Indiscretions of a Treasury manadarin

I recently travelled on a train out of London. I was reading a paper and so my head was invisible. Opposite a distinguished looking person was sitting, next to a vacant seat. A person of about the same age sat down, and then the two travellers realised they were old friends. One was a senior- a very senior-civil servant at the Treasury. The other was an important manager in the public sector. My vagueness so far has been deliberate, because I wouldn't want to get anyone into trouble. The manager asked what her friend had been doing. "Preparing the cuts to be implemented after the election", came the reply. She said that a programme had been agreed upon; it was horrendous, and would be implemented in its entirety whoever won the election. The person also said that, after the election, severe penalties wou;ld be imposed on any person or company late in paying tax. I was able to hear these comments very clearly.

You read speculation to this effect but it was fascinating to have it confirmed. It suggested, importantly, that the Civil Service regards the outcome of the election as unimportant It implies that the Chancellor has agreed to cuts which he is concealing from the electorate, and that Labour charges against the Conservatives over public spending are dishonest.