In the back-and-forth over deficit reduction on Capitol Hill, Republicans have floated the idea of cutting individual tax rates by 20 percent across the board.
In an interview in Downing Street, the prime minister also discussed the ongoing debate over the reduction of corporation tax rates in Northern Ireland, parading and the campaign of the Ballymurphy families for a full inquiry into the 1971 shootings.
Even some of the Big Society's devotees in Number 10 admit that the upbeat message of mutual reliance has got lost in the rows over deficit reduction, and the consequences for charities and others that depend on local councils for money.