Europe needs to get real on defence; Britain needs to get real on Europe
13 February 2025
Alistair Darling’s quiet authority key part of recovery.
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9 December 2009
Alistair Darling's big day then. Another one. To be Chancellor of the Exchequer amid the kind of economic storms that have battered the world in the last year or so means there have been plenty of big days.
Today is one where most people will take a look or have a listen and Alistair will set out how we got here and how we intend to go forward.
Some of the figures will be eye-popping yet we already seem to be used to those. Some of the decisions will be pretty enormous too, with consequences for families, businesses, public services. It's what Chancellors have to do.
So we will see plenty of the white hair, the black eyebrows and the thin smile as Alistair sets it all out and explains it time and again during the post-match interviews.
It is often said by the media commentariat, wrong about so much, that Alistair is dull. He's not. He is not flamboyant. It is not the same thing.
It is equally to his credit that while the constant media negativity about everything in Britain does not exactly please him, it does not get to him.
He is a serious sober character at a time they are needed in plenty. When there seemed to be something of a briefing operation run against him to suggest he should be moved, he didn't engage. He just carried on doing the job.
There are few now who suggest he does not at least have the weight and authority to deal with some very big issues, and deal with them calmly and well.
So the choice on the management of the economy is not Alistair or a reshuffled member of the Cabinet, but Darling or George Osborne.
And I think that has had something to do with the closing of the gap between the main parties.
A word too, in this era of political spousery, for his wife Maggie. If you can be a down-to-earth livewire, that's what she is. And if there ever was a chance of Alistair's sobriety and seriousness developing into a more Caledonian Donald Dewaresque gloom, Maggie will have chased it away faster than you could say PBR.
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Yes Alastair, it became obvious in the 1980s that the high peripheral activity and and interesting modes of engagement adopted by Shadow Chancellor Roy Hattersley were not helping Labour.
Solid Scots like John Smith, Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling, while they need to get the economy right, and have, Look like they will, and that is important for Great Britain.
The recession went into economic growth in August it seems. I hope he is able to openly relate his decisions to that. Economic figures actually represent real economic activity, which is rarely quarterly in its practice.
If Cameron shifted Osborne and put in Clarke I think Darling would be more vulnerable. But Clarke spells Europe for the Tories and Europe still spells disaster for them.
Good discussion on Newsnight last night. Lawson seems to get more and more extreme (and not just on climate change denial) wheras the man arguing for continued investment, Blanchflower, seemed to me to win the day. It is definitely to Darling’s credit that he has endured such a dreadful year without people thinking he should be removed. Hoping for a bit of forward vision today
A very quite man, with a lot to be quite about, but what authority?
Or even quiet.
Salmond, notable for being the noisiest scunner in the Kingdom and having absolutely minimal authority, would have a troll with nowt to say, but a correction to what wasn’t worth saying.
Still the new revenue raising powers north of the border unlikely to be in the paws of the SNP for long, as the polls indicate.
Alistair has real gravitas, not just an appearance of it.
Cf. Georgie Porgie on Andie Marrs show broadcasting from the village hall (hiding his pile) and scaring the horses with his statement that the country was ”virtualy bust”
Well that’s another convention gone !
Georgie scares the city but not as much as Ken scares him.
It is time that the offensive against Gordo was countered
by exposing relentlessly what poseurs the Dynamic Duo are. No waiting for the actual campaign but get on with it now while the polls are moving against them.
I entirely agree with what you have said here Alistair, and many other comments on this blog.
What is indeed needed during this crisis is a steady hand and calm determination.I like the fact that Alistair seems oblivious to all the “clap trap,” lies and hysteria going on all around, and just gets on with the job.
He may not come across as a scintillating personality- but he doesn’t need to be in his role.
Given the choice between him and George Osborne next election- the choice is clear.
We need politicians with experience, not merely presentation and sound bites.
It will be interesting to see what is proposed today- he does look quietly confident!
What we do have to fight though is the barrage of anti Labour sentiment and lies spun in some sections of the media.
I hope the public will be able to distinguish substance over spin, come the election.
If there ever was a steady bravura performance Darling has managed it! The tories will be touting him as Labour’s next leader, as they do . . .
Quietzapple: A “troll”, and more than that an SNP troll. Wrong on both counts, as always.
Here we go. According to the poll in the Times the gap between the Conservatives and Labour is down to eight points. In order to win an overall majority in the Commons, the Tories need to be about 10 points ahead. And the expected economic recovery is surely going to benefit Labour more than the Tories.
Not a very long time ago, almost all the pundits (with the exception, of course, of AC) were parroting the line that David Cameron is simply cruising to an outright victory.
The press have been taking the public for fools who will just roll back and swallow it all… maybe even give it a gargle as the gag reflex kicks in.
I know only one person who plans to vote Tory – and he’s a dickhead.
It will be nice to see the financiers squeal at the windfall tax, but we need a pan european tobin tax agreed throughout the EU.
Alastair Darling is the man to do it.
btw AC try and keep your diary clear for Thurs 21st January next year you are needed up here.
Salmond, notable for being the noisiest scunner in the Kingdom and having absolutely minimal authority, would have a troll with nowt to say, but a correction to what wasn’t worth saying.
Should have read:
Salmond, notable for being the noisiest scunner in the Kingdom and having absolutely minimal authority, would have a troll NAMED AFTER HIM with nowt to say, but a correction to what wasn’t worth saying.
Apologies for the omission.
The rapid rebuttal unit will need to work quickly on the new Tory ‘class war on families earning over £20,000py’ poster. If that sticks Labour are toast. New Labour can’t be seen to be against the middle class or they really are destined for a long period in the wilderness. The accusation that your money isn’t safe with labour has real traction. Underestimate it at your peril. Re Alistair Darling, yes people have a lot of respect for him. He called the global financial meltdown in that Guardian piece and people like Anatole Kaletsky said he was mad… within weeks he was saying exactly what Darling was telling everyone. I think history will think Darling played it right on many of the calls he made. To survive Labour need to project optimism, leadership and confidence in their ideas. Retreating defensively to their base won’t work.