Friday
Dave Cameron "promises to tear down big government", presumably by increasing the size of government.
I have one question for you, Dave... were you lying in January when you promised to increase government spending from £620bn this year to £645bn next year - rather than the £650bn proposed by Labour... or are you lying now in October when you say you will tear down big government?
An increase in spending from £620,000,000,000 per annum to £645,000,000,000 per annum is what is called in the Public Sector a "swingeing cut".
Posted by Brian, follower of Deornoth at October 9, 2009 10:30 AM
It doesn't matter what any of them say, there is no room to maneuver. Who ever wins next year will increase tax and decrease spending, most likely by cowardly 'freeze and inflate' rather than by union confronting cuts. Vote for whoever you like, it has never made less difference.
Posted by RayD at October 9, 2009 11:08 AM
He's certainly a man of contradictions. Apparently he recently said we should stop treating adults like children. Meanwhile, the other Cameron wants to crack down on cheap drink.
Posted by Rob Fisher at October 9, 2009 01:40 PM
Well when government is omnipresent and has removed 98% of choices from the market and has ground out individual thinking, which drives unacceptable behavior, it doesn't have to be very big anymore. Imagine the lean, efficient, small machine which oversees your work license and Protein Slurry Distribution Plants. If we have to move through the Big Push to get there, it makes sense to me.
Posted by Brad at October 9, 2009 02:36 PM
I haven't seen the full speech, two quotations I did see from it were enough. He managed to conflate "free" and "fair" trade as being a good provided by the EU to help fight poverty. That being one of the things we should work on in conjunction with the EU, together with climate change, but other things should be done in Parliament. He forgot that we do not work with the EU, we are a part and do as we are told.
Posted by Derek W. Buxton at October 9, 2009 03:31 PM
After listening to Dave I decided to get off the fence and vote conservative, I can tell you. And as UKIP is the only conservative party on offer, voting conservative means voting UKIP.
Posted by Fear and Loathing in Ipswich at October 9, 2009 08:56 PM
An increase in spending from £620,000,000,000 per annum to £645,000,000,000 per annum is what is called in the Public Sector a "swingeing cut".Posted by Brian, follower of Deornoth at October 9, 2009 10:30 AM
Indeed. The ability to see a decrease in the increase as a cut is perhaps the difference between journalists and politicians, and mere mortals.
Posted by PersonFromPorlock at October 9, 2009 10:41 PM
I note that Mr Cameron said we would have to "wait and see" about David Davis.
Well Mr Davis won the byelection - and Mr Cameron has not reappointed him to Shadow Home Secretary (or any other post).
So we have waited and seen that Mr Cameron is a ..........
I watched small bits of the conference speeches - the contradictions (such as more money to the NHS, which is a wonder of the world, and we are against big government and will drive it back) made my head spin a bit.
"But Paul, what will Mr Cameron be like as Prime Minister - that is the important thing".
I have not got a clue - the man is unknown to me. As are his friends.
I have not met Mr Cameron - but I have met George Osbourne.
And I knew as much about the man after I met him as I had known before I met him.
Posted by Paul Marks at October 12, 2009 05:12 PM
