Gordon Brown has lost all moral authority

So this is the way New Labour ends - in a shower of immorality. Sure, the expenses scandals were bad enough, but Brown could wriggle out of those; promise a review; and wait for the revelations to appear about Tory and Lib Dem MPs. But Damian McBride and "Smeargate" is something else; something altogether more final. The public is getting its clearest glimpse yet into the workings of the Brown machine. And it's a grim sight.

It's always puzzled me how Brown has managed to perpetuate the "son of the manse" shtick. Read any biography of the man - I'd recommend Tom Bower's - and the truth is clear: his is a political career built largely on gangsterism and deceit. Yet there's always been this abiding impression that he's just industrious ol' Brown, getting on with the job. That's why the ad-men could produce those "Not Flash, Just Gordon" posters in 2007, and why he could take over from Blair with excited talk about "no more spin".

But now that the inner circle of bruisers, opportunists and freaks has been properly exposed, all that lies shattered. Even though Brown almost certainly didn't know about the McBride emails, his reliance on this grubby operation makes him guilty by association. And, on the back of recent scandals and ahead of scandals yet-to-come, his claims to moral authority are finally being revealed for what they are: an illusion.

Strategically, this leaves the PM floundering. It's been suggested that a central plank of his post-G20 approach was to "inject a moral dimension into the debate". But how can he manage that now? Can he really lambast the Tories for "not caring" about the unemployed and the dispossessed, when one of his closest advisers spent time trying to sow false rumours about George Osborne's wife and Cameron's medical history? Well, he can try; but I doubt it will have quite the same impact. And, in turn, that leaves a moral dimension for the Tories to occupy.

In short: if - when - Brown loses the next election, the events of yesterday will be a contributing factor. Guido, take a bow.

Source: The Spectator

Gordon Brown has lost all moral authority

So this is the way New Labour ends - in a shower of immorality. Sure, the expenses scandals were bad enough, but Brown could wriggle out of those; promise a review; and wait for the revelations to appear about Tory and Lib Dem MPs. But Damian McBride and "Smeargate" is something else; something altogether more final. The public is getting its clearest glimpse yet into the workings of the Brown machine. And it's a grim sight.

It's always puzzled me how Brown has managed to perpetuate the "son of the manse" shtick. Read any biography of the man - I'd recommend Tom Bower's - and the truth is clear: his is a political career built largely on gangsterism and deceit. Yet there's always been this abiding impression that he's just industrious ol' Brown, getting on with the job. That's why the ad-men could produce those "Not Flash, Just Gordon" posters in 2007, and why he could take over from Blair with excited talk about "no more spin".

But now that the inner circle of bruisers, opportunists and freaks has been properly exposed, all that lies shattered. Even though Brown almost certainly didn't know about the McBride emails, his reliance on this grubby operation makes him guilty by association. And, on the back of recent scandals and ahead of scandals yet-to-come, his claims to moral authority are finally being revealed for what they are: an illusion.

Strategically, this leaves the PM floundering. It's been suggested that a central plank of his post-G20 approach was to "inject a moral dimension into the debate". But how can he manage that now? Can he really lambast the Tories for "not caring" about the unemployed and the dispossessed, when one of his closest advisers spent time trying to sow false rumours about George Osborne's wife and Cameron's medical history? Well, he can try; but I doubt it will have quite the same impact. And, in turn, that leaves a moral dimension for the Tories to occupy.

In short: if - when - Brown loses the next election, the events of yesterday will be a contributing factor. Guido, take a bow.

Source: The Spectator

Brown Pressed by Unions, Lawmakers to Increase Spending in U.K.

Unions and lawmakers from the U.K.’s ruling Labour Party pressed Prime Minister Gordon Brown to increase spending in the annual budget, countering a warning from the central bank to keep a lid on the deficit.

The Trades Union Congress representing 6.5 million workers called on Brown today to set aside 25 billion pounds ($37 billion) to build and insulate homes, support clean energy projects and renew Britain’s rail network. Five Labour lawmakers led by former Cabinet minister Peter Hain asked for more government measures to stimulate the economy.

“The U.K. fiscal stimulus has not been that generous,” TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said in a statement in London today. “There is still scope for a carefully targeted second round that can promote a quicker recovery.”

The demands are at odds with the advice of Bank of England Governor Mervyn King and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Both have warned that the government already is piling up too much debt. Their advice suggests Brown may have to lift taxes or curb spending around the time of the next election, due by mid-2010.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling presents his budget statement to Parliament on April 22 and will have to balance concerns about the deficit against demands from pressure groups for more support for the economy.

Mortgage Rescue

Another lobby group, the Home Builders Federation, said Brown should move more quickly to prop up the market for mortgage-backed securities, which financed a third of home loans before credit markets faltered in 2007.

The Treasury is negotiating with banks about loan guarantees to prop up the market, which hasn’t created any new securities in the U.K. since August 2008.

The lobby group also called for an extension of a tax holiday on the purchase of some homes and for the Treasury to funnel more money into building houses.

Labour lawmakers including Meg Munn, Sally Keeble and Mark Todd joined Hain in calling for more government support for the economy in articles published in Progress magazine.

“More not less public investment is needed to create jobs,” Hain wrote. “Taxes on lower incomes must not rise and should be lowered if possible.”

Darling already has said the recession in Britain is worse than he had forecast in November, suggesting there isn’t much money available.

The Treasury’s deficit this fiscal year will reach 150 billion pounds, or 10.4 percent of gross domestic product, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said yesterday. Earlier this month, the government failed to attract enough investors for an auction of its 40-year bonds. King has said Darling should be “cautious” before spending more.

“In the longer term, we have to have a sustainable position,” Darling said March 26 when questioned about the budget. “A substantial amount of money has gone into the economy” already.

Source: Bloomberg

Gordon Brown's House Price Boom and Bust

Have a look below at what we all know but Gordon Brown is hoping we forget!

G20 Outcome

More smoke and mirrors - this time from the G20 and what difference will this make for the people who are struggling all over the UK.

At least we can rest easy in the fact that there is extra money over at the IMF for the UK when we need to go calling!

All we saw yesterday was a final communiqué which was big on promises but very short on specifics. One example is the new regulation. I agree with regulation for these hedge funds which are raping the world but we didn't hear any details out of the G20 as to how exactly this is going to happen.

Gordon Brown is still banging on about how they are making a difference and offering "real help" to small businesses and people struggling with mortgages. Can someone tell me where all of this help is???

I'm a small business owner myself and in the past 6 months new clients have been non-existent. So far we have been lucky enough that our existing customer base has been stable. If one of our customers should take a turn and go down we will be going down right behind them. Crash has been harping on for 6 months about help for small business and I can say right here and now that on April 3rd, 2009 there is absolutely nothing out there for us. If anything our experience has been they put more brick walls in front of you rather than really helping a small business grow.

I read the papers and follow the news daily. I`ve yet to see a single person or small business owner on the TV or in an interview in a paper or on the internet who has said that they have actually been helped out in this crisis by these so called Govt policies. On the other hand, I have seen many who have lost their homes or businesses and said that the banks or govt offered nothing at all.

I'm not saying the Govt should be in the business of bailing out small businesses but will Brown and his ministers please stop harping on with cheap sound bites about help that is just not there. Say what you mean and mean what you say. How can we put any faith in any of these people at this stage and take them as genuine while they`re loading up on expenses claims. The Govt need to stop insulting our intelligence.

Bailout Economics: The Politics of Self Destruction

This article, written by Alex Merk, takes the American perspective of Government bailouts. Given that Gordon Brown has gone down the same road, this piece also reflects the situation of the UK as well.

Bailout Economics

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Periodicals & Report bank bailouts financial crisis

Gordon Brown and Bernard Madoff are separated by a single detail – Bernie's pleading guilty

What's the difference between Bernard Madoff and Gordon Brown? Answer: one has drained fortunes from gullible victims, plundering their income and savings to create an illusion of prosperity. The other is going to jail.

Mr Madoff has thrown in the towel. His Ponzi scheme, whereby he needed to suck in ever greater quantities of other people's money in order to maintain a semblance of competence, collapsed under the weight of undeliverable expectations. Nobody knows for sure how much has gone missing, but Wall Street scribes are calling it a $65 billion fraud.

Not bad for peddling fresh air. It is, however, a nickel-and-dime swindle when set alongside the 12-year con trick perpetrated by Mr Brown on British taxpayers. That, too, has been a form of Ponzi, but with many more zeroes and little chance of the mastermind ending his days in what Americans call Crowbar Hotel.

Source: PoliticoUK Blog

Read in Full Here

Special Relationship Not So Special

I think someone forgot to tell President Obama about this "special relationship" between the US and UK!

Here`s a Selection of Headlines From the Last Couple of Days.

***Obama's Blockbuster Gift for Brown: 25 DVDs

While the British prime minister presented Obama with uniquely historic gifts symbolizing America's relationship with England, the president gave Brown a set of movies.

***Obama's DVD gift to Brown - it's the thought that counts

The British press are appalled by Barack Obama's present of 25 DVDs for Gordon Brown. But could there be a message in the president's selection?

***President Obama Raids His DVD Collection For British Prime Minister

In the world of international politics, ceremonial gifts representing the host nation are often the drug of choice for visiting dignitaries. From ornamental swords to antique furniture, a US president can rake in dozens of items over the course of their administration.

***President Obama returns bust of Sir Winston Churchill back to Britain

***Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain

Quantitative Easing Has Arrived in UK

BoE Prints Creates £75 Billion

We have all heard the talk for months but now it has become a reality as the Bank of England adopts Quantitative Easing. Will it work? Only time will tell but lets hope for all of our sakes it makes some positive impact to this dire situation which we are faced with.

What is quantitative easing?
Otherwise known as 'printing money', it is where the Bank of England floods the economy with new cash in the hope of boosting spending. The Bank will not actually print new £10, £20 and £50 notes but electronically create the money, putting it into banks in the hope they will lend it to cash-starved businesses and consumers struggling to get affordable credit.

Why is it needed?
To stop the economic crisis triggering deflation. Economies with deflation deteriorate rapidly because people refuse to spend money knowing goods will fall in value. People's wages fall, so their spending power to repay debt declines.

How does it happen?
The Bank will buy assets like from commercial banks. To pay for them, it will simply increase the balance of their account held at the Bank of England. All major banks have such accounts. They can then draw on them and lend the money out.

What are the risks?
Hyperinflation. The flood of money, unless extremely carefully controlled, could drive up prices massively. This happened when Germany printed money between the First and Second World Wars and has happened in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe, where inflation is running at more than 100,000%.

Was Gordon Successful?

One of the questions of the day is “was Gordon Brown`s trip to the US a success”? As expected all of the papers are weighing in on this question today now that Prime Minister Brown has come back across the Atlantic. As far as the US media is concerned, they didn’t seem to see Brown`s trip as a momentous event – a coming together of the Titians! According to the BBC, the American media were more interested in looking at how the UK press were analysing the event rather than the proceedings themselves. Despite Obama`s current orgy of big government and record spending, he showed very little interest in Brown`s new pet project – the Global New Deal. Obama said the right things but not show the fire and enthusiasm that the world has come to expect from this man. I think even Obama realises that there is little desire from within the US to push the idea of Brown`s Global New Deal. The US economy still continues to decline and unemployment is rapidly rising – almost 700 000 unemployed in Feb. The American public are growing increasing angry with what`s going on in Washington and Obama will have his hands full with these domestic matters in the coming months. Gordon Brown left the US last night bound for London - with 17 standing ovations from the US Congress in his back pocket. When history judges this event (or should I say non-event) I don’t think it will have provided Brown with the bounce he had so desperately hoped for. Much adieu about nothing Gordon!

Brown Tell US Congress: Seize The Moment

17 standing ovations for our fearless leader as he addressed a joint session of the US Congress this afternoon. I'm sorry Crash Gordon but I don't think Obama`s magic dust has fallen upon you! Gordon mentioned the word "friends" many times in his speech but the word the UK taxpayers would like to hear is "Sorry". That is the one word that I feel we will never hear from Crash as he is not a man for apologies.



What do the British public think of our PM`s performance:

***Enough is enough, either get back hear and do something useful (doubtful) or resign. Whats more important - toe-curling speeches to the senate or sorting out the UK - has he already given up? Posted By :Chris B

***Blah, blah, blah. More dross from Brown. He's claiming that governments are 'representatives of the people' - how can he be a representative of the people when he wasn't elected by the people? The article also says there wasn't much interest in the US in what he had to say - there's even less over here, I can tell you. Brown - get out!! Posted By :Andy M

***Brilliant, coming from the idiot who spent 12 years sending the UK down the pan. This guy has got some real nerve blaming it all on the global economic situation. His answer is the same every time borrow, borrow and borrow. Posted By :chas

***This must be the first time an unelected leader of a near communist government has ever addressed the American Senate, Brown is the most despised politician and unacountable person in our soiled Parliament Posted By :Stephen Brookes