David Cameron

@terry wrote:

@sceptical guy wrote:

@minim wrote:

I guess we should never forget.. lest it happen again, although I suspect it already did!!!!

Boris for President!

Crikey! so – how would the Tory answer to Billy Bunter help us out of the deficit problem???

How would any politician help us out of the deficit problem?

They would if they could grasp the simple fact that an economy is not a household budget. If you cut and cut to take further demand out of an economy where everyone is sitting on their hands because they are so frightened, it only leads to lower growth, less taxes and a bigger deficit.

We are sitting watching Greece implode and it will carry on for 50 years. They have already made far bigger cuts than we can even imagine but their problem is that the economy just wont grow when you half government spending overnight. It would be cheaper to write off the debts now, given that they are suffering horribly. If you think they aren’t, try not being able to afford drugs to cure a chest infection and watching your mother die because you cant.

The economic advice, even from the IMF is for more stimulus, which is what the Americans did successfully, despite being in a very similar position to us.
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Would a politician help us out of the debt crisis? If they took some proper economic advice instead of trying to look tough, yes they could.

Sad thing is we like them looking tough – just as long as we are lucky enough to hold onto our jobs.
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The only thing that makes me feel better is that we are all in it together. Cos when Dave and George lose their jobs for being incompetent, they will have to sign on and beg for reduced housing benefit to feed their families.

Wont they?

:?

Scep – you make wise observations.

The real question is whether we are in a 70s style situation with its supply side shocks undermining the economy or a 30s style depression. The economy then of course eventually received a huge stimulus in the shape of a world war – not exactly reproducible or desirable.

Inflation seems unlikely to hit double figures so we are more likely we suffer the South East Asian ten years of pain, under constant fear of bank collapses, and no levers to pull to correct the economy.

If that is the case, social policy is more important than economic policy, to pull us through to the light at the end of the tunnel with some semblance of social cohesiveness.

Gee – that’s going to be popular.

Terry, the EU is hardly a failed institution, or the argument would take a different form.

The euro crisis is leading to a two-speed Europe, and more centralisation of power within the EU is on the cards. The bureaucratic monstrosity of the EU is very dangerous, and is going to get more bureaucratic.

Waving a Union Jack is creating a prejudice, whereas hard thinking is needed.

London is now the home to a third of European capital investment – mainly in commercial property (today’s newspaper). The UK is too important to kick out of Europe, and Europe is too important for us to take the kamikaze move to just get out.

I think the Cameron strategy is short-sighted. He’s taking advantage of the UK’s importance to confirm a two-speed Europe, somethng which suits Germany and France just fine, as they can make decisions to suit them. Once this crisis is over – and it will be eventually – then the UK will find itself at a disadvantage.

The best way is more Europe. A declaration of intent to join the euro or whatever succeeds it, on condition of transparency and democracy. The main problem of the EU is its lack of any sort of genuine democracy – it’s that which needs to be confronted, not the waviing of a Union Jack

But Terry, you keep avoiding the obvious question – why piddle aorund in the UKIP when you could be making a real effect in the Tory Right – where you obviously belong?