A characteristically interesting column from Rachel Sylvester in The Times today, in which she describes how the Tories are looking to how the Liberal Party in Canada managed to slash public spending a decade ago. As Sylvester describes it, our Canadian friends lopped 20% of their public spending bill and dismissed as many as a fifth of all state employees.
In other words, cutting spending can be done, even if it’s never easy and always controversial. But unless you tackle welfare and the NHS then – absent a fundamental rethink of government needs and priorities – it’s unlikely that many of the other measures – charging for museum entry! – will make much of a difference. Of course, the Tories say they are committed to that sort of Big Thinking.
Momentum is on their side. When even the Prime Minister is forced to retreat and admit that even a Labour government will be forced to cut public spending then the tide is running fast and true on the Tory station.
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