Just watched John Prescott on Newsnight. He was embarrassingly awful. Its really hard to believe that this man was our Deputy Prime Minister for so many years. He was treating the current economic crisis which is facing the world as an amusing confusion of words. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had not been commenting on such serious issues. 'Its no time for a joker'.
What were the issues. Firstly ,the Labour Government Minister who is closest to Gordon Brown, said over the weekend that Britain could be in recession for up to 15 years, and that the recession would be worse than the 1930s. I do not believe that Ed Balls would have said this casually, or without the Prime Minister's blessing. This is a million miles away from what our Chancellor of the Exchequer told us in his Pre-Budget Report. This speech is bound to dominate tomorrow's media. Ed Balls should have been on Newsnight tonight.
And then there was a studio 'discussion' about where the fault lies for what's happened, prior to tomorrow's interrogation by MPs of Sir Fred Goodwin (and others). John Prescott looked as if he couldn't understand what the other three were saying, and launched into a ferocious attack on the regulatory system which had allowed banks and bankers to behave like casino players. It didn't seem to occur to him that the regulatory system had been put in place by a Government he was a leading member of. He kept going on about the long period of growth that has occurred under Labour, as if all this was as a result of Labour management of the economy - before condemning the implosion of the economy as if it was nothing to do with Labour policies at all. This is such a ridiculous proposition that perhaps John Prescott is absolutely the right man to put it forward.
But its the words of Ed Balls that should alarm us. Of course the Prime Minister could be trying to talk up the scale of the crisis, so that he can claim some credit if its not as bad as feared - an old trick this one. Or the Government hasn't got a clue where we are, or what to do for the best. I just think that the Governments of the world are suffering a collective madness. Every bone, nerve ending and brain cell in my body is telling me that the policies of so many Governments to spend our way out of trouble, as if there's no tomorrow is deeply flawed.
5 comments:
World to Prescott: What you've created is a total bloody mess
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqpYXMq1hTw
"It's no time for a joker" - how right you are Glyn. Take Biden (and I'm sure President Obama is hopes somebody will), Biden is turning into a Gatling gun gaffer.
But then Biden's loose lips were well known before Obama picked him as a running mate.
Toby Harnden of the Telegraph put it like this: "Barack Obama throws Joe Biden under the bus" after Biden's latest gaff: "there's still a 30 percent chance we're going to get it wrong".
But what does all this say about Obama.
Specifically, if Joe Biden is a joke who is the bigger joker? Biden for being a joke, or the person who picked him as a running mate?
We have had a terrible week in DC. Obama's picks for senior positions have led to one fallout after another. The New Mexico governor that Obama tapped for Commerce Secretary withdrew because he's under Federal investigation, then there was the Tom Daschle debacle, then another withdrew ...
Reminds me of that song, "three wheels on my wagon, and I'm still rolling along..."
Obama is down to three wheels - how many will he be down to by the end of next week? Will the President be into negative wheels by year end?
We have to have a wheel-stimulus package. The Senate has to agree to my bill or there will be a wheelastrophe.
I couldn't agree with you more, is this the best person Labour can put up? On second thoughts he was the ideal person for Labour, you can't have a reasoned discussion with this buffoon. Labour and their friends in the media have done a fantastic job, in putting all the blame on the banks. Gordon Brown was at the hart of the expansion in credit he even gave a knighthood to the boss of RBS for his services to banking. It is very sad to see all those who work in banking are being tarred with the same brush; most should be allowed to keep the bonus they have earned, with the obvious exceptions, why should some one at a local branch on average pay suffer because of another’s folly in an unrelated area of the bank.
Last night’s newsnight discussion would have interesting if it wasn’t for that destructive element
Couldn't agree more. How much longer are the Tories going to put up with Nick Bourne after yesterday's performance in the Assembly. He made Rhodri look like a genius. Perhaps the Tories should hire the researcher who is providing Kirsty Williams with the right bullets to fire.
Prescott was needed to persuade Old Labour to vote itself out of existence. Having done that, he should have been quietly persuaded to retire.
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