Does Labour never learn?

marleyboy

warwicktiger wrote: »

Does Labour never learn?

I guess we will find out come the next general election. It seems the Tories didn't.

Thrugelmir

wotsthat wrote: »

We're two years from an election. I'm far more interested in what the government DO rather than what the opposition SAY.

Read the small print in the budget. The projections for 2017 are appalling. The UK may well have the worst finances in Western Europe.

So I would expect the opposition to be making a noise now.

There's no magic money tree.

CLAPTON

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Read the small print in the budget. The projections for 2017 are appalling. The UK may well have the worst finances in Western Europe.

So I would expect the opposition to be making a noise now.

There's no magic money tree.

Surely much more interesting is what the present government think and do.

They clearly think that borrowing is the answer. Rumour has it that the new BoE man agrees.

Thrugelmir

CLAPTON wrote: »

Surely much more interesting is what the present government think and do.

Precisely my point. What's the point of the opposition then. As its todays decisions that affect 5 years time.

If there's an alternative viable policy it should come up for discussion.

wotsthat

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Read the small print in the budget. The projections for 2017 are appalling. The UK may well have the worst finances in Western Europe.

So I would expect the opposition to be making a noise now.

There's no magic money tree.

There's a cross party consensus that the money tree exists.

The government spent years in opposition mocking Gordon Brown's 'golden rules', the overspending, the overborrowing and stealth taxation. There's some lack of self-awareness because if Gordon Brown had delivered the last few budgets we'd be hearing "that's typical of labour - overspending, borrowing more, increasing tax, and permanently postponing promised cuts".

CLAPTON

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Precisely my point. What's the point of the opposition then. As its todays decisions that affect 5 years time.

If there's an alternative viable policy it should come up for discussion.

The point of an opposite is to oppose; that is it points out how the government of the day is failing.

It has no obligation to provide alternative answers as they don't have access to all the facts;
e.g. Dave/George said they had no plans to increase VAT, but when they saw the books they were forced to change their mind.

wotsthat

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Precisely my point. What's the point of the opposition then. As its todays decisions that affect 5 years time.

If there's an alternative viable policy it should come up for discussion.

The opposition are meant to hold the government to account and doing a poor job of it other than chipping away at government credibility. Fortunately, for the opposition, the government are managing to do the opposition's job for them.

At the next election we'll be voting for who is the least worse.

Thrugelmir

CLAPTON wrote: »

It has no obligation to provide alternative answers as they don't have access to all the facts;

I would suggest that both the current and projected state of the UK's finances are in the public domain. The problem for Labour is that the spin doctors have got it wrong. The line that's been followed has led them up a cul de sac. Perhaps a reshuffle is due. Darling would make a welcome improvement on the monetary front.

warwicktiger

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/include/total_chart_total_spending.png

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/include/uk_debt_100.png

Well, its going to get worse!

CLAPTON

warwicktiger wrote: »

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/include/total_chart_total_spending.png

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/include/uk_debt_100.png

Well, its going to get worse!

surely you mean 'greater ' and not 'worse'?