Gorgeous George wants a chat does he?

So, the last lot flushed 700 billion quid around the S bend and now Boy George Osborne wants to have a debate with us about where public spending should be cut to pay it off.

Piffle.

This is a well known tactic in the corporate world, a lot of my old work colleagues will recognise it. It’s diktat masquerading as consultation.

“Oh, but we discussed it with everyone,” you hear them bleat from the HR department (Known as Human Remains in some parts).

Subtext: “Then we ignored what they said and did what we always planned to do – shaft ’em.”

So when you write to Number 11 Downing Street and say: “Um, could we cut back on the money we pour into the pockets of arms manufacturers because they’ve been ripping us off for years with projects that always overrun and the military are morons when it comes to proper business decisions?” Or: “Can we string up the bankers by the short and curlies and make them devote their miserable life’s work to paying off the debt THEY created?” you’ll probably get a form letter/email like this:

“Dear concerned citizen,

thanks ever so much for your contribution to my big debate. We’ve received a spiffingly large amount of top ideas from you common folk. Unfortunately not all of them could make the final round, so, after an awfully long period of consideration, I’ve decided to do what Dave Cameron tells me to.

Sack all those lefty civil servants, and cut benefits for scroungers, I mean, find ways to get everyone back into jobs that don’t exist.

Yours in Chancellorship,

George”.

So, have your say by all means, I think it could fun. Perhaps we could come up with some ideas and publish them here. I do like the idea of stringing bankers up by the nethers. Perhaps we could ask the Camerons, Cleggs and Osbornes to pass the hat round at family Christmas time – they’ve got a bit of wedge between them. And now Nick has sold his principles he must have a few shekels stashed away.