Ignore George Osborne’s bombast: there’s a reason Britain is back to growth | Simon Jenkins

The chancellor, patron saint of mega projects, has offered a fantasy splurge and shown himself as a wily figure

Thank goodness. George Osborne failed to cut the deficit and is borrowing far more than he ever expected. His silliest economic measure was always to try to slash spending in 2010-12 as Britain headed for recession. It did not work. Spending rose, and is rising still. The result has been to give Britain the highest growth rate in the developed world.

Wednesday’s autumn statement...