Did anyone else catch Stephanie “Two Eds” Flanders on the Today programme this morning discussing the economic policies of Francois Hollande? I was stunned to hear her claim that there is really very little, if any, substantive difference between what the foaming at the mouth Socialist Hollande has in mind and what Sarkzoy was doing. Total nonsense. It is Hollande’s radicalism that won the election (along with people being fed up with Sarkozy and who can blame them?) but to allege that he is a moderate is just plain biased analysis. It’s as if the BBC wants to instantly portray Hollande as a middle of the road centrist, nothing to see, move along. 75% tax rate? Only for the wealthy! Spend what you don’t have? That’s called “growth” or “investment” in these modern times! Maybe economics guru Flanders wants to look at what has happened the Euro since Monsieur Hollande won the poll. Stephanomics? No – more like Balls economics, if you know what I mean.
Being a resident of France, I will be interested to see whether Hollandes fondness for foreigners in his country extends beyond the burqa brigade to ex-pat Brits like me.
He wants to hire 60,000 new teachers. He wants to shut down half of France’s nuclear capacity. He wants to raise taxes. Sarkozy was against all of that.
A 75% tax rate is a middle-of-the-road position if one is coming from a Left-wing perspective.
And how will Ms Flanders spin that?
How long before he runs out of (every one elses ) money?
PS This post should have been posted before the preceeding post – if you see what I mean; too much cider!
Of course our Steph is part of the Labour/BBC aristocracy. She is the daughter of Michael Flanders of the Westminster School and Oxford University educated revue duo Flanders and Swan. Anthony Wedgewood Benn, Viscount Stansgate was a school friend and was roped in as a stagehand for the pair. Labour peer Lord Morris of Manchester was a family friend. Stephanie’s sister Laura lives and works in the US and so can be more forthright about her politics. Laura describes herself as a “liberal, lefty person”.
BBC, BBC, glorious BBC mud, nothing quite like it for liberal-elitist blood!
It’s not just me:
EU Voters Nix Austerity, Though It’s Not Been Tried
Fiscal Policy: The stunning outcomes of elections in France, Greece and Italy were called “a sweeping repudiation” of austerity by more than one media outlet. But how can you repudiate something that’s never been tried?
The EU tried austerity, but it didn’t work. The media and Europe’s beleaguered leftist politicians have made that their refrain, and apparently a lot of European voters now agree.
How else can you explain why French Socialist Francois Hollande ousted centrist incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in Sunday’s election — and why anti-austerity parties on the left and right made gains in Greece’s parliamentary elections over the weekend?
Now, the left’s argument goes, a new “growth strategy” premised on more government spending, not less, is needed — just like in Spain, Greece and Italy.
The only problem: The idea of EU austerity is a myth.
In fact, despite a lot of wailing, very few cuts have actually been made in Europe. Austerity? Starting in 2008, most governments enacted large stimulus packages.
Their solution will be printing money because no one will lend them any, because they can’t have a reasonable expectation of repayment. The easy option is growth funded by “quantitative easing”, aka fake money not backed by wealth-creation or taxation. Cameron been at it the same as Brown. “We are all brown now”