ConservativeHome's ToryDiary

The most dangerous thing in Britain is the nothing-to-lose Labour Party

The Brown bounce is over.  The latest opinion poll points to a massive Labour defeat.  In today's Independent, Matthew Taylor, former head of strategy to Tony Blair, is recommending that Labour accepts defeat honourably considers putting politics aside even if that leads to defeat.  But that thought doesn't seem to be uppermost in the mind of Alistair Darling.  This morning's Guardian reports that the Chancellor "has accepted that a second emergency package of tax and spending measures may be needed in this spring's budget to claw the economy out of a deepening recession."  The first package may have been an expensive flop but that's not a concern to the kamikaze politicians inside the Downing Street bunker.

As blogged before, the nothing-to-lose Labour Party is now the most dangerous thing in Britain.  If Brown throws more money at Britain's problems he hopes against experience that his opinion poll position might just improve.  But he also knows that the incoming Conservative government will inherit nightmare levels of borrowing if this profligacy has no effect.  David Cameron will spend at least one parliament rescuing a sinking ship of state.

This is nothing short of massive economic vandalism.

Tim Montgomerie

One way or another Labour calculates that it will profit from yesterday's gamble

Yesterday Brown gambled and he thinks he can 'win' either way.  If the gamble sparks a recovery in his poll rating he will be happy but if it doesn't it won't be Labour that has to pick up the bills.  An incoming Conservative government will inherit a public finances nightmare.  Winning the next General Election will be the beginning of some very tough years.  It's been variously called a bombshell budget, a boomerang budget and a kamikaze budget.  I'll just call it cynical.  Deeply, deeply cynical.

Tim Montgomerie

Brown turns to scorched earth tactics to reverse 20% poll deficit

The latest YouGov poll, for today's News of the World, shows Brown still adrift by 20%.

The Sunday Times"provides us with Mr Brown's entirely predictable response, more public spending:

"More than 7m families who receive child benefit are to be given a one-off payment of £150 to help meet soaring fuel bills under plans being drawn up by Gordon Brown.  The £1 billion handout is expected to form a key part of the prime minister’s autumn fightback after a dismal first 14 months in power."

In a leading article The Sunday Times says the spending spree will do nothing to save Mr Brown's political skin or Britain's economic fortunes:

"All the signs are that Mr Brown intends to spend very large amounts of taxpayers’ money in an ultimately doomed effort to save his political skin. This spending is likely to make almost no difference to the looming tsunami of higher inflation, plunging house prices, repossessions, rocketing fuel bills, rising unemployment and bankruptcies that make up the true state of the economy and which will terminate his premiership."

We've started a new ToryDiary category so we can keep an eye on Mr Brown's scorched earth tactics, as predicted by Fraser Nelson.