The Spectator's Notes

2 May 2009

Charles Moore's reflections on the week

For once, the unity of comment on the Budget was perfectly justified. It may well have been the worst Budget in history. Which makes it all the more annoying that the ‘Red Book’, which contains the Budget details, is this year entitled ‘Budget 2009: Building Britain’s Future’. It is insulting that official documents should have propagandist titles. They should be plainly called according to what they are. ‘Borrowing Britain’s Future’, for instance, would have been soberly true.

But at least the sheer awfulness of government finances is making it fashionable to think about cuts. Quango culls, freezes on recruitment to the Civil Service, capping pensions offered by the public services: ideas that have not been heard for 30 years are now circulating once more. What is so far missing, though, is leadership by example. People in the public service have to know that they will be promoted for cutting successfully, and to believe that their leader cares about it. Not long after becoming Prime Minister 30 years ago next week, Mrs Thatcher came back from Parliament one day to find a pile of cardboard boxes in the hall of No. 10 Downing Street. What were these, she demanded. They were 32 new electric typewriters, she was told (this was in the days before computers). Why couldn’t they make do with the old ones, she demanded: ‘Send them all back!’ In the end, she grudgingly allowed three typewriters to stay, and 29 were returned. It may well be that the typewriters were genuinely needed, and that her behaviour was therefore, technically, silly. But that is not the point. The point is that everyone got the message.

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David Short

April 30th, 2009 2:18pm Report this comment

Don't kill the SA TV licence inspector. It's too costly. Simply give him R100 to forget about you (this works with the traffic cops), then you'll save R900.

But you must remember that when it comes to buying a new TV, you will need a licence. You have to show it in the TV shop.

Bill Corr

April 30th, 2009 2:56pm Report this comment

There is some dreadful confusion here, Charles. Goering was a hunter and made a big fuss about it, being the Chief Huntsman of the Reich; if there was ever an actual hunting ban in the Third Reich period, it was very patchily enforced. In any case, hunters / shooters / fishers are active conservationists who love and protect the countryside. Many hangars, spinneys, copses and coverts owe their continued existence to local Hunts.

These dazed young badgers may have been smoking skunk or drinking White Lightning. Oh, tempera O mores!