Let's make the most out of cuts

So Gordon Brown has finally brought himself to utter the dreaded word. No, not 'resignation'. 'Cuts'.

Well done Gordon. As a leftie I have a natural aversion to cutting public spending, and would much prefer continued investment. But the nation's debts are massive, and the three major parties now appear unanimous as to the need for cuts, if not for what exactly will face them.

For my part, I would like to make three suggestions, and welcome any more.

1. Trident: Billions of pounds to maintain, and even renew, a missile system that we have never used and are unlikely ever to use. Scrapping it would save extraordinary amounts of money. The Liberal Democrats, and Vince Cable in particular, are spot on in arguing for this. It would also give us bthe opportunity to reopen the debate on scrapping nuclear weapons altogether, relieving ourselves of the hypocrisy we exhibit when criticising the likes of Iran and North Korea for seeking such weapons.

2. Pull our troops out of Afghanistan: Costly both in terms of money and human lives, the war in Afghanistan has lost its justification. Pakistan seems as fertile a breeding ground for terrorists, Karzai's government are corrupt, and anti-women legislation similar to the Taliban era has returned.

3. Scrap plans for ID Cards: Hideously unpopular, ID cards are totalitarian in nature and a threaten our civil liberties. Also very expensive, Brown should take this opportunity to ditch the unpopular scheme while he has a valid excuse that would not embarrass him further (if such a thing were possible).

Now, I'm no economist, but I'm guessing that that lot would save a few quid. Leave the NHS and school systems alone for now, and let's take this opportunity to get rid of the truly pointless wastage that this 'Labour' government has accumulated.