For those of you who missed Channel 4 News last night, there was an excellent report from Cathy Newman regarding Gordon Brown's comments on defence spending.
Gordon Brown insists, both at his Iraq inquiry evidence and yesterday at PMQs, that defence spending rose year on year since labour came to power, yet just this week Sir Bill Jeffrey, the most senior civil servant at the MoD, told the Chilcot Inquiry the forces were kept short of funds when Brown was Chancellor.
Factcheck proves that, in real terms ie taking account of inflation, Gordon Brown is wrong. The figures in the video were given to Factcheck by the MoD and show the defence budget fell year-on-year in real terms on four occasions since 1997 when labour came to power - in 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2007.
According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, inflation has to be factored in to make spending comparisons meaningful. So Gordon Brown was, at the very least, playing fast and loose with the figures by ignoring inflation. Nato also provide figures for each country including defence expenditure's share of GDP.
So Gordon Brown lies again. He thinks if he throws figures around nobody will bother investigating them. Thankfully we have the power of the internet and a news programme like Channel 4 to expose him.
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8 comments:
Pinnochio at his finest, Subrosa. I understand Liam Fox is on to this today. I doubt the MSM will help, however except for ms Newman's excellent piece!
It's a disgrace the MSM don't carry this OR. Time all these statistics Brown rattles out were investigated. Like these, most will be found to be lies.
the problem is though that the BBC are acting as a complete pravda. There is no serious questioning of anything Brown says. With this backing, he can lie, lie and lie again confident that his lies will be passed on and eventually become accepted as the truth. The BBC is totally complicit in this. Although the blogosphere keeps the truth alive, it can't compete with the BBC.
So there are two forces at work and it's pretty depressing really.
It is pretty depressing Andrew. Unfortunately it's only the likes of those wishing unbiased news who watch Channel 4 news.
Sky is just as bad though Andrew, it's not only the BBC.
If you knew that a whopping number of your supporters voted for your party due to a primitive brain-stem reflex, the postal vote could be 'adjusted', your spin-machinists were in overdrive, the main Westminster Opposition is horizontal, the MSM is bought and paid for and the fat chance possibility that Dimbleby will be unbiased during the captive studio audience political TV 'debates' - wouldn't that lead Mr Brown to believe he can continue to reach terminal treachery without stopping for breath?
Clarinda,
Yes!
Clarinda.
Spot on !
I'm sure it would Clarinda. In fact when I see the saviour of the world on TV day by day, he seems rather like a peacock - puffed up, cocky and all show with not an ounce of sense.
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