Are the Conservatives scaremongering?

[Gromit]

More than 60 economists sign two open letters backing the chancellor's decision to delay spending cuts until 2011.

Yet, if you listen to the Conservatives and their supporters, we are in deep trouble.

Gordon Brown says...

// (Conservatives) use "legitimate concerns about deficits to scare people into accepting a bleak and austere" future. //

http://news.bbc.co.uk..._politics/8523004.stm

Is he right?

[R1Geezer]

If you are up to your eyeballs in debt do you:
a) Make economies and repay debt where possible or
b) Say sod it and go on a round the world cruise and buy a new car + plasma TV on Tick?

Noo Labour Say b) the Tories say a) - I go with a) on this one!
60 economists will have 100 different views.

[Quinlad]

The Conservatives? Scaremongering?

Are you saying saying that everything might not be 'broken'?

[jake-the-peg]

So geezer if you found yourself suddenly with a half a million quids worth of debt would you

a) try to pay it off by making economies like buying cheaper food
b) try to get a high paying job that would allow you to pay it back

We cannot save our way out of this

We have to get more people working generating wealth to do it

That is why sudden cost cutting which would plunge us back into recession would be suicidal

Nobody in any party is suggesting tax rises and cuts aren't necessary - it's just the Tories seem reckless in when to make them

[Quinlad]

But you'll have to buy paper to print off your CV, and stamps to post the applications. And you might need to buy a tie?

That's RECKLESS. Best to leave it I think.

[R1Geezer]

"We have to get more people working generating wealth to do it "

I couldn't agree more jake. Unfortunately jobs in the public sector hundreds of thousands of them add nothing to the party. OK so they get wages and we get tax back so for each pound we spend we get a bit back but otherwise they produce nothing.

Now we need to cut the public sector as small as possible and encourage private sector investment.

The private sector creates wealth, the public sector spends it and wastes a lot of it. Since 1997 there have been approx 600,000 new jobs in the public sector, most of them incomprehensable to normal people. Jobs pages of The Guardian are full of them, probably are even now.

Ok they go on the dole I here you say. Right we cut benefits to subsistance levels and encourage people to get proper jobs in the private sector that we are encouraging to flourish.

[R1Geezer]

The basic problem is that Labour traditionally love the public sector because there union buddies love it and the workers usually vot Labour. So Brown won't rock the boat.

[Sqad]

jake....I cannot answer the question, cuts now or cuts later and I am glad that I don't have to make that decision that either Government will have to make. BUT:

To use your simile.

If I was "half a million quid in debt" I would have to ask myself how I got into that state and secondly neither of your alternatives would get me back onto to solvency.

[jake-the-peg]

Every public sector worker is a private sector customer geezer

What's going to happen to the economy when you slash the governments contribution to it?

What will happen to all those private sector companies just scraping by?

You tell me?

[R1Geezer]

As I said above the government needs to encourage the private sector. They use the savings from the public sector to do it. Initially no saving but as progression is made you find the private sector need less help and the old public sector expense is vastly reduced.

[jake-the-peg]

Simple question

Is there anybody here that doubts that large scale public spending cuts now would but us back in recession?

Anybody?

[R1Geezer]

It probaly would right now but I think as an aim over the next parliament we should surely be looking at reducing public spending.

[Quinlad]

^^^^

Every political party agrees on this.

[VHG]

Labour "only" borrowed another 4.3 BILLION in January (a month when governments dont usually need to borrow).

Unfortunately over 10 years ago we trusted this country to a group of people who had no idea how to "manage" the economy (nothing new for labour there then) and they have managed to drag our economy down th the level of Greece.

If any of us looked after our finances like Labour have looked after this countrys we would have had our car repossed, our credit cards taken away, and been thrown out of our house.

[buildersmate]

The above are very valid arguments on both sides - clearly passionately held.
I'd have thought the simple explanation for holding back has more to do with the Conservative's Party's sheer ability to keep pointing out the country is in deep financial trouble and something ought to be done now. It is a situation that they can genuinely say they aren't responsible for, and thus it forms one of the key prongs to a strategy of persuading some voters which way to vote.
What's more interesting is that neither side are actually doing anything about it (except talking about it), and won't until after the election. The Conservatives can't do anything about it (not in power - yet), the governing party could do something about it but won't - (might lose even more votes).
Bring on the election PDQ.

[Gromit]

VHG

UK GDP 2,680,000 (millions of USD)
Greece 357,548 (millions of USD)

Our GDP is more than 7 times larger than Greece. It is not down to the level of Greece. You are comparing two vastly different sized economies and spouting parrot fashion, total nonsense.

[R1Geezer]

well Noo labour in 1997 inherited the strongest economy in Europe. With traditional socialist Zeal they wrecked it, took them longer than usual but they got it done.

[jake-the-peg]

Still not seeing any answers to my simple question?

Geezer maybe?

[jake-the-peg]

Sorry you did!

I was shocked because you were backing Labour and not Tory policy!

[youngmafbog]

Oh well according to Gromit and Jake all is fine

Jeeez what does it take for you to understand we are in sh*t crrek with no paddle ?

Talk about unblinding loyalty. Why cant you admit Gordon and right royally f***ed up