March 31: Budget is the greatest con trick from five years in office

WELL, what a month. I can’t but think we have just lived through possibly the greatest con trick of this Government’s five year tenure of office – reference, of course, to the Budget.

If circumstances were different, it could have been a great Conservative success, but in truth, it is almost completely detached from the reality of the major political and economic problems of the country.

The greatest plus for the Government has been the drop in the price of oil, generally acknowledged the core, the essence, for most of the peripheral improvements highlighted in the Budget.

There are no real substantial measures to tackle the major problems faced by the nation, such as the question of immigration or the suicidal condition of our national defence forces except to note we are going to give more foreign aid money than we are going to spend on our defences.

As expected when making reference to Conservative’s EU policy, no indication was given whether any expenditure is going to be put aside to save our sovereignty.

The big disappointment of the day, though, was the emphasis given to furthering support for the clamour, by what can only be wanted by a small percentage of the population, for more devolution. Wasn’t the Scottish experience enough with its costs and threat to the unity of the UK?

Obviously the Conservative Party is unconscious of the proliferation of all those layers of unproductive administrators that will be required with their advisers, the quangos that will materialise from nowhere and will have to be paid for by us. Oh, and don’t forget the generous expenses that will have to provide this gravy train for the extra thousands of incumbents to enjoy.

We needs our heads examining even to entertain the idea. Unfortunately, the three main parties seem hell bent on going down that road, but then it is jobs for the boys or just another way an extension of the empires of the elite, and I haven’t even mentioned the word sinecure.

From: John Duckitt, Wormley Hill, Sykehouse, Goole.

IN all the debates and promises from the political parties, 
I have not heard any of 
them make a commitment to increase defence spending.

I can only assume there aren’t any votes in defence. Are we capable of defending the Isle of Wight, never mind the Falklands?

A Roman general once stated that the nation wanting peace should prepare for war. Is this statement still true today?