What we need is honesty, not denial | Vince Cable
Public spending is going to be squeezed, hard. The questions are when, where and how. The government has taken refuge in stealth; its planned cuts fall hardest on capital spending, and involve the usual salami-slicing of services (disguised as "efficiency"). The Tories would hide behind a new super quango and attack public services with relish. But honesty, rather than denial, is the best place to start.
There must be a better way that involves setting explicit priorities, decentralising decisions where possible, and ensuring democratic engagement (remarkably, MPs at present play no role in spending choices). Left to itself, the government machine will protect bureaucracy and senior management by sacrificing frontline services and modestly-paid staff. A cultural revolution is needed to reverse the top-down approach and protect public services.
Some potentially unpopular or controversial cuts are inevitable. The Liberal Democrats have identified big defence projects (including Trident), government IT and database contracts, the child trust fund, tax credits for high earners, and future public sector pension and pay arrangements for the burgeoning ranks of highly-paid public sector staff (including MPs). The more credible the choices, the more we ensure that frontline services are indeed protected, and that we are in a position to make future commitments to combat unemployment and invest in education.
Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor of the exchequer