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Osborne: Carry On Regardless!
‘Carry On’ films are a genre in their own right! British humor at its best between 1958 and 1992. Slapstick, innuendo, dirty smirks and cackles. Low-budget too! For those of us that are either too young to have heard anything about them…or for those that live in places where (thankfully) the low-budget series of films all entitled ‘Carry On this’ and ‘Carry On that’ (my favorite must be ‘Carry On Regardless’ (1961)) they are a low-budget series of situational comedy sketches that had absolutely no plot. Hang on a moment! Isn’t that the film that is running right now in the UK, starring none other than George Osborne, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer? Sounds very much the same to me! Low budget, situational comedy, no plot!
Just days after the International Monetary Fund told the UK to lay off the austerity and start investing more as the cuts were posing ‘headwinds to growth’, he has just carried on regardless. Even if the recovery signs in the economy are more tepid than the British summers, Osborne has turned a deaf ear to the advice of the IMF. Although, honestly, who could blame him, with the latter being directed by the ‘assisted witness’, Christine Lagarde (all money and scandal in the Adidas-Crédit Lyonnais affair)? Headwinds to growth? Lots of wind, not lots of growth, me thinks.
Mr. Osborne is set on singing ‘I’m doing it my way’. He is a Broadway musical all to himself, it seems at the moment. Ed Balls (Member of the Opposition, Labour MP) said that George Osborne was putting his pride before the national interest, in being dead set on pulling this off. But, it will all come to no good. ‘Carry On’ films stopped making people laugh when we needed something better than just a bit of slapstick to crack a smile. Osborne hasn’t been making the British taxpayer laugh for quite a while now.
He announced today that seven government departments have already agreed to cut their spending by sometimes up to 10%. This is all part of the final figure of the £11.5-billion ($17.38 billion) cut in UK budgetary expenses by 2015-2016. He added that he had 20% of that figure already and that he was doing better than (even he) had expected. Are we supposed to laugh here? Please: canned laughter.
Experts have predicted that he will find the rest by cutting deep into the budgets of the Home Office, Justice, Local Government and also the Environment. The Communities Department will be moving in to office-share and downsize with the Home Office and they will be all cutting down on paper. Does that mean there will be more electronic versions of the minutes, reports and decisions…so that they can be intercepted as they get transmitted across the web?
Yes, of course, cuts can be made and there certainly needs to be some streamlining in some areas. But, Mr. Osborne has suggested that he will not cut spending on terrorism and will only marginally cut spending on Defense. Of course, those are the areas that are the most likely to help the average British Joe, aren’t they? If the British don’t have jobs and they don’t have a healthy and stable economy, then there’s hardly any point in defending it against anyone, is there?
The next general election in the UK will take place in 2015. So, the question is: will Osborne bring the smile back to the faces of the British public before that date. Before, yes, because there’s little point in saying (as usual) that it’s coming if you can’t see anything in the distance. Crying wolf is not going to make people believe you. Apparently, health is protected and pensions won’t get cuts. But, the deficit has been estimated to hit well over the £90 billion ($135 billion) mark by 2015, primarily because there has been little action concerning growth and new-job creation.
Oh, nearly forget to mention. One attribute of the ‘Carry on’ series of films was that the cast got notoriously bad pay. Is that also true of Mr. Osborne? I guess it must be, having to scrape by on just $134, 565 ($203, 269) as Chancellor with the 15% stake he has in his family business (worth £4 million, or $6.04 million) and renting out his secluded Notting-Hill home while living at Downing Street. Carry-On Regardless, Mr. Osborne we might just laugh the last laugh!
Originally posted http://www.tothetick.com/osborne-carry-on-regardless
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Paying a small fortune for this smartphone and galaxy tab and reception is woeful. Sometimes get paranoid big bruv is fiddling with my head and not allowing me to have my 10p worth.
Ghordius and Ian56 the two of you are rocking. Keep the faith as youare both part of the solution ( in my humble opinion ).
Ghordius valid points!
The recent afterthought from germany spain france etc regarding youth unemployment is laughable.
All of these elite are puppets like Obama and on witnessing a potential threat of youthful civil disobedience are now coming to a realisation. Beppe Grillo ( look forward to him on cnbc tonight) has a good handle on the issues.
Tory Blair and not so much Gordon Brown ( charmless dour father preacher so no personality and not representitive of scots ) sold uk to banks just like clinton did.
I wish I could share your current enthusiasm for Beppe Grillo (or know how to get to his cnbc interview) but I - perversely - have more trust in both the PD and the PDL than in the Grillini, at the moment
the Grillini commit in my eyes the same "sin" as UKIP: getting elected but refusing to vote on issues, i.e. the behaviour of children asking their elders to "fix" issues without coming down to compromises
without compromises, democracy dies
perhaps I'm being too harsh on the Grillini, then some of them are getting this message... from the Italian people
what des WTFUD actually mean?
@Ghordius
Caught a lot of your comments on the other threads and yes compromise is the order of day. Amazing that 90% of us can share 90% common values and yet the 10% differential can be so divisive in our outlooks.
Wake The Fuck Up Dummies (wtfud).
a bit confrontational ghordius i know. probably a bit over the top but heartfelt.
Grillo is on 23.00 euro time and you can get it on internet.
Have several italian friends and don't speak the lingo so can get a better handle re your comments tonight.
That said i am of the opinion bunga bunga and the rest are very nationalistic( not always detrimental as no perfect solutions) and self promoting.
very eloquently put Ian56.
boris also needs to go back to charm school. cannot be mayor of diverse ethnic population and call for a fix at further education level as is an insult to 99% peace loving muslims. The 1% would be troublemakers rooted out and then kicked out if no improvement or assimilation here as they could poison others.
Don't worry Pivotfarm your central banker wet dream will come true when Carney pours Billions in QE to your mates.
The OECD doesn't agree either. Guess your chicken bones, although not sure what their telling you with this article, are wrong.
So the point of this article is that a 90B Quid budget hole is "austere"?
Or is it that gov't is not pissing enough money down the assorted rat holes to spark "growth"?
Or, perhaps the rat holes need some shit squeeged off the edges but for the most part good money after bad is good, since it's all debt and printing?
The article is doing quite a good job of "carrying on" it seems, as well.
Perhaps we should visit a little ditty by a Mr. John Osbourne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcoweoZ6jpM
One of the best mid-20th Century Brit comedies ever! : "I'm Alright Jack"
This movie will be a classic 200 years from now (and beyond) unlike most of the swill passing as 'good movies' .....
And it is more than Peter Sellers at his best .....! The screenplay, directing, other actors ....... this is the movie that eventually led to a Margaret Thatcher win ..... because it blew out all the euro-socialist hypocrisy & idiocy ...... no matter whether you voted for Thatcher or hated her .... the ridiculousness of post-war Britian was put on full comedic display in this gem
Spent my whole life spreading goodwill and could not stomach watching scenes coming out of sweden here in the UK.
Spent your life spreading goodwill? Blimey. well, not to worry, sweetie; Uncle Jesus will hold you on his lap in heaven feed you sweet biscuits; cause you've been sooo good. Meanwhile; you better turn off your TV and don't look out the windows.
"Goodwill" is colloquial for "STD."
thanks sat800 did not mean to sound so pious! can you forgive that remark and lets look forward to the real issues positively?
Fcuk Joe Bloggs and John Smith WB. Any cash spent on defence in the UK will not benefit Me or JB or JS unless they work in relation to the defence department/sector.
Whilst Osbo and Cambo & poison dwarf Hague are intent on sending WMD around the world in the name of democracy the backlash will be felt here on these shores with the rising extreme right wing brigade exploiting the youth.
When Cambo says he will set up a task force to eradicate extremists muslims and that taskforse consists of the Home Sec. and some other elite detached pansies who have zero idea or interest in properly solving possible future racial tensions ( gimmic to offset UKIP eating into Tory support) and next day cosies up with "socialist" Hollande to pressurise EU to lift ban on said WMD t's not rocket science to say it adds not assists to the problems.
"Ed Balls"- awesome.
My favorite was "Carry On Nurse." Especially the ending - the Daffodil in the butt.
The Scots will their revenge, after all ! Since we haven't had any economy for twenty years, we won't even notice when our Rich Masters roll over and croak! Carry On!
I say. Steady on, there lads! Forward to Oblivion. whoo. whoo.
"If the British don’t have jobs and they don’t have a healthy and stable economy, then there’s hardly any point in defending it against anyone, is there?"
I dont know about this average "British Joe" you are referring to, but I am sure Joe Bloggs and John Smith would have words to exchange on this matter.
Yep - the UK should cut "defence" i.e. war spending by 80% or £40bn a year.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/now-even-goldman-sachs-tells-osborne-to-find-a-plan-b-8467787.html
Goldman Sachs calls for plan B in the UK.
Plan B
Prosecute Goldman Sachs and the other criminal banks for their multiple frauds.
Fine them £100bn.
Cut defence spending by 80% and save £40bn a year.
Stop the Corporate Tax breaks that allow multinationals to divert their UK generated profits to offshore tax havens to pay zero Corporation Tax.
Stop the neocon wars in Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and now Mali.
Now that the UK's government finances are sorted, lower taxes on the poor and middle classes.
Then get the hell out of the undemocratic, over regulated, socialist and bureaucratic European Union.
It is costing the UK TENS OF BILLIONS every year.
Over half the UK's trade is now outside of the EU.
We import more from the EU than we export to them.
They need us more than we need them.
Do a trade deal - on FAVOURABLE terms - like Switzerland has done.
Problem sorted.
Appendix Added 01/26
The results of Labour's extreme economic mismanagement when they were in power during the global economic boom period - 1997 to 2007.
And the subsequent disastrous consequences of the bank bailouts, the effects of the global financial crisis and lack of global recovery on government budgets.
The boom was fuelled by a massive increase in the global money supply and the export of price deflation in manufactured goods and services by China and India.
But Gordon Brown was too blind to see and has ZERO common sense.
The "boom" was debt fuelled.
It was not real economic progress in the UK.
The falsity of the "boom" and the consequent increase in debt has now been made apparent to most.
UK's government deficit as a percentage of GDP 1975 to 2013
Continued at :-
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/uk-perilously-close-to-triple-dip.html
Ian56: I agree with everything apart from cutting Military spending.
As the World becomes more and more unstable due to their economic problems, I think the need for a Defensive military force becomes more and more necessary. Sure, bring all the troops home, but don't cut the military. Our military has already been cut to the bone & any more cuts would be a security risk. Personally I would be in favour of increasing military spending, rather than cutting it.
fine rant, Ian56. all in all, +1
I have a rant myself on a small detail: WTF is happening with you Brits?
Are you becoming absolutely incapable to ask for a BrExit - which is a British national (i.e. domestic) decision - without coming with this constant "A) undemocratic, B) over regulated, C) socialist and D) bureaucratic European Union" litany which makes you just less likely to achieve your goals?
(added: remember that the pro-BrExit voters are disseminated across the whole British political spectrum - even among "socialists". so making a BrExit rant should use arguments that don't have a typical conservative bias, or you are shooting yourself in your foot)
As you say, the UK has the cards to have a different trade setup, with Switzerland or Norway as a template. If you leave, the EU = the Continent. Wouldn't be a bit wiser - since you advocate an extra-EU trade arrangement, to be a bit less confrontational with us continentals? because we are getting fed up to be blamed by all British factions for your indecision in exiting or not
meanwhile, you are ranting against Osborne, the UK's Chancellor. he is part of the Cameron Cabinet, and so supported by a majority in the British Parliament. A) is his office more democratic than let's say Barroso, who has to be appointed by the Council and confirmed by the EU parliament? or actually less so, because he has to run only one democratic "gauntlet" instead of two? btw, do you know at all who sits in the Council? because the British press surely won't help you there
B) you advocate a solution like Switzerland. fine. are you in any way aware that any export of products and services to the EU would still be regulated by the EU, then all this regulation regarding a common market is what EU countries delegated to Brussels? ask the producers in Switzerland or Norway, their products have to comply the EU (safety and other) norms or can't be exported there
C) Socialist: how is the EU org itself in any way socialist? or is it again about moaning against the Continent? is Merkel socialist? Which socialist in charge here is socialist, compared to our dear friend Gordon "Bottom" Brown?
"They need us more than we need them" ahem... "need" is perhaps the wrong term, imho you don't need us and we don't need you
at least when it comes to trade. but remember that your country still hosts the most unregulated and hyperhypothecating branches of the megabanks that have their hands on some two thirds of all EUR trades, for example
face it, you can't talk about trade alone and just ignore the interests of the City of London Corporation. perhaps you should think about that
what you also can't ignore is that Cameron and Obama want a Transatlantic Trade Deal. Just note the headlines in this June 2013
"how is the EU org itself in any way socialist?"
If you haven't figured it out by now you never will.
that is not an answer. I have a lot of criticism against the EU org, and I can articulate this criticism, in detail. meanwhile your comment gives me only the impression that you just don't know a bat's dropping about that org
Gordon Brown was of course a total idiot with zero knowledge of basic economics.
"The end of boom & bust"
LOL
Anyone with even a tiny modicum of economic and monetary knowledge could see the bust coming from a long way off.
European Socialism
The numbers of new regulations passed by the EU is horrendous and decreases productivity in Europe.
Enormous sums are wasted on stupid Centrally Planned projects and subsidies.
As a result the EU is the slowest growth region in the entire world and has been for decades.
France of course just ignores any new regulations they don't like, while the UK stupidly complies with them.
Germany has had an artificial boom for a decade due to an exchange rate held down by her more inefficient neighbours in the Euro.
German unemployment has been kept very low at around 5%.
(But not as low as Switzerland which is around 3%.)
But even Germany is now about to pay the price for the massive mistake called the Euro.
don't get it. sorry, but whenever someone starts to rant about EU regulations on ZH I just miss some pet-hate examples, which then leads me to ask myself if the author produces things in the EU (like me) or just follows propaganda
did I get it right? EU regulations decrease productivity? and ze Germanz? aren't they affected? imo national regulations are often much, much more culpable for decreased productivity. example: Labour market regulations
meanwhile aren't many Brits already suffering because of the Sterling's "competitive" devaluation? it cuts both ways, you know?
and yet I'm astonished that a well-read blog author like you mixes the two things: the EU and the eurozone. you know it's two separate clubs
Yep somehow the power of the big banks and the City of London has to be taken away.
Fining them £100bn for their multiple frauds and money laundering would be a start.
agree with the sentiment, but not with the method. tangentially, trusts laugh about fines
Cameron is a Neocon as is William Hague, as was Tony Blair.
I am against Neocons, Fascists and Corporatists.
I am not confrontational with Continentals.
But I am against being forced to join in with Continental Socialists.
I am against Socialism as well.
This is my solution to fix Greece's problems.
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/if-i-were-greece.html
And this is my analysis of the Euro project as a whole.
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/eurozone-problems-its-structural-thing.html
The Neocons aims are to increase wars and conflicts around the world to justify astronomical spending on the military.
High levels of military spending increases the profits of the arms industry and the big banks.
The Neocons are succeeding.
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/us-drones-are-killing-children.html
Ian, may I assume from what you write that you are a conservative?
perhaps you are not confrontational with us continentals, but are you aware that the Tories in the EU parliament left the bloc they shared with other conservatives across the continent? that's not leaving a "forced grouping with continental socialists", that's "leaving a voluntary grouping with continental conservatives"
and the whole theme strikes me as strange, don't you share an island with British Socialists? all in all as you can read I don't really understand your "I am against being forced to join in with Continental Socialists"
to me, it strikes me as confrontational - something for which UK and US politics has been always famous - and increasingly so
your solution for Greece is not bad, imo. only one key and critical element is missing, though: Greeks don't want it. starting with the fact that they still cling to the EUR. what do you want to do about that? force 'em? though I note you quote Henrik Ibsen in your blog - perhaps "conservative" is "too democratic" for your tastes?
interesting blog, btw. but I don't have the impression that my original question has been answered