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The Tories are good at politics but hopeless at economics

It's the Conservatives' plans for immediate spending cuts that would stamp on the recovery.

By George Eaton Published 05 April 2010 15:15

Here is the Tories' latest poster, which rather brings to mind George Orwell's vision of the future as being "a boot stamping on a human face -- for ever". It is undoubtedly the party's most effective poster yet, and looks just about spoof-proof to me.

With a day to go until Gordon Brown calls the election, the political momentum is clearly with the Conservatives. But while the Tories are getting better at politics (that National Insurance pledge has helped them in the polls), they remain hopeless at economics.

Had they been in power at the time of the financial crisis, it is almost certain that Britain would still be in recession. Their opposition to fiscal stimulus and their support for early spending cuts would have prevented even the modest growth we've seen.

The 0.4 per cent growth in the final quarter of 2009 (up from a previous estimate of 0.1 per cent) was largely thanks to higher public spending and the car scrappage scheme.

The irony of the new poster is that, as our own David Blanchflower has persistently warned, it is the Tories' plans for immediate spending cuts that would choke the recovery and trigger a double-dip recession.

Meanwhile, David Cameron continues to claim that he can simultaneously cut taxes, cut the Budget deficit and protect front-line public services.

The limits of this approach were exposed today by the King's Fund, which accused George Osborne of indulging in a "sleight of hand" by promising to use the money the National Health Service would save from a cut in NI to fund £200m worth of new cancer drugs.

Professor John Appleby, chief economist at the fund, said: "It's a sleight of hand to say the least, because the money isn't there to be saved yet, so the money will have to come out of existing budgets."

There's plenty for Labour to get its teeth into here. But it needs to find a way to communicate the contradictions of the Tory approach to the electorate -- and soon.

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View the discussion thread.

19 comments

Mon, 2010-04-05 23:11 — Robert (not verified)

Thanks for the link to the spoof, Tom.

Excellent!

Mon, 2010-04-05 23:32 — Robert (not verified)

Thank you also for the excellent spoof poster link, Kreuzberg_36.

Le chiffre indechiffrable n'existe pas.

(Sorry about the accentless French!)

Tue, 2010-04-06 00:15 — James (not verified)

"Blanchflower's supposed prescience ignores the fact that he was pushing for interest rates to be cut while the housing market was still accelerating in its upward trajectory. If the MPC had followed his advice then, the bust would have the bust would have been even worse."

This quote sums up your star 'economist' nicely I think! Please don't talk about things you clearly also don't understand. Thanks.

Tue, 2010-04-06 00:17 — don (not verified)

What a pathetic article.

Every labour government has run out of Money and left the nextTory one to put it right. To suggest they are not good on economics is like saying Gordon Brown is the most popular MP ever.

Tue, 2010-04-06 00:55 — Kreuzberg_36 (not verified)

Oh come on. Another day, another Dave. Uncosted, homophobic, kneejerk insults. And that's just Mondave. Anyone But Dave.

http://twitpic.com/1dhq00

Tue, 2010-04-06 09:29 — jason (not verified)

From 1993-1997 economy had as good a time in our history when tories were in power.

Tue, 2010-04-06 13:16 — Katie T (not verified)

http://moneymad.org/bb_plan.jpg

Mon, 2010-04-05 15:28 — Phelim (not verified)

Not spoof-proof at all. Replace 'Brown' with 'Tory' and 'jobs tax' with 'tax cuts', 'VAT rise', 'tax cuts for millionaires' etc.

The second boot also makes no sense; if there are to be tax rises it will result in less debt.

Mon, 2010-04-05 15:39 — M C

What B******s to use as a headline.
LABOURS record over the last 13 years in which they have BANKRUPT the country "yet again" is all about understanding ECONOMICS.

If this is how you and the LABOUR PARTY think then no wonder this country is the shambles that it is.

Mon, 2010-04-05 15:54 — Bill Kristol-Balls (not verified)

REPORTER

Mr Cameron, what happened to 'let sunshine win the day'?

DAVID CAMERON

F*** that for a game of soldiers, we've got an election to win.
I want tombstones, wastelands and a big pair of scary boots.
Grayling, get your shoes off.

Mon, 2010-04-05 16:08 — Shibley Rahman (not verified)

Not spoof-proof at all.

This afternoon's project beckons

I don't the imagery of right-wing fascists is one that the Tories can use effectively given their antics in Europe currently, to be honest.

Mon, 2010-04-05 16:41 — Tom Freeman (not verified)

George, George, George. Never suggest to the internet that something is spoof-proof:

http://viva-freemania.blogspot.com/2010/04/tory-recovery-plan-poster.html

(Or maybe that was just cunning reverse psychology...)

Mon, 2010-04-05 16:59 — Kreuzberg_36 (not verified)

If the Tories deliver anything, it'll be nothing less than a sound kicking for those who always pay.

http://twitpic.com/1devua

Mon, 2010-04-05 17:36 — Boudicca (not verified)

You're surely not suggesting that Labour is good at economics. Hahahahahaha .... I'm afraid all the evidence is to the contrary.

The latest Big Lie is that the NI hike won't cause job losses, as Darling is claiming today. Only last week at the Treasury Select Committee in Parliament, Darling admitted that yes, the NI hike would lead to job losses but he thought they were manageable. So that's Labour for you - determined to push through a tax hike which will lead directly to job losses. I guess he and Gordon think they must be a price worth paying!

Mon, 2010-04-05 17:44 — Dolphus Raymond (not verified)

If the Tories abolish the NI increase, how many jobs do they hope to create?

Mon, 2010-04-05 17:51 — Silent Hunter

Actually; I preferred the Labour Poster of Dave looking cool with his audi.

I think the Tories should definitely go with the same ad with the following tagline - "Fire up the Quattro, we've got a country to fix"

LOL

Labour really are clueless as well as corrupt.

Mon, 2010-04-05 18:24 — stevem1

Soon forgotten MC that it was your friends in the City who bankrupted the country( They did the same in the thirties.)History is not your strong point ,obviously. Let me remind you of GB Shaws famous saying - " the faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier" Shaw was right then and he would be right now. You are enamoured with the robbers ,obviously.

Mon, 2010-04-05 20:12 — Kreuzberg_36 (not verified)

@Silent Hunter. Good grief. Do you really think that an image of a morally-squalid, unreconstructed Neanderthal is a positive and aspirational role model capable of leading the country to great wealth and prosperity? Oh, hang on...

Mon, 2010-04-05 22:16 — Silent Hunter

Shut it, Kreuzberg - you're surrounded by armed bastards!

;o)