26 November
The Chancellor gave his one-year spending review yesterday, with updated forecasts on the state of the economy and employment. For many people the talk of borrowing as a percentage of GDP etc tends not to attract their interest. Most are probably more interested in matters like the level of benefits, pensions, taxes and the like – things that relate to their everyday life – but they come up in the Budget in the Spring. There are however some issues in the Spending Review that will attract comment and controversy in a number of areas: public sector pay, cuts to overseas aid, whether infrastructure projects conform to environmental impact requirements, whether the increase made to Universal Credit early this year is continued or stopped etc. Is this all a matter for politicians and ‘experts’ to deal with? Do we have opinions on any of these topics? If so, how will we make them heard?
Lord, we are glad that we do not have to take decisions about public finances, and that there are people who do have expertise and understanding to address them. But we do have a right to have our own opinions and to make them heard. Help us to reflect on what seems right for building your Kingdom of peace and justice, and to share that with the decision-makers
