The economy grew at 0.2% in the second quarter, a stagnant result and indicative of the huge debt burden spread across the public and private sector. Even worse, the size of the public sector is far vaster than 2005 following uncontrolled expenditure during the Brown administration. Whatever problems faced by Britain were culpably magnified by the members of that government.
Ed Balls, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, was a member of that government, an unrepentant member. There is an irony in his responses. He accuses the Chancellor of "breathtaking complacency" and being "in denial". Such accusations could have been and were flung at Gordon Brown, with cause. One could ask Balls whether this describes his own accountability for the previous government's actions. The selective choice of memories and facts do little to commend Labour as an alternative. But, at least, Balls is more coherent (if wrong) than his paymasters:
Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said: "It's hurting, but it isn't working. Ministers told us that deep rapid cuts would get the economy back on course and leave the private sector room to grow. But the treatment has turned out to be worse than the disease, and with the government borrowing more last month than they did a year ago they are not even tackling the deficit effectively. The detail in the figures is even more worrying. There is no sign of an export-led recovery with productive industries falling by 1.4%. And the cuts are now beginning to bite as the government made no contribution to growth last quarter."
Barber attacks the government strategy on cuts, then acknowledges they have not begun, and eats his own cake with a blindside on not getting the deficit under control. Not a coherent narrative.
The government should be criticised for its inaction, its failure to commence supply-side reforms and for continuing the burdensome taxes of its predecessors. Tax less, cut harder, deregulate more and free markets. It isn't rocket science. And ignore the harlots of Westminster, who still look back on their red boxes as a time of power without responsibility.
