The Chancellor debate - 8m Channel 4 - Part 1

[User removed 4]

Come on Simeon , we know you're viewing this thread, boiling with rage , but you've said your 'done here' miley cyrus style, so you cant reply can you

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Osborne is poor. Darling is a buffoon.

The more I see of Clegg and Cable, I would be more than willing to vote Liberal Democrat for the first time.

Go for it. I'd rather a Lab/Lib pact than the tories...which is the likely outcome I think.

Osborne will be an utter disaster for the UK. He has bugger all experience of anything let alone the economy and business.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Great post HT, if nothing more than for bringing the thread back 'on-topic'.

Now, 16 hours on and the dust has settled the consensus seems to be Cable's stock is higher, Osbourne's is lower and Darling stays the same. Nothing earth-shattering, but perhaps the Lib Dems have planted another little seed in the minds of many floating voters.

It's down to Clegg to carry on the good work Vince has done.

As for the Tories, it was a chance missed in terms of being more specific about policies and spending cuts. Whatever mess Labour have made of the economy we ARE out of recession, there are some green shoots, Spring is here, the clocks have gone forward and everyone's starting to feel a bit better about life.

As each day passes Labour is looking a little more re-electable. I'm wondering whether the Tories will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[bhaexpress]

Jeeze, the real joke is that all three of them are making promises we all know they won't keep.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I thought Darling came over well - he is grown-up politician who I have a feeling tries to be as honest as you can be as chancellor.

Osborne did come over better than expected - but he is just not convincing. It is a bit far-fetched that out of all the Tory politicians the one that is lined up for Chancellor happens to be the Boss's mate from university. Talk about Tony's cronies.

Cable came over the best - safe in the knowledge it is unlikely he will ever have to make decisions. The debate is a god-send to the liberal democrats though - giving them parity (and centre-stage).

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Come on Simeon , we know you're viewing this thread, boiling with rage , but you've said your 'done here' miley cyrus style, so you cant reply can you

I wonder who comes back to this thread the most.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Great post HT, if nothing more than for bringing the thread back 'on-topic'.

Now, 16 hours on and the dust has settled the consensus seems to be Cable's stock is higher, Osbourne's is lower and Darling stays the same. Nothing earth-shattering, but perhaps the Lib Dems have planted another little seed in the minds of many floating voters.

It's down to Clegg to carry on the good work Vince has done.

As for the Tories, it was a chance missed in terms of being more specific about policies and spending cuts. Whatever mess Labour have made of the economy we ARE out of recession, there are some green shoots, Spring is here, the clocks have gone forward and everyone's starting to feel a bit better about life.

As each day passes Labour is looking a little more re-electable. I'm wondering whether the Tories will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I think you'll be hearing a lot more of 'Keep Calm and Carry On' over the next few weeks. The economy is finely balanced and fragile but it is moving in the right direction. We really dont want Osborne wading in with his size 10s. I really hope Osborne gets on tv a lot more...as folk are starting to realise he has little to offer beyond his nebulous goverment waste mantra. Most politicians use this line to make the final few numbers add up. His entire manifesto seems to be based on it.

I am still hoping that Labour win, but the insurance policy is a Lab/Lib pact....and I dont think this will be a bad thing as it will probably mean a referendum on proportional rep.....which will kiss goodbye to the Tories for my generation.

 

[Gwylan]

I like the Vote Labservative campaign

Nice one Lib Dems

Labservative

 

[User removed 4]

Osborne will be an utter disaster for the UK. He has bugger all experience of anything let alone the economy and business.

Yes,i forgot that the labour cabinet is brimming with ' experience ' outside of politics.

 

[User removed 4]

I wonder who comes back to this thread the most.

as if by magic one of the ''chaps'' appears

 

[drew]

in what way , are you saying the country isn't f***ed ?

Personally, no I don't think the country is f***ed. In a bad way at the moment but on the mend. As another poster alluded to, there are plenty of other countries that fit the description 'f***ed' far better than us.

However, the reference I was actually referring to was 'I at least try and looking objectively'. If you switched the word objectively with narrowmindedly I would agree but to be honest, I don't think it looks like a typo!

 

[Pavilionaire]

I find the whole Cameron / Osborne thing a tad 19th Century. It's all got a whiff of "We're Upper Class, Tory Benevolents - trust us, not these lefty oiks or these Liberal non-entities, it's our turn for power, move along".

What are you going to DO, and why should I vote for YOU?

 

[drew]

One of the other things that annoyed me was the inane first question which wasted a bit of time. Trying to make out it is a job interview and personalities etc. Well that is likely to illicit an honest answer! Just get on with the debate.

 

[Easy 10]

One of the other things that annoyed me was the inane first question which wasted a bit of time. Trying to make out it is a job interview and personalities etc. Well that is likely to illicit an honest answer! Just get on with the debate.

Agreed. It wasn't exactly a BEAR PIT in there, was it. A handful of patsy questions lobbed gently from the audience that all three of them had fully prepped on. It was like Question Time on valium.

 

[User removed 4]

Personally, no I don't think the country is f***ed. In a bad way at the moment but on the mend. As another poster alluded to, there are plenty of other countries that fit the description 'f***ed' far better than us.

However, the reference I was actually referring to was 'I at least try and looking objectively'. If you switched the word objectively with narrowmindedly I would agree but to be honest, I don't think it looks like a typo!

Ok, heres's an objective look, here are some of gordon's achievements in the last 13 years
1) Spending so much in the last 13 years when the bubble burst there was fuckall left when the roof needed fixing, prudent my left bollock.
2)ended tax concessions , completely wrecking our once envied pension system.
3)Sold our gold reserves at the absolute f***ing low of the market
4)presided over a growth in public sector jobs(5 a day coordinators and the like)that cost money that is so badly , badly needed elsewhere.
Do people seriously think that this buffoon is fit to be prime minister?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Ok, heres's an objective look, here are some of gordon's achievements in the last 13 years
1) Spending so much in the last 13 years when the bubble burst there was fuckall left when the roof needed fixing, prudent my left bollock.
2)ended tax concessions , completely wrecking our once envied pension system.
3)Sold our gold reserves at the absolute f***ing low of the market
4)presided over a growth in public sector jobs(5 a day coordinators and the like)that cost money that is so badly , badly needed elsewhere.
Do people seriously think that this buffoon is fit to be prime minister?

1) Maybe, but there was a public criticism when it was revealed that public authorities had stock piled cash in Iceland. The authorities were challenged for not spending it. A lot needed fixing, Britain was a very grey country back in 1997. The public cannot have it both ways.
2) Dont know enough about it.
3) I always laugh at this one. Fair enough it was sold cheap but this is the only issue of this sort the Tories can dig up. When compared to the Tories selling virtually every public utility well below it's market value, or not having a clue about the ERM so that Soros made a fortune out of the UK (plus others).....is it small fry.
4) The public sector needed growing. It had been decimated.

The bottom line is, for all of Labour's faults (real or not) the Tories do not, in my opinion, seem to be making any real gain. Fair enough there has been a few disasterous by-elections but this is par for the course for a government in long term power.

The public simply does not have faith in them, or the taste for centre-right politics, neither do they want to rock the economic boat. Keep Calm and Carry On.

I either want a Labour government or a Lab/Lib pact and I'm pretty certain I'll get it, and when it arrives a glass of champagne will be waiting for you at Osborne Villas (I'll get a friend to pass it to you over the railings.)

 

[User removed 4]

1) Maybe, but there was a public criticism when it was revealed that public authorities had stock piled cash in Iceland. The authorities were challenged for not spending it. A lot needed fixing, Britain was a very grey country back in 1997. The public cannot have it both ways.
2) Dont know enough about it.
3) I always laugh at this one. Fair enough it was sold cheap but this is the only issue of this sort the Tories can dig up. When compared to the Tories selling virtually every public utility well below it's market value, or not having a clue about the ERM so that Soros made a fortune out of the UK (plus others).....is it small fry.
4) The public sector needed growing. It had been decimated.

The bottom line is, for all of Labour's faults (real or not) the Tories do not, in my opinion, seem to be making any real gain. Fair enough there has been a few disasterous by-elections but this is par for the course for a government in long term power.

The public simply does not have faith in them, or the taste for centre-right politics, neither do they want to rock the economic boat. Keep Calm and Carry On.

I either want a Labour government or a Lab/Lib pact and I'm pretty certain I'll get it, and when it arrives a glass of champagne will be waiting for you at Osborne Villas (I'll get a friend to pass it to you over the railings.)

The tories will win an outright majority, even with the BBC news last night being virtually a party political broadcast for the labour party.


PS drink with you ?? I'd rather die of thirst !!

 

[sten_super]

1) Maybe, but there was a public criticism when it was revealed that public authorities had stock piled cash in Iceland. The authorities were challenged for not spending it. A lot needed fixing, Britain was a very grey country back in 1997. The public cannot have it both ways.

That's nonsense and I suspect you know as much. Money is handed out from Westminster on an annual basis and the various public bodies need somewhere to store it before they spend it. As for not spending it; if you want to follow that line of reasoning they were obviously receiving too much money from the government if they could afford to horde it in foreign bank accounts. The issue is why was this money being borrowed from financial institutions by the British government to hand out to local authorities, if they didn't need it? Labour were intent on borrowing as much as they possibly could and hoping that nothing went wrong. It did, and their reckless spending/borrowing policy has been found out.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The tories will win an outright majority, even with the BBC news last night being virtually a party political broadcast for the labour party.


PS drink with you ?? I'd rather die of thirst !!

Time will tell.

I was not going to drink WITH you, just pass it to you over the railings outside. A charitable act to a loser. I was thinking you might be magnanimous in defeat.

 

[User removed 4]

Time will tell.

I was not going to drink WITH you, just pass it to you over the railings outside. A charitable act to a loser. I was thinking you might be magnanimous in defeat.

I wont need to be, i suspect you know labour are on their way out by the way you're desperately trying to talk up the prospect of a hung parliament or labour victory.