Posh rich kid? No, Osborne was burdened and distracted

By
Quentin Letts

18:32 EST, 23 April 2012

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18:32 EST, 23 April 2012

Apart from one or two peppery remarks from Conservative backbenchers, George Osborne had little trouble with the Commons yesterday when he announced a £10billion loan to the International Monetary Fund. He easily wafted aside his Labour opponent, Ed Balls, who had an iffy day.

Mr Osborne looked whacked. There was little force in his voice – by the end he was so conversational he could have been chatting to his wife – and his hair was bedraggled. When he sat down after answering each question, he did so with a whoosh from the cushions.

Once or twice he had trouble hearing what the Opposition benches were saying to him.

Weary: Mr Osborne spent the weekend at an IMF meeting

Weary: Mr Osborne spent the weekend at an IMF meeting

Here was a man distracted, burdened, almost statesmanlike, old before his years. Posh rich kid? Didn’t look like it yesterday. He looked like a grown-up grappling with his duties.

As far as the hair went, perhaps he had been caught in the rain. Or perhaps he was simply feeling drained after the IMF meeting in Washington DC over the weekend. While the rest of us were going to church, cooking Sunday lunch at home or pottering in the shed, Mr Osborne was ensconced with the world’s top finance ministers at an event where they contemplated global financial collapse.

In public they came up with what they hoped was a reassuring  pose – further funds to assist troubled countries.

But what was it like in private at the IMF meeting? Did they stuff their fists inside their mouths and wail? Was it a question of ‘after you with that uncorked gin bottle?’ The Germans, since you ask, are stumping up $50billion (£31billion) for the IMF. We may have got off lightly, comrades.

The Chancellor’s opening statement was so long that it made you think, ‘what is he trying to hide?’ It felt as though he was getting in his justification first.

Mr Balls, too, spoke at unusual length, so much so that Squeaker Bercow had to tell him to bring his comments to a halt.

Mr Balls was cheesed off by this. It certainly made a change for Mr Bercow to interrupt his great friend Balls.

For once, I think I can say with total certainty that the House was grateful to Speaker Bercow. Mr Balls had not been making much headway. His stance on the IMF loan was all over the shop. At one point he seemed to be against it. At the next he seemed to want it to be a larger sum.

Alistair Darling (Lab, Edinburgh SW), awkwardly, seemed to disagree with his colleague Mr Balls.

Mr Osborne kept saying that no one has ever lost money lending to the IMF. Two Labour MPs, one of them Dennis Skinner (Bolsover), thought that instead of lending money we should be hoarding our funds for use on our own projects, continuing to spend at recent levels.

Mr Osborne firmly told Mr Skinner that such a stance would be a betrayal of the internationalist approach of past Labour figures Ernest Bevin, Hugh Dalton and Clement Attlee.

With Osborne v. Skinner there is often a tart tone but yesterday  Mr Osborne attained something more serious.

Labour's Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) suggested that instead of lending money Britain should be hoarding funds for use in our own projects

Labour’s Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) suggested that instead of lending money Britain should be hoarding funds for use in our own projects

Tory doubters – I almost said ‘sceptics’ – included Stewart Jackson (Peterborough), who spoke of ‘this economic madness’.

It was not clear if by that he meant the loan or the behaviour of Eurozone countries who may need the IMF’s help. Mr Osborne time and again said that no loan would be given to the Eurozone as a whole. IMF bailouts went to ‘countries, not currencies’.

Penny Mordaunt (Con, Portsmouth N) said her constituents wanted to know their money  was safe. Were we going to receive interest on the money we lent  the IMF? Yep, sure are, said  Mr Osborne.

What a pity no one asked what that interest rate would be.

If it is a higher rate than the one we are charged by some of our creditors, we could be quids-in. Provided the Western economy does not completely self-obliterate.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

Quentin, you are looking out of touch with reality and popular opinion with this article, you also seem go be as flat and going through the motions as George is. It seems that you’ve both been found out lately.

Ozzy is in danger of taking over from Gordy as the UK’s Lady Bountiful, showering our cash over Euroland, via the French-led IMF! Things are bubbling
nicely across the Channel, with the Bolsheviks soon to dump Sarky and Carla into the tumbrel, the Dutch falling out with each other, Spain about to explode
and all the rest of the continent’s welfare junkies about to face reality when all
that “funny-money” is withdrawn and they are then expected to pay their own way instead! Zut alors! And Ozzy’s Housing Benefit cus are starting to bite, with
parts of Labour London wanting to dump it’s excess baggage on poor old
Stoke and other eager recipients! Now they know how the rest of us
felt as Labour dumped it’s 3 million-plus army of uninvited guests around all
the country’s estates, without as much as a,”By you’re leave or “do you mind”
beforehand! And, hurray! It seems The Lords are heading for a mass cull at
last! It seems we’ve got over 800 of ’em – we ran The Raj with that!

David Icke was right. Reptilian shape shifter from outer space if ever I saw one. Plus he’s never had a proper job at any time in his life. Some people are earmarked for greatness. Makes you think doesn’t it? No? Well it should!

”He looked like a grown-up grappling with his duties”…………Whoopee, unlike the millions of parents around the Country who are having to deal with the fall out from his narrow-minded economic and blatantly unfair tax policies whilst trying to provide for their families .

Whether or not nobody has ever lost any money lending to the IMF is immaterial. The important question is why are we lending it at all when we are unable to fund our own services properly? And where did this £10 billion magically come from bearing in mind we are broke. Perhaps Osborne found it down the sofa at Number 11.

Osborne isn’t particularly old before his years. He’s still got his full head of hair. I don’t see much grey there, either.

Quentin ,
It sounds like you witnessed the ConLibLab “all in it together debate”
Or should I say we all support British membership of the EU at any cost debate with no discernible opposition !.
Well what ever that patronising lot in that house are saying,there is a lot more people outside that house in the real world questioning their decision not to let us the electorate decide !.
What’s more all over Europe electorates are showing their displeasure at their political elites as in France yesterday !.
The harder the pro EU party’s dismiss their doubters the more people will question why ?.

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