Dr Andrew Crines examines the Budget for signs of pre-election Liberal Democrat influence
Dr Andrew Crines comments on how the budget will influence the run up to the general election.
In his article entitled "Blue- rinse Budget shows little sign of Lib Dem influence", Dr Crines highlights the lack of Liberal Democrat influence in the recent Budget announcement.
He suggests that the budget will set the tone for the Conservatives and that by adopting a "steady-as-she-goes approach" it will assist the Tories in conveying the message that any change of direction will likely put Britain’s recovery in doubt."
However he continues to say that "the Conservative approach - although beneficial for them - may be problematic for their coalition partners.. [it is very much] a Conservative recovery".
Dr Crines attributes this to the fact they dominate key economic positions and as such are able to take credit for the recovery. The consequence for the Liberal Democrats being, they are left to "claiming ownership of scraps under the table as a means of demonstrating their success".
