Is Lord Mandelson all smoke and mirrors?
As Peter Mandelson prepares to take on the "doomsters" who are talking down the UK economy there is a growing opinion that his rants are nothing but smoke and mirrors aimed at taking away the focus from the UK economy. He is now suggesting that the UK economy can lead the world in low carbon emissions, and related technologies, when in reality all people want is job security and a steady economy. Constant government attention to various green policies is starting to have a detrimental impact upon the opinion of UK voters who want action rather than words.
While Lord Mandelson says that he appreciates the UK economy is in trouble at the moment he is determined to talk up the prospects for the UK over the next few weeks. Quite what figures he will use to back up his claims remains to be seen but he has certainly put himself in the firing line and could come under serious pressure in the short to medium term. It is also dangerous to try and talk up an economy, where collective action is required to try and pull the UK out of the ongoing downward spiral, as this can give people a false sense of hope.
With a false sense of hope, and no follow-through, comes an even larger drop in consumer confidence which could actually be more detrimental to the UK economy than the situation we are in at the moment. The authorities need to be very careful about how they approach the UK economy over the coming weeks as consumers are getting battle wary of the constant upbeat statements and headlines emerging from Number 10 Downing Street.
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