The essential issue is the budget.The outgoing Labour government refused to hold a full spending review, or to supply the detail of their spending plans for the post Election period. Any new incoming government has to get on with that task quickly.

If I am correct then Keynes argued for government saving during the good times and spending during the bad. Aside from the effects of government spending (driving out the productive classes and creating greater dependent and parasitic classes), there’s a flaw with this government trying to do it - they have no money. Government spending has

In the coming weeks, the government will announce public spending cuts in order to deal with the deficit. All the talk will be of tough spending decisions. So why are we about to approve an increase in the UK contribution...

American government spending will be higher in 2011 than it was in 2010. Government spending will be higher in 2012 than it was in 2011 - much higher. The above is all that matters - everything else is piss and wind. The deal is one great big shining lie. - Paul Marks...

Evidence is only of use to the mind that is prepared for it. Every time I see the government of Japan (or some other government) spending yet more money, in spite of the failure of all their previous government spending orgies, I am reminded of this. Because, of course, to them there is no such thing as evidence that expanding government spending is not a "good thing", just as there is no such thi...

Health spending would rise much more slowly under a Tory government than it has under Labour shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has announced.

By raising fears over government deficits, and by refusing to acknowledge that government spending pays for itself, these conservatives have set the economic and political agenda in all the British media, Really? Government spending pays for itself? Amazing, the woman’s in line for a Nobel any day now! Hey, I’m willing to believe that some government spending

It’s typical that at a time when the issue is Why is the government spending so much more and borrowing so much more than it forecast some should want the issue to be Tory spending plans. The issue today must be How can this government get a grip on the public finances? It wrongly thinks spending

A Conservative government would cut public spending to deal with the "economic wreckage" that it would inherit from Labour.

In an altogether extraordinary pre-budget report, one of the most extraordinary moments was not even cheered or gasped at at the time. It was when the Chancellor announced the rate of real terms spending growth from 2011 on. Read it...