This question was put to one of Britain's leading politicians this week. Who do you think was answering the question? I'll post the answer at 10pm.
Q. Is there a figure for spending as a %age of GDP which you would regard as roughly about right – 35/40/45/50%?
A. Where we are able to find savings in public spending we should look to use those savings to cut tax for the most needy rather than simply allocating the savings to other public spending projects. Families are struggling in the current economic environment, and I’m determined to cut taxes for low and middle income earners.
And the answer is ... cue drumroll ... Mr Nick Clegg! I must say I like the sound of this answer a little better than the 'sharing the proceeds of growth' mantra.
Hattip Spectator Coffee House.
10 comments:
Pure LibDem flimflam, so it can only be Clegg. He is not a "leading politician"; he is a LibDem.
The tricky bit is where he says "Where we are able to find savings in public spending ....", because as a LibDem he will never be in a position to find savings.
i would have said G Brown, simply because he tries to steal most of the tory ideas.
but i googled it, so i know the answer. doesn't surprise me one bit tbh. :)
Boy George!!
The prospective Conservatice Chancellor!
Savings dont just occurr, trust me. You have to have a positive tax cutting zeal just to stop budgets expanding...
Actually, this is intelligent. Cut taxes for the poor - rather than the usual TPA cry of cut taxes for those poor middle classes with their Band A houses (eh Iain?).
Sadly it's Cleggy boy rather than a Tory.
Got to be a LibDum... Clegg?
If it's Osbourne, I'm not voting for Boris...
Oh for god’s sake he can say whatever he likes. You think those bleeding heart children are really up to tax cuts . Not a chance . This is signed to woo swing Tory voters so he can support Brown in a deal for power with some clout.Clegg cannot even keep his Orange book reforsm which he has been obliged to ditch.
God I hate them with their fake sanctimony and fleshy lipped moist mouthed mendacity.
I would quite literally rather have an alliance with Labour than the scum -bag opportunist fudgers. Why not ? Hazel Blears is ok , Johnson is a nice bloke , Brown and Redwood and swap arcane references at each other in a dark room and we could destroy the Liberals forever. Its almost worth it ...
Iain, I think you are missing the point. If they were ever elected, the Libdems will be so full of initiatives to gerrymander^H^H^H^H^H help their voters, there will never be any savings out of which to cut taxes.
It is a good question. What the specific figure has Dave Cameron given, or Gordon, or even you Iain
For myself I would say about 30%, 20% of which being ringfenced dept by dept for the NHS, pensions & welfare but I seriously doubt if ANY elected politician would give a numeric answer.
The point of the question (I posed it) was to get him to lay down some marker as to where he stood on the fundamental left/right issue. He's definitely going after the Tory vote. Osborne needs to start running a bit faster
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