Rethinking the role of the state
The longer-term challenge for the Labour and Conservative parties is to define a path for the state which both respects markets and acknowledges their shortcomings
UK government spending
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With government expenditure soon to account for almost half the UK economy and one in five Britons working in the public sector, politicians are vying to fight the next election on the size and boundaries of the state
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The state of Britain
Public spending will soon account for almost half the UK economy. Only in world wars or when it owned the commanding heights of industry has the British state assumed such importance. A consensus exists on the need to shrink the state but there is little detail on how to effect this, reflecting a lack of understanding of what the modern British state does
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Comment & Analysis
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Choice cuts
UK politics: With the dire state of Britain’s finances set to define next year’s general election, government and opposition are competing to portray themselves as the better axe-wielder
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