Sunday, February 22, 2009

Gordon vs Barack - I'm not looking forward to April

I am once again less than impressed with our Prime Ministers' performance and ideas about solving our economic ills and I would speculate that President Obama is not going to be any keener on boring Gordon's boring pronouncements when he visits the UK in April.

What we need now is a spark of creativity and enthusiasm to inspire business leaders and bring back at least a trace of 'feel good' to a British populace with a severe attack of winter blues.

Alas, what we are getting is more of the tired old-fashioned predictable ideas we have come to expect from this Government. You couldn't call them initiatives by any means. The word initiate suggests imagination and innovation and that is the last thing we are getting.

I'm not saying there is something wrong with the banks returning to a little more cautious approach to lending and spending. I've already written at length about the difficulties people are having in actually accessing supposed assistance funding and the news this weekend suggests it is not getting any better.

What really worries me is what effect the differences in approach to economic recovery will have on our 'special relationship' with the USA. Once again the would-be cartoonist in me pictures a scene with Barack Obama falling asleep while Gordon rabbits on about not a lot. This is the best picture. The worst one is a difference of opinion and daggers drawn that could seriously hold back OUR recovery if it is not in harmony with what is going on across the Atlantic.

Gordon Brown could be perceived as mean minded and narrow which could result in a distant and polite encounter rather than a friendly and cordial one. I don't think the world can expect a relationship in the vein of Thatcher and Reagan.

Already there are rumours of Labour snipers ganging up to remove Mr Brown. Will any of them succeed in taking his place in Number 10, or better still will we be looking forward to a General Election by the time of the Presidential visit and will Mr Obama also be seeking the views of Opposition leaders.

I worry and wait.

2 comments:

zedman said...

I had dinner tonight with my best mate who is visiting from LA for a few days. He is from London originally and is back for the Carling Cup final tomorrow. We got into a massive argument because I blame Gordo for a poor financial stewardship over the past decade. Britain's place in the global economic league table has deteriorated dramatically in that time. Gordo is back in his element now - lecturing the banks on austerity and poor practices. My friend thinks it's all a global issue and the politicians play only a small role. I'm clearly right. As proof, I offer up the fact that he is a Spurs fan.

Jenny Fletcher said...

LOL zedman - re Spurs fans, my estranged spouse's Mum is one and I never got much sense from her either. I'm a Millwall supporter myself, no-one likes us, we don't care. What were his arguments for it being a global issue - I'm genuinely interested.