Has Alistair Darling done enough?
We saw the pre-budget spin earlier this week and today we saw the actual pre-budget report which included a number of potentially controversial taxes and political manoeuvring. However, the big question on many people's lips is, has Alistair Darling done enough?
The truth is the Alistair Darling was in a no-win situation because the Treasury has woefully underestimated the decline in the UK economy by nearly one percentage point which has had a massive impact on the budget deficit. There is a need for some consolidation in the short term but there is also a need for the government to put forward a number of "voter friendly" policies to try and grab the attention of the UK population.
While the headline grabbing bank bonus tax will do the UK government the world of good in the eyes of many voters, once the dust has settled and each and every person in the UK realises that their tax payments will increase in the short to medium term, the feedback could be very different. There was little Alistair Darling could really do because it he had no money to "play with" and needs to replenish the UK balance-sheet as soon as possible. The opinion polls over the next few days are likely to swing wildly and should be monitored very carefully.
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