The problem with selling off the family silver (especially when you squander the cash on useless projects), is that you end up with neither assets nor cash = eventual bankruptcy.

They couldn't run a soup kitchen.

Patrick, Newcastle upon Tyne,

We are increasing living in a country owned by other countries.
It is not just the case of being in Europe but being owned by them. We have a useless Government with bankrupt ideas.

A Walton, Leicester, England

But they had enough money to throw £24bn down the drain in an attempt to save Northern Rock (save NuLabour votes cough).

Bry Barnes, Somerset, Uk

maybe if Gordon hadn't sold off the UK's Gold reserves over the last 10 years. Based on todays Gold price, must be one of the better trades that Gordon has done.

Craig, London,

And people wonder why Scotland wants independence?

DickW, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Alistair Darling has 'Found' a £36 billion hole in the economy. Maybe he should ask Northern Rock for a loan.

Gwyn C Mountfield, Cannock, ENGLAND

As a strategy for plugging holes in budgets, the selling of long term assets is as attempting to use make-up to hide a shrapnel wound. It leaves bare the ineptitude in financial management skills. If The Treasury was a bank then the FSA would be crawling through the woodwork in their offices by now.

How do they get away with it?

Edwin, Bucharest,

These ten years of Labour must surely rank as the worst Governments ever, just proving once again that Labour have never been fit to Govern a country. He(GB) sold the Gold reserves off cheap, sold just about everything he could get his grubby little hands on and for what, to be frittered away on anything and everything that has little or no effect on improving the country as a whole, apart from Scotland of course !

Well things are probably coming to a head now, nothing left to sell, public debt rising at an astronomic rate, public sector borrowing rising and they have no answers for it. A recession is looming and we are governed by arrogant idiots. And the sad thing is: we can't do anything about it for another two long, long years.

expiredUK, Gloucester, England

Mores stealth taxes on the way then. There was no fuss last year over increasing taxes on those on low income to pay for tax cuts for those on middle to high incomes. However, there were all kinds of problems with CGT changes and IHT paid by those on high incomes we can expect that the party of social justice will squeeze the poor even more.

Eddie Reader, birmingham, england

Erm, maybe they could cut spending?

Whoops, we spent to much! Sell the furniture! Now carry on spending and we'll look for something else to sell in a few years!

....anyway I thought we'd had a disciplined Iron Chancellor for the last 10 years? Oh, no, we just had another clown who spent too much and now looks to raise taxes or inflate his way out of trouble.

Adam, London, UK

In plain words Darling does not do what he says ........

John, London, Uk

amanfromMars is spot on - the true incompetence of Labour is now (re)exposed: They're selling off assets (something you can only do once) to try to cover up their largesse and financial mismanagement. A bit like Brown's massive gold sale (pre-announced, causing gold prices to plunge to record lows).

This kind of short-term sticking-plaster politics is, in a large part, responsible for turning Great Britain into Faded Britain, and eventually Broken Britain :(

Ade, Cadiz, Spain

"The Chancellor said in October in the Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review statement that each department had been asked to detail assets that could go under the hammer to raise cash to increase spending power and cut public debt."

What a complete and utter plonker ..... and excuse my French. Selling off assets leaves one impoverished. It is new Intellectual Property which generates wealth from nothing which Mr Darling needs, not another round of selling off the family silver to cover up failings. Strewth ..... save us from buffoons masquerading as Government.

amanfromMars, Seventh Heaven , Global Communications HQ