Categories: uncategorized
Date: 15 May 2008 12:55:12
Travelling to work this morning I became bored with my normal Radio 2 listening, Terry Wogan being on holiday and his stand-in (Johnny Walker) proving to be very weak. I strated flicking through the channels and found John Humphries interviewing our Supreme Leader (read Private Eye to understand this).
Amongst all the usual mumbo-jumbo and political b******t we had a piece of Orwellian doublespeak. The Supreme Leader announced that the £2.7bn tax refund passed out yesterday was actually a way of stimulating the economy to ward off a "downturn" - do you remember when those were called ressessions? He had not gaved in to backbench pressure or elctoral annihalation at all.
He kept saying how the US has injected $150bn into their economy and Spain had injected Euro 10bn into their's to stimulate things. No matter how often Humphries pointed out the difference between an injection of capital and a tax refund, the Surpeme Leader would not accept any difference.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with the economy that the Supreme Leader cannot fix. We are in a great position to weather any storms but we need the help of the international community to combat rising oil and food prices. He kept on saying how he had cut our debt from £44bn in 1997 to £38bn today. Humphries pointed out that he had done this during a period of rising tax revenue and every other economy had done the same but had reduced theirs' far more.
Then it was pointed out that we were close to the Supreme Leader's self imposed limit of borrowing on 40% of GDP. In fact, following yesterday's announcement to borrow the £2.7bn, he only had £100m left. This does not include the funds that have been given for PFI (Private Finance Initiative) projects or the Northern Rock bail out - this would takle borrowing to closer to 45% if it was actually declared on the public finances.
How is it that politicians are able to whitewash everything and only accept that good things happen?
History Today :
1252 : Innocent IV authorises the use of torture against heretics in the Inquisition, via his bull "Ad existirpanda". Why he wants bulls to torture pandas I have no idea - maybe Ian or Rosamundi could enlighten me.....
1649 : Oliver Cromwell's "Rump Parliament" declares England a 'commonwealth' or free state. Millions rejoice until they realise that it does nothing to improve their lives and they still have to pay for things.
1957 : Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb over Christmas Island, following the US and USSR. Why did we and the French test these things in the Pacific - could it be that it wouldn't be very good for us if they tried these nearer to home?