Gordon Brown

[Tommo21]

I pi$$ed my pants when I first seen the RBS advert saying they had taught so many thousand school kids how to look after money…………can anyone take that serious.

 

[USER1999]

What does the ad say? 'Don't put your money in a bank'?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Whatever the reasons behind the fiscal meltdown of our banking system he was the man in charge at the time and so has to shoulder the responsibility. That said I don't trust any political party to get our huge debt under control. Add in the other issues like continuing spending on wars in Afghanistan and "policing" Iraq etc, lack of investment in education and public services and whoever gets in will just inherit a huge mess with no way to change it

 

[Sneds]

Whatever the reasons behind the fiscal meltdown of our banking system he was the man in charge at the time and so has to shoulder the responsibility.

Well, not when it's not his fault. But you're right that he will receive a lot of the blame for the crisis x

 

[haplesshacker]

I'd love to know what costs more. The unpopular and perhaps needless 'wars' in the Middle East or the dinosaur that is the mismanaged, wasteful, public sector,and it's final salary pensions that we cannot afford!?

I'm not 'dissing' he essential work of the front line NHS, Police Force, Fire Brigade and armed forces, but the job creation scheme that the current Labour government embarked on.

 

[painterboy]

I agree that the pain of losing a child like that must be huge and something you never truely get over. However in the harsh world of politics it has nothing to do with the way he has poorly led the country and his inablity to govern.

About a year ago many world leaders were saying Gordon Browns financial blueprint to resolve the crisis caused by the the irresponsible banks was a saviour for us all.

 

[stevek1969]

Not the best leader in the world he has as much charisma as a brick, there's only one man who can drag this country back where it belongs Nick Griffin

 

[Iaing]

After the expenses scandal, all politicians should be put up against a wall and shot!

There. Got that off my chest.

Now I'm just waiting for MI5 to break down the door.

 

[Ethan]

The unsustainable borrowing that the Labour government allowed to happen without getting the BoE to increase lending rates is scandelous.

I'm sorry I do not understand why this is the fault of the labour government? The banking crisis came about because of sub-prime lending which was predominately in USA, not over here.

And with regards to the Corporate Governance issue with banks like Northern Rock having a risky strategy, well that is predominately the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority. The FSA actually recognised NR was high risk, but they actually presumed that the BoE would bail them out, and when the BoE refused, well that was that!

I'll say it again, it wouldn't have matter what party was in power, they couldn't have prevented the banking crisis.

Say it again if you like, but the Labour party bent over backwards to accomodate the city for some years and in doing so made the impact of the banking crisis worse than it otherwise would have been.

As part of that schmoozing to the City, they also neutered the FSA who became a weak and ineffective organisation.

Brown claimed credit for anything good (whether real or imagined) that happened when he was Chanc. That goes both ways.

 

[Sneds]

The unsustainable borrowing that the Labour government allowed to happen without getting the BoE to increase lending rates is scandelous.

I'm sorry I do not understand why this is the fault of the labour government? The banking crisis came about because of sub-prime lending which was predominately in USA, not over here.

And with regards to the Corporate Governance issue with banks like Northern Rock having a risky strategy, well that is predominately the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority. The FSA actually recognised NR was high risk, but they actually presumed that the BoE would bail them out, and when the BoE refused, well that was that!

I'll say it again, it wouldn't have matter what party was in power, they couldn't have prevented the banking crisis.

Say it again if you like, but the Labour party bent over backwards to accomodate the city for some years and in doing so made the impact of the banking crisis worse than it otherwise would have been.

As part of that schmoozing to the City, they also neutered the FSA who became a weak and ineffective organisation.

could you explain how the FSA was neuetered and what concession the labour party made to accomodate the banks? x

 

[birdieman]

I am a parent and cannot begin to imagine the grief that the loss of a child would cause, surely it would live with you every day for the rest of your life - any family that has to endure such a loss would get my deepest and sincere sympathy.

BUT.....it was EIGHT years ago...this is plain and simple electioneering and that in my opinion is particularly sick! I don't like the man, I will freely admit, in fact I like him even less than Tony B-Liar that went before him, Brown was Chancellor through all the boom times remember, where were the reserves when the correctly predicted recession came?

I am not convinced Cameron will be any better as an individual, but I do believe he has the best man in British politics as shadow Foreign Secretary - William Hague

I agree with all of this, I have a lot of time for Hague and think his Tory party leadership just came at at a bad time for him when everyone loved Blair.

I am not a Tory incidentally, will vote for people rather than parties.

 

[colint]

could you explain how the FSA was neuetered and what concession the labour party made to accomodate the banks? x

The Labour government changed the system of financial regulation and split the responsibility between the FSA, the treasury and the bank of england. It was a total lash up and one of the reasons that the banks risk strategies were not monitored closely enough. There was insufficient communication between the bodies, and conflicting rules and guidlines issued.

 

[Ethan]

could you explain how the FSA was neuetered and what concession the labour party made to accomodate the banks? x

The Labour government changed the system of financial regulation and split the responsibility between the FSA, the treasury and the bank of england. It was a total lash up and one of the reasons that the banks risk strategies were not monitored closely enough. There was insufficient communication between the bodies, and conflicting rules and guidlines issued.

And don't forget 'light touch' regulation, code for bugger all regulation, for fear of scaring away all the big money men.

 

[CrapHacker]

I think Big Gord should invite the Glazer's to run the economy.

We'll still go tits up, but we'll do it quicker and have more fun before we do.

 

[bill41]

Someone, with tongue no doubt in cheek, mentioned our (GB) handling of the Crisis, that is the one that was so predictable that knowledgable investors took their bonuses in shares that reduced to pennies in front of their eyes!

Maybe we should wait for circa 7 days to see if the crisis was handled well here or not. Just watch Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ireland etc over this next period and maybe, just maybe, we will appreciate our handling of the crisis at the time.

Spain, my golfing destination each year, already losing trade due to high costs and now? Well all they can do is increase taxes so the hotel costs, golf costs, the G & T costs, will escalate even higher and trade will fall even further increasing their 20% unemployed rate and this will require higher taxes to fund and the situation will just get worse and worse.

Sad but very possible.

Thank Heaven for our handling of the situation at the time.

 

[Herbie]

I think the issue of Browns child should not have anything to do with anyones choices. I dont think there is much choice in politics anyway but whatever way anyone casts their vote, it will be a very sad state of affairs if Labour are re-elected. If that happens I will have very little faith in the judgement or sense of the people of this nation.

His time as chancellor was a gifted oportunity and he squandered it. His time as PM (Unelected) has shown me absolutely nothing to get excited about or even impressed with, I would like to see a complete clean out of current MPs and replace them with less in number but new faces. Logistically it won't happen, but if the people are sensible and use time and the ballet box for future generations then maybe things can change over time. It wont even start down that road if Labour get back in.

In time maybe we could get more English in Parliarment

 

[bill41]

Well Herbie my only concern is if I think of the MPs as say, doctors and by your drastic way of carrying out the re-election, we will have all junior doctors and not one experienced consultant. I would hate to be the new patient on the operating table.
Now I also hope there is no need to push the RED button when the inexperienced cabinet are still learning which button to push to get into their new toilets!

More English is a good idea. I think the Jocks should stay in Scotland, a big wall like Isreal has at the border, give them back their oil and gas England does not need it, now that it is in the Falklands and I don't think many Jocks died there to keep it English.

They will soon come back begging the English to give them support as they will realise that they do not have the ability to run their country no more than they could run Westminster.

The repatriation will leave more room for other, more desirable nationalities, to settle in their places.

 

[colint]

bill I'm not sure what point you're trying to make about Scots fighting in the Falklands. The Scots Guards were part of one of the bloodiest battles of the campaign at Mount Tumbledown. Are you saying there were no Scots there or they didnlt fight to keep the Falklands "English". If it's the latter then I agree with you, they fought to keep it British as part of the British army. I'm also pretty sure they didn't fight there for knobs like you

 

[Sneds]

More English is a good idea. I think the Jocks should stay in Scotland, a big wall like Isreal has at the border, give them back their oil and gas England does not need it, now that it is in the Falklands and I don't think many Jocks died there to keep it English.

Most ridiculous statement ever x

 

[bill41]

Sorry Guys - Tongue well into cheek when the keyboard was being punched, a reaction to the anti-jock previous post, with me being a dyed in the wool Jock from the oil capital of Europe, watching all our, Scottish, wealth flowing South.

Maybe my offering will read slightly differently to you now.