No Apology Over Slump From Darling

[Badger]

The usual tosh repeated from the badger, but still no holding up of hands and going, yes we are a bunch of *****s

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/..._Downing_Street

Chancellor Alistair Darling has refused to apologise for the Government's handling of the economic crisis in an exclusive interview with Sky News.

Sitting opposite him at Number 11 Downing Street, Sky's Jeff Randall asked whether the British public were owed an apology from Mr Darling on the Government's behalf for the mistakes that had been made in the run-up to the current crisis.

"I don't really see that you had no warning, (that) it just popped out of thin air," he said.

"You've been driving the car, and now it's crashed."

Mr Darling admitted that mistakes had been made, such as the Financial Services Authority's failure to do more to prevent the collapse of Northern Rock, but said that rather than concentrate on the past it was now important to look forward.

"The question that I think is important now for people is 'What are you going to do about it?'," he said.

"We have to ask ourselves how we're going to get banks lending again."

Darling admits economic mistakes

Randall pointed out that investors were dumping sterling and buying other currencies - a bad sign for the UK's prospects of withstanding the downturn.

However, Mr Darling insisted that the recession was a global problem, with the economic malaise affecting "every country in the world".

He said failures in international regulation, rather than domestic, were behind the crisis.

"There are many lessons to be learned," he said.

"There are many people who with the benefit of hindsight, you can say should have done different things, or done things differently to the way they did.

"I think what is rather more important, surely, is to recognise where mistakes have been made in the past, and surely one of the biggest mistakes is that we didn't have a system that was capable of recognising where problems were beginning to arise."

Alistair Darling speaks to Sky

Randall went on to tackle Mr Darling about the Government's willingness to increase national borrowing to try to stimulate the economy.

"If too much debt is the problem, how can borrowing more to get people to spend more possibly be the answer?" Randall asked.

Mr Darling responded that reining in Government spending at this point would have "disastrous consequences".

He said unemployment would rise, services that people depend on would end and "a difficult situation would become so much worse".

Turning to Labour's record in power, Randall pointed out that unemployment is higher than it was in 1997, personal bankruptcies are soaring, the financial system is in chaos and the pound is "on its knees".

Mr Darling responded that in the past 12 years, more than three million people had gone into jobs and that the downturn was affecting every country.

"In addition to that, if you look at the state of schools, hospitals and transport we increased investment in them and reduced the amount of debt we had at the same time," he said.

edit: title

Edited January 12, 2009 by Badger

[Wol]

AD was HOPELESS.

"If you look at one the sources of this problem, cheap credit...", he said.

And what's the response from the government and the BoE?

They're trying (and will continue to try) to force down the cost of borrowing.

Could it get any more stupid?

[the end is a bit nigher]

Just posted a comment. If it gets published, i'll eat Kirstie's leftovers.

[laurejon]

Before you know it the Government will be ordering the fire service to use petrol instead of water to put out fires.

Its simply amazing that having had ten years of unabated credit that has finally ruined the nation, and other nations the solution is ..................more credit.

There is certainly something going on at a Global level, there is no way on Gods Eath that stupidity can be replecated on such a massive scale. What the plans are is hard to imagine, but the system is being broke piece by piece that much is clear.

[awf]

Do you think he's just dying to blame it all on his predecessor...?

[Not Long Now]

I would like to thank vote Badger "HPC Poster of the day" for coining the term "fu*kwittery".

Top Marks,

[mr slump]

just watched it,

didn't answer a single question

yer man looked like he was seething under the blank face

he did give him some stick though

can't see what else he would do, pure brick wall of spin

same repetitive impotent sh!te every time, quavering under the weight of dimwit propaganda

I guess all the gen public can do is hear the questions and see they aren't answered

livid

[Wol]

I'd like to see an interviewer get genuinely angry. I'll send £50 to the first interviewer who does.

All they have to do is stop after a few minutes and say, slowly and with some real venom, "I don't want you to keep repeating excuses that the public has already heard. You did nothing whatsoever to prevent a credit bubble being created and now you are desperately trying to create another at the expense of the next generation. How can you even hope for the public to take you seriously?"

[Shao Kahn]

I'd like to see an interviewer get genuinely angry. I'll send £50 to the first interviewer who does.

All they have to do is stop after a few minutes and say, slowly and with some real venom, "I don't want you to keep repeating excuses that the public has already heard. You did nothing whatsoever to prevent a credit bubble being created and now you are desperately trying to create another at the expense of the next generation. How can you even hope for the public to take you seriously?"

Why do you think they never let Paxman loose on them? Remember his interview with Michael Howard years ago where Paxo asked him the same question about fifteen times...

[durhamborn]

Why do you think they never let Paxman loose on them? Remember his interview with Michael Howard years ago where Paxo asked him the same question about fifteen times...

I was at court one day in Newcastle and got there early so went into a rather posh hotel for a coffee.Just me in there and in walks Paxman and sat on next table.He was doing a thing with Blair that day.

He was huge,never said a word,even to waitress,just pointed at the menu.He stared for ages at his muffin almost taunting it,then wolfed it down in one go.

No wonder he puts the fear of god in politicians.I was glad to get in front of the judge after my breakfast with Paxman.

[yaakov]

I was at court one day in Newcastle and got there early so went into a rather posh hotel for a coffee.Just me in there and in walks Paxman and sat on next table.He was doing a thing with Blair that day.

He was huge,never said a word,even to waitress,just pointed at the menu.He stared for ages at his muffin almost taunting it,then wolfed it down in one go.

No wonder he puts the fear of god in politicians.I was glad to get in front of the judge after my breakfast with Paxman.

sat on a table, doing his thing with Blair. He was huge, never said a word. He stared for ages at his muffin then wolfed it down in one go.

superb, what an image

[dinker]

just watched it,

didn't answer a single question

yer man looked like he was seething under the blank face

he did give him some stick though

can't see what else he would do, pure brick wall of spin

same repetitive impotent sh!te every time, quavering under the weight of dimwit propaganda

I guess all the gen public can do is hear the questions and see they aren't answered

livid

And politicians wonder why they are held in contempt by the public.

[Y-QUERK]

Why should he apologise? The UK was fine till all the problems started in America. At least he and Gordon acted quickly to save the World. If anything we OWE THEM an apology for being so critical.

*retch*

['Bart']

but said that rather than concentrate on the past it was now important to look forward

Yes, let's not rake up the past, with its accusations and blame. The future is a lovely, blame-free clean sheet.

[SPLATT]

Just posted a comment. If it gets published, i'll eat Kirstie's leftovers.

Nobody gets that chunky leaving leftovers, pick another one we can hold you to...LOL

[billyslad]

What i would do is say to the politician that I was halting the interview as there is no point going on if they would not answer the questeion

[Realistbear]

The usual tosh repeated from the badger, but still no holding up of hands and going, yes we are a bunch of *****s

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/..._Downing_Street

Chancellor Alistair Darling has refused to apologise for the Government's handling of the economic crisis in an exclusive interview with Sky News.

Sitting opposite him at Number 11 Downing Street, Sky's Jeff Randall asked whether the British public were owed an apology from Mr Darling on the Government's behalf for the mistakes that had been made in the run-up to the current crisis.

"I don't really see that you had no warning, (that) it just popped out of thin air," he said.

"You've been driving the car, and now it's crashed."

Mr Darling admitted that mistakes had been made, such as the Financial Services Authority's failure to do more to prevent the collapse of Northern Rock, but said that rather than concentrate on the past it was now important to look forward.

"The question that I think is important now for people is 'What are you going to do about it?'," he said.

"We have to ask ourselves how we're going to get banks lending again."

Darling admits economic mistakes

Randall pointed out that investors were dumping sterling and buying other currencies - a bad sign for the UK's prospects of withstanding the downturn.

However, Mr Darling insisted that the recession was a global problem, with the economic malaise affecting "every country in the world".

He said failures in international regulation, rather than domestic, were behind the crisis.

"There are many lessons to be learned," he said.

"There are many people who with the benefit of hindsight, you can say should have done different things, or done things differently to the way they did.

"I think what is rather more important, surely, is to recognise where mistakes have been made in the past, and surely one of the biggest mistakes is that we didn't have a system that was capable of recognising where problems were beginning to arise."

Alistair Darling speaks to Sky

Randall went on to tackle Mr Darling about the Government's willingness to increase national borrowing to try to stimulate the economy.

"If too much debt is the problem, how can borrowing more to get people to spend more possibly be the answer?" Randall asked.

Mr Darling responded that reining in Government spending at this point would have "disastrous consequences".

He said unemployment would rise, services that people depend on would end and "a difficult situation would become so much worse".

Turning to Labour's record in power, Randall pointed out that unemployment is higher than it was in 1997, personal bankruptcies are soaring, the financial system is in chaos and the pound is "on its knees".

Mr Darling responded that in the past 12 years, more than three million people had gone into jobs and that the downturn was affecting every country.

"In addition to that, if you look at the state of schools, hospitals and transport we increased investment in them and reduced the amount of debt we had at the same time," he said.

edit: title

Where was Darling during the imprudent years of 1997-2007?

Where was Brown?

Nuff said.

[6538]

Why do you think they never let Paxman loose on them? Remember his interview with Michael Howard years ago where Paxo asked him the same question about fifteen times...

The problem is though that asking and asking and asking and asking is no better than the alternative becase it dosen't get the politician to do what you want him to do, which is to answer the question.

Politicians have far too easy a life and they know it. They know fine well that they can simply get away with not answering a question, or answering the question they would prefer to have been asked, because interviewers aren't tough enough with them.

The Paxman/Howard interview is hailed as a classic example where a politician got a well deserved shafting but, in reality, he didn't. He succeeded in not answering the question so, in his mind, he won!

Politicans should be made to realise that in an interview they are supposed to actually answer the questions to the best of their ability. Interviewers, especially the so called good ones, like Paxman, should end an interview if the interviewee refuses to answer questions. "Sorry, but if you aren't prepared to answer the questions then we aren't going to continue", should be standard practice. If this happened a few times, and you didn't invite them back for a while, then politicans would start to realise that they aren't quite as powerful as they think they are. Can you imagine how humilliated Howard woudl have been had Paxman ended the interview early?

We have over 600 MP's which means that there will always be another one you can interview who wants to a make a name for him self and if heis a cheating liar as well then just move on to the next on.

[6538]

What i would do is say to the politician that I was halting the interview as there is no point going on if they would not answer the questeion

You beat me to it.

[nixy]

Before you know it the Government will be ordering the fire service to use petrol instead of water to put out fires.

Its simply amazing that having had ten years of unabated credit that has finally ruined the nation, and other nations the solution is ..................more credit.

There is certainly something going on at a Global level, there is no way on Gods Eath that stupidity can be replecated on such a massive scale. What the plans are is hard to imagine, but the system is being broke piece by piece that much is clear.

They are sh1t scared of being seen to be doing nothing.

The tories should be shouting from the roof tops they ARE the do nothing party.

As you say, the 'doing something party' IS doing something........it's pumping more fuel on the fire.

[the end is a bit nigher]

Just posted a comment. If it gets published, i'll eat Kirstie's leftovers.

Looks like i'm going hungry again then

[sleepless]

Jeff Randall quote

"What would I do if I was in government?"

"I'd resign"

Well thats really helpful - wassock

[shindigger]

Just posted a comment. If it gets published, i'll eat Kirstie's leftovers.

Leftovers..

[Tummybanana]

I'd like to see an interviewer get genuinely angry. I'll send £50 to the first interviewer who does.

All they have to do is stop after a few minutes and say, slowly and with some real venom, "I don't want you to keep repeating excuses that the public has already heard. You did nothing whatsoever to prevent a credit bubble being created and now you are desperately trying to create another at the expense of the next generation. How can you even hope for the public to take you seriously?"

For some reason, this guy springs to mind when I think of that.

[shindigger]

sat on a table, doing his thing with Blair. He was huge, never said a word. He stared for ages at his muffin then wolfed it down in one go.

superb, what an image

More lizards!!

Also Paxman is hopeless with the money stuff.