Cameron’s gesture politics
‘The Tories made their case with more panache, as they will do from now till polling day, but theirs is the inferior argument. If these are indeed the battle-lines for 2010 then the Conservatives are on the wrong side of them, and deserve to lose.’ – Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian
‘But I believe that the cost of stepping back and letting the recession take its course would have been far higher. There are some who claim, for their own ends, that the growth in borrowing and debt is somehow a peculiarly British phenomenon. This is a view which can be dismissed by looking around the world.’ – Alistair Darling, The Independent
‘Mr Darling must use the pre-budget report to get specific about real
terms cuts in individual budgets and programmes. Anything else would be
an evasion. Yet evasive is certainly also the word that describes Mr
Cameron’s latest announcements. Cutting back on ministerial cars and
abolishing the subsidy on a pint of lager in the House of Commons bars
gets easy headlines. But it is a pinprick when set alongside the £175bn
deficit. Mr Cameron’s credibility is undermined by his addiction to
such cheap politics.’ – Editorial, The Guardian
‘Yesterday in London, David Cameron spoke admirably of his desire to cut the cost of politics. The Conservative Party now proposes a 5 per cent cut in ministerial salaries, and a pay freeze on the salaries of MPs. Mr Cameron’s proposals are eloquent, timely and electorally appealing. They would also be a mistake.’ – Leader, The Times
Green shoots?
‘Economists declared the recession over today as official data showed mothballed factories springing back to life and rising optimism in the City stoked a new merger spree.’ – Heather Stewart and Jill Treanor, The Guardian
‘The UK jobs market is starting to show signs of recovery, according to a survey of recruitment agencies.’ – BBC
Climate targets
‘The UK may have to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 90% by 2050 so the aviation sector can continue to grow.’ – BBC
‘An agreement to cap aviation emissions must be reached at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen if countries are to meet targets to combat global warming, according to the committee set up to advise the government on the issue.’ – Caroline Davies, The Guardian