Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers a load of repeats another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 2010. The fourth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV co-editor Mark Pack, and originally appeared on 18th June …
The easy, progressive way to cut £44 billion without harming worthwhile public services or the least well off
It may sound a challenge, cutting £44 billion from public spending.
But actually, it’s easy.
Not only that, it can be done without hitting the least well off. Without cutting worthwhile public services. And if you’re so minded, you can even drape a “progressive” label over it all.
How to do it?
Simple.
You see, the last Labour Budget contained overall spending totals for the government that mean a cut in spending of £44 billion (using the calculations form the Office of Budget Responsibility). Now, because Labour didn’t publish any departmental spending total plans beyond the current financial year, we don’t know where those £44 billion of cuts were going to go.
But of course it would be irresponsible to lay out those plans without having a good idea of how you’d put them into practice if you won the election. And it really wouldn’t be the done thing would it to write a general election manifesto that confirms the Budget’s plans and required £44 billion of cuts even if you don’t really know where the £44 billion is going to come from?
So just ask Alistair Darling and Ed Miliband – the last Chancellor and the author of Labour’s manifesto – where the £44 billion was going to come from.
As I said, simple.
After all, they wouldn’t be leaving their colleagues merrily criticising just about any spending cut proposed by the new government as awful, non-progressive, unfair and heartless if they knew that those very same colleagues had just fought a manifesto that was based on anything other than nice, warm, cuddly and progressive £44 billion cuts would they?
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8 Comments
….And I would recommend an excellent article in the Telegraph by Fraser Nelson, “Only a merger with the Tories will save most Lib Dem MPs”. Mr Nelson can see precisely what is happening to the LibDems.
Great point, but I think that given Labour’s more recent stance of hypocritical fiscal denialism, it is now time to go further: publish an unauthorised Labour Budget, with actual figures, detailing all the spending cuts they have opposed and the extra tens of billions it would add to the government deficit. Their stated positions on a variety of issues so far amount to tens of billions of extra spending. Labour’s spending blowout: the truth.
Anyone fancy joining in a mini research project to show what a bunch of posturing fraudsters they are being at the moment?
@ DaveN
This drip, drip, drip of “merger” stories are just a contorted form of hostile fire from the right. Have you ever seen any Lib Dems quoted in these articles? It is always the Tories.
The fact you need to use an article from the Torygraph to support your theories shows how weak they are.
I like this article because it is so true.
Labour have completely abandoned any pretence of fiscal responsibility by refusing to outline any of the £44 billion of spending cuts they promised, while condemning any available government decision. They have theoretically ringfenced tens of billions of extra spending and taxes by their opposition to everything the coalition does so far. They are a disgrace and they know it. They just don’t care. They have launched straight back into the 80’s in terms of denialism and a refusal to face up to the difficult decisions we are actually facing as a country.
Stephen W. “……. hostile fire from the right”? The LibDems are now part of “the right”, don’t you mean “hostile fire from those even further to the right than we have become”!
To the moderator. Although this comment contains no abuse, just straightforward criticism/observation from an honest but angry LibDem voter, I expect it will be deleted. Free speech?
And look at the good that did them in the 1980’s.
Robert c – great idea
http://www.glasgowmediagroup.org/
Prof Greg Philos solution as recently featured on the Daily Politics.Professor Greg Philo’s proposal to pay off the national debt via a one-off tax on the wealthiest 10% of the population which appeared in the Daily Finance UK on the 11th November 2010. A YouGov poll indicated that 74% of the population would favour this one-off tax.
http://www.dailyfinance.co.uk/2010/11/11/one-off-wealth-tax-backed-by-74/
Part one of Daily Finance UK interview with Professor Greg Philo on his wealth tax proposal.
http://www.dailyfinance.co.uk/2010/11/15/greg-philo-on-his-wealth-tax-proposal/