Brown's Empty Claim to Economic Leadership of the World

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2008

Brown's Empty Claim to Economic Leadership of the World

Only Nick Robinson would give Brown's ludicrous claim a serious hearing:

"BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the fact that a series of countries now look likely to implement packages of tax cuts and spending increases would allow Mr Brown to claim the UK is in the lead when it came to dealing with the economic crisis."

Well it will allow the Prime Mentalist to make that claim to "leadership"only if Nick fails to ask the right questions. Here are a selection of packages already announced from around the world:

• The U.S. fiscal stimulus plan worth $150 billion went into play in February with bi-partisan support.
• The Chinese stimulus package is a $586 billion public works acceleration plan announced last week.
• The German Cabinet approved a stimulus package weeks ago, as did the French.
• Australia's second stimulus package was announced last month - though they have the advantage of a massive budget surplus after a decade of Conservative economic policies.
• Spain's fiscal stimulus package was announced in April.
  
• Conservative run Canada also has for years run a budget surplus and remains determined to balance the budget and cut taxes.
• Japan has been doing fiscal stimulus for two decades.
  

In fact of the G7 countries it appears that only Berlusconi and Brown have yet to announce a fiscal stimulus package. Of course Brown is way behind the curve on this, because he was until a few months ago delusionally claiming that our economy was strong and in better shape than the rest of the world including America. Brown's last budget as chancellor was a fantasy in forecasting. Some leadership...