Low paid and services must benefit most

A considerable number of people, possibly even a majority, will be unhappy with next Tuesday’s budget.

The Government is, if it has the sense of a flea, preparing to soothe that disappointment with a steady-as-we-go bedside manner and assurances that things will certainly improve but not just yet. If the coalition gets another kicking it only has itself to blame though; it has created an atmosphere of probability where possibility might have been wiser and, politically, more prudent.

Several unexpectedly positive growth predictions, especially the 5% figure suggested by the ESRI, add to a sense of expectation that, if we were to look at in the coldest of lights, should be no more than a cause for optimism rather than an expectation of immediate reward.