Darling warns of toughest cuts for 20 years - The Times

JP45

dandy-candy wrote: »

“My priority is to get borrowing down. Once recovery is established we have to act,” the Chancellor said.

That's a bit vague though isn't it - shouldn't this be happening ASAP?

I suspect that in the Chancellor's mind ASAP equates to 'once recovery is established'. There are plenty of commentators who have been calling for greater clarity from the Government on it's plans to reduce the budget deficit. But those same commentators would nevertheless accept that to introduce radical cuts in spending and/or increases in taxes before the economy has stabilised could well prove counter-productive in the long run.

In other words, what we and the markets really need is a clear, credible plan for reducing the deficit. If implementation of that plan ends up being put back a few months because the economy is still mired in recession, then so be it, but let's at least have a credible, properly costed plan.

"I would rather have Gordon Brown than David Cameron. I would rather have a Prime Minister who is the cleverest person in the room than a Prime Minister who looks good in a suit."

Have to disagree with Tennant. I often see Brown referred to as extremely clever, an intellectual giant, and yet he seems to have been remarkably stupid for someone supposedly so clever. I think the problem is that far too many people focus too narrowly on academic achievement and in doing so overlook the vital role that other factors, such as personality, play in determining whether someone succeeds or fails in practice. I have come across a great many people who are academically gifted and yet display a remarkable lack of common sense or sound judgement. I tend to think of such people as intelligent fools. Brown may be clever in one sense but his record suggests otherwise, as was evident from the recent list in the Times:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2179499

StevieJ

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

Maybe but I hope those who have to pay the bill will be forming a bigger queue

Yup I will be queuing

StevieJ

JP45 wrote: »

I tend to think of such people as intelligent fools. Brown may be clever in one sense but his record suggests otherwise, as was evident from the recent list in the Times:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2179499

One or two mistakes, others great to criticise in hindsight, eg tax credits, designed to bridge the gap between dole dependency and the workplace (a noble cause, and applauded at the time) but subject to the law of unexpected consequence.

stueyhants

StevieJ wrote: »

One or two mistakes, others great to criticise in hindsight, eg tax credits, designed to bridge the gap between dole dependency and the workplace (a noble cause, and applauded at the time) but subject to the law of unexpected consequence.

I don't think they were unexpected consequences. With every decision you have to ask yourself how are people going to exploit it.



An example is hospital targets, to me its obvious that giving people specific targets is going make them come up with ways to maxims the targets at the expense of overall care.



School league tables, basically force schools to teach kids to pass exams but not give them a rounded eductation.


There seems to be no forsight in to how policies would actually work in the real world.

Emy1501

StevieJ wrote: »

One or two mistakes, others great to criticise in hindsight, eg tax credits, designed to bridge the gap between dole dependency and the workplace (a noble cause, and applauded at the time) but subject to the law of unexpected consequence.

One or two? Isn't he still getting wrong? The suggestions are that Darling wanted to be honest with the public about deficit and what was needed to be done, The suggestion is he also wanted a VAT rise rather than the NI rise. I don't think its coicidence that a few days after an attempt to get rid of Brown, Darling comes out and says it as he wants to. I suspect Browns not even in real control of the party now.

StevieJ

stueyhants wrote: »

An example is hospital targets, to me its obvious that giving people specific targets is going make them come up with ways to maxims the targets at the expense of overall care.

What do you do then allow them to wander on aimlessly:rolleyes:
I actually think the most stupid mistake was by Blair, the 50% University disaster :eek:
Many kids come out of college after three years with a qualification that opens no more doors than 'A' levels twenty years ago with a mountain of debt.

Sapphire

StevieJ wrote: »

Many kids come out of college after three years with a qualification that opens no more doors than 'A' levels twenty years ago with a mountain of debt.

Or 'O' levels, or even no exam passes at all for that matter. Used to be that school-leavers were often taken on in junior positions in companies, and trained on the job, then worked their way up.

Packing kids into 'universities' to obtain any old degree, which is often useless in the 'real' world, just to fulfill some misjudged target has been a truly massive mistake. :cool:

Sapphire

The labour party seems to be in an aimless, meandering mess. It's members change their minds every day to suit what they perceive will win over public opinion the most (rather than thinking of the actual good of the country), and it is directionless.

The British people need a general election NOW, not in six months time, to clear the air, and give the winning party a mandate to get on with the job of getting us out of the pit we have been chucked into (on many fronts).

baby_boomer

InvescoPerpetual's guru, Neil Woodford, says there is a serious risk of the UK being downgraded by the ratings agencies, financial markets and currency dealers.

It's not looking good.

StevieJ

Sapphire wrote: »

The labour party seems to be in an aimless, meandering mess. It's members change their minds every day to suit what they perceive will win over public opinion the most (rather than thinking of the actual good of the country), and it is directionless.

.

And the Tories aren't