Does belief in smaller government make you a heavy breather? It's no surprise that Dave Aaronovitch wants to characterise those who favour less state intervention as slash-and-burn, salivating rightwingers. In much the same spirit over at the FT Philip Stevens frets that David Cameron mustn't show too much zeal for downsizing the state, and the Indy's Steve Richards laments the end of Tory 'pragmatism.'
But what about the positive arguments to be made for reducing the size of the state? Do we all have to sound like bloodthirsty axe wielders? David Cameron must surely hope not - and there are plenty of reasons for him to be optimistic about winning over the public to a new way of governing, that doesn't rely on state action at every point in our lives. Aaronovitch may favour of the Government's latest 'database state' initiative - the Independent Safeguarding Authority - yet public reaction to it has been so negative that even Ed Balls is wondering how to back off. Big government has lost its shine, so let's hear it for the alternative.
As Reagan (always a positive thinker) put it "Government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem." So why be nervous of cutting it down to size?
