Economy a key factor in election
POLITICAL parties across the United Kingdom are now in full election mode.
It looks as if we will be going to the polls on May 6, although that is still not a definite date.
What is definite, however, is that the budget will be in a fortnight, on March 24, and the pace will increase dramatically after that with the economy clearly one of the major battlegrounds.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday said the recession was over but the economic recovery remained fragile and could be undermined if spending cuts were pushed through too quickly.
The Conservatives said a new economic model was needed to replace an economy burdened by public and private debt and have called for action to cut the deficit to begin straight after the election.
The Liberal Democrats say the economy is too fragile to start cutting spending and that government support for business and jobs must continue.
Revised figures published in February showed the United Kingdom emerged more strongly from recession at the end of last year than had previously been thought, but some economists have warned that growth could easily falter again in the coming months.
Economists have warned that substantial spending cuts and further tax rises will be needed in the medium term to tackle the deficit but opinion is divided on when the process should begin.
When the Chancellor Alistair Darling rises to his feet in a couple of weeks to deliver his pre-election budget, he will be walking a political tightrope and the result of the election could depend on how he balances the country's books.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North west
