Not Bad, Considering...

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Budget day 2025. Despite the absurd pre-release of the OBR report on it an hour before Reeve's speech in the House [deliberate? - who knows?], she was nevertheless not thrown by this blindsiding, which could have been a gift to the Opposition, delivering a confident appraisal of an altogether not bad budget, which balanced fiscal restrictions with adequate, incremental delivery of services. Given the budgetary hand of cards they were dealt in the first place, I think it's fair to say that the Labour government's progress, although slow, is at least sure and steady. Not everyone is going to be happy with what the budget contained, but then again that is true of any budget delivered by any government of whatever political stripe. If this leaking of the OBR's report was deliberate in an attempt to spook the markets to the benefit of the opposition, then it failed. If it was a genuine accident then someone needs to be held to account for it. Whatever the scenario, little damage appears to have been done, and the forecast's are favourable going forward. Can we now just wait and see how things pan out, rather than engaging in endless speculation and politicking? It would make a refreshing bloody change, that's for sure...    

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