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I entered this thread with a chart that presents data. I'm not interested in the politics of why the voters voted they way they did. And your assertions on tha

I entered this thread with a chart that presents data. I'm not interested in the politics of why the voters voted they way they did. And your assertions on that are like picking a few leaves off a tree and saying that they are the reason the tree grows. Your contention was that "Brown was too left wing to slam on the spending brakes". My contention is that the chart I posted would have looked largely the same whichever party was in power. The only difference would have been the degree and speed of action. And it was this that Conservatives got wrong and which I think that Brown would have done better with. He wasn't a good PM, but he knew what mattered on the economy. And you can run a clear line from the decisions that were made by the Conservatives at the time to where we are today. The mistakes made (David Cameron with Brexit, Austerity, and now political corruption and malaise) have effectively ruined the potential of Britain for decades to come. I'm not here to defend Brown, but I do understand the position he was in. Anything else is political garbage.

revelio 3y ago
But this thread and my entry to it started with this statement by someone else: >> I never understood why Miliband didn't win the 2015 election. And so this thread is an attempt to explain that, by reference to Labour's legacy of not being willing to reduce public spending. >> My contention is that the chart I posted would have looked largely the same whichever party was in power. It might have done, but Brown didn't argue that. In the leadup to 2010 he argued that he would simply not increase it further, in contrast to the "savage cuts" planned by the Tories.
- Lolaccount 3y ago
  I specified which section of your comment I objected to. You were welcome to ignore it or focus on it. Brown just wasn't charismatic and he made some critical political timing errors. You can have one but you can't have both and he deserved to lose the election. With the economy, however, he played a blinder and it's under-appreciated. The subsequent clowns have proven that. Brown's mistake was his desire to be PM.

revelio 3y ago

But this thread and my entry to it started with this statement by someone else: >> I never understood why Miliband didn't win the 2015 election. And so this thread is an attempt to explain that, by reference to Labour's legacy of not being willing to reduce public spending. >> My contention is that the chart I posted would have looked largely the same whichever party was in power. It might have done, but Brown didn't argue that. In the leadup to 2010 he argued that he would simply not increase it further, in contrast to the "savage cuts" planned by the Tories.

Lolaccount 3y ago
I specified which section of your comment I objected to. You were welcome to ignore it or focus on it. Brown just wasn't charismatic and he made some critical political timing errors. You can have one but you can't have both and he deserved to lose the election. With the economy, however, he played a blinder and it's under-appreciated. The subsequent clowns have proven that. Brown's mistake was his desire to be PM.