It is impossible not to remark on the unmitigated gall of former British Chancellor of the Exchequer and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to suggest, in his Feb. 8 article, "The growth bargain in Asian consumption," how to put the financial world to rights. It is in the nature of politicians that they learn early to develop a thick and frequently impenetrable hide, a condition patently applicable to this ex-minister.
We in Britain have just endured a recession no less catastrophic than that in many other nations, the aftereffects of which will be suffered for many years to come. With the precursors of this financial crunch looming ever larger, Brown, together with his cohorts, apparently leaned most heavily on rose-tinted spectacles. Ultimately, that cabal of government leaders, promoted way beyond their abilities, were ejected after the electorate finally realized that enough was too much!
Years will need to elapse before the present government can say the recession is over, a recession caused in no small part by the ability of Brown's Labour government to spend money as though there was no tomorrow. And why not? It did not come from their pockets but from the bottomless pit dug by taxpayers.
With regard to Brown, the erstwhile Labour government and their unlimited errors of judgment, the truism that the people deserve the government they elect has possibly never been more relevant than to the 13 years preceding the recession.