Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:It's official: back in recession | |
Posted by: | David McLoughlin | |
Date/Time: | 24/05/12 18:10:00 |
Sam seems to be wedded to the Osborne Plan A. I think a consensus is beginning to build in the UK & Europe which has the following elements: a) deficit reduction of more than 1% per annum pushes countries into recession and makes things worse b) investment programmes can boost demand and if properly managed the addition to national debt is balanced by an addition to national assets. In this country that means seriously looking again at a programme that envisages four times the amount of cuts being made in the next three years as in the first two. It also means restarting the public housing programme on a big scale: at least 200,000 homes a year. These can be built by private housebuilders provided thay agree to train apprentices. Today the Government announced yet another increase in the number of young people not in employment education or training. Building more homes would help solve several problems: it would reduce rents in the private sector and housing benefit subsidies, it would cut unemployment and would boost demand and tax revenues. It might also give young people hope. Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain did it, why can't the current Government? |