WTB Daniel Hannan

[nelson]

WTB (Want To Buy) 1x Daniel Hannan for US Congress

Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government

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[nelson]

BTW the above speech was delivered after the Prime Minister Gordon Brown had asked the European Parliament for “biggest financial stimulus the world has ever seen.”

The speaker is Daniel Hannan, who represents South East England for the Conservative Party (in the European Parliament). Why we don't have conservatives (I said conservatives, not Republicans) like this in the US Congress saying the same things to their hyper-spending comrades, and posting the videos on youtube, is beyond me.

Here (http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2009/3/25/british-mep-daniel-hannen-transcript-of-his-attack-on-gordon-brown.html) is a transcript of the speech.

Prime Minister, I see you’ve already mastered the essential craft of the European politician, namely the ability to say one thing in this chamber and a very different thing to your home electorate. You’ve spoken here about free trade, and amen to that. Who would have guessed, listening to you just now, that you were the author of the phrase ‘British jobs for British workers’ and that you have subsidised, where you have not nationalised outright, swathes of our economy, including the car industry and many of the banks? Perhaps you would have more moral authority in this house if your actions matched your words? Perhaps you would have more legitimacy in the councils of the world if the United Kingdom were not going into this recession in the worst condition of any G20 country?

The truth, Prime Minister, is that you have run out of our money. The country as a whole is now in negative equity. Every British child is born owing around £20,000. Servicing the interest on that debt is going to cost more than educating the child. Now, once again today you try to spread the blame around; you spoke about an international recession, international crisis. Well, it is true that we are all sailing together into the squalls. But not every vessel in the convoy is in the same dilapidated condition. Other ships used the good years to caulk their hulls and clear their rigging; in other words – to pay off debt. But you used the good years to raise borrowing yet further. As a consequence, under your captaincy, our hull is pressed deep into the water line under the accumulated weight of your debt We are now running a deficit that touches 10% of GDP, an almost unbelievable figure. More than Pakistan, more than Hungary; countries where the IMF have already been called in. Now, it’s not that you’re not apologising; like everyone else I have long accepted that you’re pathologically incapable of accepting responsibility for these things. It’s that you’re carrying on, wilfully worsening our situation, wantonly spending what little we have left. Last year - in the last twelve months – a hundred thousand private sector jobs have been lost and yet you created thirty thousand public sector jobs.

Prime Minister, you cannot carry on for ever squeezing the productive bit of the economy in order to fund an unprecedented engorgement of the unproductive bit. You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt. And when you repeat, in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we’re ‘well-placed to weather the storm’, I have to tell you that you sound like a Brezhnev-era apparatchik giving the party line. You know, and we know, and you know that we know that it’s nonsense! Everyone knows that Britain is worse off than any other country as we go into these hard times. The IMF has said so; the European Commission has said so; the markets have said so – which is why our currency has devalued by thirty percent. And soon the voters too will get their chance to say so. They can see what the markets have already seen: that you are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government.

[Remphoto]

BTW the above speech was delivered after the Prime Minister Gordon Brown had asked the European Parliament for “biggest financial stimulus the world has ever seen.”

The speaker is Daniel Hannan, who represents South East England for the Conservative Party (in the European Parliament). Why we don't have conservatives (I said conservatives, not Republicans) like this in the US Congress saying the same things to their hyper-spending comrades, and posting the videos on youtube, is beyond me.

Here (http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2009/3/25/british-mep-daniel-hannen-transcript-of-his-attack-on-gordon-brown.html) is a transcript of the speech.

Thanks for posting this. I had heard it read but not seen the transcript. This guy tells it like it is and it is very applicable to what is going on in the US, too. Here is my favorite line:

Prime Minister, you cannot carry on for ever squeezing the productive bit of the economy in order to fund an unprecedented engorgement of the unproductive bit. You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt. And when you repeat, in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we’re ‘well-placed to weather the storm’, I have to tell you that you sound like a Brezhnev-era apparatchik giving the party line. You know, and we know, and you know that we know that it’s nonsense!

[right$pecial]

Why can't some of our representatives stand up like that without being made to look like madmen? Good post. It's good to know that at least some of the British still have common sense.

[MYCAR47562]

Ballist

[The G]

Sounds like a pissed off republican :rofl

[right$pecial]

He was just on Glen Beck. Apparently he is envious of our government for its' initial implementation of principles that the left would like to get rid of.

[MYCAR47562]

Yeah He Is A Pissed Off Conservative Because We Are The Only One's Who Seem To Understand The Government Can't Spend It's Way Out Of A Rescession

[The G]

Yeah He Is A Pissed Off Conservative Because We Are The Only One's Who Seem To Understand The Government Can't Spend It's Way Out Of A Rescession
We're going to try.

[Remphoto]

We're going to try.

...and leave the bill for our children and grandchildren. Good plan.:rofl

[right$pecial]

We're going to try.

:rofl

[The G]

...and leave the bill for our children and grandchildren. Good plan.:roflWe're going give it to the rich folks to pay. :D

[MYCAR47562]

Yea I Thought Every One Pay's Taxes Or We Gonna Stop Taxing The "middle Class"

[The G]

Yea I Thought Every One Pay's Taxes Or We Gonna Stop Taxing The "middle Class"

Now I like that idea :thumb:

[MYCAR47562]

Lol The Country Would Crash Really Quickly When Every Single Rich Person Moves Out And There's No One To Pay Taxes

[The G]

Lol The Country Would Crash Really Quickly When Every Single Rich Person Moves Out And There's No One To Pay Taxes

I don't have a problem with that either.

[The G]

Lol The Country Would Crash Really Quickly When Every Single Rich Person Moves Out And There's No One To Pay Taxes
oh they had a hand in the mess we have now.

[MYCAR47562]

Dude You Relize What You Want Right?

[The G]

Nope but I'll think about. :)

[nelson]

gah just realized the "transcript" posted is not complete. i'll try and find a better copy or type it up at some point

[Freethinker]

Well, Mr. Hannan has some salient points. However, in his soliloquy he offers no alternative plan.

Thats what I don't understand. We are in an economic downturn, and yet every goverment is asking to borrow money on future generations. It makes no sense in my mind.

Why are we splinting this wounded economy instead of re-inventing it? Why do we continue to support the system that failed instead of re-vamping the system? The great depression ended when we became united in one common goal. It fundamentally shifted our economy to the industrial economy. Now the industrial economy has come grinding to a hault.

What will that common goal be? We are so fractured in our politics, we wouldn't recognize it were sitting in front of our faces.

I'm frustrated because we are flushing the future of our children, and their children, and their children's children chasing this economy that is for all intents and purposes DOOMED.

Shift priority. Shift fundamental thinking. Shift the focus of our economy.

[right$pecial]

Well, Mr. Hannan has some salient points. However, in his soliloquy he offers no alternative plan.

Thats what I don't understand. We are in an economic downturn, and yet every goverment is asking to borrow money on future generations. It makes no sense in my mind.

Why are we splinting this wounded economy instead of re-inventing it? Why do we continue to support the system that failed instead of re-vamping the system? The great depression ended when we became united in one common goal. It fundamentally shifted our economy to the industrial economy. Now the industrial economy has come grinding to a hault.

What will that common goal be? We are so fractured in our politics, we wouldn't recognize it were sitting in front of our faces.

I'm frustrated because we are flushing the future of our children, and their children, and their children's children chasing this economy that is for all intents and purposes DOOMED.

Shift priority. Shift fundamental thinking. Shift the focus of our economy.

And you know I believe that is why a lot of people voted for Obama; he spouted "change." The problem is that this administration is simply going in the same direction as the previous one, only with a heightened sense of urgency. In this case we will stop marching toward our doom and start running toward it. Nobody in Washington has the balls to go in a completely new direction. I believe Ron Paul would have tried real change and whether or not you agree with his ideas, I do believe he would have done everything in his power to bring about real change.

[Remphoto]

Instead of going back to a 1930's model, which took 10 years and a world war to work, we should be focusing on the strategies that pulled us out of a nastier recession in the early 1980's? The achievers need to be incentivized and the non-productive encouraged to be. Instead we are rushing at breakneck speed toward a massive redistribution of wealth which will leave no incentives for doing anything except bellying up to the government sow.

[right$pecial]

Instead of going back to a 1930's model, which took 10 years and a world war to work, we should be focusing on the strategies that pulled us out of a nastier recession in the early 1980's? The achievers need to be incentivized and the non-productive encouraged to be. Instead we are rushing at breakneck speed toward a massive redistribution of wealth which will leave no incentives for doing anything except bellying up to the government sow.

I'm convinced that they know this is what will happen and that they want it this way. Nothing else makes sense.

[Freethinker]

Instead of going back to a 1930's model, which took 10 years and a world war to work, we should be focusing on the strategies that pulled us out of a nastier recession in the early 1980's? The achievers need to be incentivized and the non-productive encouraged to be. Instead we are rushing at breakneck speed toward a massive redistribution of wealth which will leave no incentives for doing anything except bellying up to the government sow.

I don't see the recession of the 80's to be "Nastier." I think this one is bigger than that one.

In the 80's, the private sector spent themselves out of this recession. It was a decade of spending. It was a very superficial time, and it was the setup we have for this mess we are in now. It made money in stocks and bonds, and set up greedy wall street types to fleece the economy to where we are now. I believe the 80's is when we planted this seed that we now reap.

[Remphoto]

I don't see the recession of the 80's to be "Nastier." I think this one is bigger than that one.

In the 80's, the private sector spent themselves out of this recession. It was a decade of spending. It was a very superficial time, and it was the setup we have for this mess we are in now. It made money in stocks and bonds, and set up greedy wall street types to fleece the economy to where we are now. I believe the 80's is when we planted this seed that we now reap.

I disagree of course. That recession had stagflation and double digit interest rates in addition to high unemployment. Not saying we won't get there with this one and admit we have mortgage issues this time, but to date it is not as bad. The stimulus offered by RWR got things moving. He also wanted to cut budget but was stymied by Congress. This created a deficit which was not part of his plan. There are always excesses, because we are human and there are skunks on both sides of the aisle. But for me I would rather err on the side of individual liberty and productivity rather than some kind of socialistic, utopian plan like what is now being promulgated.

[The G]

I don't see the recession of the 80's to be "Nastier." I think this one is bigger than that one.

In the 80's, the private sector spent themselves out of this recession. It was a decade of spending. It was a very superficial time, and it was the setup we have for this mess we are in now. It made money in stocks and bonds, and set up greedy wall street types to fleece the economy to where we are now. I believe the 80's is when we planted this seed that we now reap.

Your right on the money Sir

[Freethinker]

I disagree of course. That recession had stagflation and double digit interest rates in addition to high unemployment. Not saying we won't get there with this one and admit we have mortgage issues this time, but to date it is not as bad. The stimulus offered by RWR got things moving. He also wanted to cut budget but was stymied by Congress. This created a deficit which was not part of his plan. There are always excesses, because we are human and there are skunks on both sides of the aisle. But for me I would rather err on the side of individual liberty and productivity rather than some kind of socialistic, utopian plan like what is now being promulgated.

That's a good point, Rem. Why haven't interest rates risen yet? I would expect that with un-employment as high as it is, inflation would be here by now.

[The G]

This is far from over I'll bet it will be another year before we see a real change in the economy.

[Remphoto]

This is far from over I'll bet it will be another year before we see a real change in the economy.

And unfortunately based on the direction of our president it will be worse. Interest rates will go through the roof due to his reckless spending and massive deficits.

[The G]

And unfortunately based on the direction of our president it will be worse. Interest rates will go through the roof due to his reckless spending and massive deficits.Isn't it past your bed time :)

[Remphoto]

Isn't it past your bed time :)

I'm just warming up.:) I'm on vacation and it is storming outside. But you're right -- need to get up early tomorrow and head back to the frozen north. Good night (unless you post something really dumb that I need to correct).:D

[nelson]

I see your point Freethinker. A lot of us do want some sort of plan.

Like you said, we keep splinting it. Each splint provides a temporary fix, but prevents healing, and now we have something really crooked. IMO our mess stems back far beyond the 80s, and we've seen nothing but splints of ever-increasing sizes since our currency left the gold standard.

Whatever the cause, you are dead right about our future. The biggest splint of all is another temporary fix which will leave us in another even more critical circumstance.

There are real economic fixes, and they're not very complicated. But after generations reared upon the splints, real fixes appear radical. And the obstacle to implementing them is that they would result in a very difficult short term adjustment. (In an entitlement driven society, nobody can advocate that and stay in power long enough.)

I also agree we are highly fragmented politically. Actually, thick volumes are needed to describe all the ways in which we are now fragmented. Just turn on the TV, any station, and you will soon hear value of diversity. But not unity.

So what do we do? I'm not smart enough to know all the answers. It's much easier to look back, and curse this event or that. :) But I think now with our current political environment, we are somewhat screwed until.... some sort of event takes place, or new leadership arises. In the mean time we can try to stop as much of the debt as we can. Or, maybe I'm just not stepping out of my own perspective, and there are other possibilities. I hope so!

[The G]

I'm just warming up.:) I'm on vacation and it is storming outside. But you're right -- need to get up early tomorrow and head back to the frozen north. Good night (unless you post something really dumb that I need to correct).:D Wheres that pink elephant that dances ? I get to sign up tomorrow.

[The G]

And unfortunately based on the direction of our president it will be worse. Interest rates will go through the roof due to his reckless spending and massive deficits.Or we can do nothing and start the 2nd Great Depression. :D

[MYCAR47562]

Oh We Keep On This Track And Cause "the Depression"

[gtrman66]

Or we can do nothing and start the 2nd Great Depression. :D

Actually, doing nothing would have been the right thing to do. Hoover was right.

[The G]

Actually, doing nothing would have been the right thing to do. Hoover was right.I'll have to disagree.