<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  <title type="text">The 5 Live Must Watch blog Feed</title>
  <subtitle type="text">Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.</subtitle>
  <updated>2013-03-19T15:14:39+00:00</updated>
  <generator uri="http://framework.zend.com" version="2">Zend_Feed_Writer</generator>
  <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/5live"/>
  <link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/5live/atom"/>
  <id>https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/5live</id>
  <entry xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Budget 2013: What will the Chancellor do?]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[5 live's John Pienaar looks ahead to the 2013 Budget.]]></summary>
    <published>2013-03-19T15:14:39+00:00</published>
    <updated>2013-03-19T15:14:39+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/5live/entries/dd61f8a0-3173-3352-aedf-36fd400848ea"/>
    <id>https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/5live/entries/dd61f8a0-3173-3352-aedf-36fd400848ea</id>
    <author>
      <name>John Pienaar</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">&lt;div class="component"&gt;
    &lt;img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p016k6d7.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p016k6d7.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p016k6d7.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p016k6d7.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p016k6d7.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p016k6d7.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p016k6d7.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p016k6d7.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p016k6d7.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="component prose"&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;George Osborne's dream? A Budget that fires the economic after-burners, accelerates growth, restores his reputation as a master of political strategy and - why not? - brings on a six-month Mediterranean summer in which we all bask in tropical temperatures and a sudden sense of optimism. We can all dream can't we?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Realistically, the Chancellor will probably settle for a Budget free of unforced errors - like the &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17486692" target="_self"&gt;"pasty tax"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He'll offer something to show he "gets it" when people complain about rising prices and falling living standards. And he'll try, again, to &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21847226" target="_self"&gt;raise the level of spending on housing and infrastructure&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More realistically still, I suspect he'd accept the verdict that he delivered a rather dull Budget, competently. In case you hadn't heard (and I know you have), there's no money to spend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;George Osborne's looking more and more like dear old Wilkins Micawber, in Dickens's David Copperfield, waiting "for something to turn up".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, no &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20592706" target="_self"&gt;fuel duty&lt;/a&gt; increase in the autumn, but maybe a heavier than usual hit for drinkers (remember those Cabinet ministers who &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21766741" target="_self"&gt;lined up against a minimum price for alcohol&lt;/a&gt;?). And there'll surely be another hike in the tax free earnings allowance, to please the Liberal Democrats and show he's on the side of the hard working and the worst-off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I could go on predicting endlessly, but far better, surely, to listen in to the real thing?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'll be helping with the build-up on 5 live Breakfast, and joining &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010v1zv" target="_self"&gt;Shelagh Fogarty&lt;/a&gt; in the 5 live tent on College Green, opposite the Commons, heavily wrapped up, between 12pm and 4pm.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We'll bring you the Budget live and the best reaction and analysis you could ever wish for. At least, that's the plan. Then, &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0070lvr" target="_self"&gt;Drive&lt;/a&gt; picks up the baton from 4pm. Do join us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the way, George Osborne might well settle for the verdict of a dull but competent Budget, while he concentrates on his fantastically difficult public spending plan, and waits Micawber-like for an economic recovery, but he'd love to get better reviews than that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Who knows? This Budget may turn out to be a triumph compared to &lt;a href="http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget2012.htm" target="_self"&gt;his last effort&lt;/a&gt; - though that wouldn't be too difficult. And after all, being an optimist doesn't always mean you're wrong. Does it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Full coverage of the &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r998t"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Budget from 12pm&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; on Wednesday 20 March on 5 live.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

    </content>
  </entry>
</feed>
