UK swings to the right

Polly Toynbee is dismayed by the Pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review announced by the new Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling on October 9th. "We now have a centrist government in Europe's most unequal country. Our government stands somewhat to the right of Angela Merkel's coalition in Germany, to the right of economic policy in France, where Nicolas Sarkozy has absorbed social democrats. ... At least in Europe there are leftwing parties still to make the public arguments: in England ... a political generation has barely heard the case for social justice. ... There is no company, arts organisation, charity or function of the state that does not hang upon its [comprehensive spending review's] judgment. It was even delayed several months to get it right, causing serious budgeting problems to many balance sheets. Then at the last moment in a few days of hysteria, it all seemed to be done on the back of a matchbox."

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