It's budget day today, just one stop in the ongoing debate between the cost-cutters and the not-yetters. But is there a third way? In a blog for Prospect I make the (only slightly tongue-in-cheek) argument for a policy of dishonesty:
The optimal strategy for our government, and for all European governments, is to manipulate perceptions while inflicting minimum real world pain. Governments ought to pursue fake austerity programmes; to talk big about slashing costs and shrinking the state while, in reality, only making the most superficial of cuts. This would restore confidence amongst market-makers and consumers that the problem is being dealt with, while saving millions of people from the misery of unemployment.
Maybe that's what they are already doing, but they're just really really good at it?
Posted by: twitter.com/nikshah | June 22, 2010 at 02:07 PM