Is Gordon Brown an economic illiterate?

Degenerate

Exocet wrote: »

Whereas with Farepak and the ten p tax they could just !!!!!! on the poor people and it wouldn't really matter. This is one reason I won't be voting Labour while Blair, Mandelson, Brown are still around. Socialism for the better off - I don't quite get the point of it.

People who saved with Farepak were putting money into a private, non-regulated scheme with no deposit guarantee. Not a very bright move.

As for the 10p tax, that was another example of the stupidity of the public. Because they moved the bandings at the same time, the change left only a tiny number of people a tiny amount worse off. I watched the debate on various internet forums and 99% of the people decrying it were cretins saying "I only earn £x, I can't afford this", where x was an income level that would not be negatively affected by the change. Yet another example of why there should be a competency test for voters.

Exocet

Degenerate wrote: »

People who saved with Farepak were putting money into a private, non-regulated scheme with no deposit guarantee. Not a very bright move.

As for the 10p tax, that was another example of the stupidity of the public. Because they moved the bandings at the same time, the change left only a tiny number of people a tiny amount worse off. I watched the debate on various internet forums and 99% of the people decrying it were cretins saying "I only earn £x, I can't afford this", where x was an income level that would not be negatively affected by the change. Yet another example of why there should be a competency test for voters.

Well this cretin will be voting Tory.

JP45

Wookster wrote: »

I think his single biggest issue is that he thinks he is right all the time, knows everything and everyone else is just simply ignorant or wrong. He believes he is omnipotent.

This is the crux of the matter.

It would be quite wrong to view Brown as somehow lacking in intelligence. He is clearly, in one sense at least, an intelligent man, judging by his academic achievement.

The problem is that his intelligence is seriously compromised by his narcissistic personality. If he'd stayed in academia, continued his reasearch into the histroy of the Labour Party or whatever then it wouldn't have mattered. Unfortunately for us, he chose to enter politics and ended up in a position to which he is wholly unsuited.

The point being that there are many supposedly intelligent people in the world who you wouldn't trust to run a local corner shop. Unfortunately, narcissitic types such as Brown have absolutely no self-awareness. They genuinely believe themselves to be extremely capable and it is this extraordinary, though seriously misguided confidence and self-belief (that others all too often buy into) that tends to result in their rapid rise up the corporate ladder.

Eventually people cotton on to their evident failings - as many in the Labour Party are now doing in relation to Brown - but by then it's usually too late, the damage has been done.
.

Degenerate

Exocet wrote: »

Well this cretin will be voting Tory.

So you dislike Labour because they protected ordinary peoples savings, made a tax change that hardly affected anyone, and didn't bail out a private hamper company. You think these decisions represent Labour "Sh1ttiing on the poor people."

Instead you are going to vote for the party that promises an inheritance tax break worth £200,000 on each of the wealthiest 3000 estates in the UK every year, whilst declaring "we are in this together" with regard to austerity measures.

Yep, that's pretty cretinous.

Exocet

Degenerate wrote: »

So you dislike Labour because they protected ordinary peoples savings, made a tax change that hardly affected anyone, and didn't bail out a private hamper company. You think these decisions represent Labour "Sh1ttiing on the poor people."

Instead you are going to vote for the party that promises an inheritance tax break worth £200,000 on each of the wealthiest 3000 estates in the UK every year, whilst declaring "we are in this together" with regard to austerity measures.

Yep, that's pretty cretinous.

The tax change was cheered in by 'cretinous' Labour MP's who didn't understand it, it made some poor people WORSE off. And a further cobbled amendment still left some people WORSE off.

I did not say they should have bailed out the hamper company. They should have refunded the money to the POOR people out of bottomless pit of free money they have managed to stump up for their banker friends.

In addition I did not want an illegal and totally unneccesary adventure in Iraq.

I did not want three times disgraced Mandelson brought in as a Lord for goodness sake.

On the inheritance thing - tbh - I don't care. It's a drop in the ocean. Everyone will be paying more N.I. How come all of a sudden the aspirational Nu Labour party wants to tax anyone who is successful?

I see my voting like this. I am successful'ish. I voted Labour in the past because I believed in 'fairness', didn't mind paying a bit more tax to help others. Well now, after 13 years, I have decided to vote with number one in mind on Thursday. Selfish? I suppose so. Disullusioned - most definitely.

kabayiri

If we are going to go through a serious period of austerity (and everyone knows that we will), then I want to go through it with a bunch of politicians I trust.

For me, that kinda rules out Labour. The arrogance shown by them spending our money trying to suppress the indefensible expenses scandal undermines our trust in them.

Gordon exemplifies this arrogance. Shame it took a 66 year old pensioner lady to bring it into focus.

RobertoMoir

chucky wrote: »

don't worry we've big David Cameron to stroll in and sort the country out.
Osborne and him know what they're doing

Well the labour shower have proven they've got no clue. At least there's still a bit of doubt over the tories.

RobertoMoir

kabayiri wrote: »

Gordon exemplifies this arrogance. Shame it took a 66 year old pensioner lady to bring it into focus.

Very much. I can't believe all the people who still defend Brown and his cronies after that little incident made it quite clear what Brown's opinion of Labour supporters who don't see everything his way is.

I feel sorry for the supporters of the old fashioned traditional labour party - they haven't got a party left.

grubby23

Degenerate wrote: »

Instead you are going to vote for the party that promises an inheritance tax break worth £200,000 on each of the wealthiest 3000 estates in the UK every year, whilst declaring "we are in this together" with regard to austerity measures.

I support this policy to be honest. People who worked hard all their life and wanna pass their house to the children should do that without the State coming in to get their share again.

BTW.: I am a postgraduate student - owning nothing and nothing to inherit anytime soon - so I see this policy from a neutral point of view.

kabayiri

Suppose we had a hung parliament.

Am I right in thinking that the current PM remains at the helm?

How long would support last for Gordon in that situation?