Gordon Brown is not everyone’s cup of tea, even amongst Labour supporters.
One of many accusations made against him is that he was a profligate spender who “allowed the public finances to run out of control.”
The table below shows the state of the public finances at the end of fiscal years 1996/97 and 2007/08.
April 2008 was just six months before the financial tsunami – brought upon us by global banks (and insurer AIG) – started its journey around the world.
Labour supporters may find these figures interesting.
Peter Barnard
Peter Barnard is a retired civil engineer who spent most of his working life 'on site.' He is a member of the Labour Party and a CLP secretary and reflects, somewhat ruefully, that it was easier to achieve your objectives 'on site' than it is now as a CLP secretary, especially in these 'troubled times' for Labour. <br />
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His interest in economics was initiated by reading J K Galbraith's 'The Affluent Society', since when he has been ever-sceptical of the 'conventional wisdom' espoused by the 'classicists' and 'neo-classicists.' <br />
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His favourite book is Kenneth Harris' biography of Clem Attlee, closely followed by 'Never Again' by Peter Hennessy.
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