Friday, November 23, 2007

Chris Huhne - Now he's the Economist - isn't he?!

Earlier this month Nick Clegg was criticised for not having done the sums on the Pupil Premium, but, it should be remembered this was a sum of around £2.5 billion with a potential £1 billion shortfall. At the Cambridge hustings Chris Huhne talked about raising spending on all children to the same level as private schools. A noble ambition, but we learn today that the IFS have costed this at £17 BILLION.............er......I may not be an economist, but that looks to me like ermmmmmmmm a £15.5 BILLION shortfall? If we were to implement this policy it would swallow up all our other spending commitments........and some! But, I admit, I am not an economist, I may be missing something, maybe Chris would like to tell us where all this dosh is to come from?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's the economy, stupid!

Anonymous said...

£15.5 billion is a lot of money, that's for sure. But it's not such a large sum that it couldn't be found through increases in taxation.

To make the sums add up, Chris would have to propose increases in tax. I would find that impossible to support given the current levels of tax and our existing commitments to cut income taxes. Pouring in more money without structural reform is really just a 'more of the same' approach, so I have to hope that that's not what he's advocating. I'll be going to a hustings tomorrow, so perhaps I'll find out then!

Anonymous said...

That's why Chris has been very careful to say that it will take two parliaments and a lot of political will to achieve it.

Linda Jack said...

Aah anonymous, that explains it then, but he didn't say that on Wednesday and he didn't explain why that was the highest priority.

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling he covered this point in the online hustings on the party website (they're still up there, I'll check at some point). I think it was £15bn from not having Trident and the other £2.5bn from various wastage savings being identified by t'Cable.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Alix, I will have a look too, though of course some of the savings from Trident will go on his "Son of Trident" and the use of the savings will limit scope for other spending