"This year we're looking at a real reduction," the diplomat said.

The next savings will have to be real reductions in costs.

But some experts say this is the start of a process likely to bring real, long-term reductions in the cost of higher education.

From the start, the Administration has insisted that it would settle for nothing less than real reductions.

America's commitment should be to settle only for real reductions that also leave us with an effective deterrent.

"Then you'd have much more of a chance of real reductions."

The final result was 2.3%, which represents a real reduction in the budget compared with inflation.

So an across-the-board cut would mean some real reductions in social spending.

Even recent Conservative governments have found it extremely difficult to make real reductions in public spending.

If it gets the kinds of real reductions that we want, I think the range was $14 billion.