Leader: Downbeat message from PM
David Cameron does not travel far with a contentious policy before following that in-built political navigation system which whispers in his ear “turn around where possible,” but there is one area in which he has been consistent in his course, and that is the tackling of the crippling burden of public debt and public spending.
David Cameron does not travel far with a contentious policy before following that in-built political navigation system which whispers in his ear “turn around where possible,” but there is one area in which he has been consistent in his course, and that is the tackling of the crippling burden of public debt and public spending.
He is now warning that he cannot see us stopping the cuts in public spending any time soon and has given a message that the austerity plan will continue until at least 2020.
That is a refreshing dose of realism and honesty. Nobody with any financial sense will argue with the need to get the nation’s finances into ruder health.
However, by presenting himself as Downbeat Dave, there comes a danger. While Mr Cameron will see it as simply telling it as it is, others will interpret his message as being one of all hope is gone. What, then, is the point of investing in Britain, a failing, ailing, economy? What, then, is the point of toiling and working hard and trying to get on if we are going to stagnate for almost a decade?
Mr Cameron has a tricky balance to strike and it is unusual for a politician in office to be seen to be spreading gloom rather than promoting the feelgood factor.
He has the luxury of being able to say it as a general election is still years away and he can still blame almost everything on the previous Labour administration. Talking up the gloom also gives political justification for his unpopular austerity measures.
Politicians can magically conjure up money when they want to – rail investment, fighting a war in Libya, the Olympics . . .
The Downbeat Dave persona does not rest easily on Mr Cameron’s shoulders and as the poll gets closer it will be no surprise if he starts finding reasons to be cheerful.
Comments for: "Leader: Downbeat message from PM"
R Suppards
ACTION THIS DAY ...
1) Stop all overseas aid.
2) Leave the EU and stop paying zillions into its bottomless pit.
Let's see, Prime Minister, how much money have we saved?
H. St. John Peasbody
We need the working class to rise up and take control of this once proud country. The House of Lords should be replaced by an elected House and the Monarchy abolished. A programme of nationalisation of utility companies and more investment in the public sector are needed. Tax the rich and give to the poor. Let's have a fairer distribution of wealth.
Gareth
Regarding the Monarchy, what purpose would abolishing them achieve? They create more more money through various means than they cost the tax payer.
We already tax the rich at the rate of 50%, and the more you earn the more you pay.
Instead of punishing people for being successful maybe we should stop handing out money in the form of benefits to, amongst others, teenage mums who churn out meal tickets which have to be provided for by the state.
We provide benefits and NHS care for people who haven't worked a day in their life, that costs this country far more than the bankers ever will.
H. St. John Peasbody
Another prejudiced diatribe aimed at the teenage mum phenomenon.
Have you ever bothered to talk to teenagers who have fallen pregnant to try to understand the issues with caring for a baby in such circumstances?
We need more focus groups to help people like you, Gareth, to understand that not everything is black or white.
Bob
Hahah you're funny
doubter
The rich got a tax cut of 5% last budget where as ordinary "in this all together" didn't the rich are also inline for another 5% tax cut next...
The money the monarchy create? you mean through tourism... do you really thinj tourist would stop coming because there was now Monarchy, sure tourist go to buck palace and such but thats it,.. old buildings much the same as Rome.
Peter
Gareth,
We could stop providing money to all of the usual scapegoats of the right, young mothers, the unemployed, immigrants, disabled people, foreign aid, the working poor, and it would still come nowhere near covering the debts caused directly by fraud and failure (not success) in international capitalism.
As far as I'm aware, the rich have had their tax cut to 45% in the pound - a rate they only pay on that part of their income which breaches a certain threshold. By far the greater unfairness is that the 40% rate comes in at a lower and lower threshold each year, thus catching many PAYE taxpayers who've never paid higher rate tax before, and who have no access to the sort of tax avoidance schemes that only the really wealthy are allowed.
The successful bosses of big comapanies typically pay hardly any tax as a proportion of their income. A report at the weekend indicated that the worlds wealthiest people have £13 trillion punds sprited away in offshore accounts - untaxable and inaccessible to the rest of us. That's greater than the output of the USA and Japan combined.
The rich will always be richer than the rest of us, but at present they are completely out of control. This government, instead of trying to rein them in, is actually allowing them more freedom in resepct of tax avoidance, preferring instead to blame and further impoverish the poor.
Cameron should be ashamed of himself.
dave
The rich are out of control , you absolute socialist.
Having ran a successful business employing 50 people and lost it through not being able to compete with foreign imports I am aggrieved by this sponging trash. Yes I have a huge home and fast expensive cars I also supported 50 households families and mortgages. Now no more through having to be bound by over zealous regulation and stifling taxation. Instead of philosophising from your bedroom get out and earn it in the real world . sometimes this ideological nonsense is worse than fascism .
Rob, Telford
1 hour 28 minutes from posting bait to first bite - you're slipping Peasbody!
PS, I happen to agree with your post (although I'm not sure you do...).
R Suppards
Whilst generally being in favour of a fully elected House, I think that the Lords have made some very sensible decisions over the years and prevented some brainlessly conceived legislation from entering the stature books.
Ken Adams
The House of Lords if elected on a party system will not add one jot to democracy. The second chamber must be separated from the party political system and must be totally independent of government influence, otherwise it will be just a retirement home for ex MPs who toe the party line.
towbar
Why replace the House of Lords ? Abolish it altogether. Repossess all the thousands of acres of common land given to the peerage by the monarchy in return for a cut of the taxes,levies and property raised or stolen from the ordinary people.
Nigel
"Nobody with any financial sense will argue with the need to get the nation’s finances into ruder health"
Or that austerity is clearly and demonstrably not the way to go about doing this.
Bob
Tell that to Greece, Spain and Italy....
helen
Bob-
Yesterday even the IMF warned that if Britain's economy isn't growing by 2013 (and let's face it, that doesn't look likely), the government should scale back 'austerity', reduce income tax for low wage earners, and invest in improving the country's infrastructure. As well as doing an awful lot of damage, the Tories' policies aren't working
Nigel
Erm, that was my point Bob.
In fact why, you don't even need to leave this shores for clear evidence that austerity doesn't work.
It's all pain, no gain.
Pain today...pain tomorrow.
liverbird
i do think as much as misunderstanding the impact of public spending that the coalition have talked us into a recession. once people 'feel' positive they will buy houses, restore houses, repair,rebuild,restock and restore the economy by spending basically people are too scared to make big purchases at the moment due to lack of job security and fear of future economic downturn. its a confidence trick, we need to talk up UK PLC and forget about the debt short term, it is something to worry about over the next 50 years or so, not today when we are in a recession
Katherine de Gama
Long live Keynes.
blue boy
david cameron is our saviour, this unpatriotic dribble should not be printed, he is saving us from socialism and its ills if it wasnt for dave we would be like greece. he is slimming the bloated public sector and making us all better off cutting taxes and making scroungers go out to work like we all have to. Dave is a natural born leader, he is a patriot, he appreciates the evils of the EU, he can live within his means, he understands basic budgets unlike the clown Brown, he is English, he is a Christian and he will lead us to a majority victory at the next election because britain knows when it is in the presence of greatness, he is like the Queen in many ways, he is born to lead and he is our leader so he should be written about with respect
Nigel
Please tell me this is satire!
towbar
He really believes it... Gullible or what ???
Powys Geezer
'He can live within his means?' He's a Millionaire! We could ALL live within HIS means! And as for being a christian... don't make me laugh. For one thing that's no recommendation as far as I'm, secondly he himself admitted his 'faith' is something that fades and surges like (I think) Fox FM reception in teh Cotswolds. Blue boy, that post of yours is a joke.
Powys Geezer
I was so cross that I missed out a word and left a typo in my post... grrrr...
Rob, Telford
Oh dear, looks like the medication's wearing off again...or else little boy blue is really a pretty pathetic attempt at black propaganda by a supporter of an opposition party...either way his posts are always good for a laugh!
pete
How true just three more years till a new labour leader bring on Balls!
Roger
It is a matter of competence. Everyone accepted and all parties said that some austerity would be required and will continue to be required for decades ahead. What the posh boys did was to try and solve a long term problem with a quick fix and in doing so went too far too fast. This shock to the economy unbalanced it and made matters worse so we now have an even bigger deficit and all growth has been driven out. Austerity without growth is disastrous and will cause the economy to spiral down until we reach the Greek situation.
What ever support the conservatives once had has now gone because it is quite clear that the policy has failed. The "new" solutions are to start spending on infra structure. This is fine and will show some results at the time of the next election but it is not a cure. It is only a bridge to where we need to be.
We need the private sector to invest in manufacturing goods exploiting our inventions and innovation. The growth area in this country is to replace imports with home produced goods. Nobody is doing that.
We can no longer expect to live off the money generated in the financial sector to pay the bills. That bubble has burst and will not come back sufficiently.
A new reality is required and there are no signs of the government addressing the future yet. The opposition is no better because they are telling very little of what their policies actually are and the minor parties are one policy only parties with no comprehensive manifestos.
Roger
UP DATE
More borrowing
Deeper recession
Now it's the weather, bank holiday, Jubilee and Europe. The problem is historic and too deeply entrenched.
Or perhaps they have the wrong economic polcy.
free rider
no wonder the economy is broken, we have a millionaire PM telling us we all need to spend less in a recession! omg does this man have no economic advisors! You save when the times are good! You spend when the times are bad, this is GCSE Economics for Christs Sake!
pete
Give Me a millionare PM any day than that of the profession socialist politician someone who is used to making money than spending it has my vote every time.