Hello and welcome to Not Another One, the podcast with me Steve Richards, Ian Martin, Tim Montgomery and Miranda Green.

Miranda isn't with us for our weekend conversation, but no doubt she'll be back

early next week. And what we thought we would do, if it's okay with all of you, is to have a

conversation about budgets, game-changing budgets, what makes some work, what makes some

fall apart. And obviously obviously in the context of the

much-trailed, epic budget looming on Wednesday. And indeed, one of the interesting things

chancellors do, Tim, is they don't now go on the Sunday morning interview shows days before the budget,

quite rightly so, because I've got nothing to reveal. But Rachel Reeves has been doing

quite a few interviews. The Times has got one this weekend. The F.T. have got one this weekend.

Basically, not to promote the budget, but to promote themselves.

Politicians promoting themselves, Steve, whatever they.

Yeah, I'm not sure, I don't know what you think about them, Steve.

I'm not sure she's doing herself much benefit, actually.

I remember when she first became Chancellor, she

understandably made quite a bit out of the fact that she was the first female Chancellor in

700 years, I think was the expression they used. But I'm not sure continuing to sort of refer to

sexism and some of the discrimination and

adversity she feels she faces. When she is quite so unpopular, it's doing her any good,

actually, or doing female kind much good. I think she should step back a little bit from that,

really, because for most of us, the budget isn't about her it's about

you know it's about some of the troubles that the economy is facing but uh i wonder i wonder who's

advising her to be honest yeah i i i kind of agree with that i think um you know she has an epic

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