We were never very kind towards Alistair Darling here. Well, a Labour Chancellor, who once supported a Tobin tax - what do you expect?
But, to be charitable - as today we should - how could anyone have followed Gordon Brown in that a role, which meant reporting to the man hour by hour, being second-guessed all the time? Quite amazing that he maintained the dignity he did. BTW, he wasn't at the Treasury when Brown did most of the damage (1998-2007). Oh, and he chaired the 'No' vote campaign during the Scottish Inde1 referendum. Yes, we did have a bit of regard for the Badger.
RIP, Darling. Tough trade, politicis.
ND
Darling was a charitable person too. True to Labour's mantra (now adopted by present government). If in doubt, or asked politely by a banker, give them OPM.
ReplyDeleteHe was OK - Brown - naaah...
ReplyDeleteBrown's ridiculous inability to understand small businesses was a huge failing.
Darling 'seemed' to recognise that, so 'helped' that sinking Brown immensely.
I see from today's meejah coverage that he was a marxist in his youth, oh well, I expect we all were, ahem. Also that he dissed Brown brutally by noting that the economy he inherited was in the worst shape for 60 years, ha ha!
ReplyDelete@ 7:49 - On the matter of fingering "Brown's economy" ...
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to know whether Brown's defensiveness over his own (rotten) stewardship prevented Darling / the Treasury acting more preemptively on the banking crisis. I could well believe it did: Brown wouldn't tolerate any public hint that anything happening on his watch was less than perfection. The Civil Service had virtually a manual of things that must never be said.
And there was plenty of scope for getting ahead of the banking meltdown. Northern Rock's failure (Sept 2007) happened a whole year before Lehman's (Sept '08). Here on C@W, we had also been pointing to a couple of German bank failures in 2007 - it was really obvious, and anyone in a position of power had the ability to find out it was all going tits-up long before Xmas '07. So, I'm sorry to say, this includes Badger.
But if Darling could hide behind Brown not letting anyone pre-identify & get ahead of the crisis (my guess), nothing really excuses him letting people like Goodwin walk away scot-free (geddit?!)
http://www.cityunslicker.co.uk/2010/08/scorched-earth-nero-fiddled-rome-burned.html
ReplyDeleteCharitable enough.
Alistair Darling
The 'Good' Nazi
You may be the only person today eulogising Alistair Darling as Albert Speer
ReplyDeleteTake a bow, Mr Q !
Did seem to resemble a human being more than many of his peers.
ReplyDeleteRIP
OPEC renew their (expiring) production cuts...
ReplyDeleteUK electricity demand up 50% on 10 days ago at 45GW, for the last week our local windmill's not moved... today wind is 4%, gas 56%, Canadian forests 6%. Solar 5% which is quite impressive if true, it was zero a few days ago.
When are we due to follow Scotland and ban oil and gas powered heating, not just for new homes, but for all homes, even old solid wall places?
The project to pauperise the median Brit seems to be rattling along nicely!
The world is itself but a larger prison, out of which some are daily selected for execution.
ReplyDeleteWalter Raleigh
Or as the farmers say 'they're drawing them from our pen'.
I had a patient who was at Uni with him. She said he was a frightful lefty but was a really nice guy. And I remember that in 2007, like Darling, my old Dad was pacing up and down (as he did when his balance was better) muttering "Things are going to get BAD, really BAD..."
ReplyDeleteGetting terribly close to my own age group.
ReplyDelete(I'm losing quite a few as it is !)
I smell a Spring election. That chap Cleverly is playing Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest - with a start date April 2024. Which means nothing will happen here or in Rwanda. Just more uncertainty and loss.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing good on the horizon - apart from going back into Horizon. Retail sales are down, the mood is grumpy and that fool Sunak missed the opportunity to pay up and look big on the blood scandal.
Can you make him more comfortable nurse.
Gas 54% of our electricity again, solar 0. Canadian forests 7%.
ReplyDeleteWe're doomed...
Retail sales are up.
ReplyDeleteDecember is very strong so far. In all but the flooded and snow filled areas,
Politics is indeed a tough trade. Made tougher by making promises that can't be kept in the belief that people don't notice.
ReplyDeleteThe implosion of the current government would be amusing if it wasn't so self-serving. Who in their right minds would have a confidence vote in a leader entering the final months leading up to a GE. This has all the hallmarks of a Sheffield United management change. Get the new guy out and bring back an old failed version.
Should you put your money on Boris, or Dave, or Liz, or Tez? Given their current lunacy and the predilection for dead rubber cats, they ought to bring back the most successful living PM, Tony Blair. At least he showed Conservative values.
BQ - Don't I know it. I work in a Spar shop two days a week now. Hectic is not the word.
ReplyDeleteRetail, Kev…bust busy..…and you don’t even get to have a chair to sit down on.
ReplyDeleteMonday, the back of the last person in queue one, was behind the first person in queue two.
Meaning to get to the front of the queue, was forty minutes.
Today, went home early. Flooding, and might get cut off. Mrs Q is in Taunton. Not too bad on the main roads. But left at 3.