So, the chancellor lady has said several times now that she won’t shy away from making tough decisions.  She’s also warned that more tough decisions are ahead. So she’s going to be tough, and make some decisions – tough ones!

I wish her well.

The thing is though, what exactly is a ‘tough decision’?   Is it one that…

• You need to be mentally or physically tough to make,
• Is just a bit too challenging for your own mental capabilities,
• Will be tough on some other people who suffer because of the fallout from the decision,
• You haven’t received any ‘guidance’ on in the form of gifts of clothes or concert tickets,
• You know you will upset somebody however you call it, and you simply can’t decide who you dislike the most (or indeed are the most scared of),
• You know you’ve written about on social media some time ago, you’ve forgotten what you said, and are worried about something coming to light that makes you look hypocritical,
• You know the best choice goes against the dogma you and your ‘right on’ friends have been espousing whilst in opposition,
• You’ve ‘bigged’ it up, in order to make yourself sound more important or powerful than you really are.
• You simply you know you’re going to get wrong, and you’re trying to manage expectations or limit damage at a future date.

I guess we’ll find out soon enough, but it is noticeable that the one ‘tough’ decision she has made so far only has a negative impact on people who really can’t fight back!

Update, Sat, 12th October 2025.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Starmer, is now getting in on the act as well. After 100 days in office he says it’s ‘tougher than anything he’s done before’.

In an interview with BBC’s Newscast to mark 100 days in office, he said so far his new job had been “much tougher than anything I’ve done before, but much better”.

So it’s really good the two major figures in the government are able to handle ‘tough’ situations with, it appears, ease.