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#1
10-18-2008, 09:35 AM
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Right Behind You, Gordon.
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#2
10-18-2008, 09:39 AM
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Cameron lays crisis blame on Labour (Friday 17 October 2008) by PAUL HASTE  GETTING PERSONAL: Despite the economic crisis David Cameron has seen his ratings tumble. LABOUR MPs accused Tory leader David Cameron on Friday of resorting to personal attacks in a desperate effort to stop his party's slide in the polls. Addressing executives in the City, Mr Cameron tried to brand Prime Minister Gordon Brown "a complete and utter failure," claiming that the economic crisis was a result of "irresponsible capitalism and irresponsible government." "Don't forget, as we enter a downturn where jobs, home and livelihoods will be lost, that Brown was the one who created this mess in the first place," he said. Renewing his vow at the Conservative conference last month to "return to Thatcherism" if elected, Mr Cameron went on to tell his wealthy business friends that what Britain needed most was "a return to responsible free enterprise." But Labour's Treasury Secretary Yvette Cooper dismissed the Tory leader's personal attacks as "another short-term gimmick" to try to divert attention from Labour's rise in the polls. "At a time when the British people want calm leadership and serious policies to get through tougher times, Cameron is engaged in playing juvenile political games," she retorted. And even the Liberal Democrats saw an opportunity to accuse Thatcher's heir of "having nothing of substance to say about the difficulties people are facing." Latest opinion polls reveal that, although the Tories are still ahead, Labour has cut their lead by 10 points since the stock markets first crashed on September 14. Voters also rate the Prime Minister and Chancellor Alistair Darling as "more competent" to handle the crisis than Mr Cameron and his shadow chancellor George Osborne. Unite joint general secretary Derek Simpson said that it was appropriate that Mr Cameron was talking to his friends in London's financial district. He said that the Conservatives are led by "dangerous right-wingers who are inextricably linked to the City." "This shows that the culture of the City is the culture of the Tories. You can't rely on them and they can not be allowed to win the next election," he insisted. Left Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn also dismissed Mr Cameron as wanting to "carry on where Major and Thatcher left off." "The poorest are not fooled by the Tories, but they do expect a bit more from Labour," he said.  Printable page  Email a friend Contact Us Copyright Morning Star, all rights reserved published by the Peoples Press Printing Society
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#3
10-18-2008, 09:43 AM
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Where have they been? (Friday 17 October 2008)  DAVID Cameron's speech attacking Gordon Brown for wrecking the economy by making irresponsible decisions was an act of desperation and duplicity. It was a transparent attempt to make up lost ground in the opinion polls, which have given a boost to Mr Brown by virtue of the euphoria whipped up over his measures to stabilise the financial markets. Mr Cameron doesn't propose a different strategy from that of the government - indeed, the Tory leader reaffirms his backing for Mr Brown's bank rescue plan. Instead, he accuses Mr Brown, during his days as chancellor, of allowing too much public and private borrowing, embracing free-market economics without understanding how it works and of basing his policies on "false assumptions." These false assumptions included focusing too narrowly on a rampant housing market, spending on public services and provision of financial services. He even had the nerve to repeat William Hague's line, which flummoxed Harriet Harman at Prime Minister's questions earlier this week, about Mr Brown's ludicrous claim that he had abolished boom and bust. Where have these people been for the past 10 years or more? Did they, as the Morning Star did, explain that boom and bust is an iron law of capitalism? Did they call for greater regulation of the reckless but, for a time, immensely profitable activities of the banks? Did they take issue with the huge sums paid out in boardroom salaries, bonuses and shareholdings in recognition of the fictitious capital created by the financial speculators? Of course not. Indeed, the Tory Party is wallowing in donations to its funds from some of these people. So no-one should take any lessons from a Tory leadership that has no answers to the problems of the economy or to the plight of people already under pressure and those countless others who stand to lose their jobs, homes and living standards as recession bites. But neither should workers go along with any idea of the PM being an economic genius or latter-day miracle-worker. He and Chancellor Alistair Darling dithered for six months before they took Northern Rock into public ownership because they were petrified that the media would berate Labour for supposedly returning to 1970s policies. And the fact that Northern Rock is repossessing homes, on the basis of borrowers failing to meet payments, at twice the rate of other lenders illustrates the brief laid down by the government to new Rock chairman Ron Sandler. It was a brief of running down the bank's mortgage book and laying off staff to pay back government loans and return the bank to the private sector as quickly as possible, making Northern Rock workers and borrowers pay the price of the former board's wild speculation. Government determination to enforce below-inflation pay rises on its own employees, which has provoked a successful strike ballot by PCS members, shows that new Labour bias towards the rich and powerful still reigns supreme. If trade unions fail to challenge this stance, it will be their members who will bear the brunt of the forthcoming recession, while banks are stabilised by public funding and then handed back to the very people who presided over their effective bankruptcy. published by the Peoples Press Printing Society
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#4
10-18-2008, 09:45 AM
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#5
10-18-2008, 11:03 AM
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Martha Kearney writes...
Please send your feedback on this newsletter to wato@bbc.co.uk
Martha Kearney writes... "Leader of the opposition attacks government over the economy". The fact that that story was leading the news on Friday morning just shows how bizarre the past couple of weeks have been in British politics. In normal times David Cameron's criticism of Labour's economic record would have had to include some scathing personal criticism or devastating new statistics for it to get any coverage beyond a nib (news in brief). After all, isn't that what opposition politicians are supposed to do every day? But the Conservatives have adopted a bipartisan strategy during the financial crisis when too critical an approach could have been seen as unpatriotic. Gordon Brown's rhetoric certainly tried to project a sense of a country at war with himself as Churchill at the helm. But as Rachel Sylvester pointed out in The Times this week, Churchill lost the 1945 election. If you think comparisons with Churchill overblown, what about the Labour MP Ronnie Campbell's description of Brown as Superman? Or the journalist who asked the PM if he was Flash Gordon? Clearly all this superhero stuff has tried Tory patience too much and hence the kid gloves have come off again. The moment is nicely judged. This week we have seen fears about the collapse of the financial system morph into deep concerns about the real economy. Unemployment figures on Wednesday showed the sharpest rise in seventeen years with predictions that two million people could be out of work by Christmas. The Conservatives believe that while Gordon Brown may get temporary credit for his bank rescue package, he cannot escape blame for the coming recession. Labour is in a stronger position than it has been since the election that never was. Gordon Brown has managed to unite his party - bringing back Peter Mandelson has staved off Blairite critics and contenders and his experience has been praised on the world stage. But as business as normal is resumed, he still faces that central question - what is his vision for the future which can compete with the Conservative message of change? Best wishes Martha The World at One - Weekdays, 1-1.30pm on BBC Radio 4, 92-95FM and 198LW, digital radio and on the web. Listen again to the last week's programmes using the BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00dv4wq/
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