Brown's spend, spend, spend during his Chancellor's days has brought us into the current economy we are facing today. His appeal at a Downing Street meeting for the lenders to pass on cuts appeared to fall on deaf ears with HBOS, which owns the Halifax, increasing its rate on some mortgages from 6.09 to 6.59 per cent. Borrowers taking out this type of deal will now pay 46 more a month. On a two-year tracker, the rate will increase from 1.49 points above base rate to 1.99 points, giving a current rate of 6.99 per cent.

Other lenders are expected to follow Halifaxs lead.

If the Government wants the banks to lower mortgage rates to home owners - why not just offer them through Northern Rock? Everyone would rush to the Rock to get the loans forcing banks to match the rates or lose the business? Or maybe the government would then run into bigger credit crunch?

You can get 9/4 labour winning the next election, any takers? Conservatives 1/3 not worth the risk, libs 150/1, maybe if the general electorate knew there might be a change in their fortune like strictly...!

wonderful article by Jeremy Clarkson in the Sunday Times regarding "all the things we used to do in the UK before Gordo and his commies took over"

Is Clarkson dead or leaving the country. Perhaps he could be useful and do either.

sounds like a Stalinism???

Well at least 49.5k people had some sense.

HilaryI posted that view a long time back on AM.along with Kylie Minogue as Chief Whip. Two people that only talk sense?.all Mondeos would be compacted!

To the guy that said Ron paul is a crank he predicted all this, it is bush and brown that are the cranks, and you say dont blame the banks, who do you think is running the show now, the politicians or the banks, think about it!

the politicians are just puppets,thats why were still in recession even though our politicians have just giveaway trillions to the banks and allow them to earn interest on it by parking it in the central bank as government bonds! wake up man!

Hyleo1 if your theory is correct than why doesn't it happen then, 1) becuase i bank cannot change libor just by lending cheaply, northern rock would expose itself to a property market timebomb, its not about cheap loans, the banks are full of cash the boe has pumped in, its about an unsustainable housing bubble that cannot be solved by lending more moeny to foolish people, who thinnk the market is a one way bet, just because the government owns the rock doesnt mean it can run the business into the ground and then bail itself out with yet more taxpayers cash!

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/darling-has-secret-plan-to-keep-buggering-about-200811261420/

unless there is a cut in income tax to put cash in workers pockets there is no chance our economy will avoid depression, imho.

The man who sold the World..lol.

Cut in VAT a general flop with the voters---no chance of an election now worse luck!!

Why not "Flash" has saved the world!

Don't forget Gordon's famous recommendation "Let them Eat Waste!" - and isn't it nice to know that in addition to his 190,000 he gets paid for general incompetence he also claimed 15 for lightbulbs in his expense account ! What a prudent prat he is

Gordon Brown Says - Let Them Eat Waste!

Thanks, Gordon for putting so many people out of job. He has created a false economy over the past few years.

He is the biggest conman around; now old age pensioners are suffering as their life savings are earning pittance from the interests of their bank accounts.

Hly, What suggestions do you have to improve the situation?

Well, the milk has already been split. He has spend all these years without thinking of the consequences and Labour has been US poodle joining the Iraq war spending billions and life of soldiers.

Give Blair a medal in the USA the Peace envoy to the ME what a con they are.

The key to recovery is investor and workforce confidence. imho there is no chance of this returning while this mob remain in power especially with unelected Brown leading from behind ! Whatever did we do to deserve this character to lead the nation. I see there is talk of Clarke returning to the shadow cabinet. A good idea in my opinion, as long a the tories do not shoot themselves in the foot again wrangling over Europe. Clarke is a well reasoned thinker and would be a good hard hitter to counter Mandelson. What a sorry mess, be interesting to see what the history books in 10- 15 years time make of it all. ( God willing of course).

I hear they made Haig the deputy thats a good move he talks sense unlike a lot of Tories and bring back Clarke and they could do well.