StraferJack Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Allied to this is the fact that this government is > ideologically using the deficit to decimate the public institutions. That's a little over-emotive, unless you are using the original meaning of the word 'decimate' in relation to budgets. The Tories generally believe in smaller government so, yes, they are using the cuts to idealogically shrink the state. That's really not surprising. I've always considered that Labour spend too much, the Tories too little. As long as you get regular changes of government, it tends to average out reasonably well. Having said that, some reports had Labour planning cuts of about ?9 for every ?10 the Tories have planned anyway.