David Blackburn

How long can Cameron blame Labour?

Understandably, David Cameron is blaming Labour for the age of austerity he must inaugurate, and will continue to blame Labour. Dominic Lawson asks a simple question in this morning’s Independent: how long can that tactic soften the opprobrium his government will incur?

‘After all, when Margaret Thatcher’s government cut the unsustainably vast subsidies to public sector industries – from coal-mining to car manufacturing – which her Labour predecessors had not dared to confront, it established her reputation among millions as a cruel and heartless prime minister. It will be fascinating to see if the much more soothing rhetoric of a Conservative government in coalition with the Liberal Democrats can convince the electorate that they are caring cutters; how extraordinary it will be if they carry that off while reducing public expenditure on a scale which Margaret Thatcher never even attempted.’

The simple answer is: not very long. There will be plaudits for restoring fiscal responsibility, but few votes. The government must reduce spending in normal terms, not just below the rate of inflation – no government has achieved that since Atlee and Stafford-Cripps and they were assisted by no longer requiring Spitfires and battleships. The modern day equivalents are public sector jobs, tax credits, pension relief, tuition grants and arts funding – all will lose something. Neither the public’s lingering contempt for Gordon Brown, nor Nick Clegg’s winning smile, can save the coalition from accusations of cruelty and heartlessness.      

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