Big cuts versus smaller cuts is a sterile debate

摘要

We are entering an election year in which public spending is certain to be a key battleground with the Conservatives maintaining further deep cuts beyond 2015 are necessary to reduce the deficit and Labour arguing the contrary. But is this a pointless row? Has public spending overall really reduced under the coalition or is it simply that it has gone down in some areas like local government and defence and gone up in others like health and welfare? In years to come will we discover that for all the pain which local government is enduring overall spending remains constant?