Ask George Osborne your questions on the economy

[Altxandr]

It is possible and is necessary, to sum up, looking in the past and the future, steps of conservatives in stabilization of economic questions of a survival are justified? How to return the lost positions, how to normalize all financial questions, how to build inside and outside a policy, how to return influence in the world?

[podrag]

Gee George with all these cuts why aren't you cutting banker bailouts?

Tell me George how many new banks have been created in the UK since the banker bailouts?

Tell me George is the fiat money banking system not just an extortive monopoly?

[Pepper6464]

Osborne is totally unqualifed to run the economy. He never formally studied economics and has no experience. His knowledge of economics is equipment to those of a first year undergraduate student. We need a professional not an intern.

[mulefa]

Are you going to end fractional reserve? Are you going to end hedge funds? Which is basically Fraud. No you are not because your in bed with the Rothschilds and you attend a Bilderberg meeting your a New World Order fascist. People lets stop this left/right Labour/Conservative paradigm. They both work for the ruling class, elite, banksters and industrial millitary complex.

[Nintendomanwill]

Why are hedge funds fraudulent? As for Fractional Reserve Banking, it's just loans to banks. What's fraudulent is that, for the sake of killing hoarding and socialising investment, we are not allowed to save but in fiat money (just try coining and circulating gold without being arrested) so its inflation twists our arms to lend to the inflators as they can make our demand to spend the money increase so they have more bargaining power to feed us low rates. TRUE free markets wouldn't have much FRB

[Nintendomanwill]

The problem with the Tories is that people believe laissez-faire capitalism is wrong, they believe that government can provide a free lunch without adverse affects.

The reason? Thatcher discredited capitalism. If she hadn't been an insane monetarist, if she had actually done what was needed, ie cutting taxes to starve state industry and kill the Bank of England to prevent recessions, then Thatcher would have made people revere capitalism.

Bush, Thatcher, they discredited a strawman capitalism

[xymalf]

The EU judges have ruled that illegal immigrants can claim welfare and use the NHS etc. We even have migrants living in luxury homes in London - getting over £100,000 in welfare each year. We have lazy Brits who get a free council house, because they drink too much they get incapacity benefit which gives them more money to buy booze than JSA. Large families get so much on welfare it is not worth working.

[factandveritas]

how long will it take for the forthcoming ```````````````tory government to control the leaks of the economy where money will be saved to help the budget.

cutting down on waste thus decreasing deficits that allows you to divert resources to productivity and competition, thus producing more with less is the key to success,.

The economy is a ship that has rusted and requires energetic your determined saliors and captains to sail thoy eberythinh This is the wra this krisis

[24074003]

how can anyone with an ounce of sense, vote into office, a party, with only one clear policy, reward the rich with tax breaks on their property. they change their other policies every other day according to the weather, I would agree with them in one respect, if they do get elected, we will all be in it together,right up to our necks.

[Multikingsley]

If Labour is re-elected there will only be more of the same, high unemployment, higher taxes, increasing debt, more immigration, legal and illegal and no future for our kids. If that is what you want then vote Labour, I know which way I will be voting for the sake of the future of this country, Conservative for a change.

[7Vails]

skoi87)You &/oryour Fml did not get to buy you council house then sell it at a huge profit & retire overseas? Margreat thatcher created wealth, she pulled the poorest up into middle Class!

[garageflower1]

I have a question for Osborne. Throughout the recession, you and the Conservatives have repeatedly argued that the quicker spending is cut, the quicker and stronger the recovery will be. Now you say that cuts will be delayed so as not to endanger the recovery. Aren't these two positions entirely contradictory? And by adopting your latest position, doesn't it suggest that you now accept your previous analysis was wrong?

[theiratedog]

How dare the Tories lecture Labour on the Economy!!! Have people suddenly FORGOTTEN the 1980s/early 90s?

[SurfariSam]

Do you actually remember 15% interest rates?

[theiratedog]

Do you remember the 3 (!!!) million+ people unemployed under Thatcher? And the Tories are ranting and raving over 2.5 million. I'll grant 2.5 is still a lot but it's clearly better than the Conservatives can do!

[SurfariSam]

Yes, I was one of the 3 million+ unemployed. I remember the last period of Conservative goverment very well.

There may have been mistakes made by the present government but in representing the majority of the population they have been infinitely better than the Conservatives ever were. My experiences of life under Thatcher have left a bitter legacy. I now detest anything that applies to the Conservatives or their party.

[TheAngryal]

I can well imagine your anger, and I have nothing but sympathy for your plight, but IMO, you should direct your anger at those ultimately responsible. The Labour party left this country in such a god aweful mess in the 70's, and it took many years of restructuring in order to put the country back on its feet, paid for by people like you unfortunately but blame the unions for that. The country was in great economic shape when Blair took over, best in the developed world - now look at it.

[SurfariSam]

The country can't be that bad under Labour, most of the rest of the world seem to want to come here.

[popeye196869]

Do you honestly believe there are only 2.5 million out of work, instead of going on about what thatcher did ask yourself why labour are encoraging millions of immigrants to come here and drive wages down, labour for the working man my arse, granted the tories arent any better but cheering labour because they can lie better than the tories when it comes to unemployment figures, get a grip of yourself.

[theiratedog]

Haha! Don't make me laugh. I've just got off a back and forth email with Cameron-Direct who tried to convince me that the Shadow Cabinet is a "Strong and united team" and you say LABOUR is lying through their teeth?

HA! Cameron clearly doesn't trust Osborne or anyone else in the campaign to get things done properly. That's why he's moving his office from Parliament to the campaign headquarters.

[7Vails]

heiratedog)Are you unaware that By raising the school leaving age & Sending everyone on Degree courses That it effectually keeps people off the unemployment records, Also Reclassifying obesity as a Disability means obese people no longer appear on the records. Put them back & you will top 4million.

[theiratedog]

I'd love to see your evidence for the topping 4 million claim.

And staying in the education system for longer isn't to keep people off the unemployment lists. That's just a by-product. Most people, myself included, are wanting to give ourselves the best life possible by studying to degree level and beyond (e.g. a masters).

Either way, the government isn't involved in that and even if they are, are you really going to complain about more people being highly qualified?

[TheAngryal]

Thats right, you want to borrow? pay the price...15 - 20%. You want to SAVE however, you get an interest rate of 12 - 16%, Did you consider that? Typical socialist thinking to look at only one side of the balance sheet. All they have EVER done, is spend spend spend. They throw money at everything at the expense of those among us who care to be more prudent. They encourage a sponging worthless society and always have, under the guise of helping the underpriviledged. Bah! Humbug.

[TheAngryal]

You have CLEARLY forgotten the 70's under the deplorable Callahan and Wilson. The poor man of Europe with uncollected rubbish piled in the streets and unions rampant. A situation equally as bad as today Thatcher took the hard decisions, we had to pay for the mess left by the Labour party with huge unemployment etc in order to put the country back on its feet. The Labour party inherited the best economic base this country has had since WW2, and it has totally squandered it. Loathsome bunch!

[theiratedog]

I'm sorry, but "the best economic base this country has had since WW2" is just a simple lie. A fib. A myth. Thatcher crippled this country's ability to make things ourselves - now we work for various foreign companies. There are very few real British-made things around these days. And it was Thatcher's fault. She just didn't care about PEOPLE. Actual PEOPLE. And don't talk about 'paying with unemployment' and expect me not to bring up the 3(!!!!) million unemployed AT LEAST, under Thatcher.

[Nintendomanwill]

I'm not defending 20th/21st century British policy (which contrary to your protestations of allowing 'outsourcing' AKA free trade is in fact very much Neo-Mercantilist) but to attack the lack of British made things in itself is pointless. There are reasons why we might be made artificially less productive, such as trade unions forcing people out of work and regulations preventing production etc but getting cheaper things from abroad helps us & we can always produce what others do not or less so.

[SurfariSam]

Playing the personality card again? Is that all you've got?

[espeonofgrace]

i got a few Qs, how long would it take to half Britains Debts? and what cuts would you make that wont affect everything else, and will you give roops more equipment for Afganistan?

[cinemascotland]

Thank god these incompetant idiots arnt in charge now. I am an investor and every person I know in the world of monet thanks the lord that these people arnt in charge. Talk about a total lack of understanding about the recession. This is the same guy that blamed Gordon Brown for the recession. All they want is to get themselves elected, its disgusting. I never voted Labour in my life but this is rediculous. Could you imagine this guy in charge of the British economy? Duh!

[CS79N]

I'm liking this man more and more. I understand why some people dislike him - perhaps you like having your country run where the private sector is regarded as a necessary evil, where whacko socialist governmental cash shell outs are paid for with swathes of unaffordable debt. Where companies are buried in some of the highest and most complicated tax, paperwork, regulation and bureaucracy, and where the real industry - manufacturing - is in perpetual decline.

Some people like that kind of thing.

[xladydaf]

not bad for a man who is going to inherit £56 million what about we are all in this together

[7Vails]

xladydaf)What does David Cameron's privet inheritance have to do with running the country? Tony Blair has made 15million since leaving government if he carrys on at that rate he will have earn't more david's inheretance in 6 years! but I do not see you pointing that out!

[bertwindon]

I am English, but no longer live in Britain, Still the words "5 more years of Gordon Brown" hurt like a bereavement.

[mulefa]

Billdergerg puppet, tread with extreme care. A very evil rulling class man

[bertwindon]

@mulefa Yeah talk like the floorbords are doggy.

[79jethro]

I have a question you corrupt cunt - why is acceptable for you to claim £47 for copies of your own speech dvds?

[jkc0808]

Quite right. It's also very conceited.

[perfacetus]

Our overall level of debt is insane. External debt in this country is second only to the USA which has a higher GDP.

I think some external charity or org should be asked to maintain a web site with all the external/national debt figures published in a straight forward manner.

That way when Labour are next in (in about 8 years) everyone can see they're just spending on credit.

[shussey100]

US has $78 trillion in assets. $13 tn in debt is nothing for them. However for the UK it is something else.

[perfacetus]

Couldn't agree more!

It is so wrong that Gordon Brown went on about 'cuts verses investment' when he was fully aware that such behaviour would ruin us.

[nsmith999]

Rather these guys than the socialist twats of the last odd decade. Labour fuck things up, the Tories come in and clean up then Labour gets back in and fucks things up again, and so it goes on. Before the smart comments, I am old enough to have witnessed this cycle with my own eyes. Gordon Brown and his party of social misfits are a nightmare, can't wait for his inevitable annihilatiion at the next general election, champagne will be flowing!

[rexeric]

Ignorance is no defence - the Basle II regulatory reforms were put in place during Brown's tenure as Chancellor and were supposed to be regulated by the FSA, Brown's baby.

So the Conservatives were nothing to do with Labour's economic debacle.

[jezz24]

George, you are a twat.

[aconstantfalling]

Bullshit

[max1xxx]

bobs your unlce

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 2 July 1850) was the Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835,

[max1xxx]

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it ?

"Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly

Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing

[jkc0808]

Nice quote.

[LIBLABCONorBNP]

Hmmmm

[jkc0808]

Hmmmm, all four parties are run by fools!

[LIBLABCONorBNP]

I disagree...

I belive non are run by fools..

I also belive the three main parties work for the Banksters and multi-national corrporations rarther than the "people" !

[jkc0808]

Do you know what I'll talk about next?

[illuminatedSlave]

Whats that then ?

[jkc0808]

If you don't know, then it would be useless for me to talk about it. Thank you.

[rexeric]

Why do so many people make comments against George Osbourne before reading the in depth draft manifesto on the Conservative website. They sound like ignorant idiots who are the reason why we are in a such a bad way because they voted Labour.

It is Brown and his Government who are at fault and failed to set stringent enough regulatory requirements for the banks. The fact that the regulations did not ensure that the banks had sufficient capital in extremis was down to Brown.

QED

[popeye196869]

I have read it thats what worries me,

It is Brown and his Government who are at fault and failed to set stringent enough regulatory requirements for the banks. - yes and the previous tory governments are just as much to blame and me cos i voted for them, now its immigration thats the biggest problem and both lab/con have their head in the sand vote BNP before its too late.

[jkc0808]

'Unity in diversity is above uniformity'. Confucius.

Do you know what else I'm going to say to you?

[jkc0808]

You mean the very shallow manifesto that will be promptly pulled when Labour loses the election. The conservatives are about secrecy, they can't even defeat China on that one!

[kofieye]

@rexeric, It's "Osborne" - do you know anything about The Conservatives?

[IAMARIX]

Labour keep droning on about how they must keep spending and borrowing even MORE money while they have clocked up the largest national debt ever in our country's history! Err, they're in denial! George Osborne is right to want to lower business taxes to encourage foreign investment otherwise global companies will simply shift their business elsewhere.

And no more taxing the people thank you very much!!!! The cost of living in this country is laughed at by other countries. The Conservatives RULE!

[Geordie1992sex]

check out "The Outlaw Gordon Brown"

A great song about the British PM here on Youtube

[ToulacAxeHand]

Slimeball

[mariocoia]

What about the Banks? Taxpayer's money is used to bail them out even to the extent of taxpayer ownership. Then the government asks the banks politely to do something like let staff keep their jobs, or give the common public the loans and mortgages they deserve, and the Banks tell the government to f'=== off as they need the bail-out money to pay for their big fat greedy bonuses. Fix that Goerge!

[SvQMedia]

"The British people are now looking for a different kind of future" Well I agree with that sentence George! The rest of your piece was just padding. Writing as a "British person" I want the future to be run on an apolitical basis where policies and decisions are based upon the needs of the country and its people. I also realize that this is a Utopian view will never happen and we are doomed to listen to all this waffle by people who have strayed into politics because it is such a gravy train

[anyfekinnamewilldo]

Give the guy an enema and he's fit in a matchbox.

[popeye196869]

more immigration, more taxes just dreassed up as tackling climate change and devolved powers to local government (local government are even bigger theives than them lot in parliament ) wouldnt trust this guy to wash my car to earn a bit of pocket money, and he wants to run the economy, try cutting the hundreds of thousands if not millions of made up jobs, people employed to see if hospitals cater for peoples cultural needs, building sites where tradesmen are outnumbered by health and safety

[PHONEYPOLITICS]

Heres my question -

What is discussed at Bilderberg meetings and do you think that you would be made chancellor if you were not a member of such secret elitist club.

SHAM

[ThePolitix]

The worm has turned. Only 302 people have viewed this video, its embarrassing.

[Mickmars90]

For 4 years, Cameron and Osborne have emasculated the Conservative Party. They have turned my party from a low tax, sound money party into a big spending, high tax party. They have jumped on the green bandwagon, and they have adopted voodoo economics.  They like to claim there is a big difference between them and Labour, but the differences are only skin deep. They are both ideologically committed to high levels of public spending. Cameron and Osborne have taken the party back to Heathism

[PHONEYPOLITICS]

So what you going to do about it?

?

[Mickmars90]

I'd slash taxes to stimulate consumption demand. I'd cut public spending savagely, because the Keynesian idea that cutting spending in a recession is complete nonsense and was disproved before it was conceived in the 1921 American depression. I'd slash the size of government, abolishing most of the departments. I'd establish a libertarian economic and political system based on direct democracy and local referenda. The internet allows live democracy.  We don' need centralised politics anymore

[7Vails]

Mickmars90)So you want a country run on "Doggy Internet Dosers Like the one on WMD !

[TheAngryal]

Brilliant - spend billions on foreign aid, whilst our troops are denied proper equip't, and pensions are static. Foreign aid for eg. that allows India to build their nuclear capabilty, at our expense. Before doling out our money on foreigners, reduce our deficit by paying off our creditors.

[catman2007]

It is the Labout government that is wasting billions on foreign aid and by having the troops overseas. Getting them back is a great way to get costs down and begin to get the economy in balance. The trouble is, Angryal, we don't have the cash to do any paying off at the present time. Savings and tax increases have not been made so far for political reasons...namely we are just before a General Election. This is a scandalous mismanagement of the economy, and blatent electioneering.

[Bollocksinnit]

Foreign aide saves children. Starving the counrty of investement and returning it the the dereliction we experienced in the 80's might be your solution, but i would be happy for my son to go through education in the ramshackle decaying kinds of schools that i went through. The global crisis was caused by bankers worldwide, and all governments share a collective responsilbilty for the mess. Blaming Brown only serves the interests of those who want to take his place: Opportunistic Tories.

[catman2007]

Gordo was the person who abolished boom and bust. He was in charge of our economy. Now look at the mess.

[Bollocksinnit]

Don't be simple. The market determines the success of the global economy, not Gordon Brown.

[TheAngryal]

Yeah, but had the cretin not sold almost our entire gold reserve at rock bottom prices, we would have sufficient in the bank to prop up the pound now. As it is - we are broke.

[Mickmars90]

Central banks and fractional reserve banking caused this mess, not bankers. Central bankers are culpable. If we had a free market monetary system i.e. a gold standard, we wouldn't be in this mess today because governments wouldn't be able to issue fiat currency in perpetuity which devalues the money in our pockets. Bankers responded to the incentives that were given to them by politicians and the monetary authorities. Who is going to be fiscally conservative when you are guaranteed a bailout

[TheAngryal]

I understand that, but can you tell me why the Tories have pledged to maintain foreign aid, in fact an increase is planned to countries like India, where we, in effect, prop up their nuclear programme. Foreign aid only saves children if the money is used to that effect. Osborne should come clean and announce a review on who gets what. We can certainly save a few billion there.,

[catman2007]

What a problem. Every time Labour makes a mess of the economy and it is the Coservatives that get things right again. When will Labour realise that a 50% tax rate is counter productive. remember the Laffa curve? The politics of envy has no place in our society. Good luck George. We know you make sense!

[0rg22]

Is that why we are no longer in a recession? Brown said it would take time, there is no quick fix for the economy and the fact that the Conservatives are saying they can fix it quickly is a lie.

The global market forced us into a recession, not Brown. Brown, despite my dislike of him, did get us out.

[PHONEYPOLITICS]

oh come on - if you believe those recession figures your a bigger mug than most.

even if they are not 'bent figures' the fact of printing money and other stimulus spending has been the only positives in the economy - the public spending cuts are coming and interst rates are going to go up - you think we wont tail spin into a deeper recession -

[catman2007]

Another brainwashed reply. No one has said there is a quick fix.

[Bollocksinnit]

This is a demonstration in how to talk for two minutes, but say absolutely nothing. What a load of rubbish.

[factandveritas]

@Bollocksinnit

rubbish is the state of our economy after 12 years of brown bottoms in the markets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kejjp]

What the public need is more details. How do you plan to increase our exports?

What are you going to do to control the Banking and Financial Sector. How can we stop our firms which used to lead exports from being bought out by foreign countries and the British arm of these companies being closed . How will you cut down on burocracy. How will you shrink the gap between the rich and poor.

Health Service is essebtial but how to do it with less expenditure. Care of elderly etc . Details needed!!!!

[PHONEYPOLITICS]

DETAILS? How can they give you details when they have none - having details would mean that they have the solutions - they dont need to have a solution just the desired objectives. Havent you figured it out yet. CHANGE BLAH BLAH LABOUR RUBBISH BLAH CONSERVATIVE GREAT BLAH CONSERVATIVE BRITISH BLAH CONSERVATIVE NUAGHTY BANKERS BLAH CONSERVATIVE REALLY GOOD BLAH JOBS BLAH MONEY BLAH BLAH LABOUR HAVE MESSED IT ALL UP BLAH CHANGE BLAH.

Get the picture.

[anyfekinnamewilldo]

@phoneypolitics...I'm clapping, couldn't agree more. Why do people even believe it is the job of the state to increase exports, shrink gap between rich and poor or have any involvement with the private sector?

Army, police and court system that is all I want from gov't

[flitcham50]

Still insufficient beef IMO. Not overly impressed yet, though I do accept that another term of New Labour with Mandelson's glove puppet would be disastrous for our country.

[tdp1909]

I'm thinking none of it is shocking enough - it's all ticking boxes & nothing that really offends.

I admit that's a big part of being elected, but it's also about eliciting a reaction. Richard Dawkins didn't get as popular as he did by being agreeable...