Conservative Competence or Labour Chaos?

In the Sunday Telegraph, David Cameron gave an upbeat assessment of Britain's prospects under Conservative competence and warned of the dangers of Labour chaos:

·         The great recession has given way to the great revival because the Government has put enterprise at the heart of their "long term economic plan"

·         Britain is the best place to start and grow a business

·         Business is the principal job creator

o   Supporting business is a means to more:

§  Jobs

§  Financial security

§  Brighter future for our "communities"

o   Enterprise keeps public services going (through tax) so Conservatives are not just on the side of business - they are on the side of hard working people

·         Labour policy is chaotic

o   Anti business

o   Ideological blindness to the link between enterprise and individual prosperity

·         Choice is:

o   Conservative competence based on the "long term economic plan"

§  Target of full employment

§  Business pays the tax we need for social services

§  Budget surplus to shield the economy from future shocks

o   Labour chaos

§  Threat to jobs, security and prospects

§  Return to the misery of the great depression

But look elsewhere in the Sunday Telegraph and the harsh reality is this:

·         We are a very long way from paying our way

·         The external deficit of 6% is the biggest in our peacetime history

·         Partial recovery is reliant on consumer spending and Government debt

·         We face a massive fiscal consolidation over the next 5 years - greater than any other advanced economy (because "cuts" were less than planned and social security spending has not been reduced)

·         Our real deficit is  almost double the official £94b figure because that excludes "off balance sheet" items such as pensions and PFI debt

Who is going to mention that in the election debate?