ClunkintheUK

Best way to reduce borrow is to make money. you need to spend money to make money. (is the play school explanation).

The problem isn't necessarily the headline borrowing figure, but what you do with it. If they use the increase in borrowing to help businesses hire apprentices or tax breaks for entrepreneurs who will spend the money hiring people or even certain types of investors, then more business is done. more business means more work need to be done, which means more people need to be hired, so fewer people on the dole.

To give an idea, most big companies will work with between 1 and 3 turns of debt, i.e. up to about 3 times as much debt as their Earnings Before Interest Tax Depreciation and Amortisation. Average government debt of about 1.3 times average earning per earner would not seem to unreasonable (but I could be wrong, I was a corporate banker not a sovereign banker).

Also there is nothing wrong with spending other peoples money. You use their money while they don't need it (i.e. I am 30 and won't need my retirement savings for about 40 years (probably)) in return you give them back a little more then they gave you. difference is what you spend it on.