Medicine man

Considering the state of the nation’s finances, the Chancellor’s Budget medicine was fairly palatable.

There are, though, those who think that the real medicine will only be prescribed after the forthcoming General Election.

The Budget was predicated upon fairly optimistic growth forecasts and on that major efficiency savings can be made.

The 1951 election saw the then Labour Government, which had only a small majority, defeated and the Conservatives elected with also a small majority.

One Conservative election poster had the message that they would cut out Government waste.

Whether the promise is to cut waste or, 50 years later, to make efficiency savings, I am sure that in another 50 years such savings will prove equally elusive.

The concern now is that with both major party’s failing to be straight about the measures required to sort out the nation’s finances then whoever forms the next government will have no mandate to carry out the necessary measures.

Without a strong chancellor with that mandate we may find that, as with Greece, the financial markets force us into the hands of the International Monetary Fund who are sure to prescribe some extremely unpalatable medicine.

Vote for change by all means but I fear that nobody will be voting for the changes that are required.