To care about the impact of austerity is to be human

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It is rare that I out much weight on anything Janan Ganesh writes in the FT. His very obvious support for just about everything George Osborne says does not put us on a common wavelength but this headline from today's FT drew my attention:

Cameron has surrendered to his party's vote-repelling right wing

Even the anti-austerity, anti-nuclear, anti-fracking Greens are seen as nearer the centre

The first sentence is pretty much agreed, by common consent. The second is the interesting one. It says a ot about Ganesh that he thinks being anti-austerity, nuclear and fracking extreme. It says a great deal more that he has to be reminded that a lot of people disagree.

The real question is why is it necessary to remind those close to power that concern for the impact of cuts on most people's lives is not just mainstream, but completely understandable, normal and - dare I say it - rational?
Just as concern about environmental abuse is nothing more than caring for our future, and that of those who will follow us?
These views are not extreme. They are normal, human, compassionate and comprehensible to many. Ganesh's reaction only suggests how extreme those who do not comprehend them are.

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