EL – That was the little (i.e £6 billion) they said, on the remainder they remained silent and continue to do so. As far as the Lib Dems are concerned, they have had a Damascene (or perhaps Athenian) conversion as a result of the Greek crisis – or so they say, who am I to disbelieve them?

Tories are cuddly now, they plants trees and everything these days, although there are a few who have gagged on the cool aid. Most of them buy their own furniture as well.

Really? Yes really in that slightly pompous internet way.

Unfortunately, I don't think the Cons will do a better job but they couldn't do worse!

Not even Mr Blobby could do worse than Gordon Brown!

BB – I can see my argument could appear contradictory.

1. Tory deregulation (Big Bang) was largely a red herring in the growth in the debt markets which caused the crash.
2. Mr Brown did nothing to change the onus of the regulation.
3. He did however change the framework and thus created a flawed regulator, which was incapable of clamping down on the excesses.

(oh, and I never said that he deregulated the banks so I am more than happy to agree with you there.)

I wondering if a fiver on Gordon Brown being remembered in 20 years as a pretty good prime minister caught out by circumstances would be a wise investment. I suspect it might.

George Osborne being remembered as a clown is a dead cert.

spongbob living up to your name for economic analysis I see
Fair point igm circumstances largely beyond his control and his response was adopted by the world to get out of the crisis. Hard to see Gideon doing the same ..leading us into one yes but out of one no.
I do agree Tories using circumstances to achieve an ideological goal. As a public sector worker it is hard to see what job he wants to see teachers, fire service workers. coppers, librarians doing in the private sector as we dont really have the skills they want…stupidly we wasted our lives choosing to help people rather than make money… who would have know these people would be bankers?

tgm – more likely he will be remembered as a competent chancellor but a rather mediocre prime minister. Too timid and too many errors as prime minister

Osbourne is a clown for sure – the treasury own forcast is that his policies will cost 1,3 million jobs

As far as the Lib Dems are concerned, they have had a Damascene (or perhaps Athenian) conversion as a result of the Greek crisis – or so they say, who am I to disbelieve them?

Well if Vince Cable, economist-extraordinaire, had read a proper newspaper instead of presumably the Daily Star, then he would have known as far back as last year about the Greek debt crisis.

Even I, a semi-educated building worker from Croydon, knew about the Greek Tragedy in 2009 …… as I followed the events last October when the Greek Tories were kicked out and replaced by the socialists
in a general election.

By 2009 Greek debt stood at 115% of GDP, and the deficit at 13.6% of GDP. In April 2010 Greece approached the EU and the IMF for a bailout. On May 1st the Greek government announced tax increases and savage spending cuts. On May 5th there was a general strike in Greece against the austerity measures.

But apparently Vince Cable was still blissfully unaware about the severity of crises in Greece, because on May 6th he was still passionately arguing :

"We must ensure the timing is right. If spending is cut too soon, it would undermine the much-needed recovery and cost jobs. We will base the timing of cuts on an objective assessment of economic conditions, not political dogma. Our working assumption is that the economy will be in a stable enough condition to bear cuts from the beginning of 2011–12."

……..as he urged people to vote Liberal Democrat.

No, I choose to "disbelieve" him.

The LibDems are starting to make New Labour look like mere amateurs …. in the "lying-cheating" game.

i actually feel sorry for the lib dems so keen to show that a coalition can work they have abonded all the principles but electoral reform. I suspect most people are less likely to vote for them now as a result of their change. I also think they lack balls. They really could and should have moderated Tory policy as it would have been a very difficult minority govt for Dave to run and pass this sort of stuff. He really should have been a better negotiator rather than capitualte a slong as he gets electoral reform. Perhaps Clegg and Dave have great bonhomie due to ther fantastically expensive privledge upbringings?

I genuinely believe that George Osbornes planned cuts will send this country into the worst recessionary spiral that we have ever witnessed. Its going to make Thatchers efforts look like a ****ing tea party.

And as for the lib dems? They should look at what happened to their equivalent party in Australia when they hitched themselves to a right wing party to gain 'power' (whatever that may be). It finished them as a political force forever, they were so discredited. They'll be as relevant as the Greens at the next election

TJ – you have a good point. Brown is a good manager, excellent in a crisis, but not a leader. Floods – excellent, swine flu – pretty good, economic crisis – roundly praised in his handling of it by most foreign governements who accepted his lead on how to fix it. But hampered by a need to listen to people and not do the wrong thing – which of course is the wrong thing. He can't create the agenda, only respond and manage through it.

As for bigot-gate. She was (from the admittedly somewhat limited information I had), and he should have stuck to his guns and denounced her rather than apologising.

Not even Mr Blobby could do worse than Gordon Brown!

Norman Lamont not a familiar name to you? 3.4 billion quid in a single day!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Wednesday

BB – I can see my argument could appear contradictory……..
(oh, and I never said that he deregulated the banks so I am more than happy to agree with you there.)

I'll take that as being correct then …..ta

My cat will, when its in trouble stick its head under the sofa, and assume that because it can't see you, you can't see it. A deeply flawed outlook as its little furry backside can confirm. Its pretty similar with politics and the "when do things stop being Thatchers's/Major's/Blair's/Brown's fault. To pretend that policies carried out now won't have an impact 20 or 30 years down the line is sticking yer head onder the sofa. Think about it, for example, education. A change now impacts on a kid at school next year, its takes 10 -15 years to go through the system, then maybe another 10 for that kid to have a family and start to bring up their kid in the way they have been taught….. think obese/chav/selfish/unruly etc etc. I won't be around fortunately when the worst of what is happening right now hits, but I am still seeing the results of Thatchers depravity. We have yet to truly really see Blair/Browns legacy, but I bet it won't be as bad as people are trying to make out, and it'll be nothing compared to the current bunch.