Explanation of my comment 'The Emperor's New Clothes': The title is often used to describe a situation in which people are afraid to criticize something because everyone else seems to think it is good or important (i.e. The cuts in general and the Welfare Reform (cuts) Program in particular. The story is also used to express the state of morality in a society, expressed through the medium of a fable. Generally, the moral standard is attacked as being self-deceiving, with the emphasis on 'form' rather than 'substance'. Additionally the tale show the vulnerability of conceited people who practise self-deceit to exposure as frauds. The power of the innocent and uncorrupted to name deceit (as in 'Out of the mouths of babes' quote from the Bible) in high places is also highlighted (think of the wee boy who was visited by anti-terrorist police because he wanted to hold a demonstration to save his community youth club!). The Emperor's clothes - like the economic state of affairs and government policy regarding it; both who started it and why cuts are both deeply wrong, immoral and unnecessary - are supposed to be invisible to anyone unworthy of 'his post' - i.e. Us ordinary mortals. "Ours is not to question why" but to swallow hook, line and sinker the mendacious propaganda of 'our superiors' - i.e. The 'political class' and the 'policy wonks'! Like the young boy in the story - we see through all that - don't we?! The story can be found here:
