Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
8 February 2009
07:5114921Its been a bad week for Gordon Brown. Not only has he been called a "one eyed Scottish idiot" by that proper idiot-at-large Jeremy Clarkson, much to the delight of the global tabloids..but his one time holy grail recovery plan for the world economy has been attacked mercilously by President Sarkozy of France.
"He will ruin his Country" says Sarkozy, and went on
"The vat cut has not worked at all"
he went further then to talk about the horrific debt Britain is building up and his tone was far from glowing about Gordon Browns efforts.
"We will do it differently"
said Sarkozy
Gordon would have been distinctly under the impression up until now that Sarkozy was his friend and ally...and we out here in the real world thought so too.
This of course is a particularly bad blow on the home front, and has left Downing St reeling. Why so? Because one of Gordons great boons, his great filip, was the fact that his financial recovery plan was adored by all other world leaders. This fact alone seriously wrong footed the Conservatives and gave them nowhere to go in the arguments. It won Gordon Brown great personal approval in the polls, but was his roll as global financial leader and saviour all hot air?
No doubt the Conservatives will make much capital out of this embarassment in the coming week, particularly at Prime Ministers Questions. Gordon Brown will be uncomfortable.The world leader status gave him a ring of steel up until now.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
8 February 2009
08:4814922I think there are many European Leaders that privately think the same as Sarkozy, but for some reason don't say it in public.
I don't take any pleasure in England sinking deeper and deeper in debt and all the measures they're taking don't seem to be making a blind bit of difference.
Most people accept that 2 1/2 % vat reduction doesn't make much difference to most people.
Propping up the economy by printing money and greater and greater debt, cannot help long term, there should be greater and greater government savings and there's many areas where that could be made - they, the government know what they are, but are reluctant to make them for some reason.
Roger
8 February 2009
09:3014927The French? Ils parlent merde...........n'est pas?
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
8 February 2009
12:1814938bern,is that french for poison dwarf?
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
8 February 2009
12:2514942Roger
Lets have a bit more govt bashing
Ia realy do feel soory for you #akll when he returnsd to number 10
another 5 years of blaming the people for not voting tory
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
8 February 2009
14:0314947i think that sarkozy was just trying to deflect attention away from his own people going on general strike last week.
hardly a glowing reference to his government.
8 February 2009
16:3014952Smoke and mirrors........
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
8 February 2009
21:3514973obviously 2.5% reduction will make some difference Roger,but most companies did not pass the reduction on,including the Car Parking run by DDC.I noticed Sky are reducing thier subs because of the Vat cut.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
8 February 2009
21:5014979my ISP decided that as the amount of money was so small and the admin so expensive, they donated the equivalent to a childrens charity instead.
it was very complicated for our library service, some things are vatable, some are not, also the amounts are very small.
i suppose that if the chancellor had raised vat by 2 and ahalf % we would all be shouting and hollering.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
9 February 2009
08:3315003Yes Im afraid there has been a bit of a miserable response to the vat reduction, and I dont know about other members but Ive saved a few pounds here and a few pounds there, so its been quite okay...and Howard is quite right to draw the comparison. What if they had put VAT up 2/12% you would have heard the outcry on Mars.
Where on one hand people say the reduction is nothing... but on the other hand they wouldnt say it was nothing if it went up that amount. I dunno...people !!
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
9 February 2009
09:3315009I don't think the VAT made much of a difference to the vast majority of people, unless you were buying something expensive, like a car, but then you couldn't get the loan to buy it.
The vat on DDC car-parking is known John and being addressed; I can't tell you how, as I don't know , but it is.
The point with VAT is that it will go up probably by more tham 2 1/2 %
Roger
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 February 2009
18:3015114I have not read through all posts in detail so not sure if this point has been made but it is not only Sarky who has critisised Brown for his stimulus package, of course, the German Finance Minister and another leading German politician have also.
The IMF also been, somewhat more diplomatically, critical of Brown when qualifying their pro-stimulus stance. They said that participation in a stimulus package should depend on the individual nation's finances and that contradicts Brown.
In addition I note that already Obama is being justifyably attacked over claiming that there is no disagreement in the USA about his package. A respected institute representing 260 economists have taken him to task and demolished Obama's claims. They are supportive of David Cameron's approach.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2009
18:4915120a bit out of date there barry,
sarkozy towers issued a statement earlier today affirming their total admiration for mr brown and his economic skills.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 February 2009
19:2115124Diplomatic watering down, that is all, howard. He said what he said.
It is no secret that the £12bn cost has been wasted and this has failed to achieve anything.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2009
20:3915128barry
you must admit that the french pm is a bit of a dipstick, usually says the first thing that comes into his head.
the main reason he got voted in was that he would get the french economy moving, an end to strikes and out dated practices.
not a sign of it.
you spend time in france, what do you hear from monsieur and madame average there?
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 February 2009
23:0315141I have to say that you are right about why he was elected. Many thought he would be a French Margaret Thatcher who would carry out the kind of radical reforms the French economy needs, but he is not showing many signs of that. I have French friends who are disappointed so far. I did hear that his much more left wing wife has exerted a bad influence over him but I am not sure if that is true. As for being a dipstick, maybe he is but he was right about the VAT issue, I and many others said so before him!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2009
23:1315143i am not surprised that your french friends feel let down barry.
a group of public sector workers dictate to the government what they should do, if they do not get their own way they just disrupt life.
the last time i was held hostage over there by the chamber of commerce in calais, a flotilla of fishing vessels suddenly appeared to blockade any attempt for our ship's master to aid our escape.
that is not industrial action, just thuggery, they fully deserve a thatcherite response there, but it will not be forthcoming.
the vat stuff is just trivia to make him look good in "le monde".
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 February 2009
23:1615144barryw,welcome back from the dark side,it looks like the liffy didnt work as it should.as for sarkosy he may or may not be a dip stick,but as dip sticks he is talking straight from the hip.love him or hate him he is no maggie thatcher his wife maybe left wing so are half of the torys/labour partys.keep taking the iffy water you might just make out the light at the end of the tunnel.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 February 2009
23:1715145You are probably being somewhat disengenious here howard in what you are saying. Seriously, what they need is a full reform of their economy and not a response to a single incident. They will all benefit from a sensible reform enabling more flexible labour markets with less tax and state interference.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 February 2009
23:2215148the whole of parliment and laws need reforming not just in this country but worldwide.