What a curious election this is. As Tim Montgomerie points out over at Spectator Live (visit!) the Conservative manifesto appears to have been written as though the great Fiscal Crash had never happened. This is either bold or brave or, worse, perhaps both. Then again it’s not as if Labour are offering anything more convincing. A chart will help explain this:
So there you have it: squabbling over £12bn; total silence over the £155bn rest that might need to be cut. Marvel at how narrow our politics can be. Granted these numbers are taken from the Institute for Economic Affairs but even if you quibble with their calculations the broad thrust of the point is clear. (Might I also suggest to the boffins at the IEA that calling your proposals for £167bn in public spending cuts a “modest” proposal is, while good and Swiftian and all that, proably not the best way to get them taken seriously.)
And so one could be forgiven for thinking – on the basis of the campaign so far – that there is not much difference between the parties.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in