There’s only one question that matters for George Osborne today

The Tory spin operation has been whirring into overdrive in recent days ahead of the Autumn Statement – and the whole message can be summed up in four little words.

Steady as she goes.

Osborne and co seem convinced that if they stand by what they’re doing and tinker around the edges, the grateful British public will flock to them, expressing their respect and adoration at the ballot box. Or maybe throwing flowers at their feet wherever they walk. They believe themselves to be the saviours of Britain and its economy and expect the history books to judge them thus.

The thing is, they’ve tried this “no drama” steady as she goes schtick before. It was the watchword at their conference just a few months ago. Nothing remarkable was said or done for fear of looking like they were responding to Labour’s agenda. So onwards they plodded – no changes, no plans, little excitement.

And how well has that worked for them? Well they’ve been trapped fighting the battle on Ed Miliband’s turf ever since, which suggests it wasn’t a rip-roaring success. But we already know that George Osborne – supposedly a master strategist – does not learn from history.

The reality is that the Tories are trying to fight the economic and political battle in a place where the public are not. The British people are not living in a land of “green shoots” or even one of “recovery”. Their living standards are declining month on month, bills are going up but wages aren’t. Many millions who are in work are poorly paid or trapped doing part-time work when they want to work full time. Childcare costs drain the family budget, and transport costs mean the cost of even getting to work is dangerously high for some.

Hearing that the economy is growing at a fraction of a percent is slim consolation to those people under those circumstances. They aren’t feeling any “trickle down” from such improvement, and whilst it’s boom time again for the city it’s still bust time for many in the real world.

So whilst revised any growth forecasts are positive (although since the OBR have been so far off so far, I’m not holding my breath for their reliability now) and anything that lessens the pain for those who are struggling should be welcomed, there’s only one question that matters today.

When will I have more pounds in my pocket?

That’s not just about tax cuts and tax rises (a greater allowance is fine, but a VAT hike and in-work welfare cuts undoes the benefit, for example) it’s about what that money buys you in the shops, where you can live and how/if you can heat your home. The Tories need to accept they are now fighting on Labour’s turf. To win the next election they need to convince the public that they have a plan to make them better off.

And “steady as she goes” won’t cut it…