Effective Labour Shadow Cabinet?

I think its becoming pretty clear that Ed Miliband and his shadow cabinet are not performing well and not making an impact as an effective opposition (click image to enlarge). Why for instance did they not strongly make the point that the recent much bigger than expected economic growth figures are a result of Labour's policies and action whilst Alistair Darling was Chancellor? I'm not an economist but I know a bit about politics, decision making and complex systems, which includes economies. Its crystal clear that this coalition government cant possibly be responsible for the last set of growth figures because they've simply not been in power anything like long enough to have any effect.

There is a time lag between government economic policy/action and effects appearing so we'll only begin to see the impacts of the coalition government on growth as more months and years go by. We are however seeing the effects of the previous Labour government now. Labour's weak shadow treasury team failed to strongly point this out, made only lame comments and tended to talk down the economy. Ed Miliband and the shadow cabinet failed to go with what is both the truth and the best political strategy/tactic and take the credit for the growth figures - so maybe former Labour cabinet member Jack Straw was right when he said that a third of the new shadow cabinet is incapable - maybe its more than a third!

Budget? What budget?

Copy of a letter written by me, first published in the Bristol Observer in April 1990, about the budget of the day (pictured, click for larger version). Almost every word of it applies directly to today's budget - that's how much the economics of sustainability has advanced at the top of Government despite the glut of evidence that we desperately need it for our health, our jobs and our future! The only glimmer of promise was the setting up of a green investment bank but even that had too little money backing it. Basically this budget was hardly a budget at all, more a straight political speech, eyes firmly on the general election.
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The budget could have been used as an opportunity to put our economy on the right road. This chance was wasted. It could have been used to set us on the road away from the rat race of non-selective economic growth, which is wasteful and polluting – it did not.

It could have helped create a way of life we can afford in both economic, social and environmental terms – it did not. It could have helped create the jobs that need people, by building on the resources of the people – it did not.

It could have helped to build a more self-reliant and stable economy – instead we are still reliant on a system of international finance which cannot last much longer. It could have started to establish an economy which can be sustained into the future, without killing our environment and exploiting the people – it did not.

...Instead there are signs the Chancellor had the…next general election in mind. He wanted to set the scene for favourable short term conditions to get elected next time – and he has probably failed even to do that. What a lack of courage and vision he showed.

No to cuts in services

Just signed this 38 Degrees petition against premature cuts in public spending:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/dontriskrecovery#petition. Here's some background from their website:

In the Financial Times, over 50 senior economists have written a letter demanding that Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer and George Osborne, Shadow Chancellor, do not make premature cuts to public spending. The world-class economists believe that the deficit should be financed until the economy is more stable and that if spending cuts are made at this point, the UK could spiral into a disastrous 'double-dip' recession.

The financial crisis has already terrible consequences for people all over the UK. Jobs have been lost, businesses closed and homes respossessed. Unemployment has risen to around 2.5 million and, as the letter-writers point out, the UK economy 'is not yet on a secure recovery path'.

It's vital that our leaders don't play politics with our recovery in an election year. 'Consolidation', or cuts in our public services, are too dangerous to be used as an election bargaining chip. Darling and Osborne should both publicly commit themselves to not making damanging cuts before its clear that the economy really has turned the corner towards recovery. Sign the petition to the Chancellor and Shadow Chancellor.
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Also see: http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/cuts-wont-work