Dear Editor, We all know it’s Budget Day next Wednesday – but did Chancellor Alistair Darling notice that the date falls just before St George’sDay?
History tells us St George was not the “shining knight” of legend who rescued the damsel from the dragon.
He was a Roman officer based in England who championed the Christian faith.
The legend of dragon-slaying represented his personal battle against hardship and wrong.
England today is very different to Roman times and the challenges of 2009 are not the same as those of 2,000 years ago.
However, Alistair Darling might consider taking a lesson from medieval storytellers.
Let’s cast the Chancellor in the role of a new St George and the economy as the fire-breathing dragon.
Our new dragon has teeth and talons that are inflation, unemployment, and worldwide recession and it breathes the fire of unemployment, hardship and poverty.
What weapons can our Scottish St George use to fight this monster?
Not many to be sure – but he does have the sword of tax measures and the shield of public spending.
He is constrained on the field of battle in his room for manoeuvre by the weight – tied to each ankle – of Government borrowing and the Bank of England.
It’s a tall order for our Knight to fight his way out, but the whole country is “cowering away” from the dragon at the moment and cometh the hour.
Bold action to slay this dragon could restore business confidence when it is low and reassure people who are holding back from what they deem to be unnecessary spending.
Now is surely the time for our Shining Knight St Alistair to surge forward, making bold strokes with his sword to subdue this dragon and to motivate us.
We could all follow the Chancellor’s white charger marching forward to prosperity.
Could April 22 be Mr Darling’s finest hour? Let’s hope so.
Johnathan G Dudley
Managing Partner
Horwath Clark Whitehill LLP
Hatherton House,
Walsall
