As the Chancellor gave a hint of what may be in the budget, has he squared the ongoing pressures over funding the military which triggered him to resign under the previous prime minister?
We must have defence in a world where despots launch armed conflicts. But do we need nuclear weapons to do so? Do we really need aircraft carriers when our shores can be defended by aircraft or drones based on land? Scrapping them would be a huge saving. Also - even the Lead seems to assume the neoliberal doctrine of 'balancing the books', 'living within our means', 'fiscal rules' and bowing to the bond market. It is this doctrine which produced 14 years of austerity which has only succeeded in bringing the country to its knees. It is time to look at other economic theories that work better for the workers of this country. If we insist on sticking to these holy icons, then at least balance the books by taxing unearned income, capital gains and such, closing tax loopholes for international corporations and increasing tax on the rich in general.
We must have defence in a world where despots launch armed conflicts. But do we need nuclear weapons to do so? Do we really need aircraft carriers when our shores can be defended by aircraft or drones based on land? Scrapping them would be a huge saving. Also - even the Lead seems to assume the neoliberal doctrine of 'balancing the books', 'living within our means', 'fiscal rules' and bowing to the bond market. It is this doctrine which produced 14 years of austerity which has only succeeded in bringing the country to its knees. It is time to look at other economic theories that work better for the workers of this country. If we insist on sticking to these holy icons, then at least balance the books by taxing unearned income, capital gains and such, closing tax loopholes for international corporations and increasing tax on the rich in general.