Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has just issued this statement:
“Gordon Brown’s economic reputation has gone bust. His years of boom and borrowing have left Britain ill prepared to face the double evil of rising inflation and falling growth. Today we got official confirmation of the rising cost of living. Labour’s boasts about low inflation and giving the Bank of England room for manoeuvre are now exposed. Yet instead of a government that helps people with a rise in the cost of living, Gordon Brown’s only plans to get us out of this economic mess are tax rises on family cars, alcohol, and council tax. These add to inflation and make the squeeze on family budgets tighter.”
His press release was accompanied by the following four arguments:
Inflation worst for sixteen years and accelerating: Bank of England Governor Mervyn King warned today, “Inflation is likely to rise sharply in the second half of the year, to above 4%... CPI inflation is likely to remain above the target until well into 2009”.
Households suffering most from inflation: In the last month alone, food prices jumped up 1.5%, energy prices jumped up 2.3%, transport costs jumped up 2.4%, the cost of air flights jumped up 9.4%.
Gordon Brown is in denial: On 8th January, the PM said: “With expected inflation low over the next period of time, it made it possible for the Bank to cut interest rates late last year."
The Government has no room for budgetary manoeuvre: The OECD recently diagnosed: “While ongoing economic weakness in 2009 would argue against fiscal restraint, the government’s options have been limited by excessively loose fiscal policy in past years when economic growth was strong.”
And yet we will match all his spending plans and add in some new green taxes for good measure!!!!
Posted by: Adam | June 17, 2008 at 13:47
Four exclamation marks doesn't make what you said true.
Posted by: John W | June 17, 2008 at 13:51
"Labour’s boasts about low inflation and giving the Bank of England room for manoeuvre are now exposed."
Well, said Mr Osborne! Each week at PMQs we have to listen to the pathetic fantasy that we have low inflation and more people in work, etc from Brown. The premier has been well and truly exposed. The miracle booming economy, built on credit, suddenly grinds to a halt as soon as the credit dries up. Brown's borrowing has broken Britain.
Posted by: Tony Makara | June 17, 2008 at 13:56
Gordon Brown made great efforts to claim sole credit when the economy was doing well. He is now making greater efforts to blame global conditions when the economy is not doing well.
The government are floundering in the wake of the economic downturn, and they have no answers.
Gordon Brown and Allister Darling are like rabbits caught in the headlights.
Posted by: Cllr Brook Whelan | June 17, 2008 at 14:25
"Well, said Mr Osborne!"
But Oh dear is it late, and god is it lame. Last August in exasperation I resigned from the Conservative party, for a number of reasons, one was their failure to make any sort of economic argument, to quote from my letter of resignation....
'George Osborne should have made it his business to ensure that on the front of everybody’s minds was the fiscal mismanagement by Gordon Brown, and people understand the reason why the likes of the Nurses in England had their pay increase staged was because of this fiscal mismanagement, yet its not, because George Osborne didn’t do his job. The same goes for the £150 billion we have off balance sheet in PFI deals, the 800k people added to the Government pay rolls and their unfunded public sector pensions which exceeds the national debt, the loss of 1 million manufacturing jobs, the record £50 billion trade deficit, the runaway money supply, and so on......
...... The result of this failure to raise the economic issues, link them to people in their everyday lives, is that the Conservatives have failed to make any sort of economic argument, resulting in the Conservatives falling in behind Labour’s tax and spend policies, and Cameron, only just recently pronouncing on the radio that economic issues weren’t important anymore (because they hadn’t bothered to make them an issue) and instead pronouncing that social break down was what he felt was most important.....'
(I think it stand up to scrutiny 10 months on)
So what we should have been getting from George Osborne a year ago, we weren't, but getting a fairly limp and lame version now. What we should be getting now is some clear direction out of this mess, like in response to questions of what you would do? Say that it is vital we wring out efficiencies from Labour's bloated state spending, cut out projects which give us no material advantage, remove cost burdens put on businesses ( economically difficult times is opportunity to roll back the social costs which have been stuck on businesses )and seek to plough any savings into cutting the tax rates of the low paid to easy the inflationary push to keep wages in line with prices of food and fuel.
But hey maybe as we are getting what should have been last years economic message right now from George Osborne and Conservative party, maybe we will have to wait until next year to get what should have been this years economic message.
Posted by: Iain | June 17, 2008 at 14:39
"the loss of 1 million manufacturing jobs, the record £50 billion trade deficit"
Iain, what you say is very true. Now we know that Brown has made Britain bankrupt we need to know what a Conservative government will do to turn things around.
There must be a strategy for job-creation and if that is aimed at supplying the domestic market it will also take care of the trade deficit and benefit dependency. We should exempt all new business from taxation until it has grown and developed a healthy infrastructure. Entrepreneurs who are prepared to invest and want to supply the domestic market with wares and foodstuffs should be allowed to operate at a much reduced level of taxation. Make it profitable for it to be 'Made in Britain'.
Let's get our people off the dole and get them working and producing, let's end the import dependency that is bringing inflation into our country. British goods made by British workers for sale to British consumers. That is the way out of this mess.
Posted by: Tony Makara | June 17, 2008 at 15:04
Where the hell has Osbourne been , on his jollies !! He disappears for weeks on end and then pops up again . It,s time Cameron got a grip .
Get someone in place who is up to the job. There's plenty of talent to choose from.
Posted by: Gezmond007 | June 17, 2008 at 15:36
Don't commit to spending plans from the other side George, just agree to not increase spending. The same services can be run cheaper and better, its about what you do with the money in the hand, ask any housewife.
Also look to making policing more efficient by drafting in typists for our bobbies, they are then free to walk the beat and just approve/amend the forms after they are done, all the tools they need is a voice recorder.
The football league is littered with Gordon Brown style managers, you don't need to spend like Chelsea, be an Everton, spend wisely and you'll be judged on the value of spending rather than the amount.
Posted by: alan phillips | June 17, 2008 at 18:14
I sympathise with Iain. I have never understood why Conservative party leaders are so hopeless at getting points over. Particularly when attacking Labour. (I once resigned from the party, in my letter I said that supporting you is like supporting a football team with all the best players but when they are in front of the oponents goal they just leave the ball and walk away.)
However, all the people calling for Osborne to forget about maintaining Labour's spending plans, now, without saying what to cut, may have an economic point but are just as hopeless politically as the party leadership.
Posted by: David Sergeant | June 17, 2008 at 18:48
Fully agree wih Tony. Brown did not abolish 'boom and bust' but simply masked it. Benign inflation was due to liberalisation of trade - and it was particularl manufactured in China. Service sector enjoyed low inflation due to call centres in India. All the jobs lost were compensated by massive public sector recruitment drive.
This government with its myriad of regulations and stealth taxes has diven jobs out of the country and with that we have also lost valuable skills.
Now the binge has ended we are in for a big hangover.
I agree that Brown has aboilshed Boom & Bust' - what he did is unforgivable - Brown has given us Borrow, Binge and Bust.
Posted by: Yogi | June 17, 2008 at 21:43