Time for a spot of alchemy

摘要

Good news. The chancellor has now put us all out of our misery. For, we at least, now have a better idea of what we're in for. But then there's the bad news. He's done this only by a major injection of misery - 7.25% cuts a year for the next four years, with most of the painful decisions delegated locally.At least, that' s the half-empty way of looking at it. But, faced with the inevitable, there are two main approaches. We can either indulge in the luxury of spiralling downwards. Or we can try our hands at a spot of alchemy. In other words, turn the problem into an opportunity.