The Rise of The IFS

In 1998 Gordon Brown announced spending increases in these words, “ Under the previous government the increase for the last three years was £7 billion. For the coming three years I am announcing an increase in health service funding of £21 billion".There were other similar give-aways adding up to £56 billion.The Sun said, “ The Gord giveth “, The Mail said ,“ Brown goes on Summer Spree”.
In fact Browns spending on health was to rise from £37 billion in 98/99 to £46 billion in in2001/2 . That’s makes £9 billion . What he did was add in the extra £3 billion for 99/00 ,£6 billion for 2000/1 and after extra money for Scotland Wales and N Ireland ,not included in Conservative figures .That made £21 billion. Then he did not adjust.
The little known Institue of Fiscal Studies pointed out that in real terms spending would rise 3.6% over five years ,whereas under Major it had risen 2.5% . The 1.5% difference is the equivalent of £460,million per year or £2.3 billion over the lifetime of the Parliament . Even this paltry sum did not turn up .
This misuse of numbers became endemic in New Labour and it is clear that on many occasion the intention is so patently to deceive that although nothing actually untrue has been said it is a lie. Over time the media became wary of double announcing and the whole shady bag of tricks, but at the time Gordon Brown was doing something quite new .Back then Brown’s trick worked . The Press took months to work out what was going on and the people were quite unused to a Chancellor behaving like an old style second hand car salesman . Times change
When Brown and his superannuated lackeys ,notably Hain ,lied about spending commitments in his budget the IFS ( Director Robert Chote ) identified 7% of cuts the next day .Whithin a few days the line collapsed notably when Ruth Lea eviscerated Hain on QT. Now the Parties are in a race to be the most frank about cuts and rifts are opening up between Balls and Mandy on whether the Tory cuts motif has legs. Brown who can no longer get away with the outrageous deceptions of his earlier career .In a little over ten years the Institute of Fiscal Studies have become the starting point for any factual debate about budgetary commitments and the Chancellor reduced to a hired liar to be decoded .