Have the cuts been worth it?

The cuts haven't been worth it. People across society have lost out and seen no benefit for their loss.

Osborne's plan was never going to be a success. It only needs for about a 1/4 of the population to wake up and accept his incompetence - 3/4 already understand his failure and to a lesser or much greater degree are suffering from his policies.

Its the worse or worser scenario. Our choices are worse or worser.
[yes I know worser is not a word, but I dont like the proper expression]

Which two scenarios are you talking about soon?

Cameron is worried - see he wrote to his local council complaining about the cuts You couldn't make it up could you?

Senior military chiefs have warned Osborne not to pursue planned cuts.

Police? Went down in last parliament by 81/2K. More police to be cut says Osborne.

Tax cut credits? Letters not to go out before Christmas. HoL block is being listened to - sounds as if cuts will stick but help with "transition" might be introduced. But still going ahead with tax credit cuts.

Woopee! On track he reckons to surplus - then what?

Austerity or Greece, whitewave.

www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2015/nov/20/our-melting-shifting-liquid-world-celebrities-read-poems-on-climate-change

Some nice poetry to read or listen to while you are feeling depressed.

Or PQE, soon. Think positive.

Have just been reading that Osborne is going to allow the councils to put up council tax by 2% hypothecated to pay for better social care.
However, the interesting thing is that he will be breaking his own law to do it. He brought in a law to say that councils could only do that if it went to a vote of local people.

This has of course been announced by media, despite everyone in government saying that nothing will be announced before next Wednesday. Holding parliament in contempt again.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015/11/22/music-for-the-economy-of-2015-breadline-britain/

Here's a good idea.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015/11/22/labour-to-concentrate-on-tax-spends-heres-82-billion-to-look-at-for-starters/

How about this for an answer, Eloethan?

www.welfareweekly.com/john-mcdonnell-unveils-labours-economic-policy-speech/

Osborne has taken some notice of it already if his new council tax policy is true. Pity he cannot do something similar with the NHS.

I read a headline saying Osborne is considering more police cuts - in the current circumstance that seems a cut too far!

soon, when you meet a homeless person do you say - could be worse , you could be living in Greece ?

An interesting factcheck about police numbers here, mollie.

fullfact.org/factcheck/crime/police_numbers_1970s-47636

Cameron in the last PMQs said that community policing had risen, but he was talking about community police officers only, and did not say that the number of regular police officers had fallen dramatically.

soon You say we needed austerity in order to avoid the fate of Greece. Greece has undergone the most draconian cuts and, if such measures are an effective way of dealing with debt, surely we should see the Greek economy improving, even if slowly?

In June 2013 the Mail Online headlined:

"We DID make Greece's debt crisis worse with cuts and tax hikes, IMF admits, as Greeks say they "can't forgive" officials for making recession worse".

"... the [IMF] report said the catalogue of errors - including harsh austerity measures - plunged Greece into deeper crisis..."

The IMF referred to the "dramatic contraction" in the Greek economy.

In June 2015 the Huffington post reported:

"As Greece heads towards another crisis, this is what the country has already been through:

"An economy shrunk by one quarter.

"Gross domestic product has dropped nearly 30%, according to the World Bank.

"The loss of 1 million jobs, primarily in construction, manufacturing and retail."

Doesn't sound to me like the Greek economy has benefited in any way from austerity.

He didn't say community policing will be privatised, contract going to the Home Secretary's husbands company

durhamjen Thanks for the link to John Mcdonnell's speech. What he said seems eminently sensible to me.

Here we are suffering from the austerity plan yet the wealthy have become wealthier

No Ab I give them money.

Eloethan. Poor Greece got so downladen with debt, it might never get out.

Ab. I agree about the wealthy getting wealthier.
Around our way, houses in remote areas worth about £500k are either getting huge revamps[we are talking about £3 mill and upwards], or knocked down altogether and restarted, again money seemingly no object.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/22/police-cuts-deal-made-despite-terror-threat-says-george-osborne

Osborne still wants to cut the police numbers.

Don't mind me asking, soon, but why did you give money to the wealthy?
That sounds quite silly to me.

No, the cuts have not been worth it. I despair that we don't have an effective opposition to challenge Osborne and co. The government majority is small, the majority of people in the country either didn't vote, or didn't vote tory. When I listen to Question Time, Any Questions, radio phone ins etc, my impression is that people disapprove of the way our public services are being slashed and the impact its having on society.
I will try and find out how to do links (maybe I can ask durhamjen ) but yesterday's Observer's articles from Barbara Ellen, Andrew Rawnsley and the editor reflect my own despair about the Labour Party as an effective opposition or future government.

How can we possibly contemplate cutting back on police in the current climate? It makes no sense whatsoever.