Ukranian Pickle

What a self-righteous pickle we seem to have put ourselves into over Ukraine and Russia and how much our "must do something" leaders must be wishing that had thought through the consequences before committing?  I shall quote from John Redwood's Diary today which, as would be expected, rather aptly sums up the present situation:

"It is a great pity the EU started out on its expansionist course with the Ukraine without properly considering the likely reaction of pro Russian people inside Ukraine, and the ability of Russia to give them support."

The silence from Federica Mogherini, Baroness Ashton's successor as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is deafening.   For reference, Federica Mogherini, who does not appear to have ever worked for a living, was a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation from 1988 to 1996.  A spokeswoman of hers is married to a communication advisor to Gazprom, the Russian owned energy company and the largest supplier of natural gas in the world.

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?