Truth and politics are not easy bedfellows. But misleading the public, whether actively or by omission, is a dangerous tactic for any politician.
Gordon Brown has flirted with this dilemma in recent months. His refusal to acknowledge that cuts are inevitable verged on the ridiculous.
Sense prevailed at the TUC conference, and the prime minister finally used the C-word. However, he was undone the following day when the extent of the necessary cuts became clear.
A leaked Treasury document showed that departmental budgets are likely to fall by 9.3% in real terms over the four years from 2009/10 to 2013/14.
Debate immediately ensued over whether these were real, planned cuts or just projections. But either way, the Whitehall mole has exposed some big issues.
Unemployment – now at a 14-year high – will inevitably rise further. By 2013/14, social security spending will be approaching £200bn and debt interest will have climbed to almost £64bn.
Having been dragged kicking and screaming to the honesty box, it’s clear that Brown still has some way to go. Public service cuts are going to be painful and long term.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the funding squeeze will be the tightest since the UK went ‘cap in hand’ to the International Monetary Fund in the 1970s.
It’s a grim future and the consequences cannot be ignored or played down. Labour has bad form in this regard, but the Conservatives also have some work to do. Tory leader David Cameron has talked of cutting spending further and earlier than the government intends.
He has made some specific proposals – including scrapping identity cards and the children’s database – but this would not scratch the surface of what would be required.
Only the Liberal Democrats have attempted to address the public finance black hole. Treasury spokesman Vince Cable published a pamphlet this week offering annual savings in excess of £14bn.
We may take issue with some of Cable’s ideas, but he at least acknowledges the enormity of the problem.
Labour and the Tories need to take the same approach. The government has an early opportunity with the impending Pre-Budget Report, when it has promised to identify priority areas for future spending.
All the parties should offer detailed breakdowns of planned departmental spending. Only then can voters make an informed choice come election day.
