Will the British Government ever learn?

[Priory Academy USSR]

If you've been following British news recently, or, well, any time over the past few years, you'd have noticed that the British economy is in fairly deep trouble right now. Ever since the recession, it's been struggling to recover and even now it's still floundering around, still struggling to avoid further recession even today.

Many people are attributing this to the harsh austerity measures put in place by the Coalition.

This in itself isn't really news; austerity has been failing since day one. What I want to ask is, why are the Conservatives still pushing through with it?
Nearly 3 years on, and there still seems to be no sign of recovery. The deficit reduction plan isn't working, and neither, it seems, are any other government economic policies. They have me stumped.

NSG? Why is the government going ahead with its failing plan?

[Supremastan]

The truth is it doesn't really matter anymore whether a policy works or not. The decisions of many politicians on the right and the left alike are based more on often centuries old ideologies than what actually works.

[Chestaan]

The Conservatives aren't the best at admitting that they're wrong, even if their policies have screwed the economy.

[Napkiraly]

And of course foreigners and bad weather will be blamed.

[Coccygia]

The truth is it doesn't really matter anymore whether a policy works or not. The decisions of many politicians on the right and the left alike are based more on often centuries old ideologies than what actually works.

Bingo.

[Farnhamia]

If you've been following British news recently, or, well, any time over the past few years, you'd have noticed that the British economy is in fairly deep trouble right now. Ever since the recession, it's been struggling to recover and even now it's still floundering around, still struggling to avoid further recession even today.

Many people are attributing this to the harsh austerity measures put in place by the Coalition.

This in itself isn't really news; austerity has been failing since day one. What I want to ask is, why are the Conservatives still pushing through with it?
Nearly 3 years on, and there still seems to be no sign of recovery. The deficit reduction plan isn't working, and neither, it seems, are any other government economic policies. They have me stumped.

NSG? Why is the government going ahead with its failing plan?

Because they don't want to become Greece. It is a well know fact of economics - one might almost say a Law - that when your debt exceeds 90% of your GDP everyone begins speaking Greek and eating spanakopita and drinking retsina and shouting "Hopa!" Really, you can look this up. How silly would people from Manchester and Birmingham and Burton-on-Trent look shouting "Hopa!"?

[Mike the Progressive]

Of course, austerity isn't working. It would be one thing if you were just cutting spending, but increasing taxes too? Talk about what not to do...

[Coccygia]

If you've been following British news recently, or, well, any time over the past few years, you'd have noticed that the British economy is in fairly deep trouble right now. Ever since the recession, it's been struggling to recover and even now it's still floundering around, still struggling to avoid further recession even today.

Many people are attributing this to the harsh austerity measures put in place by the Coalition.

This in itself isn't really news; austerity has been failing since day one. What I want to ask is, why are the Conservatives still pushing through with it?
Nearly 3 years on, and there still seems to be no sign of recovery. The deficit reduction plan isn't working, and neither, it seems, are any other government economic policies. They have me stumped.

NSG? Why is the government going ahead with its failing plan?

Because they don't want to become Greece. It is a well know fact of economics - one might almost say a Law - that when your debt exceeds 90% of your GDP everyone begins speaking Greek and eating spanakopita and drinking retsina and shouting "Hopa!" Really, you can look this up. How silly would people from Manchester and Birmingham and Burton-on-Trent look shouting "Hopa!"?

On the other hand think what a cute alphabet the UK would have.

[Divair]

Because much like people, governments would rather continue doing something stupid rather than admit a mistake.

[Priory Academy USSR]

And of course foreigners and bad weather will be blamed.

I thought we were putting all of the blame on the scroungers now?

[Democratic Koyro]

Austerity should jsut be abandoned worldwide as a policy. Austerity doesn't achieve shit. It just makes everything worse. Which they then use to justify harsher austerity measures, thus the whole vicious cycle continues.

[Urumgard]

http://labourlist.org/2012/12/some-things-george-osborne-has-said-about-the-aaa-credit-rating/

And now two credit agencies have downgraded the UK's credit rating.
If the convention of individual ministerial responsibility was actually followed, then Gideon should have by all rights resigned.

[Cosara]

If you've been following British news recently, or, well, any time over the past few years, you'd have noticed that the British economy is in fairly deep trouble right now. Ever since the recession, it's been struggling to recover and even now it's still floundering around, still struggling to avoid further recession even today.

Many people are attributing this to the harsh austerity measures put in place by the Coalition.

This in itself isn't really news; austerity has been failing since day one. What I want to ask is, why are the Conservatives still pushing through with it?
Nearly 3 years on, and there still seems to be no sign of recovery. The deficit reduction plan isn't working, and neither, it seems, are any other government economic policies. They have me stumped.

NSG? Why is the government going ahead with its failing plan?

You only have to change 2 words and cross out 1 sentence, and this about describes the US Economy.

[Forsakia]

You're cherry picking with your sources, iirc for example the rating agencies are complaining about the lack of austerity (government spending has been INCREASING over the past few years). Alongside that even the Labour party acknowledged the need for cuts.

[Churchilland]

If you look at other countries like Greece, Spain and Cyprus then we're doing brilliantly, but notice this, they didn't have austerity until the last minute and now look. Indeed, Austerity isn't brilliant, but It's better than what's happening with those countries...

[Napkiraly]

And of course foreigners and bad weather will be blamed.

I thought we were putting all of the blame on the scroungers now?

The government will go for the trifecta. Scrounger foreigners causing bad weather with their evil foreigner magik caused the economy to not recover.

[The Whispers]

NSG? Why is the government going ahead with its failing plan?

Two reasons:

- They know it will absolutely obliterate the Lib Dems' support base in the 2015 election.
- They're terrified that changing course will let the traders loose like Black Wednesday.

[Urumgard]

And of course foreigners and bad weather will be blamed.

I thought we were putting all of the blame on the scroungers now?

It's actually mainly because they've inherited a mess which was left by the previous Labour government. Come on guys!

[Priory Academy USSR]

http://labourlist.org/2012/12/some-things-george-osborne-has-said-about-the-aaa-credit-rating/

And now two credit agencies have downgraded the UK's credit rating.
If the convention of individual ministerial responsibility was actually followed, then Gideon should have by all rights resigned.

And, IIRC, Osbourne was originally basing his success in the economy on maintaining the AAA rating. it seems to have backfired now, though.

[Democratic Koyro]

I thought we were putting all of the blame on the scroungers now?

The government will go for the trifecta. Scrounger foreigners causing bad weather with their evil foreigner magik caused the economy to not recover.

Seems legit. Does this mean if we do "Economic recovery dances" the economy will get better?

[Napkiraly]

Because much like people, governments would rather continue doing something stupid rather than admit a mistake.

I've always wondered why governments don't admit they done goofed more often. I'd actually be more willing to give them another go if they admitted mistakes and had a plan on what they'd do differently.

[Democratic Koyro]

I thought we were putting all of the blame on the scroungers now?

It's actually mainly because they've inherited a mess which was left by the previous Labour government. Come on guys!

Everything can be blamed on Edward Heath. Everything bad that has ever happened after or indeed before the Heath Premiership.

[Urumgard]

http://labourlist.org/2012/12/some-things-george-osborne-has-said-about-the-aaa-credit-rating/

And now two credit agencies have downgraded the UK's credit rating.
If the convention of individual ministerial responsibility was actually followed, then Gideon should have by all rights resigned.

And, IIRC, Osbourne was originally basing his success in the economy on maintaining the AAA rating. it seems to have backfired now, though.

"George Osborne has said safeguarding the rating was his “first benchmark” and a “measure of success”. He has also warned that a credit rating downgrade would be “humiliating” and that it is “absolutely essential” that Britain does not have one."

[Priory Academy USSR]

You're cherry picking with your sources, iirc for example the rating agencies are complaining about the lack of austerity (government spending has been INCREASING over the past few years). Alongside that even the Labour party acknowledged the need for cuts.

I'm not doubting the necessity of some level of cutting. It's simply that the current solution is failing at the moment, yet the Conservatives don't want to admit that and try something different. Why is this?

[Divair]

Because much like people, governments would rather continue doing something stupid rather than admit a mistake.

I've always wondered why governments don't admit they done goofed more often. I'd actually be more willing to give them another go if they admitted mistakes and had a plan on what they'd do differently.

Admitting you fucked up is hard enough as an average person, if your entire political career rests upon whether or not you fuck up, it's even harder to admit you fucked up.