A Conservative debate on spending

The opinion columns in the Sunday Telegraph give a glimpse of a debate British Conservatives are having now that they seem on the verge of winning a general election that must be held by June and that Republicans may have some time later: how to cut back government spending that has generated budget deficits exceeding 10% of gross domestic product. Conservative party leader David Cameron this month sent signals that a Conservative government might not cut spending back sharply, and has evoked different reactions from two veteran columnists.

Matthew D’Ancona, who has an insider’s knowledge of the goings on in parliamentary politics, is not so alarmed by what he calls Cameron’s “jittery January.” Conclusion: