Saturday, March 27, 2010

Election Strategy Flawed


Election a-comin'. I've been reading the usual mince that passes off as economic reporting in the media. I've even read some eminent bloggers pondering whether or not the budget is a good one.

I read Maddox of The Scotsman talking about who people thought had the best economic strategy to deal with the 'economic crisis'. There was no question on what people think the crisis is, how bad it is or more importantly who caused it.

Apparently many Scots think that Labour has the best strategy to deal with the crisis. For heaven's sakes - they caused it. And this is where the SNP have been failing miserably. The strategy has been about attacking the London government over proposed cuts. Well, given that the problem is about debt that's not really a wise strategy.

At the SNP conference Swinney talked about Scotland being held back by 'bankrupt Britain'. I have been banging on about this strategy for over a year. I've tried to change the debate through newspaper message boards and had some success. The SNP really needs to think big and punt this line over and over.

Labour has brought the British economy to the point of bankruptcy. That line must be pushed over and over again. Given the mess Brown has got us into how is it that the SNP can be on the backfoot on the issue of the economy? It's nonsensical and is a consequence of poor strategic thinking in the SNP leadership.

How can we trust the people who got us into an economic mess to get us out of it? We should be hammering this line continually. Instead the strategy is complaining about cuts to the Scottish budget. A matter that is easily defended given that debt is smothering the economy.

The SNP must change tactics and attack the cause and depth of the crisis. It must point out that this is not a recession but a systemic collapse and that independence is the escape clause. The current strategy is dishonest, petty and ultimately misses an open goal. Britain is bankrupt and Scotland must get out - that's a simple line to punt and is honest. Britain has failed and the London political parties have taken Britain into terminal economic decline.

Instead Labour can swan around talking about strategies for 'recovery' and feel no need to defend themselves for their role in the economic madness that has constituted their policies. They've destroyed the manufacturing base, created a credit bubble which is now choking the private sector to death and bailed out the banks transferring private debts to the taxpayer and thus ensuring that there will be no resolution to the economic crisis for several generations.

For my blogger friends and so-called economic commentators. The budget was irrelevant. The economic disaster which we find ourselves in requires drastic measures and none of them where found in the budget. The banks must be allowed to fail, all bail-out debts repudiated and private credit card and mortgage debts scrapped. That will free up people to save and spend and thus the consumer will be back and savings will drive manufacturing investment.

The government are working in tandem with the banks. And that means debt for generations. Debt is how they want to control the population. It's neo-feudal economics and people are going to suffer - a lot. I fear that their weapons of mass distraction are not going to save the British political class from the wrath of the taxpayer.

Meanwhile, the SNP are complaining about budget cuts. Unbelievable.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree, I just listened to the Labour speeches given by Brown, Murphy and the rest in Glasgow. The beeb chap gave a half arsed attempt to pull them up about their negative comments on how they would win the next election. Truth be told if the Tories or Labour or the Greens anyone in fact said they would stand for and independent Scotland, I would for them. The SNP need to grow some balls and attack the policies of Westminster for the past 30 years and more. I do wonder if there is something that is holding the SNP back from stating the obvious about the current and past governments, do they have some hold over the SNP ?

Alex Porter said...

Excellent points.

I think it's just tea and buscuits nationalism. Be nice and the old lady in the Perthshire tearoom will think you nats aren't so dangerous after all.

The policy of the first administration has clearly to build up a sense that the SNP is a competent party of government. Fairly laudable if Britain wasn't going down the tubes at a rate of nauts.

Salmond and Co are trying to show that they are good managers of devolution and have embarked on a low-risk strategy.

I think the grass-roots just complies and so I think that the MSPs have to stir things up and demand that the gloves come off.

The media are doing a good job of presenting politics as though it's business as usual. The truth is that Britain is in meltdown. The SNP should be grabbing the opportunity and sticking the boot in. Then when the shit really hits the fan people will gravitate towards independence.

I think the establishment has them to a point however I think if we pushed for a 'Bankrupt Britain' campaign we could change party strategy!