Labour Slumps to 3rd in poll

[Valmy]

BS.  You're stuck on the Bush years.  There's been a backlash within the right against big government conservatism, not that you'd bother to notice.

Yeah well they are always against big government when they no longer control the government.  We will see what tune they are singing when they win back power.  I predict: big government.

[Valmy]

I've never been a fan of big government...but then I've never been in charge.

Yeah that will count for something when you are a high ranking member of the Republican party.

[MadImmortalMan]

That's the only kind of right winger anywhere

BS.  You're stuck on the Bush years.  There's been a backlash within the right against big government conservatism, not that you'd bother to notice.

Really? I wonder... Because I would say that's what always happens when they are in the opposition. And usually the day they return to office big government is all the rage once again.

No, you're exactly right. In this case, the backlash began before they actually lost power though, and contributed to their downfall. I think Spicy's only half right here. The anti-Bush backlash isn't a result of the loss of power, it predates it and contributed to it. Any random moron with an R after their name can get a 40% approval rating doing basically nothing. Bush had to really work to achieve his 31% or whatever it was. 

[garbon]

Yeah that will count for something when you are a high ranking member of the Republican party.

First step re-registering as a Republican!

Btw, when Karl Rove recently came to SF, he said the following :

"Fellow counter-revolutionaries!" Rove bellowed to open his remarks after receiving a standing ovation from the 500 folks who packed the ballroom. "Revolutionaries! We meet behind enemy lines. And we will prevail!"

"It must not be easy to be a easy to be a conservative in San Francisco," Bush's Brain said. "You must be people of character."

[Josquius]

My father lived in the UK for more than 10 years.  He keeps saying that everybody in university is a labour supporter.  Until they get their first tax bill 

Not my uni, it was full of damn tory scum (tm).

[derspiess]

Yeah well they are always against big government when they no longer control the government.  We will see what tune they are singing when they win back power.  I predict: big government.

You may be right, espec. if someone like Huckabee gets into the White House.  We sure could use another Reagan

[derspiess]

Well in terms of a Republican President actually running a small government and not increasing the size of it you'd have to go back to Nixon.

Reagan was a small-gov't. conservative.  I actually see Nixon as a big-gov't. conservative.

[Sheilbh]

Reagan was a small-gov't. conservative.  I actually see Nixon as a big-gov't. conservative.

Government spending didn't change significantly under Reagan and the deficit was huge.  Nixon cut the size of government and the deficit.

[MadImmortalMan]

Nixon cut the size of government? I know he created the EPA. What did he get rid of?

[Sheilbh]

Nixon cut the size of government? I know he created the EPA. What did he get rid of?

No idea.  But the amount of Federal government spending, the number of civilian employees and the deficit decreased far more significantly under Nixon than Reagan.  The first two more or less stagnated under Reagan and the deficit dramatically increased.

[Monoriu]

In HK, we measure the size of government with government spending as a percentage of GDP.  An important rule when making the budget is that the trend growth rate in government spending must not exceed GDP growth. 

We are at about 18% now.  The UK should be around 40-50% by this measure.

[Fate]

Nixon cut the size of government? I know he created the EPA. What did he get rid of?

No idea.  But the amount of Federal government spending, the number of civilian employees and the deficit decreased far more significantly under Nixon than Reagan.  The first two more or less stagnated under Reagan and the deficit dramatically increased.

Erm. How much of that is related to winding down the Vietnam War and pushing expensive programs off the official books?

@ the notion that Reagan accomplished a smaller government. He certainly worked hard for greater financial irresponsibility.

[derspiess]

@ the notion that Reagan accomplished a smaller government. He certainly worked hard for greater financial irresponsibility.

His success in limiting spending was mixed (though if you use Mono's measure he shrank the government by 5% relative to GDP growth), but he had a Democrat-controlled congress shooting down his spending-cut proposals left & right. 

[Fate]

If he had a Republican Congress spending would have been even greater.   

[derspiess]

If he had a Republican Congress spending would have been even greater.  

Rrrright.