New research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance reveals the real scope of Britain’s financial black hole, and its dire implications for the next generation.
Even politicians find the deficit a confusing concept. In business, we call deficits ‘losses’ – and everybody understands those.
The notion that our economy can be fundamentally fixed or broken by a simple policy lever pulled in Downing Street is one with obvious appeal to the statist left.
Plus: The OBR isn’t needed to audit manifestos. The SNP’s sleight-of-hand on austerity. A lack of debate on healthcare. And: don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Listen out for the murmur of disbelief from the Question Time audience.
The Liberal Democrat leader claims his party has been “very clear” on where it will find an extra £8bn for the Health Service. and aims to balance the books before the Tories.
Growing national debt is a burden that young people and future generations shouldn’t be asked to bear. Governments have a moral responsibility to remove it.
Brown did it too, and so did Chancellors before him. We ought to treat the official forecasts with greater caution.
Compare the state of the nation today to how things were when I first became a Treasury Minister and it’s clear how far we’ve come.
In Britain, employment is up and growth is up, but output per hour worked has not followed suit.
Can’t be bothered to sift through the Budget and its supplementary documents? Here are six graphs for you.
Beginning and ending with deficit reduction – and aiming for a surplus.
It offers an opportunity not only to consolidate and build upon our economic achievements, but to change the terms of the political debate.
Plus: This week’s focus groups. Straw-Rifkind fallout. The latest party political broadcasts. And: if the leaders were holiday destinations, which would they be?
With large current account and budget deficits, that long-term economic plan of promoting savings, investment and exports is very much a work in progress.