Thursday, October 09, 2008

PUTING HIS FOOT IN IT

Last year when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown outlined his annual budget speech with these words - "Britain's growth will continue into its 60th and 61st quarter and beyond ...Inflation has fallen from 3% to 2.8%, and will fall further this year to 2% ...Looking ahead to 2008 and 2009 inflation will also be on target. And we will never return to the old boom and burst." (quoted in Time, 13 October)
He was warmly applauded by the Labour benches and praised by the press for his sagacity and prudence. What a difference a year makes. Inflation stands at about 4.7%, mortgage lender Bradford and Bingley has been nationalised and a deep economic recession looks likely. Capitalism is an anarchic, uncontrollable system. Boom and burst are the very foundation of capitalism. No doubt a future Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer will in turn pretend that he can control this mad profit system. RD

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