Seven weeks ahead of the expected general election, Wednesday's Budget was always bound to have politics at the fore. Gordon Brown did not disappoint, with something for everyone and three sizeable handouts for important groups of voters. Once again, business was asked to foot the bill with a mixture of stealth taxes, anti-avoidance measures and removal of reliefs. With little room left for manoeuvre, the chancellor was able to roll out his crowd-pleasers with a Budget that represents a modest fiscal tightening.
Much of his speech was little more than allocation of money already promised in the last year's spending plans - on schools, for example, and for training. Several initiatives rope in the private sector to do the lifting, with new networks for national energy research and stem cell research. A memorial to the Queen Mother will be paid for with £2m from issuing a new coin to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday.
