.
Is his clarion call for aspiration just cynical spin? Would that be unheard of? Labour famously won the 1997 elections after Tony cuddled up to the middle classes. Tony and Gordon then proceeded to increase the size of the state from 39 to more than 47 % of GDP – a truly massive increase of socialism. Who pays for this? The wealthy have tax shelters or (increasingly) flee. Those on benefits don't pay . So who does? Those who are in work. Those who are no yet wealthy enough to afford tax advisers. Those who are not net recipients of state handouts. In other words: the lower middle and middle classes. If ever turkeys voted for Christmas it was in 1997, 2001 and 2005.
So what is it: has Brown come to his senses, and will he reverse his socialist policies and reduce the size of the state to allow the aspirational to thrive? Or is it cynical spin?
Let us look for clues. The manner in which Brown has handled the economy since 1997 is a sight to behold. When the Conservatives made “The economy is booming - Don't let Labour spoil it” their slogan back in 1997, they were laughed out of court. In a bout of truly apoplectic cynicism the man who was dubbed The Iron Chancellor created the housing and consumer credit bubbles by loosening the inflation target. Resulting in a crisis which is far worse than in any other comparable Western country. Unfortunately loosening the inflation target is too technical to explain to a wider audience, so few right of centre politicians attempt it.
Who suffers from Brown's economic disaster? Those who lose their private sector jobs and really need them to get on in life: the aspirational. Those who are trying to climb the housing ladder, but can't afford the 25 % deposit for a mortgage: the aspirational. Those who saw the value of their house, their only asset, tumble: the aspirational. And not just today's. Today's aspiring school kids are in for a rude awakening. There is Brown's debts to pay off. And the expected rise in inflation resulting from Brown's money printing – sorry - quantitative easing.
Brown killed aspiration by a thousand cuts. So two suggestions to the aspirational: don't vote for Christmas in May. And learn languages as a back-up.
