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Legislative Programme and Budget Statement (Wales)

It is clear that the thrust of today’s speeches—notwithstanding the previous one, which was interesting—is the cuts in the budget for Wales and the cuts in services that that are likely to follow. I get a sense of déjà vu whenever I hear the shadow Welsh Secretary speak, because he frequently regurgitates his speeches, changing them only slightly to suit the proceedings. I am also reminded of Harold Wilson, who famously told a Labour party conference in the late 1970s that, although they used to think that it was possible to tax and spend their way out of a recession, that option no longer existed.