After the first two years of budgetary stringency, Mr Blair's main priority was to get Mr Brown to loosen spending for shabby schools and run-down hospitals before the voters noticed that Labour had done nothing much.
Germany recently acquiesced, however, to give France, Portugal, Italy and Spain two more years to reduce their deficits to the European Union's target, freeing them to perhaps loosen spending and cut taxes in the short term with the aim of increasing consumer demand and business activity.
Yet at the slightest hint of bad economic numbers, he is swift to call for belts to be loosened, spending cuts to be eased and more money to be pumped out of state coffers.
Consumer confidence rose in September to the highest level in seven months, the Conference Board said on Tuesday, in a sign that Americans might be ready to loosen their spending.
And, following the Supreme Court's lead, the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, ruling this month in a case involving the group Emily's List, loosened election spending restrictions on nonprofits and other independent political groups.
In his 2010 State of the Union speech, former President Barack Obama accused the Supreme Court of opening "the floodgates for special interests" after the court loosened campaign spending rules in the Citizens United case, noted Laurence Tribe, a constitutional law professor at Harvard University.
He has pledged to loosen Osborne's spending restrictions, but the suspicion must be that, just like with his tentative support for the economy, households will be forced to manage on a few crumbs.
Christine C. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, has delayed action on a bill that would loosen regulations on spending by unions and advocacy groups in New York City elections, as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg denounced the measure as "a terrible idea" and "really not good for democracy".
For years, the United States has urged the Japanese to loosen up, to spend more and to be freer in the way they live.
She also aims to loosen up and spend a bit more of the ample wealth she has built.
The House Appropriations Committee will unveil legislation on Monday to cover spending through Sept. 30 at post-sequestration levels, with detailed spending instructions for the military to loosen some of the current spending strictures.
