Well done Gordon
 

.......again.
Surely the most inept PM of all time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...etch-13bn.html

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Why is it that hindsight is always in 20:20 vision?

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Not really, there were plenty of complaints at the time that he was stupid to sell the gold off at the price he did or even sell it off at all.
It just looks even more ridiculous now that the price has hit an all time high.

Sold for just over 2 billion, now worth 13 billion.
A tidy profit (or gift) for someone, big loss for the nation.
No wonder he's got his head in his hands.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

At the time, perhaps it seemed like a good idea, I don't know, because I can't begin to grasp all the financial ins and outs. Oddly, even tho I'm not in love with him, I doubt that at the time he said, "Let's sell off the gold because it's value is sure to rise!"

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Most folk have enough sense to know that gold is ALWAYS a sound investment and over the long term usually stays well ahead of the rate of inflation.

Just another very basic error of judgement or downright stupidity more like, as was his failure to regulate the bankers and instead lick ther asses and give them a free hand to do as they wished, a fact that he has at least recently openly admitted to.

Failing to regulate them I mean, not lick their asses, but there again that wouldn't surprise me. lol.

Incidently, it is believed that partly as a result of the latest rise in gold prices there has been a huge increase in gold snatching, especially in immigrant areas where they really appreciate the value of gold.
Though not enough it seems to not have it openly hanging around their person making them easy mugging and snatching targets.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I long ago gave up giving a shit. I was once told that the average political leader has about as much control of things as does someone in a rowboat in a hurricane. That made so much sense that I just decided not to let it all get to me.

Deregulation, didn't the tories start itand labour fail to stop it.

All guilty.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I don't blame Gordo for all of the mess after all most of the rest of the world bar a few are suffering, but why can't he and the rest of his old gang just say sorry for what they did get wrong.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Jeez mate if they all said sorry for everything they had done, we'd be here till xmas.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

True

Re: Well done Gordon
 

basic error of judgement or downright stupidity ?
more like pure desperation to get some cash in the coffers.
ISTR he actually negotiated a discount for the buyer
DOH ! !

I would have thought some of the acolytes would have tried to stop him but with the level of control from Bliar and Blown they would probably have just pulled the pillows over head and kept quiet

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Surely he is in office at the moment.
I think history will be quite kind to Gordon.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I trust no politician, least of all the ones in at the moment. I object to being told to go short by a millionaire with a couple of houses to spare.

I have a certain sympathy with a Greek woman who said 'We (the people) didn't cause this. The bankers and politicians caused this. They aren't suffering, so why should we?'

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Without doubt all the UK PMs of recent times have made some major cock-ups, but I would suggest that Browns are proving the most costly by far to the country as a whole and its population.

He has already admitted to his drastic failures and misjudgement regarding the financial centres and banking.
Added to this is his ridiculous borrowing, like a kid who has just been turned loose with a credit card for the first time, apparently not giving a single thought to the likely consequences.

Other W. EU countries have suffered the same recession yet not suffered the same consequences simply by applying a little basic common sense.

Spain is a totally different case due to the economy relying far too much on development and tourism, whilst others further East are obvious basket cases with which the EU were dumb enough to lumber themselves.

The UK situation being so serious is down to nothing short of gross criminal negligence and stupidity beyond belief, leaving the UK population to pick up the tab for years or even generations to come.

Remember when the new Govt moved into Downing street to be greeted by a note from Browns cronies, "Sorry there's no money left".
In the final weeks preceding the election knowing they had little hope of winning they deliberately and blatantly threw around money they didn't have by commiting the next Govt to as many ridiculous and wasteful projects as they could dream up.

Downright bloody mindedness to make things just about as desperate as possible, on top of all that had gone before.
Chaining them up in the tower of London for the rest of their naturals would have been far too good for them in my book.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Dick we shall have to disagree on this, if you are making excuses for other countries including Spain then why not the UK.
I do agree though that Brown allowed public sector spending get out of hand, particularly with the employment of too many public sector workers.

However on his showing so far Cameron seems to me to be a liability. IMO he only entered politics because he couldn't cut it in the commercial world despite having a fortune spent on his education.

He is highly visible when things are going well but the moment there is a hint of trouble he disappears.

That is not leadership but shows him to be a man of little substance and worries me.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

that sounds like Anthony Bliar :eek:

Re: Well done Gordon
 

True.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I think Blair entered politics for the right reasons, unfortunately power corrupts.
I never could bring myself to vote for him although a labour supporter at that time.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Dick, as you know, I'm no financial expert. It has always been my understanding that the shit we find ourselves in is down almost singlehandedly to the idiot yaks flogging subprime mortages (I prefer the term NINJA mortgage. No Income, No Job or Assets) To assess just how stupid this was, I would ask you the following question.

Would you lend anything to someone who was a NINJA?

Why not?

The other stupid thing which laid up open to the yank's folly was the fact that the Tories started to deregulate the banks etc, and when Labour got in, they took it further.

Both parties at the time that they did those things, were warned, over and over again that it laid us as a country open to risk.

Finally, where do you think we would be if the tories had been in power during the Gordon Brown years. Better off or worse?

I like neither, but the idea that the tories would have been more cautious than GB is to me delusional.

In picking out GB for censure, you effectively are giving the Tories a clean sheet.

They are all scum, and should be treated as such.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Blair. Don't even get me started.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

For all their faults the Tories have generally been better at running the economy whereas the Socialists never seemed to have the faintest clue.

No, I do not think the Tories would have allowed us to be dragged down to the present depths of despair.

I think this is easily demonstrated by their drastic and unpopular efforts to improve the current situation, which they must surely realize is political suicide as far as the voters are concerned and will leave them with not the faintest prayer of getting back into office at the next election, or possibly for many more to come.

What Brown has done is negligence beyond belief and so bad it almost appears wilful.
It makes my blood boil even more than the expenses row and the present fiasco.

Had the Ruskies sent in a team of under cover saboteur politicians to destroy the UK economy, they surely couldn't have done any more damage than Brown.

I note that he's now virtually an outcast within his own party, anyone with any political ambition at all treats him like a leper.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Worse that the expenses fiddling? I think that puts them one step below the idle shiftless who suck of the state's tit. No, two steps. It puts them one step below the shiftless that falsely claim benefit, because they are not in a position of trust. Don't let's forget that both GB and Cameron paid back cash tooty sweety, - a clear admission of guilt if ever I saw one.

s for the tories being better. Lemmee see. Who was it that started deregulating the banks? Hmmmmm...why, it was the Tories!

Which was the party that warned against this? Was it the tories? No. Was it Labour? No. I think you'll find it was the Liberals.

Finally, which party was it ****ed us over BIG time by jacking the mortgage rate up 50% IN A SINGLE DAY?

I think you'll find it was your little tory friends again.

Don't tell me they are better disposed to the man in the street, because the doctor has told me that if I laugh that hard I will split a rib.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I'm with Dick re the last labour government, my self I think Blair acheived his aim or his wifes aim got even wealthier got out at the right time leaving Gordon to flounder and sink. No I can't see how nyone can stick up for them when they go out of office having deliberately signed up to impossible agreements with Europe etc and are so arrogant that they leave a note saying theres no money left. I do agree that the Tories started the de regulation etc which was a mistake. However they are trying to do something not sure it is or will work but time will tell on that. I think they have to start showing something soon or has as been said they are finished at the next election. Question then is who can replace them?

Re: Well done Gordon
 

The point I was making was that had the tories been in power when GB was in, what would they have done re regulating the banks. My suspicion is that they would have gone further than GB did, which would have made things even worse.

Blair. That little slimeball was so far up Bush's arse that he could see daylight. I don't have words to adequately describe the self serving little shit.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

http://www.debtbombshell.com/britain...et-deficit.htm

Labour inherited a budget that was in balance back in 97 since when they have thrown money away like confetti or like some dumb kid turned loose with a credit card for the first time.
The country is now in debt to the tune of around a trillion quid.
Thats around sixty thousand for every single family.
We can barely pay the interest on that let alone clear the debt.

Labour began borrowing like crazy even through the good times before the present crisis ever began, though what benefit we have seen from it I haven't a clue.

We can all quite rightfully harp on about the expenses scandal and numerous other fiddles for which the taxpayers footed the bill, but they are small fry and insignificant compared to the pile of poo that Brown and co have dropped us into.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Maybe the Tories would maybe they wouldn't that is something we can't say. What we can say is that labour and Gordon particular as in office throughout whole time made an absolute mess of things. Thing is it is the the working public paying the price as well as the poor sods that have lost their jobs as a result of this mess,also those in retirement that saved for it. Not the ones that have never or ever intended to work because they are amongst the ones that did benefit from Blair and Brown.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I for one would be quite happy for them to have their fiddled expenses if it meant we didn't have to put up with the broken country we are now.
This is like the money we borrowed from the GDY's to pay for our fight against fascism - our grandchildren will still be paying for the mess Bliar and Blown have got us into.
If it wasnt for them we would have been better placed to meet the banking crisis head on.
Because of their reliance on the pot of gold from the tory days they allowed their "good old buddies" the GDY's to talk them into a ruinous war we couldn't afford and cannot now get ourselves out of.
It was obvious from the start they were just writing blank cheques and announcing £millions here there and everywhere. I remember they were fighting to get to the microphone to make the announcements first, and then repeating it a couple of days later.

But then eventually Blown will probably have another sobbing session and everyone will feel sorry for him.

rant over for 5 mins then back to boiling again
:frown::(

Re: Well done Gordon
 

What pot of gold?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datab...borrowing-data

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Thanks for that. I didn't realise the figures were so bad under Major - for all his faults I thought he was quite prudent with money matters, maybe I've been conned by media propaganda at the time :o Edit - seems the Tory govt of the time spent quite a lot on Black Wednesday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Wednesday
I think the biggest mistake that Brown&co made was to do nothing about an obvious housing price bubble. But, it has to be said that the Tories said nothing either (as Bil rightly points out it was only the Libs who sounded off warning signals) and indeed said they'd keep to Labour spending plans if they were elected. The temptation of easy money from easy credit and an apparently infinite rise in property prices, was too powerful for leaders, not just in the UK but in Ireland, Spain, the US etc. Yes the bubble burst when certain matters came to light in the US, but it would have burst anyway, as people were lying about their income in the UK to get 125% mortgages.
I'm not going to try and change Dick's tribal views on the political parties. I'm sure that if Cameron was found guilty of kidnapping Maddie and feeding her to Shergar, Dick would still claim he was more a statesman than Brown (or Millipede). But I will say that Dave is far smarter than people give him credit for. If he can survive this hacking scandal, and keep the coalition together, he may well turn the UK economy around. But it's looking a bit precarious at the moment. :unsure:

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I simply try to tell it how it is Steve and no I am no great lover of the Tories though I do confess to voting for them on one occasion only, when I was young and daft, leastways thats my excuse anyway, but I do at present see them as slightly the lesser of the two evils, but there again thats not always the case.

To the best of my knowledge horses are not carniverous Steve, though I have had the occasional one try to take a bite of my rump, or should that be rump steak.

The point I was making was that other W.EU countries are coming through the crisis with little serious damage and with a certain amount of forethought and common sense we could have done likewise.
However basic common sense was never Browns forte and he just kept on ploughing us deeper and deeper into the mire even long after the writing was on the wall.
A bit silly to compare us with Spain which has been an inevitable and obvious basket case just waiting to happen ever since it pulled out of the last recession, unless huge changes were made to the economy and the way the country was being run as a whole.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I loathe Brown, I believe he is a dysfunctional pill popping fraud. He is 3 fags short of a packet. Even his marriage is a sham.

However I am beginning to think he may have been doing the right things to pull UK out of recession. The economy was picking up until the condems took power and started to cut...and cut :frown:

Re: Well done Gordon
 

well trying to retain an open mind about statistics and what has/hasnot been included.....
the first indication of something wrong is they got Major's dates wrong in the heading - so how far can we trust the rest....

notwithstanding, how did we manage to have such large surpluses so soon after the war, when rationing didn't finish until around 1952. ?

however, taking the figures as they look then they would appear to be showing the story of the Kings New Clothes. The more we meddled with world events the greater the debt. Conversely we seemed to be better off fighting wars in places like Palestine, Suez, Korea et al.

as one who was abroad when Wilson devalued the £ in 1967 where the seems to be no blip and also abroad when we changed to Decimal in 1971 where we started to drift off -methinks these figures may not be telling us the whole story.

by the way - do they include all the Civil Service Pension and PFI deals that Blown kept "off the books" to the tune of about £1.75 TRILLION ? ?

Re: Well done Gordon
 

It's his poor downtrodden Mrs that I feel most sorry for.
I reckon she probably has less say than the dog.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Distinctly got the impression Blown "had" to get married before becoming PM, preferably with a child in tow.

he isn't the only MP who has a touch of the "dark side"

Re: Well done Gordon
 

I'm getting worried - I'm agreeing more and more with J2 :eek: However I have to concede that some cuts were inevitable, regardless of whoever took power. I just wish the govt could be more efficient at making the super-rich pay their due share of taxes (and yes I realise those that do, contribute an awful lot - I'd even be fine with reducing the top rate of tax - but there are a lot of companies and non-doms who get away with paying very little).

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Does anyone know where student debt figures in all this? I assume it's marked down as private debt. Which is fine if a graduate gets a decent paying job and starts to pay off their £27k debt (as well as their normal bills, mortgage etc). But I suspect a fair proportion will never pay off their student debt.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Could be, could be.

I laugh when people dislike Brown. Blair and Brown. King Stork and King Log, if you remember the fable.

Everyone hated Blair because he was spun and spun, and then we got GB who is possibly the least spun man on the planet. Remember him smiling? It's the sort of image you frighten children with.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

Oh missed it, what day was that ? Bet it wasn't for very long !

Re: Well done Gordon
 

It was like the sun had been put on economy setting.

Someone said to me today that Harold Wilson was an honest prime minister, because he was the only one that died poor.

Re: Well done Gordon
 

did he pay for his Gannex Raincoats ??
Joe Kagan was made a knight in Wilson's first resignation list in 1970
and a baron in the second resignation list in 1976
subsequently served 10months, fined £375k, for theft from his own
companies

Wilson honest ?
Was it the NoW that failed to prove he had a relationship with Marcia ?

Re: Well done Gordon
 

? Who gives a stuff if he was shagging Marcia? He got given a raincoat? One of his associates was bent?

If that's all you can dig out, the guy was cleaner than I thought!

Let's be reasonable, look how the rest of the breed walk away from power with bulging pockets.