Lest we forget

This post may be a bit of a delve into what might be called ‘ancient history’, in today’s terms, but it’s important to remember the impact of past events upon the present.

It’s also a reminder that sometimes things can come back to haunt you – regardless of which particular sphere you operate within.

More importantly, we should always be on our guard for signs that history is being rewritten.

With the economy very much in the news, both in the UK and in the Eurozone; as we get further away from the last days of the Labour government, and the cuts that were agreed by all parties as being inevitable begin to bite, and people start to resent the present coalition government, it’s worth remembering Labour’s Chief Secretary at the Treasury’s ‘outgoing’ message to his successor:

"Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left."

Liam Byrne, the message’s author, was what one might call a ‘character’ if you were charitable. As I’m not the slightest bit charitable when it comes to politicians, however, I’ll describe him as a total ‘cunt’ and his famous ‘briefing’ to his officials when he was Cabinet Office Minister bears this description out:

Mr Byrne’s list of do’s and don’ts declares: ‘Coffee/Lunch. I’m addicted to coffee. I like a cappuccino when I come in, an espresso at 3pm and soup at 12.30-1pm.

‘The room should be cleared before I arrive in the morning. I like the papers set out in the office before I get in. The white boards should be cleared.’

‘If I see things that are not of acceptable quality, I will blame you.’

On briefings for questions, he orders officials to tell him ‘not what you think I should know but you expect I will get asked’.

Mr Byrne, 38, even dictates what font size briefing notes should be in (a rather large 16 point), and insists that they should take up no more than one sheet of paper.

He also warns staff: ‘Never put anything to me unless you understand it and can explain it to me in 60 seconds,’ and he goes on: ‘I am often not very clear or my writing is illegible. If I’m in the middle of thinking about something, I might ask you to come back – don’t be put off by this.’

By June this year, when it became clearer that drastic cuts in public spending were going to hit hard, YouGov were still reporting – up to last June anyway – that the public continued to blame Labour for the present cuts in public spending:

In mid-June last year, during the Coalition’s honeymoon, 48% blamed Labour most for the expected public spending cuts. Just 17% blamed the Coalition most, while 19% blamed both equally.

For the following three months, Labour was consumed by its leadership contest, and scarcely engaged in the national debate. We should not be surprised that, shortly before Ed Miliband became party leader, the figures showed little change: Labour was blamed most by 44%, the Coalition by 21% and both equally by 22%.

For the past eight months, however, Labour has had the chance to look outwards and engage with the public; and it has been able to point to data suggesting that the economy is failing to revive as fast as the Coalition hoped. Yet, once again, the movement in the ‘blame’ figures is only modest: Labour 41%, Coalition 26%, both 23%.

Not that I’m offering up any excuses for the Coalition here.

Osborne and his pals seem powerless to do very much at all to shore up a sinking UK economy. Outside forces – the Eurozone crisis to name but one – seem to have caught Cameron and chums like rabbits in car headlights and the country’s finances continue to drift aimlessly, with the odd drunken lurch, towards an uncertain future.

With the St Paul’s Cathedral anti-capitalist occupation still ongoing, clerical heads suicidally rolling and ‘V for Vendetta’ masks now ‘the new black’, it’s very easy to see the current public mood indicating a fondness for battle lines being drawn up.

 

 

Add in the Dale Farm evictions and the recent riots and looting in the inner cities and it might be tempting to think that there’s two opposing sides squaring up – ‘Them’, the Coalition government and ‘Us’, the downtrodden masses.

I’ll leave now, but before I do, here are a few questions.

Which side are you on?

Indeed, are you sure you even want to belong to one or the other of these two sides?

Where does that leave you?

I’d be interested to hear your answers…