Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for nine years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
A helpful analysis if people have no idea how the stats are calculated.
The bad news for Labour is that debt as a % of GDP is going to go through the roof at the same time as absolute debt spirals out of control as well. Recession = lower growth = fewer jobs = lower tax receipts = lower GDP at precisely the same time as borrowing is going up.
Lets get back to the real world. I have just returned from my local Co-op where I spotted a special offer on crispy cod, normally nearly a fiver this was available for just over three quid. Having in the past found the Co-op special offer pricing system a little more than confusing I took the precaution of seeking professional help from a member of staff, yes the pack of crispy cod I held in my sweaty little mitt was indeed on special offer. However now upon returning to my home and checking my receipt I find that it was not on special offer at all, and that I've been charged the full price. That's the real world for you and I want me money back, I know I'll not enjoy the fish and am feeling poorly. Still it's the winter fuel lolly week, so it'll be a warm house tonight and that's more important than the price of fish or how much Gordon has borrowed now isn't it.
Bob old chap, None of that matters, we all know that you can prove anything with Stats.
What does matter, especially to politicians hoping to form the next government, is that most ordinary working, politically-centre people know that when you're in debt you definitely don't a) increase that debt further and b) simultaneously reduce your income.
Brown's current policies will come back to bite big time ..
But most ordinary working politically-centre people will also know that Cameron changes his policies more often than he does his underpants, and they just don't trust him.
They don't like Gordon Brown, there seems to be little argument about that, but they trust his economic competence more than they do Cameron. In 2004 most 'ordinary working politically centre folk' had seen through Tony Blair - your problem was they had seen through Michael Howard too... and they liked what they saw even less. You must be getting a feeling of deja vu all over again!
November 19, 2008 9:46 AM | permalink
A helpful analysis if people have no idea how the stats are calculated.
The bad news for Labour is that debt as a % of GDP is going to go through the roof at the same time as absolute debt spirals out of control as well. Recession = lower growth = fewer jobs = lower tax receipts = lower GDP at precisely the same time as borrowing is going up.