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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Our independent journalists have been on the ground during this local and by-election campaign, which marks the first key electoral test of Keir Starmer’s government.
We’ve been out and about with Labour activists and candidates across the country from Bristol to Hull, and will soon be heading to Cambridgeshire and Lancashire – as well as Runcorn and Helsby. We’ve also polled readers for their views on the campaign.
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