For all of that, it is good to have Jeff Randall on side. Nobody can accuse him of ever supporting the Labour government or its Chancellors. Indeed, he was the first to go into battle over Gordon Brown, possibly the most disastrous Chancellor of the Exchequer this country has ever had (other candidates' merits will be considered), raiding the private pension funds.
Yet he is saying the unsayable but obvious: "The Coalition is spending even more than tax-and-waste Labour".
Given the scale of opposition to the Chancellor's surgery, even though he has not yet released the full details, a curious bystander might be forgiven for thinking that many billions are going to disappear from the bottom line of state expenditure. Like one of Todd's victims, the final bill for taxpayers is about to be dismembered in a grisly fashion.Well, well. And even, ahem. Mr Randall then discusses the terrible debt this country faces, which is not the government's debt but ours since the government's money is our money. Somehow, one cannot trust a government that has ring-fenced the NHS and international aid while drivelling about building a Big Society, to be able to cope with that.
This is what happens when the state is shrunk, right? Er, not quite. In fact, not at all. In terms of cash flowing out of the Treasury's coffers, there is no evidence of cutting back. Total government outlay is set to go up this year, next year and every year thereafter to 2014-15.
According to estimates from the Office for Budget Responsibility, the figures will be £696 billion in 2010-11 (up from £669 billion in 2009-10), then £699 billion, £711 billion, £722 billion and £737 billion. These sums are not inflation-adjusted, but even so, they belie the idea that a demon barber is about to "polish off" the Budget and stuff its remains into one of Mrs Lovett's delicious meat pies.
Yes spending in cash terms is going up but real spending is coming down and there will be cuts. Please tell the whole story or are you like the Guardanistas you only want people to know what you want them to know or just ignorant of the facts which they also seem to be on many occasions.
ReplyDeleteYes, but why is spending in cash terms going up? Are they hiring extra people or increasing their pay, or what? Where is that money going?
ReplyDeleteD'oh! Just read the original article by Jeff Randall and he makes it clear it's because of debt payments.
ReplyDeleteRight. So the next step will be Antisthenes reading the article as well. As for there will be cuts. Or there WILL be cuts that is not an argument but wishful thinking. When they happen we'll talk about them. What WILL happen is not a fact. You see, Antisthenes, it might not happen. Then what?
ReplyDeleteHelen@
ReplyDeleteCuts will happen because as AKM points out the debt interest is sucking up money instead of it being available to spend on public services. I have read the article, however John Redwood was pointing out that spending would be increasing in cash terms long before Jeff Randall.
PS., I watched John Redwood make this case when interviewed on BBC news, naturally they blanked him on that and ducked to another subject.
ReplyDeleteEventually, they will have to happen but they will be postponed by this socialist government for as long as possible. Redwood is not exactly someone anybody listens to. Not that he ever makes all that much sense.
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