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| Europe |
| UK Chancellor tells EU to get a grip on failing economies |
| 2004-09-10 |
| You know our neighbours are up the creek when a Labour Chancellor's lecturing them on poor economic performance. On the other hand, the same Labour Chancellor talking about wanting "increased flexibility" for the UK is pretty impressive... The EU must sort out its problems with economic growth, Chancellor Gordon Brown has warned ahead of talks with European finance ministers on Friday. Europe must escape its inward-looking mindset and tackle the growth problem, Mr Brown told the Financial Times. The chancellor identified several problems in the world economy but focused on Europe's low growth as a potential cause of instability. Mr Brown said those in positions of power in Europe needed to adopt a "sense of urgency" in tackling economic reform. And he adopted a bullish stance ahead of the debate on the British rebate saying a European Commission proposal for a 30% increase in spending was "unacceptable". The debate on the budget would become a test of whether Europe was "genuinely resisting grandiose but unrealistic ambitions". Britain was still ripe for more reform, Mr Brown said, adding that he would use a pre-budget report later this year to focus on increased flexibility. He wants to boost UK productivity and is not afraid of pursuing controversial reforms. The chancellor warned that "risks in the continuing imbalances caused by divergent growth rates in the US, Europe and Japan" could threaten the global economy. Mr Brown did not attack high deficits in the US, instead focusing on European weakness. (Earning a shocked tut-tut from the Beeb) He said Europe had managed 3% growth in only one year in the past 10, while the US averaged 3% over the decade. The Financial Times suggested that Mr Brown's tough stance would do nothing to persuade people of the need for the new European constitution ahead of the planned referendum. Something wrong with that? |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #2 Oh, how Mr. Brown can go on and on and on! He is right about his EU neighbors but he is living in a glass house. Wait until the bill for the NHS, pensions and university fees comes in the next few years. Yes, the UK is an economic envy model now but he doesn't want to be too chuffy. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back 2004-09-10 9:58:17 AM |
| #1 With the collapse of comunism, the growing evidence of the bankruptcy of the extreme welfare state and the rise of the career politician whose sole source of personal income is his state salary (and whatever bribes he can get), we have moved into an era of post-ideological politics. Modern politics is no longer about ideology but management of the state as a corporate enterprise. In elections getting at least 51% of the vote is the name of the game. So candidates resort to triangulation to co-opt as many of their opponent's policy positions as necessary to reach 51%. A further goal in elections is not to establish any immutable policy position but to appear more competent at managing the state corporate enterprise than the opposition. In governing, the objective is to maintain approval of at least 51% of the population to assure re-election, not to implement any specific ideological program. Scraps may be thrown to the base from time to time to assure they stay in the 51% but they will not get anything that threatens the 51%. If they do, the politician will be retired by the people to be replaced by someone who will behave properly. This is how all the successful post Thatcher/Reagan politicians have behaved, Clinton, Blair and Bush. Even Chiraq and Schroeder can be seen to have behaved in a similar fashion; it's just that their 51% is at a different spot on the spectrum than ours. So it's no surprise that an ambitious Labout Chancellor would lay out a position that he believes will gain him the 51%; particularly now that nearly a decade has allowed enough mistakes to be revealed for the current incumbent to apear not as managerially competent as necessary to maintain office. However, it is humorous to watch the Tories squirm about trying to find a program they can present to fetch the 51% of voters. They haven't yet a clue and if they don't get one soon, they may find that their base has been captured by the opposition, much as the Democrats here risk. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-09-10 9:48:59 AM |