The FT makes a statement and then asks a question:

Big government is back. How will we pay for it?

How about we don’t? Pay for it that is?

No, not an argument for just printing the money, we’ve been through that one just recently, thank you. How about let’s not have Big Government so that it’s not necessary to pay for it?

We would refer, in more normal times, to O’Rourke’s Principle of Circumcision, you can take 10% off the top of anything. Times now are different, we need to take 20% off the British state by our more fervid dreams. Actually, likely more than that. A perfectly good nightwatchman state - yes, including a social safety net - can be run on 20% or so of GDP. We’re well over double that as the government’s portion these days. Rasetsu of the state appeals that is.

But we can retreat from such joys and be a little more reasonable. We all know that the British people do not actually want this big government. Because absolutely no one at all is suggesting that the British people be asked to pay for it. No one is saying that income tax, NI, VAT (the three big revenue raisers) be increased to pay for more bureaucrats in comfy offices. The reason this isn’t being suggested is because everyone knows the answer will be no. All the suggestions are that them, over there, they, should be made to pay. Wealth taxes are a current favourite. But that’s them, they.

We, Brits, aren’t prepared to pay for the Man in Whitehall to know best. Therefore we don’t believe it. So, let’s not have it then. The answer to how we pay for Big Government is not to have Big Government.

Some things are just easy with a little logic.