The hard-right backtrack on spending levels by the government leaves a sour taste for many of its colleagues in parliament, who had expected greater support for social programmes and infrastructure development. In particular, the failure to deliver a fair economic response to one of the most severe recessions in modern history has been viewed as an epic failure for the government which has put the most vulnerable in society at risk. For many, this backtracking on spending levels is a worrying sign of a lack of resolve to invest in the economy and improve the lives of citizens. Moreover, this lack of vision means that vital public services and programmes which support the most vulnerable in society are likely to be reduced or removed altogether, leaving millions worse off.
