The Economist on the Osborne speech
An endorsement by "The Economist" magazine, if it swings any votes at all, probably swings rather fewer than that of most other papers or magazines.
But in a sense it is higher praise than most, because the magazine is one of those rare MSM outlets whose views are usually carefully thought through and often quite hard to predict in advance.
It is fairly rare for them to praise anyone as strongly as they did George Osborne's speech to the Conservative Party conference in this week's print edition article, That's more like it.
Extracts from the article:
"For months it has been clear that Britain’s fiscal mess is Augean. Poll after poll has shown that voters know big spending cuts are unavoidable ...
"Yet politicians refused to get real.
"All that changed with George Osborne’s speech to the Conservative Party this week.
" ... he spelt out some of the harsh medicine needed to deal with the huge budget deficit, some £175 billion ($280 billion) in the financial year to March, equivalent to 12.4% of GDP. He shirked neither the scale of the problem nor the harsh measures required to solve it.
"Mr Osborne’s was a brave step. Elections are not often won by telling voters they will have to pay more for less, and work longer into the bargain. Powerful public-sector union leaders condemned the pay freeze almost before the shadow chancellor was off the podium. The Tories will have gambled that, more than anything, voters want straight talking from those who would govern them, and with a stable lead over Labour of ten points or more, they can afford to risk being a little less popular.
"In one speech, the dark-clad Mr Osborne has leapt from boy wonder to national pallbearer, and all credit to him. He has done his country a service by putting its most urgent debate on a more realistic footing. The question now is whether he has said enough for the Conservatives to claim credibly, if they win power, that they have a mandate to do not only the nasty things he mentioned but also a great many that he did not.
"The answer is almost certainly yes."
You can read the full article here.
But in a sense it is higher praise than most, because the magazine is one of those rare MSM outlets whose views are usually carefully thought through and often quite hard to predict in advance.
It is fairly rare for them to praise anyone as strongly as they did George Osborne's speech to the Conservative Party conference in this week's print edition article, That's more like it.
Extracts from the article:
"For months it has been clear that Britain’s fiscal mess is Augean. Poll after poll has shown that voters know big spending cuts are unavoidable ...
"Yet politicians refused to get real.
"All that changed with George Osborne’s speech to the Conservative Party this week.
" ... he spelt out some of the harsh medicine needed to deal with the huge budget deficit, some £175 billion ($280 billion) in the financial year to March, equivalent to 12.4% of GDP. He shirked neither the scale of the problem nor the harsh measures required to solve it.
"Mr Osborne’s was a brave step. Elections are not often won by telling voters they will have to pay more for less, and work longer into the bargain. Powerful public-sector union leaders condemned the pay freeze almost before the shadow chancellor was off the podium. The Tories will have gambled that, more than anything, voters want straight talking from those who would govern them, and with a stable lead over Labour of ten points or more, they can afford to risk being a little less popular.
"In one speech, the dark-clad Mr Osborne has leapt from boy wonder to national pallbearer, and all credit to him. He has done his country a service by putting its most urgent debate on a more realistic footing. The question now is whether he has said enough for the Conservatives to claim credibly, if they win power, that they have a mandate to do not only the nasty things he mentioned but also a great many that he did not.
"The answer is almost certainly yes."
You can read the full article here.
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