WHEN this coalition government was formed in 2010, David Cameron and Nick Clegg stood in the rose garden of 10 Downing Street and said the budget deficit would be gone by the time of the next election.

Has this happened? No.

Official statements from the Office of Budge Responsibility prove that the deficit (caused by the banking and business crisis in America) has reduced from £153 billion in the tax year 2009 to 2010 to £90.2 billion this year. So much for George Osborne’s promises to eliminate the whole of the American imported debt by 2015.

One of the first statements Cameron made as PM was that there would be fixed five-year terms for governments, so how can they now make budget announcements taking us into another five year period?

Indeed, the coalition is now making premature announcements of plentiful spending well into 2016 and up to 2020.

As for the many billions of pounds they have already promised to spend from 2016 onwards, the electorate would be wise to treat these as wishful thinking put out there in an attempt to bribe the electorate.

Howard Perry, St James Place, Dringhouses, York.