Alan Johnson "I don't think were through the worst"

MiserlyMartin

I saw this interview. I was shouting at the TV. He seemed to want to use the airtime to dig at the Tories in answer to every question and claim that GB has called it right and Tories wrong on everything. Is that why Gordon broke his promise on no more boom and bust then? Is that why GB sold our gold at 20 year lows costing us 10's of billions? Is that why we have a public debt nearly 100% of GDP? Oh yeah Alan Moron and your Brown muppet leader, you really called it right didn't you. Do they think the british public are stupid!?!?!

michaels

Taking too much at face value.

The Govt line for the next election is that we are comin gout of the recession thanks to the brilliance of Mr Brown whereas otherwise it would be the 30's right now but things are not OK yet so we can not risk switching to a new untried, less experienced opposition but need the reassurance of 'prudence' and his experience to ensure the recovery really does happen.

Not sure if it will sell but how else to win an election with unemployment at 3.2m, the worst post war recession having claimed no more boom and bust and a realisation on the part of the electorate that taxes will have to rise and spending will have to be cut?

Graham_Devon wrote: »

If Alan Johnson is saying this, which is obviously outside of the party line, is there something in it? It should be on iplayer later on I guess.

MacsReturns

IMHO we're not through the worst, nor will it really make any difference whether NuLab or the Tories win the next election. They are both more beholden to the corporate players than to Joe Soaps like me and thee.

Old Gordon might have claimed the credit for the "end to boom and bust" but that was pure guff - he was no more responsible for the 'boom' than he is for the 'bust' now. It's a humungous bubble that has burst, nothing more, nothing less - it was always inevitable. Changing a few bums on a few seats would have made diddlysquat difference.

We've got more shocks coming down the line, and we're in a right royal mess. If by 'recovery' you mean things are going to get back to how they were, then no, sorry, but there is no recovery. Infinite growth in a finite system simply isn't possible, that is the root problem.

treliac

MacsReturns wrote: »

IMHO we're not through the worst, nor will it really make any difference whether NuLab or the Tories win the next election. They are both more beholden to the corporate players than to Joe Soaps like me and thee.

Old Gordon might have claimed the credit for the "end to boom and bust" but that was pure guff - he was no more responsible for the 'boom' than he is for the 'bust' now. It's a humungous bubble that has burst, nothing more, nothing less - it was always inevitable. Changing a few bums on a few seats would have made diddlysquat difference.

We've got more shocks coming down the line, and we're in a right royal mess. If by 'recovery' you mean things are going to get back to how they were, then no, sorry, but there is no recovery. Infinite growth in a finite system simply isn't possible, that is the root problem.

Well since we already know that Gordon et al don't have one clue between them, we shall have to see what the other lot come up with after next summer.

Perhaps we should vote Generali for chancellor.

julieq

It's about managing expecations. And it's a classic New Labour tactic used since 1997. Someone pops up somewhere saying something that's bad, and in the event what happens isn't quite that bad which creates a sense of relief,

Think back over recent years and you'll find many many examples of draconian policies being announced which aren't quite implemented in that way. But the bar for what is acceptable is still raised.

So it is here. The recession is being painted as blacker than it is so that when the recovery gathers pace it can be painted as a great victory for the Government.

To be fair to Labour, this is not really their mess specifically in that the same thing precisely would have happened under the Conservatives, and it's quite possible that the Conservative response would have been less effective, they would almost certainly have offered a lesser stimulus. It's odd to pillory a party for something they have almost no control over, they should be pilloried for the things they do which are entirely their making, which in my opinion is the relentless and expensive increase of State intervention into every aspect of life, from ID cards through to the new laws on vetting of anyone in contact with children.

And to repeat: the housing bubble here didn't cause these problems, irresponsible lending in the US did.

Graham_Devon

julieq wrote: »

It's about managing expecations. And it's a classic New Labour tactic used since 1997. Someone pops up somewhere saying something that's bad, and in the event what happens isn't quite that bad which creates a sense of relief,

So it is here. The recession is being painted as blacker than it is so that when the recovery gathers pace it can be painted as a great victory for the Government.

Erm Julie, it's ONE single labour MP saying this. Hence the thread.

CLAPTON

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Erm Julie, it's ONE single labour MP saying this. Hence the thread.

well, just one cabinet minister (Home secretary as I recall)

michaels

Agree with the rest of your post (and indeed this bit) but with two caveats:

1) The irresponsible lending here was just as bad but just because our economy is much smaller it probably didn't represent a 'systemic risk' but the failure of the regulators here to contemplate a liquidity risk was just as negligent
2) The options for managing the crisis here were limited by the previous fiscal profligacy that can be directly attributed to Mr Clown

julieq wrote: »

And to repeat: the housing bubble here didn't cause these problems, irresponsible lending in the US did.

purch

(Home secretary as I recall)

:T

You've done well to keep track of what he does, considering the number of different jobs he's had in the past few years !!!!!!