Public investment, tax justice, carbon pricing, uprated benefits – the policy possibilities are endless
Let’s imagine this. The prime minister and the chancellor are men of good intent who want to do their best for Britain in hard times: they promise brave and unpopular decisions. Privately they know how much their party is to blame. But they use this last chance to leave a better legacy.
These realists can read political runes as well as spreadsheets, so they see their chance of winning the next election is not far from zero. Freed from fear of defeat, they decide to seize this rare two-year chance to correct longstanding toxic issues ducked by all parties fearing electoral retribution. Yes, it’s only a thought experiment, but let’s imagine just a few reforms that are long overdue, left undone through all parties’ political cowardice.
Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist
