Who was our 'best' Prime Minister?

[Dec27]

Can't disagree with the Blair thing, the gold thing was foolish in hindsight, but doesn't amount to a massive loss in the overall scheme of things. He was fairly fiscally responsible otherwise.

It could be argued that Thatcher and Blair combined were a losing combination. She sold off all the houses and infrastructure, and Blair brought lots of people in to compete for what little was left.
I believe Thatcher was a foolish ideologue, but Blair was a callous Machiavellian.

It’s well known he cost us a fortune!!

Yep.

The aftermath of Brown’s gold sell off​

When the UK sold its gold at around $275 an ounce, it was close to the lowest price seen in three decades.

Within just a month of the announcement, the value of Britain’s remaining gold reserves had fallen by around $650 million, dropping from $6.5 billion to $5.85 billion. At the time, critics warned the decision had already cost taxpayers more than£400 million, more than the cost of the Kosovo war.

In hindsight, the sell-off has been described as one of the most expensive financial decisions ever taken by a British chancellor, with recent estimates putting the long-term cost at around £36 billion.

Gordon Brown’s gold sale: what happened and what we learned - Gold Bank

Why did the UK sell its gold in 1999? Explore Gordon Brown’s gold sale, what happened, how gold prices later surged and the lessons for investors today.

goldbank.co.uk

 

[Deluks]

Yes it was a big loss and a mistake, but in the overall scheme of things, compared to say, the cost of COVID, the NHS, the welfare bill, pensions, Ukraine war etc, it's not something that bankrupted the country.
Other countries were also selling off their gold, Brown invested it in other areas that were doing well at the time. Plus there's the cost of storing and securing all that metal, it's a liability, watch Die Hard with a Vengeance!

Despite this one mistake, I don't think that makes Brown a 'bad guy'

 

[Deluks]

Maggie's foolish mistakes also cost us a fortune.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/buying-selling/how-right-to-buy-landed-taxpayers-with-a-900m-bill/

 

[Dec27]

Yes it was a big loss and a mistake, but in the overall scheme of things, compared to say, the cost of COVID, the NHS, the welfare bill, pensions, Ukraine war etc, it's not something that bankrupted the country.
Other countries were also selling off their gold, Brown invested it in other areas that were doing well at the time. Plus there's the cost of storing and securing all that metal, it's a liability, watch Die Hard with a Vengeance!

Despite this one mistake, I don't think that makes Brown a 'bad guy'

It’s clear you can’t grasp the severity of Brown selling the gold.

Let’s leave it there.

 

[Deluks]

It’s clear you can’t grasp the severity of Brown selling the gold.

Let’s leave it there.

No. We disagree on the severity.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

We've had 30 years to see what's daft about it.

Having said that, and seeing what we're getting now - I'd go back to civilised EU migrants instead in a heartbeat.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Thatcher definitely went too far with privatisation, but the sad truth was that the country was completely broke after being nearly destroyed by the Labour party. She did a good job of making unpopular decisions. She wasn't well liked, but was respected.

Then labour got another go, and nearly destroyed the country again - Cameron was something of a hero for the bitter medicine they had to force the country to take after 2010. But sadly he got scared before the next election and started spending like Labour just to woo the voters and remain in power, knowing that Labour would be promising limitless spending from the magic money tree as normal.

The best PMs are those that make tough decisions, almost always after Labour have been in power and have almost destroyed the country with tax, borrowing and runaway spending. We'll definitely need some kind of a super hero after 2029, after this current lot have finished spraying all the money up the wall.

 

[Dec27]

Thatcher definitely went too far with privatisation, but the sad truth was that the country was completely broke after being nearly destroyed by the Labour party. She did a good job of making unpopular decisions. She wasn't well liked, but was respected.

Then labour got another go, and nearly destroyed the country again - Cameron was something of a hero for the bitter medicine they had to force the country to take after 2010. But sadly he got scared before the next election and started spending like Labour just to woo the voters and remain in power, knowing that Labour would be promising limitless spending from the magic money tree as normal.

The best PMs are those that make tough decisions, almost always after Labour have been in power and have almost destroyed the country with tax, borrowing and runaway spending. We'll definitely need some kind of a super hero after 2029, after this current lot have finished spraying all the money up the wall.

Well said.

 

[Dec27]

No. We disagree on the severity.

Yeah I think the 47 billion he lost the uk was a lot.

You clearly don’t.

 

[SPLINE]

Yeah I think the 47 billion he lost the uk was a lot.

Losses don't matter any more,now that we have Labour's magic money tree!!

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Labour is currently importing so many guaranteed Labour voters who live off the state that they'll never get defeated by democracy. We'll just have to wait for national bankruptcy, which will hopefully end their utter madness.

 

[warey4life]

I used to think Thatcher, but it's become clear over the years that her privatising of utilities and energy has been disasaterous, so John Major for me, although he brought in the criminal justice act which ruined the rave seen.

 

[warey4life]

Labour is currently importing so many guaranteed Labour voters who live off the state that they'll never get defeated by democracy. We'll just have to wait for national bankruptcy, which will hopefully end their utter madness.

Hang on, UK net migration fell by 48% in the year ending Dec 2025, are they trying to reduce their own voter base?

 

[blup]

This echo chamber of Thatcherites is hilarious

 

[Dec27]

I used to think Thatcher, but it's become clear over the years that her privatising of utilities and energy has been disasaterous, so John Major for me, although he brought in the criminal justice act which ruined the rave seen.

Yeah I agree about Major.