This is the worst Tory government of my lifetime. Worse even than Major. Astonishing.
The Major who left office with a balanced budget, a growing economy and low unemployment and fought a successful Gulf War in an international coalition and was followed by a Labour government which left office with the finances bust, an economy in recession and rising unemployment and an Iraq War launched without UN approval? That Major you mean?
Major left a Budget deficit - not a Balanced Budget. The country was also running a Balance of Payments deficit. This was all despite the fact that we had been ignominiously ejected from the ERM against Major's will!
In 1997 we were spending under 40% of gdp, to be fair the early years of Blair were spending even lower, post 2004 as Brown took the reins that moved up significantly reaching almost 50% by 2010 with no change in the tax take.
That does not contradict my previous comment - in particular Labour inherited a Budget Deficit in 1997 and a Balance of Payments Deficit. It is worth pointing out that no Tory Government has bequeathed either a Budget Surplus or a Balance of Payments Surplus to Labour. On the the other hand, there are examples of Labour Governments having done both to Tory Governments!
Labour left public sector net debt of £1,011 billion in 2009/10 and a net debt of almost 50% of gdp in 1979 which Thatcher reduced to under 30% by the time she left office
If you're going to use "percentage of debt" figures, then the 1970-1974 and 1974-79 governments were equally brilliant. In 1970, debt-to-GDP stood at 64% and by 1979 it was 44%.
This is the worst Tory government of my lifetime. Worse even than Major. Astonishing.
The Major who left office with a balanced budget, a growing economy and low unemployment and fought a successful Gulf War in an international coalition and was followed by a Labour government which left office with the finances bust, an economy in recession and rising unemployment and an Iraq War launched without UN approval? That Major you mean?
Major left a Budget deficit - not a Balanced Budget. The country was also running a Balance of Payments deficit. This was all despite the fact that we had been ignominiously ejected from the ERM against Major's will!
In 1997 we were spending under 40% of gdp, to be fair the early years of Blair were spending even lower, post 2004 as Brown took the reins that moved up significantly reaching almost 50% by 2010 with no change in the tax take.
That does not contradict my previous comment - in particular Labour inherited a Budget Deficit in 1997 and a Balance of Payments Deficit. It is worth pointing out that no Tory Government has bequeathed either a Budget Surplus or a Balance of Payments Surplus to Labour. On the the other hand, there are examples of Labour Governments having done both to Tory Governments!
Labour left public sector net debt of £1,011 billion in 2009/10 and a net debt of almost 50% of gdp in 1979 which Thatcher reduced to under 30% by the time she left office
Again , that does not contradict my earlier comment. Inflation was lower in 1979 than inherited in 1974 and the Balance Of Payments was stronger. The economy was still growing - unlike 1974 - and unemployment had fallen by 100,00 in the final 12 months of that Government.
It was Heath who left high inflation in 1975, Thatcher defeated both him in 1975 and Callaghan in 1979 and slashed inflation by the time she left office. In 1979 gdp per capita was amongst the lowest in the EEC, by 1990 it was amongst the highest in Europe
This is the worst Tory government of my lifetime. Worse even than Major. Astonishing.
The Major who left office with a balanced budget, a growing economy and low unemployment and fought a successful Gulf War in an international coalition and was followed by a Labour government which left office with the finances bust, an economy in recession and rising unemployment and an Iraq War launched without UN approval? That Major you mean?
Major left a Budget deficit - not a Balanced Budget. The country was also running a Balance of Payments deficit. This was all despite the fact that we had been ignominiously ejected from the ERM against Major's will!
In 1997 we were spending under 40% of gdp, to be fair the early years of Blair were spending even lower, post 2004 as Brown took the reins that moved up significantly reaching almost 50% by 2010 with no change in the tax take.
That does not contradict my previous comment - in particular Labour inherited a Budget Deficit in 1997 and a Balance of Payments Deficit. It is worth pointing out that no Tory Government has bequeathed either a Budget Surplus or a Balance of Payments Surplus to Labour. On the the other hand, there are examples of Labour Governments having done both to Tory Governments!
Labour left public sector net debt of £1,011 billion in 2009/10 and a net debt of almost 50% of gdp in 1979 which Thatcher reduced to under 30% by the time she left office
Again , that does not contradict my earlier comment. Inflation was lower in 1979 than inherited in 1974 and the Balance Of Payments was stronger. The economy was still growing - unlike 1974 - and unemployment had fallen by 100,00 in the final 12 months of that Government.
It was Heath who left high inflation in 1975, Thatcher defeated both him in 1975 and Callaghan in 1979 and slashed inflation by the time she left office. In 1979 gdp per capita was amongst the lowest in the EEC, by 1990 it was amongst the highest in Europe
Heath left office in March 1974 - he lost the Tory leadership in February 1975. Callaghan too had slashed inflation - for most of his last full year in office - 1978 - it hovered around 8% compared with 13%/14% when Heath departed!
Yes, but under 40's? And how many people answer calls from unknown numbers on their mobiles? I don't. It is no surprise the Tories remained confident of victory right up to 10 pm. They were primarily canvassing their own supporters.
Labour were just as surprised by the result.
In any case, a large part of the Conservatives' problem was failure to get their vote out in full.
Maybe they were irritated by unsolicited phone calls? I know I would have been.
Also. it was the Labour leadership who were surprised. There were many at grass roots level who detected something was afoot.
Yes, Labour lost by 60 seats. 2017 was a better than expected performance but still a defeat for Labour, if you want a real shock almost nobody in the winning party expected look at 1970 when almost all top Tories (apart from Heath) and the polls expected Wilson to win and Heath ended up winning a majority of 40.
You do exaggerate - it was a mere 55 seats!
The difference between 55 and 60 seats is negligible, Labour still got 9 fewer seats than it did even in 1992
Good job the Tories went on to do so well in the election after 1992 then isn't it?
What has that got to do with anything? Labour also got fewer seats than 1992 in 2010 and 2015. In 1997 Labour were also led by a charismatic, fresh faced centrist in Blair, not a hard left leader who had already lost the previous general election like Corbyn
This is the worst Tory government of my lifetime. Worse even than Major. Astonishing.
The Major who left office with a balanced budget, a growing economy and low unemployment and fought a successful Gulf War in an international coalition and was followed by a Labour government which left office with the finances bust, an economy in recession and rising unemployment and an Iraq War launched without UN approval? That Major you mean?
Major left a Budget deficit - not a Balanced Budget. The country was also running a Balance of Payments deficit. This was all despite the fact that we had been ignominiously ejected from the ERM against Major's will!
In 1997 we were spending under 40% of gdp, to be fair the early years of Blair were spending even lower, post 2004 as Brown took the reins that moved up significantly reaching almost 50% by 2010 with no change in the tax take.
That does not contradict my previous comment - in particular Labour inherited a Budget Deficit in 1997 and a Balance of Payments Deficit. It is worth pointing out that no Tory Government has bequeathed either a Budget Surplus or a Balance of Payments Surplus to Labour. On the the other hand, there are examples of Labour Governments having done both to Tory Governments!
Labour left public sector net debt of £1,011 billion in 2009/10 and a net debt of almost 50% of gdp in 1979 which Thatcher reduced to under 30% by the time she left office
Again , that does not contradict my earlier comment. Inflation was lower in 1979 than inherited in 1974 and the Balance Of Payments was stronger. The economy was still growing - unlike 1974 - and unemployment had fallen by 100,00 in the final 12 months of that Government.
It was Heath who left high inflation in 1975, Thatcher defeated both him in 1975 and Callaghan in 1979 and slashed inflation by the time she left office. In 1979 gdp per capita was amongst the lowest in the EEC, by 1990 it was amongst the highest in Europe
Regarding inflation in the mid 1970s, while Anthony Barber (and therefore Ted Heath) deserve approbation, don't forget that there was the small matter of the first oil shock which sent inflation soaring in pretty much every oil importing country.
This is the worst Tory government of my lifetime. Worse even than Major. Astonishing.
The Major who left office with a balanced budget, a growing economy and low unemployment and fought a successful Gulf War in an international coalition and was followed by a Labour government which left office with the finances bust, an economy in recession and rising unemployment and an Iraq War launched without UN approval? That Major you mean?
Major left a Budget deficit - not a Balanced Budget. The country was also running a Balance of Payments deficit. This was all despite the fact that we had been ignominiously ejected from the ERM against Major's will!
In 1997 we were spending under 40% of gdp, to be fair the early years of Blair were spending even lower, post 2004 as Brown took the reins that moved up significantly reaching almost 50% by 2010 with no change in the tax take.
That does not contradict my previous comment - in particular Labour inherited a Budget Deficit in 1997 and a Balance of Payments Deficit. It is worth pointing out that no Tory Government has bequeathed either a Budget Surplus or a Balance of Payments Surplus to Labour. On the the other hand, there are examples of Labour Governments having done both to Tory Governments!
Labour left public sector net debt of £1,011 billion in 2009/10 and a net debt of almost 50% of gdp in 1979 which Thatcher reduced to under 30% by the time she left office
Again , that does not contradict my earlier comment. Inflation was lower in 1979 than inherited in 1974 and the Balance Of Payments was stronger. The economy was still growing - unlike 1974 - and unemployment had fallen by 100,00 in the final 12 months of that Government.
It was Heath who left high inflation in 1975, Thatcher defeated both him in 1975 and Callaghan in 1979 and slashed inflation by the time she left office. In 1979 gdp per capita was amongst the lowest in the EEC, by 1990 it was amongst the highest in Europe
Heath left office in March 1974 - he lost the Tory leadership in February 1975. Callaghan too had slashed inflation - for most of his last full year in office - 1978 - it hovered around 8% compared with 13%/14% when Heath departed!
Yes and it was Thatcher who defeated him for the Tory leadership so the Tories would actually have a leader who would cut inflation.
In 1979 inflation was 17%, by 1990 Thatcher had cut inflation to 7% which Major took down to 1.73% by 1997.
This is the worst Tory government of my lifetime. Worse even than Major. Astonishing.
The Major who left office with a balanced budget, a growing economy and low unemployment and fought a successful Gulf War in an international coalition and was followed by a Labour government which left office with the finances bust, an economy in recession and rising unemployment and an Iraq War launched without UN approval? That Major you mean?
Major left a Budget deficit - not a Balanced Budget. The country was also running a Balance of Payments deficit. This was all despite the fact that we had been ignominiously ejected from the ERM against Major's will!
In 1997 we were spending under 40% of gdp, to be fair the early years of Blair were spending even lower, post 2004 as Brown took the reins that moved up significantly reaching almost 50% by 2010 with no change in the tax take.
That does not contradict my previous comment - in particular Labour inherited a Budget Deficit in 1997 and a Balance of Payments Deficit. It is worth pointing out that no Tory Government has bequeathed either a Budget Surplus or a Balance of Payments Surplus to Labour. On the the other hand, there are examples of Labour Governments having done both to Tory Governments!
Labour left public sector net debt of £1,011 billion in 2009/10 and a net debt of almost 50% of gdp in 1979 which Thatcher reduced to under 30% by the time she left office
Again , that does not contradict my earlier comment. Inflation was lower in 1979 than inherited in 1974 and the Balance Of Payments was stronger. The economy was still growing - unlike 1974 - and unemployment had fallen by 100,00 in the final 12 months of that Government.
It was Heath who left high inflation in 1975, Thatcher defeated both him in 1975 and Callaghan in 1979 and slashed inflation by the time she left office. In 1979 gdp per capita was amongst the lowest in the EEC, by 1990 it was amongst the highest in Europe
Regarding inflation in the mid 1970s, while Anthony Barber (and therefore Ted Heath) deserve approbation, don't forget that there was the small matter of the first oil shock which sent inflation soaring in pretty much every oil importing country.
True but as you say neither can escape blame completely
Yes and it was Thatcher who defeated him for the Tory leadership so the Tories would actually have a leader who would cut inflation.
In 1979 inflation was 17%, by 1990 Thatcher had cut inflation to 7% which Major took down to 1.73% by1997.
It's worth perusing the World Bank data site (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG). While there is no data for 1979, there is data for world inflation in 1980, and it was a staggering 14%. It's worth remembering that there are external forces over which our politicians have no control. We are too willing to give them credit and blame.
This is the worst Tory government of my lifetime. Worse even than Major. Astonishing.
Major left a Budget deficit - not a Balanced Budget. The country was also running a Balance of Payments deficit. This was all despite the fact that we had been ignominiously ejected from the ERM against Major's will!
In 1997 we were spending under 40% of gdp, to be fair the early years of Blair were spending even lower, post 2004 as Brown took the reins that moved up significantly reaching almost 50% by 2010 with no change in the tax take.
That does not contradict my previous comment - in particular Labour inherited a Budget Deficit in 1997 and a Balance of Payments Deficit. It is worth pointing out that no Tory Government has bequeathed either a Budget Surplus or a Balance of Payments Surplus to Labour. On the the other hand, there are examples of Labour Governments having done both to Tory Governments!
Labour left public sector net debt of £1,011 billion in 2009/10 and a net debt of almost 50% of gdp in 1979 which Thatcher reduced to under 30% by the time she left office
Again , that does not contradict my earlier comment. Inflation was lower in 1979 than inherited in 1974 and the Balance Of Payments was stronger. The economy was still growing - unlike 1974 - and unemployment had fallen by 100,00 in the final 12 months of that Government.
Heath left office in March 1974 - he lost the Tory leadership in February 1975. Callaghan too had slashed inflation - for most of his last full year in office - 1978 - it hovered around 8% compared with 13%/14% when Heath departed!
Yes and it was Thatcher who defeated him for the Tory leadership so the Tories would actually have a leader who would cut inflation.
In 1979 inflation was 17%, by 1990 Thatcher had cut inflation to 7% which Major took down to 1.73% by 1997.
In May 1979 inflation was 9.9%. It rose sharply in Thatcher's early months in office partly - albeit not entirely -due to Geoffrey Howe increasing VAT from 8% to 15% in his first Budget in June that year. This had a knock on effect on Trade Union wage claims. At the same time, nationalised industries were forced by the incoming Government to sharply increase their prices. Thus, much of the surge in inflation in the second half of 1979 was self -inflicted by the Thatcher Government. By Spring 1980 RPI inflation was at 22%.
OK, is this a record. September 5th, and I've just seen my first Xmas ad on TV. Yeuch!
More seriously, what's wrong with US bread? Why is it (a) so expensive, and (b) so sweet? It's - frankly - disgusting.
With you one hundred percent on that. It is, believe it or not, actually getting easier to find good(-ish) bread in the US. When I arrived, I could not believe it.
I take it you have re-located. You're in CA? Which city? There are some superb bakeries in SF if you need a fix of bread worthy of the best Europe has to offer.
Comments
In 1979 inflation was 17%, by 1990 Thatcher had cut inflation to 7% which Major took down to 1.73% by 1997.
http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2017/09/perlan-sets-new-world-record.html
I take it you have re-located. You're in CA? Which city? There are some superb bakeries in SF if you need a fix of bread worthy of the best Europe has to offer.
If you are in a location with a Wegman's, their sourdough is very passable.