Grounding expectations

The message was clear: “No handouts without cost assessment.” This emphasis on fiscal discipline, however, seems to have not been enough to deter ministerial vacillations. 

One day, we hear scenarios for “what will we give, if we have a fiscal margin,” and the next day, an attempt is made to ground those expectations that members of the government themselves have cultivated. 

The message should probably be enriched: Not only “no handouts,” but also “no announcement of handouts” without cost assessment.