21st May 2011

Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Over the years with a young family, on a Vicar's stipend, it became a way of life. I remember going to a cash machine to take out money on a credit card. Nothing unusual there you might say and you would be right. What was unusual was then going into the same bank in order to pay the minimum amount on the credit card.

I sort of gave the money circulation an extra spin every time I repeated the exercise. After all economists tell us the money supply and the rate of circulation of the money is key to the health of the economy, at least I think that's right? So it was a kind of public service.

Somehow over the years we muddled through.

And more than that we did very well, travelled extensively, had an annual holiday, ran various cars and motorcycles, brought up our children and then, when I changed jobs after our trip to the States, bought a house.

Muddling through is a very British thing to do.

It could be argued that we muddled through two world wars and we still are muddling through in Europe and with the deficit.

Apparently Stalin was quite non-plussed when Churchill announced that he was no longer leading the country because he had lost the election and his place at the conference table would be taken by Mr Attlee. Stalin of course didn't have elections to lose. He had his own ways of dealing with the opposition.

I imagine that Colonel Gaddafi has a similar problem with reality and of course democracy, unless his son has given him a masterclass in democracy and civil society.

The seamless handing over of power in a dictatorship from one generation to another has been called into question and the opposition, those calling for democracy, have launched an offensive and until the no-fly zone was imposed, seemed to be muddling through towards a free, democratic,transfer of power with the people replacing the autocrat as the ultimate determiners of what constitutes a good and satisfying life and what happens to the money.

If all you want is a slightly bigger share in the countries wealth and the right to elect a Government then surely that's OK, isn't it?

At least UN and President Sarkozy think so and every one else is going along with it.

But here in the UK we first have a budget and then we have to fill in the Census to find out how we are doing.

Well after a lifetime of work I am still muddling along and it would seem that most of what are variously called the squeezed middle, alarm clock Britain and Mondeo man (and his family) are just muddling along.

It now costs £150 to fill the fuel tank of my car (not a Mondeo!) with diesel which is a £40 increase since last September. But that's OK because inflation is 4%?

So we muddle on.

We muddle on by buying last years fashions in T K Maxx or charity shops.

We muddle on by staying in more and drinking blended whisky instead of single malts. Watching DVD's instead of going to the Cinema. We muddle on by turning the heating off and having an early night.

I'm sure we'll manage, we always have done!

Maybe the Budget will include a fuel regulator? Maybe there will be tax relief and pension increase or the Chancellor will imitate the Old Testament prophets and blow a Rams Horn in Westminster and all debts personal and public will be cancelled?

But once we know and I will be blogging on the Budget as you would expect, we can turn our attentions to completing the Census form and answering all the questions about who is staying overnight on the 27th, should I include Ruby I wonder?

Having answered all the questions we will continue to muddle on until we read the results when we will be told that it is now definite, and quite clear as the census has proved beyond doubt, that the nation is at it's happiest, when it is muddling along ..........