More to Osborne’s plan than gambling

Paul Mason’s review of the cuts for Newsnight last night (from 10:20 into the video here) was one of the most powerful critiques of Osborne from the left. His package majored on Osborne’s decision to cut a further £11 billion from welfare and pensions, to soften the departmental cuts. Adopting a rather funereal tone, Mason declared that, “if you are poor, your life is about to change”. He produced a decile graph, showing the poorest are hit second hardest. It foreshadowed this morning’s Guardian cover: “Axe falls on the poor”.

Danny Alexander was fed to Paxo: “You said you would not balance your budget on the backs of the poor – when did you change your mind?” (Alexander performed very well – stunningly, even, given what he was doing only six months ago). Mason finished saying, “The theory is that if you cut the state, the private sector will expand.