I was struck, in the aftermath of George Osborne’s announcement of the biggest public spending cuts singe the 1970s, at just how out of his depth Alan Johnson seemed in making his response. In an interview on the BBC he was reduced to platitudes and slogans, and looked decidedly uneasy, almost scared. Not surprising I suppose, as I doubt he’s has time yet to get beyond Chapter 1 of ‘Economics for Dummies’!
Now call me cynical if you like, but I can’t help wonder if Red Ed Milliband’s choice of Johnson for Shadow Chancellor was deliberate for this very reason. Could it be that in his heart he knows that cuts of this severity are not only unavoidable, but also actually a good thing? Who better to ‘oppose’ them than an economically ignorant postman? On the other hand, if he had chosen deficit denying Balls 1 or 2 for the job, he’d have had the embarrassment of a Shadow Chancellor who actually sounded the part and might have been able to put forward a credible opposition.
For this reason I predict that there will be no coherent opposition to the cuts, certainly none from the Labour Party.
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