All those who keep saying 'but he sold our gold' I'm interested in why it bothers you so much, ta muchly.

[Beachcomber]

Thanks to anyone who wants to explain a bit to me about this because I don't really get the point you're making.

I understand that GB sold about half of the UK's gold reserves at a time when the price was quite low. It is easy to say now, with hindsight, that it wasn't a good time to sell (although that would only take into account price and not the reason behind the sale). However the money was invested in currency, right? So it isn't like it isn't there anymore, it is just in a different form (euros, dollars and yen).

Also AFAIK the point of selling some gold was to make a comitted move to an economic policy which would inhibit fluctations in inflation. GB said he was committed to stable inflation (appararantly this is what he was referring to with the 'boom and bust' statement).

So to those who seem upset about this move can you tell me why cos I don't get you. (Please try to present arguments and facts and refrain from personal attacks on the PM about being 'a liar' and 'incompetant'.)

Here is a link to something which explains how I see the gold issue.

Maybe we should send SB this thread (I follow her on Twitter) and ask her to ask Gordon.

We are ready to believe, we want to believe that it was a Good Idea.

MmeLindt - go for it ;)

I think 10 years later it has never been explained in a way I a bog standard person could understand.

You admitted earlier Beachcomber there are questions surrounding the sale and I just saw GB on Monday as a chance to ask.

Megcleary I don't have a problem with people asking about this issue.

I have a problem with people who know nowt about it pretending that they do in order to repeat stuff they have read in the Torygraph.

MmeLindt would you be able to pass this on to Mrs Brown somehow?

Well I am one of these people I don't read the Telegraph, I have read articles in many areas on it over the years NONE have explained it fully.

Again defending GB without facts is something I am not prepared to do.

I don't mind him selling it, I'd just rather he held onto it until it was worth more.

Megcleary I hope you aren't taking this personally in any way. I understand that you asked GB about the gold on the webchat is that right? If so then good for you, I have plenty of questions about it too, hence this thread.

I don't have time to look at them properly today but I'm hoping that florence's links will help me understand better.

I just take issue with people who list the gold as a reason why they wouldn't vote for GB but when questioned it turns out they know almost nothing about it. Seems like a risky way of going about making important decisions to me.

A bit personally as I was the one that started it on the webchat, as I have explained before I have read up on it but still don't understand it.

I have learned a lot from this thread not enough to get my dim brain around it.

There are many reasons to mistrust GB, 10p tax, war, lying about the defence budget to the Chilcott enquiry, but this issue has been shadows for years.

you appear to have an agenda to support

and that is entirely your choice I think I will step away from this as I appear to dim to understand it.

Flo's links have helped but am not sure if my interpretation is correct.

OK megcleary I understand your comments a bit better now. I didn't start this thread because of the webchat. I started it because of a conversation I had with my mum in fact.

There are plenty of criticisms that could be made of GB, I agree with you. I wanted to stick to one issue on this thread only so that we wouldn't get lost by having too many things going on at once.

I absolutely do not have an agenda to support, I'm just one of those people who can be a bit tenacious and insistent sometimes! I have always been a swing voter (although never Conservative) but I just have a soft spot for Gordon Brown and am trying to understand why he is so unpopular. Maybe I like him because I am Scottish!

I'm sure you are not too dim to understand any of this, I haven't had a chance to look properly at Flo's links and would be interested in what you have made of them.

Sorry if I upset you with this thread and you thought that it was about your question on the webchat - it really wasn't.

More ideas above my station!

I can see how you thought what you did, again sorry for any misunderstanding .

Have enjoyed the tussle of learning, have read Flo's info and and wondering if the recommendations at the end are in political double speak along the lines of the report saying next time do this and the treasury saying yes yes

Translates to

report:don't do that again
treasury: we'll see....