The unreality of Labour’s rosy picture of an economy that can’t, in fact, pay for our defence
Is this competence or optics?
“You’d better start believing in Ghost-stories girlie – You’re in one!” Captain Barbossa, Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
Poor Elizabeth Swann. Convinced in the hit film, that a pirate captain has spun her an elaborate and fantastical yarn, and whilst desperately sticking to her principles and the laws of nature she is forced to accept that reality really does seem to be arguing against everything she thinks and believes.
This morning that is how Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer should be feeling. But don’t count on it.
Number 10 will actually be pleased politically and domestically – because whatever the high moral tone from that ivory tower that has as much to do with the Prime Minister’s stance on Iran as international law – that Starmer has had his Hugh Grant, ‘Love Actually” moment, and shown himself to be able to say ‘no’ to the bad guy in the White House.
At present “we were not involved” in the strikes on Iran has echoes of Corbyn about it. Of course there is huge public concern about being dragged into an escalating war. I share them. But to return to the start, you’d better start believing in a middle eastern war – we’re in one.
I’ll return to this in a moment but there was always going to be a moment when our politics went through the looking glass. Yesterday was it.
In one version of reality the British economy has been stabilised to a point that all is now well, and Britain’s National Security is safe from both Iran and the wild and illegal activities of a dangerous American President and Prime Minister of Israel, all thanks to a determined and cautious Chancellor and the steely moral guardianship of Sir Keir Starmer.
It is a version of reality to which, objectively I cannot subscribe but also one many others, including the Conservative Party cannot either.
The Spring Statement was big on spin and not much else. When a hapless Treasury Minister defended it on Sky News by reaching for the stale “we’ve had to tackle the problems Liz Truss left us with” you know they’re clutching their pearls and at straws.
I can leave the Shadow Chancellor to explain the Conservative position, on ConHome this morning. The reactions to the Spring Statement from many think tanks, finish the job off.
Lord Ashcroft’s most recent polling – that has over time had some hard truths within for the Tories – contained who is most trusted on the economy, a key metric he’s been tracking for the past 19 months. It’s the Conservatives.
“Asked who would do the better job running the economy, voters chose Kemi Badenoch and Mel Stride over Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves by a 4-point margin, with 40 per cent saying, “don’t know”. Only just over half of 2024 Labour voters named the Labour team; more than seven in ten 2024 Conservatives chose the Tory team.” …
Is this competence or optics?
“You’d better start believing in Ghost-stories girlie – You’re in one!” Captain Barbossa, Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
Poor Elizabeth Swann. Convinced in the hit film, that a pirate captain has spun her an elaborate and fantastical yarn, and whilst desperately sticking to her principles and the laws of nature she is forced to accept that reality really does seem to be arguing against everything she thinks and believes.
This morning that is how Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer should be feeling. But don’t count on it.
Number 10 will actually be pleased politically and domestically – because whatever the high moral tone from that ivory tower that has as much to do with the Prime Minister’s stance on Iran as international law – that Starmer has had his Hugh Grant, ‘Love Actually” moment, and shown himself to be able to say ‘no’ to the bad guy in the White House.
At present “we were not involved” in the strikes on Iran has echoes of Corbyn about it. Of course there is huge public concern about being dragged into an escalating war. I share them. But to return to the start, you’d better start believing in a middle eastern war – we’re in one.
I’ll return to this in a moment but there was always going to be a moment when our politics went through the looking glass. Yesterday was it.
In one version of reality the British economy has been stabilised to a point that all is now well, and Britain’s National Security is safe from both Iran and the wild and illegal activities of a dangerous American President and Prime Minister of Israel, all thanks to a determined and cautious Chancellor and the steely moral guardianship of Sir Keir Starmer.
It is a version of reality to which, objectively I cannot subscribe but also one many others, including the Conservative Party cannot either.
The Spring Statement was big on spin and not much else. When a hapless Treasury Minister defended it on Sky News by reaching for the stale “we’ve had to tackle the problems Liz Truss left us with” you know they’re clutching their pearls and at straws.
I can leave the Shadow Chancellor to explain the Conservative position, on ConHome this morning. The reactions to the Spring Statement from many think tanks, finish the job off.
Lord Ashcroft’s most recent polling – that has over time had some hard truths within for the Tories – contained who is most trusted on the economy, a key metric he’s been tracking for the past 19 months. It’s the Conservatives.
“Asked who would do the better job running the economy, voters chose Kemi Badenoch and Mel Stride over Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves by a 4-point margin, with 40 per cent saying, “don’t know”. Only just over half of 2024 Labour voters named the Labour team; more than seven in ten 2024 Conservatives chose the Tory team.” …
The unreality of Labour’s rosy picture of an economy that can’t, in fact, pay for our defence
Is this competence or optics?
“You’d better start believing in Ghost-stories girlie – You’re in one!” Captain Barbossa, Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
Poor Elizabeth Swann. Convinced in the hit film, that a pirate captain has spun her an elaborate and fantastical yarn, and whilst desperately sticking to her principles and the laws of nature she is forced to accept that reality really does seem to be arguing against everything she thinks and believes.
This morning that is how Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer should be feeling. But don’t count on it.
Number 10 will actually be pleased politically and domestically – because whatever the high moral tone from that ivory tower that has as much to do with the Prime Minister’s stance on Iran as international law – that Starmer has had his Hugh Grant, ‘Love Actually” moment, and shown himself to be able to say ‘no’ to the bad guy in the White House.
At present “we were not involved” in the strikes on Iran has echoes of Corbyn about it. Of course there is huge public concern about being dragged into an escalating war. I share them. But to return to the start, you’d better start believing in a middle eastern war – we’re in one.
I’ll return to this in a moment but there was always going to be a moment when our politics went through the looking glass. Yesterday was it.
In one version of reality the British economy has been stabilised to a point that all is now well, and Britain’s National Security is safe from both Iran and the wild and illegal activities of a dangerous American President and Prime Minister of Israel, all thanks to a determined and cautious Chancellor and the steely moral guardianship of Sir Keir Starmer.
It is a version of reality to which, objectively I cannot subscribe but also one many others, including the Conservative Party cannot either.
The Spring Statement was big on spin and not much else. When a hapless Treasury Minister defended it on Sky News by reaching for the stale “we’ve had to tackle the problems Liz Truss left us with” you know they’re clutching their pearls and at straws.
I can leave the Shadow Chancellor to explain the Conservative position, on ConHome this morning. The reactions to the Spring Statement from many think tanks, finish the job off.
Lord Ashcroft’s most recent polling – that has over time had some hard truths within for the Tories – contained who is most trusted on the economy, a key metric he’s been tracking for the past 19 months. It’s the Conservatives.
“Asked who would do the better job running the economy, voters chose Kemi Badenoch and Mel Stride over Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves by a 4-point margin, with 40 per cent saying, “don’t know”. Only just over half of 2024 Labour voters named the Labour team; more than seven in ten 2024 Conservatives chose the Tory team.” …
0 Comments
0 Shares
53 Views
0 Reviews
