Austerity For Ever...

[DanaC]

Says the millionaire in tails, standing next to a gilded throne.

A change of tone, from a couple of years ago.

Then:

The remarks by the PM contrasted with his claim after the 2010 election. In his New Year's message for 2011, issued on 31 December 2010, he said: "I didn't come into politics to make cuts. Neither did Nick Clegg. But in the end politics is about national interest, not personal political agendas.

"We're tackling the deficit because we have to – not out of some ideological zeal. This is a government led by people with a practical desire to sort out this country's problems, not by ideology."

A few months earlier that year, in his first Tory conference speech as PM, Cameron said he would have preferred to tackle the deficit in ways other than public spending cuts. He said: "Everyone knows that this government is undertaking a programme of spending cuts. I know how anxious people are. 'Yes', they say. 'Of course we need to cut spending. But do we have to cut now, and by this much? Isn't there another way?'

"I wish there was another way. I wish there was an easier way. But I tell you: there is no other responsible way. Back in May, we inherited public finances that can only be described as catastrophic."

And now:

In a change of tack from saying in 2010 that he was imposing cuts out of necessity, rather than from "some ideological zeal", the prime minister told the Lord Mayor's banquet that the government has shown in the last three years that better services can be delivered with lower spending.

Cameron said that the government would press ahead with tackling the deficit after cutting it by a third. But he made clear that his party intended to go further.

"We are sticking to the task. But that doesn't just mean making difficult decisions on public spending. It also means something more profound. It means building a leaner, more efficient state. We need to do more with less. Not just now, but permanently."

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...fficient-state