Have just spotted a rather succinct summary of something Gordon Brown said in his speech yesterday over at
The Fink's Comment Central blog. Danny Finkelstein has noted that Gordon Brown said,
"We must never return again to those days when reckless promises that you could simultaneously cut taxes, raise spending and cut borrowing were made."
Danny Finkelstein goes on to ask,
Which of those things does he admit he didn't do when he was Chancellor? I think you'll find he denies raising taxes, cutting spending or raising borrowing.
Well quite. Wouldn't it be good if someone could pick him up on it? Perhaps someone in Parliament if a hack doesn't get there first?
8 comments:
Er, I think you'll both find he was referring to Tories? Obviously the tax take goes up with growth and more people in jobs. Spending has been going up. Borrowing is within limits.
Somewhere between Danny, Times blog subs and yourself the Fink's bit seems a bit mangled and very unclear. Perhaps just negative plus sarcasm equals clear as mud what's he's on abaht?
You're not really that stupid at basic comprehension are you?
Chris Paul: Brown has claimed to be able to cut taxes, raise spending and cut borrowing simultaneously. Therefore he is "reckless" according to his own rhetoric.
That is the point. Does Dizzy need to spell it out any more clearly?
[In fact Brown has not cut the burden of taxation or borrowing, but that's for another discussion...]
Indeed... not only that even if he hadn't said that, the implication and point the Fink was making was that if doesn't admit to doing that, he undoubtedly denies raising taxes, cutting spending or raising borrowing, and, if hasn't done those things then what has he done.
In fairness Chris rarely makes much sense though Ed. He actually thinks he gets up the noses of Tory bloggers. Personally I just laugh at his inane comments and assume it's an act.
Even people who think they are on the wind-up should have their "arguments" exposed though, IMHO...
Keep up the good work Dizzy.
It's also been a while since Brown said 'no more return to boom and bust' (a reference to Prudence), given the financial markets crisis ... and the economic storm that is brewing that is of his own making!
Good to see Chris Paul on here - I commend his blog though I don't often agree with him...
I stand to be corrected, but I don't recall Brown denying that he has raised taxes, although he will claim to have kept certain tax rates the same or say that it is "done in the interests of fairness"
I commend his blog to the incinerator its a gothically tedious fugue on the same bloody thing which is , at heart , him.I think Brown does admit to raising taxes Dizzy because of NI but not the stealth taxes which he somehow claims not to have included. Niall Ferguson gives the rather technical figure 38% to 45% state governed expenditure over ten years which is more than it sounds as a proportion and especially during strong growth.
We have overtaken Germany , remeber when that was Polly T`s nirvana...now its Sweden erstwhile suicide capital of the world ( Parts of the USSR have now overtaken)...they are 70% eeeeek
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