Is the acceptance that government spending cuts are needed being exploited?

By Warwick Sharp

Cuts to government spending are clearly needed. The debate surrounding public finances has led to this agreement across the whole political spectrum. However, is this widespread acceptance that public spending cuts are needed being exploited? Are some unnecessary and unjustified cuts and money saving initiatives being pushed through that would normally be completely repelled?

There is a recent Business example of this happening. Now if you fly with another person on British Airways you will have to pay extra to sit with them. It will cost you even more – up to £60 – to reserve window or aisle seats. BA have already cut some free meals and reduced luggage allowances. All of this from the airline that prides itself on offering a ‘full service’ but is ultimately taking advantage of the current shift in opinion and tolerance.

At the local authority level, Barnet Council began a ‘relentless drive for efficiency’ which was so harsh it required an injunction from the high court to protect local residents. Some Conservative run councils across the country advocate similarly damaging schemes which cut far deeper than is required; they are exploiting the current political situation.

What is remarkable is how little surprise these decisions have caused. A couple of years ago there would have been much more outrage. Why is it that cuts or money saving initiatives like these are being accepted more readily just because we accept some public spending cuts are necessary?

Public tolerance and opinion to cuts and money saving initiatives have been shifted by the debate over public finances. Suddenly, any cuts or money saving initiatives seem more acceptable. The acknowledgment that cuts to public spending are required could prove to be the start of a slippery slope not just in terms of central government departments but literally everything else.

The next debate about how isolated and compassionate cuts are within central government will be absolutely crucial. This debate will help frame the newly shifted public tolerance and opinion about what is acceptable and what is not. It is essential that Labour wins this debate. Otherwise the acceptance that government spending cuts are needed could be exploited even more by the likes of BA and Barnet Council.