Osborne told to communicate more to win support for cuts

I agree entirely that ring-fencing NHS spending is a mistake. Sacred cows get fat and unable to see the wood for the trees. Also, today's society seems to think that it has a divine right to misuse the NHS: un-necessary ambulance call-outs, wasted medicines, costly medical interventions made necessary by our carelessness, and lack of will power and common sense.

"".....current communications around the fiscal consolidation have yet to hit the mark""

Well, what do you expect? Osborne has no presence and doesn't seem to understand the first thing about leadership. An expensive education culminated in him gaining a 2nd Class degree in 'Modern History'. I feel, but don't know, that mathematics makes his brain hurt - bit of a drawback for a Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The only thing he has going for him is that he is a chum of Mr Cameron - some commendation.

Yes and the BBC wants a blooming good rerouting too .That gravy train wants severely de railing!

The voters need educating on value for money principles. One of the main problems is that whenever cuts are made to an existing budget, there are understandable squeals from those affected, coupled with emotional campaigns. Little if any argument is based on fact.

We have to try to look at what we need to spend, as a country, on essential services first, and base spend on the projected results. Building a new school may create a "nice" environment for pupils, but it is no good if the teaching staff are inadequate, Everyone wants the state to spend money for their benefit without accepting that they have to pay for it. Unfortunately the reckless spending by many has affected many people's understanding of budgetting.

When it comes to the NHS and other life safety spends, then we have to make some decisions based on the grim fact that life has a monetary value. So if, for example, speed cameras save a few lives, but the same spend on new MRI scanners will save more, then speed cameras have to go.

As for the NHS itself, it should not be ring fenced as a pruning of the management is long overdue, There are too many levels of managers such that decisions are slow, difficult and very costly with all of the internal meetings, reports and so on. And many administrative procedures are completely unfit for purpose and so cumbersome they completely defeat their own objectives.

We also need to counter the popular myth that it was the bankers who created this mess, and that therefore they will have to pay for it - not the voters. I see this argument put forward time and time again, which allows huge numbers of the population to deny that there is a problem let alone that they will accept some austerity. Ok, the bankers, coupled with reckless borrowers, made matters worse, but the population must accept that this was just a blip compared with the underlying deficits.

Osborne has no training for his job - but that is the least of it. No wonder Martin Rees and Paul Nurse of the Royal Society are beside themselves. They are shocked as they should be when they see that Osborne does not distinguish between investing in knowledge and wasting money.

Then there is this wonderful idea that destroying the arts council that invests in the arts with moneys raised by Vat on theatre tickets - - doing the same with the Movie council is saving money.

Now there is an attempt to destroy the Warburg Institute that was saved from the Nazis.

The difference with Germany now is striking, not only did they not destroy their engineering industry - thank you Thatcher - but they have called in young German scholars who had to go abroad because there were not jobs, to come back to reinvigorate East German libraries and institutions -

Some new thinking is needed around what investment means - it should not be limited to a word only referring to stocks and bonds (or a house)

Having read, John Coles and Constance Blackwell.

There is nothing left for me to add.

.....but, nonetheless, you did!! God bless you, my son.

Remove the ring-fence from International Aid first, then move on to the N.H.S. if neccessary.

The Citizens Jury my a## ( Price Waterhouse) they are all Torys so that is exactly what you would expect them to be saying.

Ring fence the money to be spent, that is all he has done.The cost of redundencies,altering the system of management transfering responsabilities will be huge,and about time.

My understanding is that NHS cuts are going ahead but that the savings are re-invested back into the health service. So overall, NHS spending will not go down.

The alternative to spending cuts is higher tax.

Keeping tax lower than it would otherwise be is a kind of investment in the businesses and people who would otherwise be paying this extra tax.

So spending cuts are an investment too!

John Coles says "Osborne has no presence and doesn't seem to understand the first thing about leadership. An expensive education culminated in him gaining a 2nd Class degree in 'Modern History'."

So that is why we have Media Studies degrees!

So jingoistis - you do not like what you read so you stay in denial by claiming that PWC are all Tories !!! They made a shed load of cash on consultancy work from the last Government - something they will miss now !! So can you give us your evidence for your claim ?