‘They made me do it’ - How the frosty Chancellor set Labour’s narrative on the economy for the foreseeable future
When Rachel Reeves revealed the state of the economic inheritance Labour would be handed upon winning the general election, it continued the blame game narrative that has defined Labour's initial approach to governance.
There's a degree of cynicism attached to it, however.
As Reeves outlined ‘the state of…’ Labour's problems, and consequently, our problems, it paved the way for justification - not just for how things are, but also how things are going to be. Whatever happens on October 30, at the first budget, ‘they made me do it’.
Words like “difficult decisions” and “tough choices” are used in a political narrative where the voting public would rather the right decisions were being made, and in a way that raises their standards and quality of life rather than makes life ‘tougher’.