Politicians being honest? Now we really are in trouble
Feb 12 2009 By Jonathan Walker
Employment minister Tony McNulty was disarmingly honest when he spoke to journalists about the latest employment figures.
As you’ve probably seen, unemployment has reached 1.97million, an increase of 146,000 over three months.
Gordon Brown has sought to portray himself as a leader with the experience and strength to fix the economy. While the Conservatives would “do nothing”, according to Labour, Mr Brown and colleagues are doing everything they can to get people into work.
Tory leader David Cameron claimed he was the “man with a plan” to help the economy, when he spoke at his party conference in Birmingham last summer.
Mr McNulty, by contrast, talked about steps the Government has taken, such as promising help for businesses struggling for credit, but admitted the Government was still figuring things out.
He said: “It is all terribly complex and I think we are learning how to be much more flexible, and much more responsive. Normally you’d have the luxury of developing over time, stress testing and re-testing and piloting.
“I think we are trying to be as flexible as we can, but we need to learn lessons at the same time.”
I’m sure this is a simple statement of fact, and one that applies to the Conservatives much as to Mr McNulty and his government politicians.
But it’s not the type of thing you’ll hear Mr Brown or Mr Cameron say, because they know their political opponents and journalists like me would pounce on them. Mr McNulty can probably get away with it, as a less senior figure (he’s not a full member of the cabinet, although he attends cabinet meetings).
Ed Balls, the children’s secretary, learned the perils of excessive honesty when he was recorded warning that the recession could be the worst seen for a century.
He said: “We are now seeing the realities of globalisation, though at a speed, pace and ferocity which none of us have seen before. The reality is that this is becoming the most serious global recession for over 100 years.”
His comments had added significance because for many years he was Mr Brown’s closest advisor on economic issues, back when they were both in the Treasury.
But while it’s not the kind of thing any of us want to hear, he was, one must assume, simply giving his honest opinion.
The outcry over his statement suggests that we prefer to hear reassuring words from our politicians rather than the truth.
But there is going to be more bad news to come. Better surely to hear it straight rather than to demand a positive spin every time, surely?
