Italian and German Governments Cautious on Fiscal Stimulus

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2008

Italian and German Governments Cautious on Fiscal Stimulus

Labour's spin line repeated incessantly is that the Tories are a "do nothing"party, Mandelson's genius with a soundbite for the frontbench to chant shows. Leaving aside whether it is better to do nothing than do the wrong thing, is it really true that the rest of the world is going down the path of massive fiscal stimulus?

Labour's benches laughed arrogantly when the Tories retorted that little Ireland and Latvia were taking a Cameroon path. However, bigger European right-of-centre governments in Germany and Italy are not, contrary to Gordon's claims, embarking on massive fiscal stimulus programmes. Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the Danish Socialist party leader in the European parliament is complaining that “Angela Merkel and other conservative leaders such as Berlusconi may well water down the plan and refuse to make the necessary national investments...”. The "plan" is the European Commission's €200 billion fiscal splurge proposal. Another top down taxpayer funded folly.

Gordon, in full on Global Saviour delusional mode at PMQs yesterday, claimed that everyone backs fiscal stimulus except the British Tories. If you don't read the foreign news you might believe him. The fact is that across the world left of centre politicians back that approach, right of centre politicians are more sceptical. The need to be seen to"do something" means that right of centre governments are doing token symbolic gestures. Mandelson knows that philosophically the conservatives are wary and is capitalising on this with the "do nothing" soundbite.

Confidence won't return until the property market bottoms out first, corporate balance sheets are recapitalised and personal indebtness reduced. Governments can do nothing to force those things to happen.Politicians just can't accept their impotence.

New Osborne Drugs Probe

George Osborne's younger brother Adam, 32, has been suspended from practising as a doctor for 18 months over alleged prescription irregularities. The suspension by the General Medical Council was ordered in September to allow an investigation. It only became public this morning after it was discovered by the Daily Mirror.