For Labour voters - what do you do when you hear the word "deficit"?

[vesela]

a) Put your hands over your ears.

b) Say "Gordon got us into this mess, but I fully believe he can get us out again through a total sea change in Labour's spending style."

c) Say "Some bankers got us into this mess through absolutely no fault of Gordon's or his party, but I fully believe he can get us out again through a total sea change in Labour's spending style."

I'm genuinely curious...

anyone? I know you're out there because you're singing GB's praises on the debate thread

If I don't hear from anyone I'll mark you all down as "head in sand."

I won't mind if you suggest waiting for a year - not too much of a problem there. What I want to know is whether you think after that year Gordon can change his spots.

head in sand, for sure. no more boom and bust - i'll just keep propping up the housing market and blame the Americans for our failure to keep an eye on our own and the public's outrageous borrowing.

Mostly c). Although I would qualify it - yes, there were undoubtedly things they could have handled better. I still feel they are best placed to dig us out of the hole - already familiar with the shovels, etc.

Just bumping - as I'm interested in this too. Where have all the labour voters disappeared to? There are plenty of labour voters on other threads but they don't seem to want to give us their thoughts on the deficit!

Vesela - I don't think most people realise the true extent of the debt/deficit and what implications this will have upon themselves and their children for many years to come.

The debt/deficit 'elephant in the room' is of course two separate problems. One being the amount owed and the other being the interest racking up on it as we are still spending and the debt is increasing so the amount owed on the interest is also becoming greater. Think of it like a credit card where the interest payments are already crippling you but you keep buying new stuff on it anyway. On a personal level this will result in bankruptcy. Let's see what will happen when we're bust as a country. Interesting events imminent over the next few years but many hardshops unfortunately for thousands of people and disaster for the young.

Shush, don't frighten the s people....

its is fiscal mismanagement of this country that so shocks me

truly dreadful

People seem to think that governments spend money if they are nice and keep it in their pockets if they are nasty. And that there is unlimited money to spend (if they are nice), and that of course any money spent on them personally is sacrosanct.

And yet another reason that manifestos should have to contain predicted figures. Labour aren't going to change their spending habits, they're too busy buying votes with the money.

I don't imagine voting for any Party will bring me great joy on May 6 but when I think about the current state of the economy I compare it to the state it was in when Norman Lamont was chancellor. Anyone remember that? Interest rates went so high that my grandparents lost their house and we ate tinned food for a year to pay the mortgage.

So I think about the economy under the previous Tory government, and I reflect on the Tory's utter lack of will to tackle the bankers, and I struggle to recall any workable solution that the Tories have put forward to tackle the current problems, and I shudder at the thought of Gideon Osbourne being in charge (that was his name when he was v nasty to my brother at school).

aubergines so the past gets Labour off the hook for the present? This deficit is honestly the only issue in this election for me because I'm so concerned about the country's long term economic stability. I don't see why the country can run itself so differently than my personal finances or my DH's small business.

abdnhiker I have given all but given up trying to tell people about the debt tsunami on the horizon.
DP now are just concentrating on battening down the hatches and hope we can ride it out.
For the few that are interested here's an article that made me cry at the enormity of it all. I'm so upset and scared for the children. It's a terrible thing this government has done for them, ensnaring them in a debt burden for most of their lives. Anyway here it is... Debt - A conspiracy of silence

The lack of people posting on this thread - something that will directly affect people on a day-to-day level doesn't surprise me.

MN would have 1000's of posts on such trivia as who's the best looking politician, AIBU for pushing infront of someone in the queue etc etc e.g. trivia, chewing gum for the brain, ostrich head in the sand.

Think of the deficit as an overdraft. The current overdraft is about 179 BILLION quid.

The analogy to a credit card is spot on

We are spending more than is coming in.

Taxing people more won't work as less people will work. There isn't enough give in the system.

Expect 15% across-the-board cuts in the public sector - much needed.

Welfare reform should also occur. We cannot afford it as a country.

Get rid of Trident, ID cards, NHS national IT system etc.

Only the Tories can sort this out - labour have f*cked it up for 13 years. Spending has shot up since 2001 when we should have been banking the money for national reserves. The gold was sold off. Gordo raided the pension funds etc etc.

Political corruption.

Immigration, Iraq/Afghanistan, Military spending (all of which Gordo has lied about - think Chilcot enquiry. Also look at Channel 4 factchecks site)

Inflation - taking house/mortgage details out of it so the CPI is used instead of REAL inflation.

An unsustainable house price inflation "boom" (when Gordo said he would not allow house prices to get out of control. No more boom and bust).

An economic mismanagement - continually trying to blame it on "global" factors. We are the first european country to enter recession and last to exit it (well there will be a double-dip so we are still in recession in reality). Gordo was in the treasury when relaxation (e.g. removal) of financial regulation occurred. Everyone felt "rich" because their houses were rising in "value" when in fact it's a bubble.

You sheep who don't see it or will vote Labour are fooling yourself.

We are headed for a Greek-style mess if we continue like this.

Put it this way - if someone botched your kitchen installation/building your wall etc. Would you remploy them as "they were the only one to get you out of this"

You get what you vote for - so think of the long-term interests of the country and your children and your grandchildren, not your selfish short-term interests.

bbbbaaaaaaa

I really hate patronising and offensive posts like the one below. It dies not further your argument to call people names and make animal noises at them. In fact all that ensures is that you get peoples' backs up and guarantee they won't take on board your points. It would have been nice to have a debate on this thread but I am not sticking around after that.

... maybe a shock is needed for some of the people out there to to wake up and smell the coffee - and look at the bigger picture of the economy, the structural deficit, the fact this country is in real danger of currency devaluation (well, we've been printing money haven't we!), lowering of our credit rating - thus leading to more expensive borrowing.

Then there is house price inflation, inflation that will rise in about a years time

... so bring it on, lets debate the issues, they're far more scary than a bit of banter on a web forum

sheep anyone? dead mutton?

Thank you for all the answers. I'm a Lib Dem (if I haven't said that before!) and am puzzled at the attitudes of Labour supporters to the debt issues.

Hassled, I think the problem is that Labour will carry on using their own shovels - and they're patently not very good ones!

I think 'thank god we have a party leader who actually understands economics and realises that a global financial crisis is not caused by five years worth of policies in one of the world's smallest countries but rather by the instability of a world banking system based on unsustainable growth and universal debt and if not quite sensible enough to adopt a more stable system entirely, will not exacerbate the problem by applying monetarist policies that have been proven to fail whilst simultaneously harming the poorest'. But hey, I'm sure random internet people would do a great job of sorting out the economy just by bellowing 'sheep' at everyone, so carry on with that, eh?