Who's your dream UK Chancellor?

tescobabe69

miketrim wrote: »

106 votes for Brown! Probably the Chancellor with the worst legacy in history and 22% of people want him back. That just about sums up Britain.

Might that be the 22% that benefitted from his policies ?

nickorossa

Wasn't Ken Clark pro taking us into the Euro?

The only good thing Gordon Brown did was keep us out of the Euro.

Owain_Moneysaver

Can we have Harvey off the telly adverts as an option please?

dug123

I think that before the next election (where if things carry on as they are the Lib Dems will be annihilated) That Nick Clegg will be sacked and Vince Cable will be the new Lib Dem leader and in the next 18 months we will see the coalition break up, the Lib Dems will pick a fight with the Tories on an issue which they believe the public care about.
This is the only way I can see a resurgance of the Lib Dems.
IMO as a Labour supporter.

stevemcol

nickorossa wrote: »

Wasn't Ken Clark pro taking us into the Euro?

The only good thing Gordon Brown did was keep us out of the Euro.

I didn't say I agree with all his policies, past or present. I don't actually agree with his choice of party. I just think his personal attributes, intelligence, experience and no nonsense approach are rare in the world of UK politics.
His record as chancellor in the 90's was formidable. Something Gordo built on in the early years before it all went pear shaped.

StaffsSW

This is why Winky should never have been left in charge of the National cheque book, and why we are having to endure so many cuts at the moment.
(and bear in mind this if from the pro-Labour Guardian)

ceivegz

stevew8975 wrote: »

This is why Winky should never have been left in charge of the National cheque book, and why we are having to endure so many cuts at the moment.
(and bear in mind this if from the pro-Labour Guardian)

Dull and characterless, maybe, and maybe even one of the worst prime ministers we've had, but this chart does prove that Gordon Brown was the best chancellor we've had ... does anyone remember what interest rates were like in the early to mid 90s? 12% at one point. And as for Vince Cable ... he'd just tax us all out of existence!

stevemcol

Similar picture across the pond. Difficult to attribute the whole scenario to the UK PM / Chancellor

StaffsSW

ceivegz wrote: »

Dull and characterless, maybe, and maybe even one of the worst prime ministers we've had, but this chart does prove that Gordon Brown was the best chancellor we've had ... does anyone remember what interest rates were like in the early to mid 90s? 12% at one point. And as for Vince Cable ... he'd just tax us all out of existence!

3 years of a surplus in an economic boom, but without the foresight to build a warchest? And what was he doing in the latter years if he wasn't squandering our money in a desperate attempt to buy the votes of the masses who were only interested in their own benefit, and not that of the nation, or the nations future?
In just 6 years he overspent by £270bn, and allowed his successor to overspend by a further £152bn on top of that?!

Just how exactly can that be seen as "the best chancellor we've had"? The nation will be paying off his debts for many many years.

He couldn't run a bath, let alone an economy.

callum9999

ceivegz wrote: »

Dull and characterless, maybe, and maybe even one of the worst prime ministers we've had, but this chart does prove that Gordon Brown was the best chancellor we've had ... does anyone remember what interest rates were like in the early to mid 90s? 12% at one point. And as for Vince Cable ... he'd just tax us all out of existence!

How does that in any way show that he is the "best chancellor we've had"?

The budget deficit was steadily decreasing as he took power, and then towards the end of his turn it turns into deficit again - at an even greater level than when he took over. Then while he was prime minister, it ballooned to triple the previous record.

While the budget deficit isn't everything, this chart is clearly a highly negative portrait of his time in office. (Unless you somehow feel owing billions and billions of pounds is a good thing?)