I've heard about this before - anyone have a link to a more in-depth story on what exactly it is? I assume the gov't is just announcing good things several times to make it appear as though more good things are really happening, but I'm interested in the details
I might be able to find something from my dark sources...

TBH though there is so much it is impossible to keep up. The basic techniques include,

announcing £x million for new walk in dog washes, waiting three months, and then announcing the exact same thing again, wait three months, do it again...

announcing £x million for new walk in dog washes without mentioning a reduction of £x million in dog chiropody

announcing £x million for new walk in dog washes but not increasing the overall dog care budget, thereby forcing the nations dog care civil servants madly to cut other budgets because dog washing is apparently the priority,

oh, and my favourite, but we need real numbers for this:

Increasing the dog washing budget for £1 million a year over three years, (an increase of £3 million as any normal person would calculate it) but announcing an increase of £ 6 million. How is this loaves and fishes trick achieved: Simple. You calcuate the figure announced like this: £1 million in the first year, plus the same £1 million and an extra million in year two, plus the same £1 million, the extra year 2 £1 million, and the year three £1 million, all adds up to a £6 million increase in the budget.