What is needed is professional, third party review and analysis of expenditure, department by department, cutting out duplication and waste.
Perhaps, against all the odds, we will find a way of muddling through and preserve our broad church for a time after the era of Brexit has passed.
But it could take the ruling out of all other options before we get there. And if MPs ends up reaching a consensus view, then the Government will have to adopt it.
The Chancellor has been fortunate that the public finances have improved substantially at a particularly convenient time.
The Treasury should not simply accept the growth figures given by the OBR, but seek to raise them.
In sum, Hammond said: vote for May’s Deal – or the economy gets it. But there’s more than one way of dicing the next election result.
The Chancellor’s recent claims of a coming “Deal Dividend” sent the wrong message at the wrong time – and showed up a deep Treasury malaise.
In the final article of our mini-series, the Onward Director says that there must also be a new strategy to help boost Britain’s productivity rate.
In the second article of our mini-series, the Harlow MP calls for a relentless focus on the cost of living, a skills-based economy, social injustices and affordable housing.
During this Budget run-up, many of those I met raised business rates as a killer, plus council tax, the apprenticeship levy, parking charges and corporation tax, too.
It was May’s best conference speech as Conservative leader. But her One Nation pitch could be too late to save her.
She unwittingly legitimised unrealistic Brexit expectations and Corbyn’s economic argument.
They are a stealth tax on the sick, the vulnerable, on families, and our hard-working NHS employees. And nearly 50 per cent of hospitals charge blue-badge holders.
At the moment, we are treading water and appear to be relying on popular support for Brexit, and the threat of Corbyn, to keep us in office.