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Monday 21 May 2012

Public Spending Cuts: The Theory vs The Reality

Friday, 18th September 2009

Everyone agrees that cuts in public spending are necessary. Everyone also agrees that we could do with a better and more candid class of politician. And everyone should agree that we could do with better newspapers too. It's budget week here in Scotland and that means there's the chance to preview some of arguments that are going to be had at Westminster next year.

So how does the Scottish Daily Mail report the SNP's budget? With the splash: CUTS AT HOME, CASH FOR AFRICA. How charming. Apparently As SNP budget paves way for savage cuts in housing, transport and education, Salmond finds extra millions for pet foreign aid projects.

You have to read as far as the 21st paragraph to discover that the foreign aid budget will increase from £6m to a whopping £9m next year. Now this may not be the most pressing mater for the Scottish government, but nor can any sensible person consider it anything more than a single peanut in a £35bn budget.

But it's the Mail's editorial that is more interesting still. The paper says, with some reason, that "the longer serious and necessary cuts are deferred, a worsening financial crisis looms around the corner" and that "nobody relishes spending cuts bt the earlier they come, the less severe they will be." This may all be the case. Which makes it interesting that the only significant trimming the paper's editorial mentions is cutting "£250m from Scotland's housing budget in a body blow to our beleaguered construction industry."

In other words, the Mail is in favour of spending cuts except for those cuts that are actually announced. Not that the Mail is unique in this regard. Most papers will accept the need for spending restraint; most will howl when cuts are actually made.

Similarly, the public may like the idea of real-terms spending reductions but, regardless of what they tell the pollsters, I very much doubt that they'll be so fond of the actual cuts themselves. So, while it would indeed be grand to have a better class of politician, we could do with better journalists and, for that matter, better voters too.

Good luck, Dave.

[No links to the Mail because I can't find the relevant stories online. If someone can, let me know...]

Filed under: Budget (194 more articles) , Public spending (122 more articles) , Scotland (499 more articles) , SNP (218 more articles)

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Rhoda Klapp

September 18th, 2009 2:45pm Report this comment

Scotland has a foreign aid budget?

THX1138

September 18th, 2009 3:18pm Report this comment

think that big cuts in public spending are going to be a lot more difficult that the Tories think.

Even an Ideological driven ex Speccie editor like Boris has gone all NIMBY on budget cuts, he is already whinging about the way the government has trimmed his London Mayoral budget. What will he say when Osborne cancels his beloved Crossrail project and lays into the Olympic budget?

Shouldn't he be saying, Spending cut's bring'em on we will tighten our belts and do more for less etc etc... Except we get

"Quite simply, a decision to make a further cut in the funding of the LDA would undermine the agency's ability to deliver on mayoral priorities for London's economic development. The mooted cut in the LDA's budget is therefore completely unacceptable."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/03/brown-boris-budget-21m

How are Dave & George going to face down the big spending Government departments if one of the clique has already gone so far off message?

Simon Stephenson

September 18th, 2009 3:31pm Report this comment

"So, while it would indeed be grand to have a better class of politician, we could do with better journalists and, for that matter, better voters too."

Oh yes please! Political decision-making is made far more difficult and ineffective the more the public perception of it is that it is simple and straightforward. Conversely, the greater the public awareness of its intricacy, the less difficult and more effective it becomes.

Kittler

September 18th, 2009 4:27pm Report this comment

The £250m "cut" complained about by the Mail. This apparent cut results from having brought forward expenditure from next year to the current one to help with the construction industries immediate needs. What does the Mail expect, have cake and eat it?

Matthew

September 18th, 2009 4:55pm Report this comment

I couldn't agree more. I noticed the D.Telegraph's comment section the other week when budget cuts were again in the news had about six articles that dealt with UK politics and all were calling for more spending on various things.

Matthew

September 18th, 2009 4:56pm Report this comment

Also Alex, if you're going to spend your days noting errors of logic in Mail article's and opinion pieces, you're going to go mad. Do something else.

Rhoda Klapp

September 18th, 2009 6:58pm Report this comment

Who do I vote for to get a govt that promises to do less for less? That's what I want, and Alex is perfectly right to point out that the media would be all over it, seething with indignation.

The current Labour/Tory/Lib debate, splitting hairs between I don't want to cut, but will, and I will cut, but don't want to, is not something I want to be involved in. I'd like to see a complete re-appraisal of the role of govt in the economy, with a view to only doing what MUST be done. Fat chance.

ndm

September 18th, 2009 7:23pm Report this comment

I sometimes wonder why no party ever goes to the electorate with a promise to reduce the quantity of laws on the books. That is, for each new line written into law at least one line has to be removed. This would surely be an easier promise to keep, and probably no less useful, than promising to cut Government spending.

Alex Massie

September 19th, 2009 2:31am Report this comment

NDM: Actually in semi-whimsical moments I have argued exactly this. Every new bill passed should be accompanied by the repeal of an existing (and still relevant) piece of legislation. It would, as you say, help concentrate minds.

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