What is to be done?

The Budget Revisited: A national morality play 

Every year in the Austral Autumn we are treated to a one night prime time performance of a national morality play known as The Budget. Its implicit message is similar to the annual report for a large business in that it aims to present the best possible picture of the condition of the enterprise and its current management. However, while the corporate version focuses on productivity and profit, the government’s version is all about taxing and spending. Another key difference is that the corporate report highlights accomplishments whereas The Budget is mostly about promises.

In searching for terms to characterise the overall nature of the latter production, words like farce, Pollyanna and charade come to mind but morality play seems to perhaps best convey the overarching tone of high moral purpose in which it is presented. Always the idea is that the increases in spending and taxation being announced will be tough but fair and…