Monday, March 10, 2008

is 'DULL' good politics?

Norman Smith looks forward to the Budget and predicts it is to be "deliberately dull", his reason is that "people want is steady-as-you-go, sober common sense. Or, put another way, dull, dull, dull." Or perhaps actually what the people want is honesty. Brown's last budget was described by opponents as a con-trick; no-one wants that do they? One former chancellor presented a fascinating argument at an academic conference, it involved building blocks. He produced three stacks and said "right, here is the budget for the health service, this is defence, this is for the police; you want more money for the health service that's fine, which budget shall I take a million from?" He went on to explain that is the job of the Chancellor, but would it not be refreshing if a Chancellor actually stood up and explained his or her thinking in simple layman's terms? Too many budgets give with one hand while picking the public pockets with the other; the reason is to openly state a requirement to increase income tax is a vote loser. Are people really that unsophisticated (well, perhaps), but if someone did step forward and state their arguments for increasing tax and why it is going to benefit the people would it be better than obfuscating and spinning? It perhaps would not be dull, but it might be better politics.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Honest, an chancellor, you outta your fucking mind??? Yeah itd be nice but it dont happen. They want your money and your vote, and once they get your vote your fucked. Thats what you get from a Labour party replete with twats, arseholes, self-seeking turds and cunts

Anonymous said...

There are two guys talking. The first one says:

“You know, the day I met you, I thought you were a cunt. And every time we’ve met since I thought you were a cunt. And it can’t just be me, because everyone who’s ever met you thinks you are a cunt, and probably everyone who will ever meet you will think you’re a cunt. In fact, you’ve got to be the second-biggest cunt in the world.”

The second guy thinks about this for a while.

“So... the day you met me you thought I was a cunt?”
“Yep.”
“And every day since you’ve thought I was a . . .”
“Right.”
“And everyone I’ve ever met thinks I’m a . . .”
“You got it.”
“And everyone I will ever meet will think I’m a . . .”
“Uh-huh.”
“So how comes”, he says, triumphantly, “I’m only the second biggest cunt in the world?”

The first guy looks at him with total contempt. "Because you’re a cunt”, he says.

Anonymous said...

I think that these comments without doubt offer evidence for the article you posted today about comments going off on a tangent! Although, it did make me listen to the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore sketch... 'some bloke came up to me the other day, and do you know what he said'... 'no'...'he said you C-U-N-T' (apparently, if you spell it out it is acceptable even on Soccer Sunday t 11 a.m http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ypGx4dj_C_M&eurl=http://www.chrisrand.com/blog/index.php/2008/02/01/stephen-bywater-says-the-c-word-video/)

Anonymous said...

Ah the joys of co-production, you are never sure where the narrative will go