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しばらく前に、麻生総理大臣と小沢代表との党首討論で、次のようなやり取りがあったことを覚えているだろうか?
小沢代表「麻生政権は選挙での民意を得ていないのだから、すぐに解散するべきではないか。」
麻生総理「イギリスのブラウン政権も選挙は得ていない。」
この麻生総理の反論が空虚に感じる記事が以下。一部を要約。
12月9日に発表された世論調査によると、ブラウン政権の支持率が前回と比べ、6%回復し、40%をキープしている。これに対し、野党保守党の党首であるデビット・キャメロン氏に対する支持率は31%にとどまっている。
さらに、政党支持別にみると、野党の保守党が39%であるのに対し、与党労働党は35%で前回11月24日に行われた調査と変わっていない。
今回支持率が回復した原因は、ブラウン政権の予算準備報告書が評価され、経済的危機に労働党が対処できると評価されたことによると記事は伝えている。
この記事をみると、自らとブラウン政権を比較した麻生総理がとてもおこがましい感じがする。
政局より政策といって、補正予算も延期し、経済対策の具体的実行が見えてこない。
他方、ブラウン首相は、ブレア首相のようなカリスマ性はないものの、蔵相を長く勤めていたので、経済政策に精通している。この予算準備報告であるが、消費税(VAT)を2.5%引き下げるというもの。
つまり、国内需要を刺激して、経済回復を図ろうというわけである。これなら国民も支持するだろう。
1万円ちょっとばらまいて、国民の目をごまかせると思っている日本の政治家と比べると、危機に対応する政治家の資質の違いが見える気がする。
それでも、野党の支持が高いことを見ると、ブラウン政権も前途多難だ。この予算準備報告も、ドイツの金融大臣からは予期せぬ批判(将来の納税者のつけに回すだけといもの)に直面している。
しかし、ブラウン首相は、「世界のほとんどの国が我々の政策を真似ている」と批判に反論している。
いずれにしても、日本でもこういう議論がでてきてもいいのではないだろうか。確かに、財源確保という問題もある。ただ、今はそれ以上に国内需要を刺激しないと経済の根本がダメになる異常事態だという認識が必要だろう。道路税をすべて一般税化して、消費税の負担分をそれで賄うくらいの政策はでてこないものだろうか。
円高をマスコミと一緒に嘆くだけでなく、せっかくの円高をチャンスに変えるくらいのリーダーがいないものかと思う。
Brown poll lead deepens
Tuesday, December 9 10:43 am
Gordon Brown appears to have cemented his poll lead following the Pre-Budget Report, with a six-point lead jump since November 24th.
A Populus poll for the Times today puts the Brown/Alistair Darling team on 40 per cent when respondents were asked who they trusted to deal with the recession.
The Conservative's David Cameron/George Osborne team received 31 per cent.
The Tories are still ahead generally, although their lead has dwindled to four points.
Mr Cameron's party are down two percentage points to 39 per cent while Labour are unchanged on 35 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats – who have failed to make much traction out of the economic downturn – are up one to 17 per cent.
There was also evidence of a significant decline in the number of Labour voters prepared to switch to the Conservatives.
In September, 19 per cent of people who had voted Labour in 1995 said they would vote Tory now. That number has now dropped to nine per cent.
The poll confirms previous evidence that the Pre-Budget Report has cemented Labour's image as the better party to manage an economic downturn, although some polls – including one for politics.co.uk gave Labour a slimmer margin of support.
The picture is more complex when voters are asked about the individual initiatives in the Report, with strong reservations about the level of borrowing the government is committed to.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/14/20081209/tpl-brown-poll-lead-deepens-81c5b50.html
Brown dismisses German attack
Thursday, December 11 01:01 pm
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defended German criticism of his economic rescue plan by saying "almost every country around the world is" copying the UK.
In a surprise attack, German finance minister Peer Steinbruck derided the 2.5 per cent VAT cut announced in the Pre-Budget Report while warning that a generation of taxpayers would be saddled with the debt.
But Mr Brown said: "Actually the German government is investing more. They have just announced a fiscal expansion so that they can invest in public works and they are helping their banks and doing these sorts of things."
He said: "I do not really want to get involved in what is clearly internal German politics here, because they have a coalition in Germany with different political parties.
"The important thing is that almost every country around the world is doing what we have been doing."
Not taking such actions would mean "failing in the role of Government", he said.
It is highly unusual for ministers of a friendly country to be so openly critical of the policies of an ally.
Mr Steinbruck said: "Our British friends are now cutting their value-added tax. We have no idea how much of that stores will pass on to customers. Are you really going to buy a DVD player because it now costs £39.10 instead of £39.90?
"All this will do is raise Britain's debt to a level that will take a whole generation to work off.
"The same people who would never touch deficit spending are now tossing around billions. The switch from decades of supply-side politics all the way to a crass Keynesianism is breathtaking."
He referred to the ideas of 20th century economist John Maynard Keynes who believed the state should stimulate economic growth and improve stability in the private sector, through interest rates, taxation etc.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20081211/tuk-brown-dismisses-german-attack-dba1618_2.html
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