"You are making me stupider!"

I love this post. Love it. I couldn't have written it, but I should at least have tried. Orwell prize for Hopi!

Where it's going, and where it's coming from

Compare and contrast "recovery.gov" and "realhelpnow", respectively the American and British guides to what steps are being taken to get us out of the economic downturn.

The UK one launched today, and there are going to be regional launches too. Or so said GB at tonight's PLP. He was on good form. It's always easy to tell with Gordon what sort of mood he's in, compared with Blair who was a consumate actor. Tonight he seemed quite relaxed and confident. Questions about job losses, Royal Mail, how we communicate in a coherent rather than piecemeal manner what we're doing to combat the recession. Any suggestions for an alternative to 'fiscal stimulus'? Or 'quantative easing'?

Gordon said that when the Cabinet were in Southampton today they passed the offices of Bearwood Corporate Services, the Michael Ashcroft company which is currently in the news; apparently there's a gold plaque on the door but little other sign of life or occupation. Speaking of whom, did you know Michael Ashcroft has his own website? "If home is where the heart is, then Belize is my home", he says. Well that settles it then.

I've been to Belize, went diving with sharks, and cave-tubing, and abseiled through the rainforest. Great place. Didn't dive the Blue Hole though; it's no place for a novice. But one day...

What a president should know...

I'm on the emailing list for Policy Exchange, the right-wing think tank.

At the moment in policy wonk land you can't move without bumping into a former presidential economics adviser. The one who is appearing courtesy of Policy Exchange is a Dr Lawrence B. Lindsey "Dr Lindsey was economic advisor to three US Presidents, Director of the National Economic Council 2001-2002, and Governor of the Federal Reserve 1991-1997. He is the author of What a President Should Know...but Most Learn Too Late. Famous for having predicted the dot com crash, Dr Lindsey was the architect of the trillion dollar tax cut which helped pull the US out of the post-2001 slump."

Discuss.

Stats, stats and more stats

This has been shamelessly lifted from a comment by Kieron, but is too good to lurk under the floorboards. Highly recommended.

First reaction to the PBR statement...

Those elocution lessons to stop Boy George squeaking were a waste of money, weren't they?

A more in-depth analysis may have to wait till tomorrow, as I've got a speech to write now.

Schoolboy economics

Some economics homework before Monday's Pre-Budget Report.

Can we start a new debate?

Pre-Budget Report on Monday. So what do you want Alistair to do? Do you support the idea of a fiscal stimulus to get the economy moving again? Or do you want to 'let the recession take its course'? ((c) John Maples, former Tory Treasury Minister, who actually apologised for it in the Chamber today).

If you want the Chancellor to cut taxes, should it be income tax (basic or higher rate?), stamp duty, capital gains, corporation, or VAT? If you want more spending, what should be the priorities? Support for SMEs, capital spend on infrastructure projects/ construction/ house-building, or more money in people's pockets? And if so, whose pockets - pensioners, poor people, families with children?

And what about environmental taxes? Is there any place for them in a recession? (The Tories don't seem to think so).

Scary Kerry

Didn't see PMQs today - I was having lunch with Dr Robert Shapiro, former economic adviser to Clinton, Gore and Kerry (the other one) and now an adviser to the Obama transition team. By all accounts it was a massacre (PMQs, not lunch). Cameron is caught in a difficult position; he can't re-establish his credibility unless he talks about the economy. And he can't re-establish his credibility if he does - because (a) the Conservatives are all over the place on it, (b) he doesn't know very much about it, and (c) Gordon does.

In response to a journalist's question at the seminar which followed lunch, Dr Shapiro described Gordon's response to the economic downturn as 'superb'. He then slightly spoilt it by adding 'especially when compared to George Bush and Henry Paulson'.

Speaking of Kerry (the other one), I was visiting a friend at the weekend and he was wearing the 'Scary Kerry' T-shirt I'd bought him in Washington at the time of the last election. Kind of wish I'd kept that for myself now.

Back by popular demand

Well, more a case really of getting certain things out of the way and being back somewhere with an internet connection.

Didn't actually mean to stop blogging for so long, just long enough to get Wednesday's debate out of the way. But turned out to be another busy week, quite a lot going on in the Chamber, and had to do some prep for a debate at Exeter University on Friday night.

The motion was something like 'This House believes that Gordon Brown is to blame for the recession'. I was up against the Tory PPC for Exeter and a Tory councillor/ former economics lecturer, and was meant to be joined by a local Labour councillor - who'd told me 'We won't win, it's Exeter' - but he had to pull out at the last moment. So I was ably assisted by a student, Richard, who'd had all of an hour to prepare. Anyway, we won quite handsomely (well, 40-28), mainly because we were right and they were wrong. And yes, before someone tries to say something 'amusing' - we were against the motion.

As a backdrop to the debate, there were two pics of Gordon projected onto a screen. One was the classic long-haired shot from his university days; the other was this one here. Thing is, as I told the assembled students, I'm almost certain someone has just stuck his head onto that body. It's not him, is it?