CSR some initial thoughts

Due to work, a dentist appointment and busy day yesterday I haven’t had a chance to fully digest yesterday Comprehensive Spending Review.

But after talking to a people this morning I think one of the reasons why it doesn’t feel as bad as it could have is that the UK Government did well softening people up and managing expectation and of course the cuts and tax rises aren't happening overnight, they will be introduced over the Parliament.

That said it was a very political CSR and I bet George Osborne isn’t best pleased at the comparison to Gordon Brown that most commentators on the right and left made about his delivery. But back to content of the CSR where there are plenty of risks involved both domestically and internationally from what was announced yesterday and I hope that the Chancellor and his Treasury team will be flexible and change course if things take a turn for the worst.

Here in Wales there is understandable concern over the job losses in the public and private sector and the benefit rule changes, changing Incapacity rules for the sickest in society is awful and is going to be a tough sell to people who are probably really worried today, and then there are the obvious questions for those worried about losing their job is where are the new jobs?

As i have written on this blog before i’m in favour of changing the benefit rules to help people back to work and have done research on that very subject, but to compliment it you also have to provide training and real jobs for people to move into and decent wages so that individuals and families can move out of the benefit trap. I haven’t seen much in new thinking that either Government is doing to address these problems and apart from lobbying there is little many in the communities affected can do to change minds in London.

The part we can control will tell us a lot about how Wales copes in the months and years ahead after WAG decides what its priorities are for their smaller budget. After yesterday's response by Carwyn and Ieuan it could be more political than policy driven, which is a shame but quite predictable.

However this should be time for some new thinking on the way health, education, social services are delivered as well as how Wales does sustainable job and wealth creation. But are the politicians brave enough to look at other options and are we the public willing to accept new ways of delivering public services to manage the enormous changes that will take place if all the cuts all implemented in full, time will tellAny source