Are the condem cuts really needed now?

So the two oxbridge educated millionaires stood before the assembled press today (and treasury staff) and set out their plans for over £6billion worth of cuts. Against a background of an improved deficit (for which the Condems will probably soon claim credit?), these cuts are unnecessary and cruel. Cruel to those staff in the various quangos that will lose their jobs by the end of the year (of which more later) and cruel to those families for whom the child trust funds would have made that little difference in later life. And are they needed? Over £6billion worth of cuts runs the risk of turning a fragile recovery into a double dip recession. We've been here before, of course, in the 80's and then the 90's, when an over zealous tory government created millions of unemployed, in fact used unemployment as a weapon against the working people in this country. And they are doing the same again. And where are the libdems, who were vociferous in their opposition to the planned £6 billion...very quiet, compliant and overjoyed at being in Government. And apparently careless of the votes of millions that helped put them there.....

And what do the cuts consist of? Reduced spending on IT projects (which?), reduced use of private sector consultants (with knock on effects?). Reduced budgets in most Government departments, including Defra - so we will have to wait and see how that translates into reduced funding for the Agency. And especially, personally, fisheries....

Some of the quangos that will be terminated by Gideons Law may not be much missed. The Potato Council and the Milk Development Council should possibly be better organised and funded by the industry they promote. But what of the National College of School Leadership - provider of training courses including the NPQH, a pre-requisite for aspiring Head Teachers - is this really doing such a bad job? How will Governing bodies assess candidates for headship in the future? The School Food Trust - hasn't it done good work in improving children's diets - but to the dogmatic tories it is 'part of the nanny state'. What happened to society Dave? Not your bonkers 'big society' but the society where we all work together to make a better world - oh, sorry, I forgot, we have a tory government again, the strong survive and the weak go to the wall....just like Thatcher 's time......