As the Tory conference gets under way, one has in all fairness to acknowledge that all governments are occasionally forced to change tack, but this government has turned it into an art form. After a whole series of dizzying about-turns – at least 15 on my count – there aren’t too many exits left, and even if they come up with a new one, can one really expect it to last beyond its immediate expedient use?
Everyone will remember those airbrushed Cameron adverts before the election stating “I will cut the deficit, not the NHS” and “no top-down reorganisation”. Two big (and deliberate) whoppers for a start. But the U-turns have cascaded fast and loose since then.
