That is the price of messing up the public finances as thoroughly as Labour has done.
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First, that the state of the public finances demands voters pay more to maintain quality services.
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To its credit, his government recognises that Greece's ills go far beyond the public finances.
Even the European Central Bank has praised its efforts to sort out the public finances.
The prime minister, Brian Cowen, faces two crunches: the banks and the public finances.
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The rickety state of the public finances also argues against a big fiscal fillip.
But, just now, higher taxes would have a second plus: restoring the public finances.
Even modest downward adjustments to growth forecasts can have a big impact on the public finances.
With the public finances tightening, however, and passenger numbers continuing to rise, that is getting harder.
Yet in the short term much may still go wrong, especially in the public finances.
The Tories say the state of the public finances in the coming years in unknowable.
Restructuring the public finances was precisely the platform on which Mrs Arroyo was re-elected last year.
The public finances, too, are in less spanking order than they appear at first sight.
But more generous pension and health-care benefits risks putting a sharply increased strain on the public finances.
Even the coalition now thinks it will not get the public finances into respectable order before 2017.
Higher tax revenues and lower pension spending would then bring a double dividend for the public finances.
If Greece is to get itself out of trouble, fixing the public finances is only the beginning.
Minister Francis Maude said this was "unacceptable", particularly at a time when the public finances were under strain.
To get the public finances back on track the central government must act, as well as the states.
"The government is committed to getting the public finances back onto a sustainable footing, " said a Treasury spokesman.
This squeezes the economy even more tightly and makes it harder to get the public finances in order.
Labour were forced to admit the true scale of the crisis they have caused in the public finances.
City economists are divided as to whether this reflects a lasting improvement in the public finances, or a one-off.
Therefore radical action to tackle the gap in the public finances was unavoidable.
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The public finances, meant to be rescued by the devaluation and partial default of August 17th, still look dreadful.
Further hikes in energy tariffs would improve the public finances, and attract investment.
It helps that the public finances have been a bit better than feared.
Alistair Darling, his successor, had to junk them in late 2008 as the public finances careered out of control.
But it cannot say so too loudly without risking its prized reputation of being frugal with the public finances.
Its crisis was caused by a bust banking sector infecting the public finances.
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