Since the election, the government has gone to great lengths to blame its predecessor for the cuts it is making to government programs and departmental budgets - for example by accusing them of failing to allocate funds for its promises (an accusation thoroughly refuted by David Cunliffe in Question Time on Tuesday). This morning's Herald piece about possible job cuts at the Ministry for the Environment seems to be part of this campaign, with Minister for the Environment Nick Smith blaming Labour for a $20 million budget "hole":