Tory Tyros are no match for Labour’s heavyweights on the economy

By Norman Evans

Can we really believe the opinion polls? Some suggest that, when it comes to the economy, many people have more confidence in Cameron and Osborne than in Brown and Darling. Yet any objective analysis of the response by both parties to the credit crunch and subsequent recession can only conclude that the electorate is grossly mistaken. Or simply misled by the media.

Before the recession, Labour had presided over the longest sustained period of economic growth in modern history. We had low interest and mortgage rates, low unemployment, more employment, low inflation – a sound economy. Labour had managed things well, putting the proceeds of growth into the deprived public services, such as health, education and the police. The results of that much-needed investment are clear. Moreover, Gordon Brown was hailed as the country’s best-ever Chancellor.

When the “crunch” and downturn hit – chiefly as a result of earlier deregulation and excessive profit-seeking, particularly in the US – how did the main parties respond?

Cameron and Osborne were like the proverbial headless chickens, utterly clueless. They flip-flopped from one position to another – Nick Clegg memorably describing Osborne as having adopted more positions over Northern Rock than there are in the Kamasutra. And they eventually decided to oppose every single measure that the Labour government took to underpin the banking system and to mitigate the effects of the downturn.

Labour’s measures were followed to a greater or lesser degree by all the major affected nations – and Brown was widely and rightly praised for his decisive and resolute response, even picking up some awards. The Tory tyros were in isolation.

But it hasn’t stopped there. They are now proposing that, if they get into power, they will undo as much of the public financial support and stimuli as they can and as soon as possible – contrary to just about every independent economic expert view. The consensus says such action would totally undermine the fragile recovery and could, according to some economists, lead to five million unemployed.

But why should we expect any more of Cameron and Osborne? Whether or not they like it, they are novices in just about every sense of the word. Both have never had to make their own way in life, as they (already) enjoy lifelong financial security thanks to family wealth. The only job that Cameron had outside the Tory Party was as a spin-doctor for a TV company – and it shows – while Osborne, who is regularly outperformed by his Liberal Democrat counterpart, has done nothing apart from work for the Tory Party. Neither has any business or management experience, qualifications or expertise – and neither has held any previous major shadow portfolios, having been MPs for only about five years before taking their current positions. By contrast, Tony Blair had been an MP for 13 years before becoming party leader and held major shadow jobs, such as home affairs and education.

Dour and even dull he may be, but Gordon Brown has shown remarkable resilience and determination in dealing with an economic crisis, not of his making. And we should be grateful that he and Darling – another serious politician and safe pair of hands – were in the key positions to help steer this country through one of the most testing times in its history. To paraphrase Brown: “These are no times for a novice”.

What a brutal irony it would be if an elected Tory government were to inherit an improving economy, brought about by measures it totally opposed? The country simply cannot afford to put its economic destiny into the hands of such inexperienced and poorly qualified rookies.