Apr 09 2007
Gordon Brown - condemned by his own words
In 1989 Gordon Brown wrote a book condemning the UK’s economic and social record..
His main complaints were:
1. Too large a balance of payments deficit
2. Too little progress in manufacturing
3. A decline in scientific education and industry
4. Faster growth in the south than the rest of the UK
5. Too many people out of work and on benefits
After 10 years of Gordon Brown as Chancellor we have
1. A bigger balance of payments deficit
2. 1 million fewer manufacturing jobs, with many firms taking their factories abroad
3.??A huge shortage of people with A level or degree level physics, maths and chemistry and a shortage of engineers
4. London has grown two and half times as fast as Scotland over the Brown years
5. More than 5.3 million people of working age are living on benefits without a job
??Some of Mr Brown’s comments in "Where there is greed" are now laden with irony:
??
"It is only in manufacturing that the possibilities of large scale trade now exist"… "It is through manufacturing that we will succeed or fail"
??
"Our balance of payments matters…. No Chancellor who claims to have a medium term strategy for long term prosperity should treat such a balance of payments deficit with such cavalier disregard"
??
"The regions have been growing at almost half the rate of the economy of the south"
By his own words he has some explaining to do.
??
??
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
Well spotted, but how exactly do you propose to obtain his explanation?
[Reply]