Blimey, whilst looking for a specific David Cameron article where he advocated scrapping the 10p tax band – years before Gordon Brown did it, I found a couple of juicy quotes that I felt were quite relevent to today’s situation.
The first is relating to the recession and Cameron’s spending plans. The second one relates to his then opinion of Gordon Brown.
I have posted them on Labourlist, where they have attracted the usual amount of bile from the trolls who lurk in the comments section.
David Cameron on the 1992 recession and tax rises versus spending cuts:
“After the recession of 1989 to 1992 we had to raise taxes because the budget deficit reached dangerous proportions. The alternative of slashing spending and cutting benefits would have been inhuman.”
David Cameron on his opinion of Gordon Brown:
“I agree that he is a figure of colossal power and intellect; his presence in the Commons and command of the chamber are indeed awesome.”
Although I personally love the second quote on Brown, the first one is the one that seems to have spread across the internet, getting mentions on Labour Matters, Tom Harris’ blog and on Sky News!
It’s not surprising as slashing spending is exactly what Cameron is proposing to do now, yet seven years ago explained it would have been inhuman if he’d done it at the Treasury under Norman Lamont.
So it’s officially my first scoop! I’m hoping the quote gets thrown in Cameron’s smug face at the earliest opportunity!
Thanks also to the kind comments on Twitter!
Update: My Labourlist post has been picked up by the Mars Hill blog, with whom I did an interview with a while ago. Cheers!
Double Update: I have officially been mentioned on Page 16 of The Independent newspaper and online. While it was quite surreal seeing myself mentioned in a national newspaper I couldn’t help but be a little irked at the way the article was written. I’m down as the ‘website’s (Labourlist) Alex Ross’, rather than the writer of the blog post that found it. It also uses my quote in a context that says I’m criticising Labour HQ whereas really I was more surprised than critical. That said, I can’t complain too much! 
I think Sky News Online did a better job of it though I have to say.
It’s also been picked up by Freemania.
Can I suggest you pay some attention to context Alex? Cameron said slashing public spending after 1992 would’ve been ‘inhuman’ – that’s a judgement on the state of existing funding at that point, something Labour supporters (with some justification) lament. To countenance the same thing at the tail end of this recession is a reflection of the generally healthier state of funding in education / health etc. In other words it’s not inhuman to make sensible cuts now.
The only interpretation of those remarks that reflects badly on Cameron is one that assumes no impact from the spending increases over the last 15 years – a curious one for a Labour supporter to advance….
Of course! It never occurred to me to think of context!
Just kidding. 
You are, of course, presuming Cameron plans on making ‘sensible cuts’, which of course he isn’t given he planned on making £5 billion right now in the middle of a recession, which Paul Krugman described as ‘pure Herbert Hoover’.
Thanks Alex. In fact I’m not presuming anything – I’m just pointing out that applying a different policy now to one espoused 15years ago isn’t inconsistent – it’s context. What’s the old quote – “When the facts change I change my mind, what do you do sir?”
I appreciate that but I still think it’s relevant. He’s claiming we can cut waste yet for about two years all he can come up with is quangos and ID cards.
You can delve into it too – if he’s saying there was no waste to cut in 1992 then is he admitting spending was the bare bones and too little? If he’s saying we have lots of waste now why did he back our spending plans for a couple of years – and still do so on Health and International Development?
And Norman Lamont is now advising him on economic policy.
Plus, let’s be honest, it’s about politics too – and making him squirm. Sad, but if we don’t try do it to him he’ll do it to us.
“if he’s saying there was no waste to cut in 1992 then is he admitting spending was the bare bones and too little?”
Absolutely – he’s said just that on a few occassions. Part of his public persona is a forceful repudiation of much of what the last Tory government did so not sure why you’re surprised by that?
Your defence of ‘political knockabout’ is fair enough I suppose – if Cameron’s going to become PM then that’s part of the territory. As a floating, independent voter though I have to add – if this is the worst you have on Cameron…..
lol, hey Liam it’s not my job to do this, I’m just a lowly council candidate. I remember PMQs where he threw a quote at Brown about ‘it’s not what you say but what you do that matters’ or something, and everything laughed and it was the line of the day, and Andrew Sparrow at the Guardian blogged that it was actually taken out of context from an interview where Brown spoke about the death of Cameron’s son. Not nice but they all do it.
I’ve not read that he’s said public spending was too low in 1992 to be honest. I’ve read he’s now accepted the Minimum Wage is a good thing but to be honest there is him saying it and then him meaning it. I don’t believe he means it.
The proof will be how much it rises if he gets in. As I’ve said before, if the Compassionate Conservatism of George Bush, that George Osborne thinks we have so much to learn from, is anything to go by – it won’t be going up at all.
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