In response to the ongoing economic crisis and in particular the debate around what Labour's response to the budget deficit should Compass has published a briefing entitled ‘White Flag' Labour? Fiscal policy for the UK's next progressive Government.
‘White Flag' Labour? has been written by Howard Reed and warns that if Labour accepts, in full and seemingly without question, the economic fallacies of “Osbornomics” it risks gifting the Tories an easy win at the 2015 election by allowing them completely to dictate the terms of the economic debate.
Furthermore, given the trouble that the Coalition's deficit reduction programme has run into and the recent economic figures that confirm both jobs and economic activity are down it argues that it would seem ludicrous for Labour to jump on board the austerity bandwagon at just the point it seems to be coming off the rails.
In response to announcements made by the Labour Party in the media last week the briefing states that:
“ Ed Balls' new strategy of accepting Coalition spending cuts as a fait accompli risks making it look like Labour has wholly accepted George Osborne's fiscal strategy — demoralising Labour Party supporters who are fighting against them while allowing the Conservatives to dictate the terms of the economic debate ”
The briefing maintains that Labour's ‘credibility gap' on the economy comes not from its stance on the deficit but the fact that Labour were in Government during the economic crisis and that Labour have hardly given voters any reason to believe that they would manage the economy differently next time.
Looking beyond this Parliament the briefing reaffirms that an alternative progressive government — either a majority Labour government or Labour in coalition with the Lib Dems and/or other smaller parties — should deliver a clear ‘Plan B' alternative to Coalition economic failure through a short-term fiscal stimulus to prevent a double-dip recession coupled with comprehensive reforms to the financial system, industrial policy, tax and benefit systems, and public spending.
Howard Reed is Director of Landman Economics and co-author of Plan B:a good economy for a good society. I contributed to that Plan B and rate Howard's work highly. Plan B is available for download at http://compassonline.org.uk/publications/
Download the briefing here (PDF)
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And meanwhile, we have to put up with the nauseating spectacle of Cameron lecturing the Davos gang on how leadership is needed – presumably to follow the “leadership” of Dave “Il Duce” Cameron and the UK deficit reduction, belt-tightening and austerity in a jump over the precipice, by reducing demand yet further – whie simultaenously overlooking the REAL leadership- effective leadership – shown in the same circumstances in 2008/9 by Gordon Brown and Alistiar Darling. “White Flag” Labour indeed, for not shouting this as loudly as they can, on every occasion. Frankly, as my wife now says, its a case of No-Balls Ed, and his twin, Ed No-Balls!
Well at least you made me laugh