The paradox between the optimistic volunteerism of the ‘Big Society’ (less is more!) and the 25% cuts in UK public spending will become increasingly clear this autumn (less is really less!). And especially in the run-up to Chancellor George Osborne’s comprehensive spending review.

The arguments and inter-departmental turf wars over who gets the biggest haircut are already testing the new government’s resilience and PM David Cameron’s PR and people management skills, not least over defence Secretary Liam Fox’s departmental review.

The most high profile part of this is about who pays for Trident – the national nuclear deterrent. The treasury seems to be palming this off on the Ministry of Defence. The MoD and its associated services can probably expect large job losses and major procurement cuts as a result of now having to bear this burden.

This short animated political cartoon with David Cameron as Mary Poppins is put together from a drawing for a magazine cover. I wonder how long the sugar will last. © Matt Buck Hack Cartoons