A battalion of troubles

摘要

Few chancellors of the exchequer have ever reported such bleak news to the country. On November 29th George Os-bome used his autumn statement to confirm that a foundering economy had thwarted the government's central mission: to eliminate (just about) Britain's structural fiscal deficit by 2014-15, the eve of the next election. The author of austerity admitted that spending cuts would continue into the next parliament.