The axeman cometh.

I suppose I should say something about these spending cuts, as the news has been full of little else since Wednesday when they were announced.  The problem is that I'm a pensioner, and as such on the face of it am in the fortunate position of being little affected by them.  On the other hand, perhaps that allows me to look at things in a more dispassionate way.  And the first thing which strikes me is that people - including the media who really should know better - are reacting as though these cuts are going to happen in full tomorrow, whereas the Government have made it clear that this is a five year plan (and doesn't that have a wonderfully old-fashioned communistic ring?).  So you have to look at these figures over a five year period - still pretty draconian but perhaps not as earth-shattering as some are making out.  The other rather depressing thing is that everybody seems intent on fighting their own corner, with little regard for the bigger picture - it's all about how this will affect me or those I represent rather than whether it is right for the country as a whole.  Perhaps if I were more personally involved I might feel differently, but I hope I could keep a sense of proportion.