f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Watched Osborne on breakfast TV this morning and I am really trying not to be overly critical but what the **** is he on?

Firstly he is slapping himself on the back (almost literally) saying how great he is for being on the show a month earlier than he needed to be announcing savings of £2bn from 7 government departments for 2015.

He then won't say which departments they are except that they are not NHS or education or counter terrorism.

He claims the cabinet are united yet Theresa May and at least one other senior cabinet minister have expressed concern that their budgets are to be tampered with and say they are going to fight him although in Theresa May's case I wouldn't be too worried as standing up and being counted isn't her speciality.

He then deflects a question about foreign aid by saying we have made a commitment to these countrie and must honour it. Yes let's borrow more money to give to someone else while we race towards bankruptcy

He then claims proudly he has cut the defecit and when it is pointed out to him it's by a tiny margin and crucially a much smaller margin than he originally stated it would be (which is why these new cuts are needed) ignores the question.

He also deflects any question of trying to make the economy more productive as a way to get the defecit down.

They didn't ask him about the the IMF and China's recent comments on the UK economy.... I would have and wouldn't have given up until I got an answer either.

Sadly I don't think he knows what he is doing and waiting in the wings are another bunch who will be even worse!!

It's tragic really, but I don't think we can recover from here not with the politicians we have got (from any of the parties) running the show anyway!

john banks

OTOH I heard him on Radio 4 and was impressed, but I agree with you on foreign aid.

David Lock

Heard him on R4 and he was OK in my view. NHS, Education and Aid are protected but the rest get hit. Made a good comparison with UK and Europe especially France which a year ago was all gung ho with new ideas but is going down the pan now.

I think that Foreign Aid should be protected as long as it is carefully targeted. Take Pakistan for example; it will be helpful to keep good relations just in case the Taliban get hold of their nukes which I think is the biggest threat we face.

They do seem to be struggling with the NHS as I am sure there is a huge amount of waste.

Personally I would drop HS2 and stick another runway at Gatwick.

Be nice to get us all back on track one day

dl

madscoob

iTrader: (3)

stopping spending money we haven't got or are never likely to have would be a good start my mum used to say if you get £100 a week you can't spend £102 as next week you will only have £98 and that's without paying intrest

nyscooby

iTrader: (12)

So you think we live in a democratic state? Think again....!

stilover

What's the alternative? Alister Darling? Both him and Gordon Brown put us all in this mess.

Quick, lets vote them back in !!

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

I often wonder why people seek comfort in the 'it would be worse if the other lot were in' sort of thinking as while it may be true (and probably is in this case) it does not alter the fact that the country is on its **** now and no one in politics seems prepared to a) admit how bad things really are and b) implement a real plan to sort it!

Leslie

Have you noticed how clever politicians are at deflecting awkward questions or just ignoring them if the question becomes prominent in respect to the discussion?

They must do a special course in that as well as talking around tricky subjects!

This country and its people seem to be the least important when it comes to doing anything significant for the general good! Forgetting positive promises seems to be the real requirement as far as they are concerned!

Les

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Yes I have and I am not sure why those interviewing them so easily let them get away with it. Milliband and Clegg do it all the time and it's infuriating! We deserve better than our current crop, really we do!

jonc

There was only one politician who had the ***** to drag this country out of the **** and set things right by acknowledging A) and set about B) is now sadly gone.

ScoobyWon't

Scrap foreign aid.

Look at Ethiopia. They receive millions from us, yet they are suing the UK for giving them aid, which their own government is using to prop up it's regime.

http://alturl.com/smo6z

Chip

MT

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

Just out of sheer curiosity I wonder what John Smith would have done if he hadn't died young............I'm not a Labour fan but thought he was pretty sound and I guess would have been PM. Maybe we would be in better shape now?

Back to the topic......................

Shaun

cster

Well there is nothing like an early death to improve ones reputation.
For example - compare the reputations of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Similar MO for the both of them.
Our current problems seem mainly linked to unregulated banking sector being able to take risks on a government guaranteed basis. I can't imagine it would have been different under anybody - but I guess we will never know.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Heard the other day that, on top of the declared foreign aid, we also spend £1 BILLION per year on educating kids in foreign states...NO not UK kids living there, foreign kids.

What mught meducation in the UK do with an extra £1 billion?

Martin2005

Assuming that every £ spent on education is equal, then about 1% better than it currently does.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

But come ON, Martin, what could we do with an extra £1 BILLION in the UK at the moment?

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

If you are arguing that foreign aid is too small a percentage to be worth talking about then I would counter that so are Osborne's 'cuts'..... someone in power needs to visit reality and admit that being 1.2 trillion in debt is not going to be solved by talking a good job and nibbling round the edges of a few government departments.

Osborne and Cameron are not the people to do that and never will be as they are spineless career politicians. Sadly so are the opposition. We're f**ked baically and it's just a case of when not if we go bankrupt!

Martin2005

Of course, but it's a question of need. So some places could do with the Billion a lot more than the UK does

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

Which countries are we donating this £1B to?

I'm sure it'd be better for everyone if said countries are encouraged to develop their economies through trade to become overall more self-sufficient, rather than throwing money into black holes. Teach a man to fish and all that...

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

So let their own government give them it? Perhaps insterad of theirt nuclear arms race?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Pakistan for one.....you know, that country with nuclear weapons.......

jonc

Osborne's measures gets the backing of the OECD, he must be doing something right......

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...owth-forecasts

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

The point is we don't have abillion to give them.

It's a bit like you needing a tenner from me so I have to go to Wonga and borrow it even though I am hawked up to the hilt with them already and have very little chance of paying off what I owe them even before borrowing another tenner!

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Would this be the OECD who have continually patted him on the back whilst continually downgrading their growth forecasts for the UK. Tell me how that works?

Also the IMF and the Chinese government (both of whome are more important than the OECD) think he is wrong.... as do most leading truly independent economists..anyway within a few years it will all be irrelevant as it will be too late!

Leslie

The very last people with the right to criticise anyone's attempts to sort out the deficit and cure the economy are those in the previous government who were handed a strong economy when they first came into power and managed so successfully to chuck it all down the tubes!

Does anyone think that Ed ***** cure, namely to borrow and borrow as he advised Brown to do is the answer to it all?

Les

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Nope, but neither do I think Osborne's ideas are being too effective either.

What is needed is some uber stringent cuts to the welfare state, a full withdrawl of military personel from pleaces we have no need or right to be, a program of impetus to the economy to reward those who work hard and take risks, harsh (really harsh) penalties for those that defraud the system, a housebuilding program to stave off another porperty boom and fill the housing gap, progression of infrastructure projects that will pave the way for genuine long term economic growth (not HS2 btw) and an end to party political electioneering nonsense, removal of the masses and masses of red tape and resultant delays around getting even the simplest of things done and finally a withdrawl from the EU and all the nonsense and finacial drain that comes with that little failed experiment!

Leslie

Can't disagree with that and also a lot more concentration on doing the right thing for this country and its people instead of trying to impress all the other world leaders with policies which are designed to play into their hands.

A lot more thought for the British peoples' welfare and a lot less sucking up to other world leaders in order to increase our own leaders' popularity abroad at our own expense would go a long way to improve our lot!

Les

Martin2005

A better analogy might be a millionaire with an over-draft stepping over the bodies of the starving!

Martin2005

This is EXACTLY what we are doing with our DEVELOPMENT funds.