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Where has the money gone?

(161 Posts)
MaizieD Sat 12-Aug-23 11:14:57

Those of you who don't scroll past my posts will know my views on the 'national debt' and government 'borrowing' for spending on public services. That, properly targeted state spending promotes growth in the economy.

But, here's a conundrum. Ever since the tories came to power in 2010 and introduced their 'austerity' programme of slashing public spending, the 'national debt has been growing; fast.

A comment on another site this morning struck me:

How on earth do you run up £2.5Trn of debt, with absolutely nothing to show for it, but an NHS in permanent crisis, a cost of living crisis, no money for anything, disintegrating infrastructure, decaying cities – and thirteen years of endless austerity; with no end in sight?

Where has the money gone?

Grany Wed 23-Aug-23 09:46:39

A lot of it is given to royals coronation, no inheritance tax unpaid taxes, millions from two Duchies plus 45% in funding up from £85 million a year to £125 million

Met has dropped case against Charles, not even questioned him cash for honors. When will royals be treated same as everyone else and stop being above the law.

MaizieD Wed 23-Aug-23 09:58:51

Katie59

“You''re joking. Where did all those covid £billions go?”

No Maisie, that was just bad decision making in an emergency situation, someone said “ we can supply PPE” so they got the job. There were many decisions made during Covid that resulted in waste the usual checks were not made but it wasn’t corruption.

That’s the price we pay for past mistakes, there should have been PPE available for emergency use, to save money it hadn't been done.

Bad decision making?

VIP lanes? Established PPE suppliers ignored while tory donors and cronies with no experience whatsoever got £millions in contracts for the supply of unusable PPE?

Contracting out Test and Trace to a big private company, with no experience, to set up a completely new system when Local Authorities already had effective systems in place?

That stupid ventilator competition bypassing established manufacturers and suppliers?

Did you go through the pandemic with your eyes shut?

Katie59 Wed 23-Aug-23 10:36:14

MaizieD

Katie59

“You''re joking. Where did all those covid £billions go?”

No Maisie, that was just bad decision making in an emergency situation, someone said “ we can supply PPE” so they got the job. There were many decisions made during Covid that resulted in waste the usual checks were not made but it wasn’t corruption.

That’s the price we pay for past mistakes, there should have been PPE available for emergency use, to save money it hadn't been done.

Bad decision making?

VIP lanes? Established PPE suppliers ignored while tory donors and cronies with no experience whatsoever got £millions in contracts for the supply of unusable PPE?

Contracting out Test and Trace to a big private company, with no experience, to set up a completely new system when Local Authorities already had effective systems in place?

That stupid ventilator competition bypassing established manufacturers and suppliers?

Did you go through the pandemic with your eyes shut?

Oh I agree awful decision making but that’s what the “experts”advised.

In fact with hindsight if we had done nothing the result would have been much the same, the decision makers were pressured into being seen doing something. Probably the ONLY useful contribution was the vaccination programme.

Maisie wether you agree or not that is my opinion.

Dinahmo Wed 23-Aug-23 11:51:40

Katie59 The "experts" may well have advised test and trace, obtaining additional ventilators etc but they most certainly did not advise ow to go about it. The methods were down to the govt first and then to the people they paid to supposedly "get the job done"

MaizieD Wed 23-Aug-23 12:31:08

Dinahmo

Katie59 The "experts" may well have advised test and trace, obtaining additional ventilators etc but they most certainly did not advise ow to go about it. The methods were down to the govt first and then to the people they paid to supposedly "get the job done"

Thank you, Dinahmo

The tory's crony approach to procurement continues even now.
Apparently the £1.6 billion contract for the asylum seekers barges was awarded without competition.

Corporate Travel Management (CTM) was put in charge of the lucrative two-year arrangement in February, weeks before the government revealed it would use a barge as its first offshore accommodation for asylum seekers.

The contract was awarded directly to CTM without competition, and a lawyer with knowledge of the system said the government had pushed a wider deal originally drawn up for official travel “beyond what it was intended to be used for”.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/barge-australia-asylum-contract-travel-b2354578.html

P.S The 'VIP lanes' were judged to be unlawful at judicial review...

Glorianny Wed 23-Aug-23 12:35:04

Here's a list of the companies who cost the government £30 billion during Covid. It's very long (212 pages) so you probably won't want to look at all of it. But the first page- health provision, reveals how this government, unwilling to spend cash on the NHS, awarded contracts worth millions to private companies. www.standard.co.uk/business/government-covid-private-contracts-30-billion-pwc-deloitte-british-airways-b933081.html

Katie59 Wed 23-Aug-23 12:58:30

Now we’ve moved on the the “Barge” if it reduces cost great, moreover it’s probably the best accommodation that the migrants have ever had. Certainly better than barrack housing.

MaizieD Wed 23-Aug-23 12:58:59

In one way it is obvious that contracts for supply of goods a services to the public sector will go to private sector companies, because that is the way the mixed economy works. The public sector doesn't produce much in the way of goods and services to supply itself.

But the way that contracts were awarded, and to whom, was so questionable in many instances. Deliberate bypassing of established suppliers in favour of new companies, with no experience in the area, by tory friends and donors was noticeable, blatant cronyism.

MaizieD Wed 23-Aug-23 13:00:18

No, we haven't 'moved on to the barge', KAtie59. We're still with tory corruption. The barge is just another example...

Katie59 Wed 23-Aug-23 15:36:34

MaizieD

In one way it is obvious that contracts for supply of goods a services to the public sector will go to private sector companies, because that is the way the mixed economy works. The public sector doesn't produce much in the way of goods and services to supply itself.

But the way that contracts were awarded, and to whom, was so questionable in many instances. Deliberate bypassing of established suppliers in favour of new companies, with no experience in the area, by tory friends and donors was noticeable, blatant cronyism.

I’m sure you can supply a long list of floating accommodation suppliers that the government has used recently.