# I Built the Government's Budget Simulator (And Nearly Crashed the Economy)
## The Hook
Everyone's an armchair Chancellor. Twitter is full of confident takes on NHS funding, defence cuts, and why Rachel Reeves can't balance the books.
So I built a simulator that lets you try.
The result? Within 30 seconds of playing, I had:
- Increased NHS spending by £37 billion (HOSPITALS REJOICE!)
- Triggered a bond market panic
- Watched my borrowing costs spike as the "vigilantes" circled
And suddenly I understood why every Chancellor looks 10 years older by the end of their tenure.
## The Insight
The problem isn't that people don't care about fiscal policy. It's that **abstract numbers create an empathy vacuum**.
£100 billion deficit? Meaningless.
45,000 more people on NHS waiting lists because you cut £1bn? That lands.
The simulator translates cold fiscal logic into hot emotional stakes — through a live news ticker that screams at you every time you move a slider.
Cut defence? "GENERALS WARN OF SECURITY CRISIS"
Raise income tax? "MIDDLE ENGLAND REVOLTS"
Do nothing? "MARKETS QUESTION UK FISCAL CREDIBILITY"
There's no winning. Only trade-offs.
## The Payoff
This is what Word And Mouth does: we build tools that turn complexity into clarity.
Not explainers. Not reports. *Experiences*.
Because understanding isn't reading — it's feeling.
## CTA
Want to see the full simulator? [It's on GitHub](https://github.com/davethackeray/fix-the-budget) — and yes, we built a version that looks exactly like GOV.UK.
If you need a tool that makes your audience *feel* something complicated, [let's talk](mailto:dave@wordandmouth.com?subject=Interactive Tool Development).
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`#newsletter` `#fix-the-budget` `#civic-tech`