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The Budget

The point I am trying to make is that, during periods of Tory government, we saw unemployment go up to record levels. The hon. Gentleman cannot deny that. In 1981, we were told it was the worst recession in living memory and, in 1992, we were told the same. I find it amazing, when I come to the House, that you want us to apologise, but in 1992 you were responsible for one of the worst recessions ever. You cannot blame anyone for that—sorry, I was using unparliamentary language. The Government could not blame anyone but themselves for that, but now they want us to apologise. My point is that when old-age pensioners tell me that they watch television in their coats and go to bed early because they cannot afford to heat the rooms, and I find out from Budget papers that the winter fuel payment is being reduced by £50 for pensioners up to the age of 79 and by £100 for those over 80, I am amazed. It is a deception on a grand scale that the Chancellor waved the flag and said that he would clamp down on Learjets—but he did not say that in his Budget statement, which is what worries me. As I said, I do not think that anyone wants to see the economy fail. If the public sector is cut, there will quite simply be no private sector boom. I will use an example from my constituency, where General Dynamics have created high-quality high-technology jobs. My right hon. Friend the shadow Secretary of State visited when it was awarded a contract for the future rapid effect system. The key thing, however, is that that is a public sector contract. On that same estate—the site of the old Oakdale mine—we also have a carpet company, which has an MOD contract for MOD accommodation. The public sector permeates everywhere. If public sector jobs are cut, that does nothing for confidence. When I walked down Blackwood high street the other day and talked to the shopkeepers, they said that business is already down. When I was working for my predecessor, I remember that that high street was absolutely booming with different kinds of shops, and now I see them boarded up. The one boom industry seems to be charity shops, and they say that they are already struggling, even before the VAT rise comes in. What do we say to those people? There has been much talk of anger. There is anger in the country, but the anger is not directed at the public sector, the primary care organisation or the nurse, who provides care to the sick, vulnerable and needy; the anger is directed at the bankers. Nobody stood up to the bankers. The truth of the matter is that everybody in this country employs the bankers. They are Government-owned, and we must stand up to them. The simple truth is that they were responsible.