It is so very tempting to storm in after a Budget and make sweeping assessments. Journalists are paid to do just that but they risk being blinded by ideology or government briefings.
Fraser has already decided that this was the worst Budget ever. And the front pages suggest that editors are none too happy with Alistair Darling’s “Budget for Jobs”. I think it’s probably too early to say. Remember,most people missed the significance of the removal of the 10 pence tax rate two years ago.
This is the first time in four years that I haven’t had to rush into print over the Budget and that is something of a relief. It is also the first in which I have been seeking money for a project I support. The fact that the New Deal of the Mind coaltion has argued for a Budget for Jobs means that I’m in no position to be an objective judge.
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