| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Conned by the Tories | |
| Posted by: | Toby Lovern | |
| Date/Time: | 26/01/05 16:47:00 |
| Luke, I think you've answered your own question. You write " But unlike America, Germany, Japan and the Euro area, the British economy has grown in every quarter since 1997” but neglect to mention that the growth did not magically start in 1997, it actually started in 1992 and continued to 1997. Incidentally, inward investment and growth in the UK has actually slowed relative to the other economies you reference, reflecting the current governments successive increases in corporation taxes, investment relief, national insurance for employers etc. So what we see is not a clever chancellor (though I don’t doubt Gordon Brown’s intellect) but a chancellor who has simply maintained an existing economic strategy (though with recent warnings by the IMF on our rampant public sector inflation and increasing levels of waste - which is predicted to reach £20B a year in the NHS alone by 2011 we have clearer insight into the effectiveness of this government’s economic policies.) You also mention Neil Hamilton, Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken – I’m sure in the interests of objectivity there are a few more grey area tories in the time they were in government. But we should balance that with the much greater level of sleaze in the current administration – - Geoffrey Robinson and his substantial tax avoidance schemes - Peter Mandelson and his forgetfulness when it comes to loans (see above) - Patronage of Tony Blair for old law / college chums – please step forward Lord Falconer, Levine et al - Political shilly shallying between the bbc and new labour Greg - Dyke gave them money and ran the BBC, the BBC chairman Gavin Davies’ wife works for Gordon Brown. - Fast tracked visa’s for a nanny, and an even faster track adoption approval for a baby born outside of the UK when the government fails to make good its promise to speed up adoption for babies born in the UK - Purchase of flats by Cherrie Blair and large discounts in somewhat unclear circumstances - Personal use of the RAF flight by the PM and repeated acceptance of inappropriate hospitality – anyone for a holiday paid for by a tobacco baron? - Cash for questions with Peter Mandolson - A housing minister ‘forgetting’ he had 5 dwellings being rented out - Keith Vaz and his promises for privileges And that list is only for starters – there are the thousands of quango’s stuffed with Labour supporters that have little or no relevant qualifications / experience to justify their position on them – the number of quangos has doubled in 8 years. |