The transatlantic ideologues

Conservative Britain is no longer the envy of American pseudoconservatives, who are, after all, accomplishing here through a stealthy indifference to the nation's welfare what Prime Minister Cameron & Friends have accomplished there through an overt rigidity: "a vicious cycle of low growth, high unemployment and fiscal austerity," observes the NY Times.

"Low growth," as in a staggering slog of 0.1 percent; "high unemployment," as in 8.1 percent (the "highest ... in more than 15 years") and rising; and "fiscal austerity," as in a "harmful quack cure" and "a deliberate ideological choice."

And then, naturally, there's this: Cameron's "deficit-reduction policies have failed to revive the business confidence that was supposed to spur private-sector hiring."

"Supposed" by whom? Conscientious economists, economic historians and public-policy empiricists? Supposed, maybe, by David Cameron? No way. Cameron knew precisely what he was doing -- gutting government, at the economy's and the little guy's expense -- just as the wonkishly worried were precisely predicting the economic ruination that is coming to pass. 

Indeed not even they, the wonks, were required; hell, a chimpanzee with an "Intro to Econ" textbook could have forecast this grind. Like George W. Bush's marketing of the Iraq war through variously fabricated motives, Cameron sold deficit reduction as an irresistable carrot to "business confidence." In the U.S., the government-gutters call it -- that is, huckster it as -- "certainty." 

In Britain, the majority rules, hence tearful sympathy for the gullible rubes who democratically hefted their predatory rulers is hard to come by; but in the U.S., the minority dominates, hence our pain is (mostly) undemocratically derived.

Either way, the transatlantic ideologues are again getting their way, with profoundly predictable results. 

Comments

[Alex]

Except that David Cameron and the Conservative party, even more gallingly, did not win a majority of seats or the popular vote.

[BobH]

Don't kid yourself. Great Britain is a Monarchy on top of a rigid class structure based on pedigree, wealth, and social position(so-called honours). There is a "Ruling Class" and then there is everyone else. It only pretends democratic forms. The Country is wholly owned (still) by a one family whose members change but whose control remains("the Firm", as it's current leader the Queen calls it).