No Plan-B To Austerity Warns Treasury After Leak

[cashinmattress]

Link

A leaked memo penned by Britain's top official Sir Gus O'Donnell which recommended the government has fiscal stimulus plans in reserve has led the Treasury to claim their is no plan B if austerity fails.

The government sought to underline its commitment to radical fiscal retrenchment with the Treasury claiming that while it has considered what could knock the recovery off course it has not looked at policy alternatives to tackle that scenario.

O'Donnell had recommended alternatives were examined but a Treasury spokesperson said: 'Ministers have not asked for any advice on alternative approaches because we are very clear that our approach for the economy is the right one.'

No plan B.

We on the forum know this, but it should be entertaining to watch DC or NC talk their way out of this one.

Despair though, it's a real issue. There is no money left and we aren't competitive as a nation, beyond laundering money.

[SarahBell]

I suspect The UK's plan b should be:

get energy self-sufficient (Stop laughing at the back!)

get food self-sufficient

get water self-sufficient.

Lock the doors and don't let any buggers in. (And kick any chavvy yobs out we can in the name of overseas education)

[Ruffneck]

So far as i see it the UK has two options whilst under the fiscal control of Mervyn King.

Plan A = Print Money

Plan B = Print Money

[swissy_fit]

I suspect The UK's plan b should be:

get energy self-sufficient (Stop laughing at the back!)

get food self-sufficient

get water self-sufficient.

Lock the doors and don't let any buggers in. (And kick any chavvy yobs out we can in the name of overseas education)

Are you advocating reducing the population by about 50%?

I guess it would make the other points easier to achieve.

[PopGun]

Are you advocating reducing the population by about 50%?

I guess it would make the other points easier to achieve.

That's a big elephant in the room, that's also bright pink, covered in yellow spots and listening to loud rap music.

[tallguy]

I suspect The UK's plan b should be:

get energy self-sufficient (Stop laughing at the back!)

get food self-sufficient

get water self-sufficient.

Lock the doors and don't let any buggers in. (And kick any chavvy yobs out we can in the name of overseas education)

In terms of being sustainably self-sufficient,we are about 70% overpopulated.

Not a chance.

[MrFlibble]

So far as i see it the UK has two options whilst under the fiscal control of Mervyn King.

Plan A = Print Money

Plan B = Print Money

Ain't that the truth. It's worked before it will work again

[SarahBell]

Are you advocating reducing the population by about 50%?

I guess it would make the other points easier to achieve.

I'd reckon on reducing it pretty quick by banning any shite TV - anything that requires you to join in by ringing up to vote for anything. Banned.

Celebs banned and shot if they contine.

"heat/shallow lives/look/" magazines all cancelled.

I reckon the chavs would leave voluntarily if they were deprived of their celeb fix.

HOW many people watched that xfactor thing? Too many. People are having their brains removed through their eyes.

[red11]

I suspect The UK's plan b should be:

get energy self-sufficient (Stop laughing at the back!)

get food self-sufficient

get water self-sufficient.

Lock the doors and don't let any buggers in. (And kick any chavvy yobs out we can in the name of overseas education)

A sensible plan, but I doubt the the treasury can see anything beyond the printing press.

[Riedquat]

Are you advocating reducing the population by about 50%?

I guess it would make the other points easier to achieve.

It would be great if that happened, but how on earth are you going to persuade anyone to take that lot? Maybe a slower approach is the only way it'll work - can only vote for the X factor if you've had the snip, something like that.

[RichB]

In terms of being sustainably self-sufficient,we are about 70% overpopulated.

Not a chance.

Based on what?

[Riedquat]

There's no need, and it's not sensible to aim for, 100% self-sufficiency in everything. Efficient use of resources involves some countries being able to overproduce food etc., whilst others import (the extreme examples being places like Singapore). National boundaries are generally pretty arbitrary, after all.

[SarahBell]

There's no need, and it's not sensible to aim for, 100% self-sufficiency in everything. Efficient use of resources involves some countries being able to overproduce food etc., whilst others import (the extreme examples being places like Singapore). National boundaries are generally pretty arbitrary, after all.

Yes that coast line is a stupid idea for a border

[MrPin]

Yes that coast line is a stupid idea for a border

Made me laugh, and Gold Star for you Sarah!

Yes indeed the coast is a good border!

'Many other borders were drawn in an age of imperialism, and it's just where the Belgians, or the German stopped,

and such artificial lines are still giving us problems today!

Oh dear, this has gone off-topic!

[LumpHammer]

Based on what?

I would like to know this too. My own view is that if ever the time came the UK could be self sufficient in both food and energy, with the exception of vehicle fuel. Even with the inhabitated and infertile parts removed, the average land per person in the UK is roughly ~1/2 an acre.

As someone who grew up on a 5 acre smallholding, almost* self sufficient in food for 3 people i appreciate that with 1/2 acre the diet wouldn't be anything fancy - but it would be 'ok'.

Many people make economical assesments of self-sufficiency based on our current consumption and decide that self sufficiency is not economical. We shouldn't forget that the need to be self sufficient usually arises at a time when consumption decreases and domestic labour effectively becomes cheaper.

I'm not proposing that the UK will require self-sufficiency in the near future, but if we did i think it is possible.

Regards

*through choice, not necessity

[Riedquat]

Yes that coast line is a stupid idea for a border

Don't forget that Northern Ireland is part of the UK, and various other parts of the UK are islands in their own right.

[RufflesTheGuineaPig]

I suspect The UK's plan b should be:

=> get energy self-sufficient (Stop laughing at the back!)

=> get food self-sufficient

=> get water self-sufficient.

=> Lock the doors and don't let any buggers in.

We have plenty of water and aren't importing any!

Food could be resolved by a change in diet for everyone... less meat more fish/grain.

Energy is simply an issue of ignoring the land lobby.. there is enough potential hydro in scotland to power europe.

[bogbrush]

Link

No plan B.

We on the forum know this, but it should be entertaining to watch DC or NC talk their way out of this one.

Despair though, it's a real issue. There is no money left and we aren't competitive as a nation, beyond laundering money.

How can anyone have a Plan B which is the opposite of Plan A? Such a strategy is plain ridiculous.

Far better to force the committment.

[interestrateripoff]

To be fair their is no Austerity so their is no Plan A.

[SarahBell]

We have plenty of water and aren't importing any!

Food could be resolved by a change in diet for everyone... less meat more fish/grain.

Energy is simply an issue of ignoring the land lobby.. there is enough potential hydro in scotland to power europe.

Did you see the drought issues this year? And that's without growing much water intensive crops.

The SE is always moaning they don't have enough water.

Scotland could sort themselves out if they did that -and be a stand alone country. So hey don't they? Cos their mps are sucking the life out of England first

[Guest The Relaxation Suite]

I suspect The UK's plan b should be:

get energy self-sufficient (Stop laughing at the back!)

get food self-sufficient

get water self-sufficient.

Lock the doors and don't let any buggers in. (And kick any chavvy yobs out we can in the name of overseas education)

A study was commissioned to determine the maximum population for Britain in terms of self-sufficiency and the figure they came up with was 30 million. The last time Britain had a population of 30 million was about 1880.

Britain cannot be self-sufficient. Britain must import. This arrangement worked well while it had free trade with resources countries like Canada and Australia, but when the Traitor Heath incorporated Britain into the EU without a referendum, this ended.

[Constable]

To be fair their is no Austerity so their is no Plan A.

Exactly. 'still running a massive budget deficit and no attempt to reduce the debt.

Plan A was to print money, devalue and create inflation. The new govt. just modified the plan to reduce spending slightly.

Plan B is just is a reversion to pure Plan A, so it should really be called Plan A2.