Has Brown made a fundamental error?

For years Brown has favoured raising taxes (indirectly and by stealth, it must be said) and using the money raised to fund public spending (what Brown preferred to call 'investment').

But recently, given the economic crisis and recession, Brown has positively endorsed a tax cutting agenda - which he calls a 'fiscal stimulus' (Brown has to use euphemisms you see).

This is a huge strategic error by Brown. He has not only allowed tax cuts on to the agenda, but worse still, for him and Labour, he has abandoned his previous position of a responsible, prudent steward of the economy who would put economic stability above all else, by embracing UNFUNDED tax cuts. This has played into the Conservatives' hands. It has given the Tories the confidence to abandon their pledge to match Labour's spending totals which in turn frees them up to offer FUNDED, responsible, and prudent tax cuts.

And as Fraser Nelson has pointed out, far from abandoning people as Labour alleges with its misrepresentation of Conservative policy, the Tories will be helping people by allowing them to keep more of their own money - and all in a way that doesn't weaken the economy and lead to higher taxes down the line which would be necessary to pay for Labour's irresponsible and reckless government borrowing.

But why did Brown suddenly embrace tax cuts a couple of weeks ago, and UNFUNDED tax cuts at that? Remember, this is the man who said: "No political party will be trusted if it promises stability in one breath and unfunded tax cuts in the next,” and who also pledged: "to make unfunded promises, to play fast and loose with stability... is... something I will never do and the British people will not accept.”

He could have embraced a tax cutting agenda because he saw other world leaders doing it. It could have been because sections of the media were calling for them. It could even have been that Brown realised that a 'fiscal stimulus' based purely on increased public spending would not work.

But I don't believe any of the above is true. Based on past behaviour, the most credible explanation is that Brown has made a religious conversion to tax cuts because he took a political calculation that Cameron and Osborne had seemingly boxed themselves into a corner by branding themselves as being fiscally responsible while pledging to stick to Labour's spending totals out of fear that Brown would attack any spending cuts (real or imagined). He thought that he could split the Tories by offering tax cuts while Cameron and Osborne were left in disarray as the Tory right turned on them.

But Cameron and Osborne are scared no more and have abandoned their pledge to stick to Labour's spending totals. Brown has come unstuck once again by playing political games. He has underestimated Cameron, offered unfunded tax cuts and by doing so has abandoned any claim he could have had to be the champion of economic stability.

This is a fatal error by Brown and he deserves everything that will come to him!!!