A political torpedo
The chancellor launches a well-timed announcement at two political foes
MINISTERS announcing lavish spending schemes promising lots of jobs do not expect to get booed. But the few cheers that greeted George Osborne’s pledge, on the banks of the Clyde on August 31st, to spend £500m ($765m) creating “thousands” of jobs were drowned out by jeers. Why? Because the chancellor plans to spend the money on upgrading the Faslane naval base, where submarines carrying Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent are based. Many Scots, including Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s nationalist first minister, want the boats scrapped, not replaced, as they will be on current plans.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “A political torpedo”
From the September 5th 2015 edition
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