- Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:31 am
#292439
The great lie of our times: The Left wail about 'ruthless' cuts. But the reason Britain's credit rating was downgraded is that government spending hasn't fallen by a penny
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z2LzYarDYc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z2LzYarDYc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ever since George Osborne became Chancellor nearly three years ago, it has been the received wisdom, thanks to shroud-waving unions and the Left-wing establishment, that he and his Treasury team have imposed 'ruthless' cuts on the state sector.
The constant cry from Labour, the public sector unions, local authorities and many commentators is that the cold-hearted Coalition is engaged in a 'slash and burn' policy that will end in the wholesale destruction of the welfare state.
It is a cynically dishonest analysis which aims to make us believe that the reason Britain is suffering a painful period of austerity is because of the draconian effect of 'cuts' to welfare payments, the NHS and all manner of public services, from libraries to the arts.
The truth is that this is utter nonsense. In fact, Britain's monstrously swollen state still devours almost half the nation's output.