BBC Blog Network

User Profile

artisticsocrates

Listed below are comments made by artisticsocrates between Tuesday, 15th September 2009 and Tuesday, 8th December 2009.

«Newer
Older»

Efficiently tackling inefficiency 00:17am on 08 Dec 2009 It certainly is annoying to see Labour stealing the Conservatives clothes while all the while trying to create "clear blue water" between themselves and the Tories. It is even more annoying to realise that the only reason Labour are even bothering to address the problem of public overspend is because there is a GE around the corner and they may get a few more votes by talking in this way. They have already proved their inability to control public spending and over the last 12 years or so have shown a complete disregard towards efficiencies. Mr Brown - you are very very late in arriving at this issue.
Spot the difference 5:44pm on 23 Nov 2009 #23 - I agree that increases in tax will happen under the next government and I would agree that Labour are perceived as being the party who will take from middle and higher earners - but this is far from what their track record suggests. Since abandoning the 10p income tax rate the low paid have been relatively worse off and the middle and higher earners better off. The tax system is seriously flawed, especially the level at which income tax starts - which is less than £7K per annum. The two main parties are saying little about taxation, other than raising the higher rate of income tax for the very highest earners. But remember that National Insurance is taxation and that is set to rise under Labour - and that will hit the low paid most.

One thing I am sure of is that Labour will not be truthful on this score before an election, as it will lose votes. Brown has shown himself able to rant and roar in Parliament about "investment versus cuts" only to then adopt a stance of encouraging cuts when he is convinced his argument is actually crackpot. Whatever is promised this side of the election will be abandoned by Labour should they get back into power; then and only then will we see what they are going to do with an economy that has already broken all known economic records. No one will be safe, so don't even think otherwise.
The party of the poor 12:36pm on 10 Nov 2009 Two cheers for Cameron. He wants to be poor-friendly. Well, I'm not sure I heard anything during the conference season (especially from the Conservative's shadow chancellor) that made me think that the Tories have actually woken up to the fact that tax is a massive issue for the low paid - and I mean income tax starting on far too low an income and council tax being set with no regard towards ability to pay. I would really like to hear the Tories speak on these areas which are ready for reform. But so far I have not heard anything.

Usually when Cameron picks up a subject like this and the actual detail is looked at, the benefit to someone on a low income is usually about £6 per annum. Big deal I end up retorting.

Cameron had the idea a little while ago that Parliament should "feel the burn" along with the rest of us and not have susbsidised food and drink for MPs - to me this is the modern Conservatism at its worst: it's a bit like putting a penny in the charity tin. I will however be interested to hear what he has to say on befriending the poor. But the theme must include some real money somewhere down the line, some real tax reform and not just a few scraps falling from the master's table.
Labour bets on bashing bankers 12:35pm on 29 Sep 2009 Firstly I should fess up to not believing a single promise that comes from the Labour government. There have been a lot of strong words and promises made by them over the last couple of years that have amounted to nothing.

But beyond that: the reason for the government not trying to influence bankers pay (so they say) is because the talent will vanish to other countries if salaries/bonuses are depressed here. So now we are supposed to believe that bankers will of their own volition, out of conscience, not pay themselves the fortunes they have in the past - and thereby push their talent away themselves. It's hard to believe a business would work like that.

However it does put the government in the position to say "Well, we didn't make you do it, we only asked nicely - and anyway there was an election coming up, we had to say something!"

Sadly, Labour just wants votes - and that's the whole story.
Gordon Brown's monuments 8:07pm on 24 Sep 2009 I'm not saying anything new, I don't think, if I say I hope the financial institutions that the G20 eventually have will be more farsighted than the institutions we ourselves had. If this dynamic duo were able to create our own watchdogs who sleepwalked us into this crisis, then there is some credibility in the idea that they may do just the same again for the entire globe.

However, let's hope not.
Gaddafi UN drama serves ace to Brown 11:39pm on 23 Sep 2009 Brown may have many failings - but he can deliver a speech.
Hospital food. Any good? 11:54pm on 17 Sep 2009 I was in hospital for one week last year. I'd not tasted food properly for about six months due to my illness, everything had tasted quite disgusting.

After my operation I enjoyed everything I ate as if it were prepared by the best chef you could find: even beans on toast tasted fabulous. I recall the hospital food as being satisfying and tasty; I was ravenous and enjoyed what I ate. What I had to learn was to tick all the boxes on the menu so I had a portion of cake in the afternoon with tea.

I was not hungry; the portions were small, but suitable for a person lying in bed or sitting for most of the day. I had no complaints in this area.
Big choices 10:21am on 16 Sep 2009 #51
I find it amazing that people swallow the Labour line that the Conservatives would "immediately" make savage cuts. I can't imagine any government immediately doing anything that would clearly destabilise the economy as soon as they get into office. We are also some months away from an election - by when we should be seeing some improvement in the economy.

The only tool Labour have in the run up to the election is one of scare tactics: The big bad wolf at the door. Should Labour actually get in again as a government, it is certain that the message Brown is currently giving us will become clear. He is talking about "difficult decisions" but he is also suggesting there are plenty of areas which can be cut painlessly. This is of course a contradiction and indicates he is once again not being truthful to the electorate.

The only fact we have to look at is how the government has managed the economy so far - and they have proved unable to get value for money, unable to control public spending, unable to prioritise projects, unable to be responsive to changing conditions, unable to be honest and unable to monitor the effectiveness of their own policies. This was all obvious even before the rather convenient Credit Crunch.

For myself, I can only conclude that Labour have failed as a government and there is no evidence they might do any better in the future. Why should I believe what Brown now says? He's been consistently wrong so far.
Big choices 5:23pm on 15 Sep 2009 After 12 years of throwing money at problems, wasting unknown amounts of public funds; after sleepwalking into this present economic mess, we have a vague promise from the PM that Labour is going to continue investing and then make painless cuts in non-essential services at some appropriate time. And astonishingly, the unions rather like the sound of it.

And I thought the era of fairy stories had come to an end.
No-one can rewrite political history 10:49am on 15 Sep 2009 I don't think there is anything new in this strategy - Brown seems to think we plebs have as much memory as a goldfish. However I would make these points:

We all have fresh in our minds the broken promises, over spending, cruel tax changes, electoral bribes, massive project failures, wars, expenses row, massive public debt; and more recently the general absence of a PM.

Few of us have vivid memories of the last Conservative government following the last 12 years of tribulation and ongoing increases in unemployment, business failures and general hardship.

Labour's new tack of telling fairy stories about the slavering Wolf at the door waiting to make savage cuts (ie the Conservatives) is nothing short of pathetic. It proves they have no credible positive line of attack for themselves, they can only throw mud and make outlandish, unattainable promises.

It is patently clear that the Brothers Grim (the two PMs; P Mandelson and the other PM) have nothing to offer the country. Brown is only now beginning to talk about "cuts" - once again he's the last person in the country to see the actual truth of the situation.

It's not hard to see that Mandy is now in charge of Labour - leading Brown on by the nose; and he's quite clever enough to try and make us believe anything.

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

artisticsocrates