Friday and Saturday were pretty quiet days – spent most of it writing various speeches and digesting the budget of Norwich City Council.

The Lib Dems nationally say its “obvious” that extra spending has to be paid for out of extra taxes (else how could the Tories spend more without raising tax, they say) but somehow the local Norwich LibDems have massively splashed out on services with a 3.5% tax increase … oh, hang on, they’ve robbed the balances! Talk about a cynical election ploy – and what’s worse, they’re spending £500,000 on self-publicity (or propaganda, as I like to call it). This budget needs much deeper looking at – there are so man flawed assumptions (like, making more from car parks despite the Lib Dems going around closing them).

But that’s the Lib Dem way isn’t it…

… when the Tories move money from waste into the frontline it’s unworkable, but when the Lib Dems do it then its effective.

… when the Tories set a low tax budget, the Lib Dems cry foul of not enough investment, but when the Lib Dems do it then it’s tight fiscal management

… when the Tories tighten the council belt the Lib Dems call it cuts, when they do it then its prudence.

Funny that Lib Dem world, all things to all men!