Tag Archives: m c escher

Mark Pack

Why budget maths makes me thinks of Escher

By Mark Pack | Fri 2nd July 2010 - 12:50 pm

A small state is smaller than a big state, right?

But now bear with me.

Take a glance at the heated rhetoric coming from Labour ranks about how the coalition government is hell bent on a right wing crusade to slash the size of the state.

Then consider this. The coalition’s spending plans will see public spending in 2015-16 at a fraction under 40% of GDP.

And you know what? That’s higher than it was under Labour in 1997-98 and in all the intervening years through to, and including, 2003-04. (See the graph here from Peter Hoskin.)

So the horrible dreadful right-wing small state still …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 5 Comments
Advert



Recent Comments

  • Nonconformistradical
    @Peter Martin "The other notable difference with the NHS is that you can effectively jump the queue by paying to have your op done in a public hospital. So whe...
  • Nonconformistradical
    @David Raw "Are you really saying that folk on benefits or low wages should be charged for seeing a doc......." No that is absolutely what I'm NOT saying. ...
  • Matt (Bristol)
    Agree with some of those points, but... a) the assumption of the populists and also of the hardcore identity-politics left-liberals that if you're against what...
  • David Raw
    @ Nonconformistradical "As a reasonably comfortably off pensioner I can’t see why I shouldn’t be charged something towards NHS services". But you are b...
  • David Raw
    @ Tristan Ward, "This is a fine speech, marching toward the sound of gunfire". As somebody who was present in the Hall and actually heard Jo Grimond's Gunf...