Where should the cuts fall?

But my point is that it isn’t a game to the politicians - they are deadly serious.

As far as what the politicians ought to do, we’ve only got to look at what Biden did to the USA economy - the USA economy is now going great guns - Kensian economics is the way!

stop using overpriced private companies to provide public services, for example the water companies have paid out billions in dividends and bonuses to managers and very little in front line services, go back to how they used to do it, by appointing managers and giving them a budget to recruit staff, its use of the private sector which has ruined this country, not the immigrants, welfare state etc

Ilovecheese

If a country's own Government will not invest in their country, how do they expect private industries to think it is a country worth investing in.

Precisely.

It's not only common sense. Common sense that might be scorned by 'experts' who subscribe to the dominant economic dogma (which has patently obviously failed to promote growth and attract investment, but there are also plenty of economists who agree with the 'common sense' view.

We can play the 'where should the cuts fall?' game but why accept the UK's economic ruin?
What we suggest is worthless; that being so we could equally well play the 'what does the government need to do to improve the economy?' game instead.

It would be less depressing😆

maizie

You are right, but perhaps if people actually understand the implication of the narrative being pushed, they might begin to question whether this is what we want.

So at the moment, there are protected departments + health, education, defence and overseas (which doesn’t mean that they will receive the proper funding, just a bit more than not a lot) and there are all the other departments which means that the bulk of the cuts will come from them.

So up to 13% of real cuts will have to come from local authorities, prisons, courts, environment, roads, police etc.

So given the fact that we know that the budgets have been severely restricted since 2010, with the results we see all around us, where do people think the next round of cuts should fall?

If a country's own Government will not invest in their country, how do they expect private industries to think it is a country worth investing in.

Whitewavemark2

MaizieD

Torsten Bell is correct. Cuts are a fiscal fiction. Cuts will destroy what little we have left of our public services and land us in huge trouble. The UK seems bent on totally ruining itself, we don't seem to have managed to make any good decisions for the past decade.

I don't think we should be embracing the prospect of utter ruin with any degree of co-operation or a mistaken belief that it is in any way necessary.

Absolutely, but that is the narrative being pushed, and that is the narrative being believed and acted upon.

The problem with 'believing' it is that it makes it politically influential when it comes to election campaigning. Elections have been won on the spurious belief that spending to invest in public services is impractical and damaging, even irresponsible.

J52

We could stop giving money to Rwanda for a start. £120 million already given, non returnable regardless of any outcome. From The Times info, I understand a further 20 million has been promised, if not already given.

And France and now Lebanon too. Ridiculous, because none of it makes any difference.

Curtaintwitcher

Cancel the migrants! All the government has to do is say that we are not accepting any further applications for asylum. Turn away any boats that do get across and remove all those who should not be here.
That will save millions for a start.
Cut crime and vandalism by having street patrols. It works in town centres, so it should be extended to residential areas. The wages paid would surely be less than the cost of repairs and the legal costs.

It’s literally a drop in the ocean compared to other spending and wastage and asylum seekers make up less than 1% of our 67m population

Cancel the migrants! All the government has to do is say that we are not accepting any further applications for asylum. Turn away any boats that do get across and remove all those who should not be here

Agree 100% Time to look after our own people who have paid into the system.

Send the navy to fire on the boats and turn them back.

Kick these dossers out of their 4 star hotels, stop their pocket money, deny them education, medical services and let them wander the streets destitute. Cut off all overseas aid including Ukraine. Too much money flowing out of this country into the hands of aliens and criminal scroungers.

J52

We could stop giving money to Rwanda for a start. £120 million already given, non returnable regardless of any outcome. From The Times info, I understand a further 20 million has been promised, if not already given.

And France!

Casdon

Finding a satisfactory solution to issues with migrants is going to cost more money, not less so I’m not sure how that’s being seen in the context of cuts?
I’d like to see the NI tax reduction reversed, and the Non Dom tax income redirected to support public services.
Relocating central government offices to other parts of the country would be another worthwhile investment, it’s always seemed iniquitous to me that they are located in the most expensive area, London-centric is unnecessary now.

They already relocated quite a few departments and people (it cost a lot of money to do this!) to the North in the name of Levelling Up

MaizieD

Torsten Bell is correct. Cuts are a fiscal fiction. Cuts will destroy what little we have left of our public services and land us in huge trouble. The UK seems bent on totally ruining itself, we don't seem to have managed to make any good decisions for the past decade.

I don't think we should be embracing the prospect of utter ruin with any degree of co-operation or a mistaken belief that it is in any way necessary.

Absolutely, but that is the narrative being pushed, and that is the narrative being believed and acted upon.

I’m updating myself after a quick check, now £240 million

We could stop giving money to Rwanda for a start. £120 million already given, non returnable regardless of any outcome. From The Times info, I understand a further 20 million has been promised, if not already given.

Torsten Bell is correct. Cuts are a fiscal fiction. Cuts will destroy what little we have left of our public services and land us in huge trouble. The UK seems bent on totally ruining itself, we don't seem to have managed to make any good decisions for the past decade.

I don't think we should be embracing the prospect of utter ruin with any degree of co-operation or a mistaken belief that it is in any way necessary.

I agree with BlueBelle and I live on the coast overlooking Calais. As to where to cut services, I despair. They are cut already. There are no more savings to be made.

But the idea is to CUT not spend more😄😄😄

BlueBelle

Sort the service out to check the migrants quickly and make it possible to enter the country legally then bring in genuine claimants to fill all the jobs we have vacant ie doctors, nurses dentists care workers
This country is built on migrants, thank goodness and this misery towards many, many good people really makes me angry Of course there are bad apples we have plenty of the home grown variety, but the short sightedness and vitriol of the racists in this country really makes me angry

Excellent post.

Finding a satisfactory solution to issues with migrants is going to cost more money, not less so I’m not sure how that’s being seen in the context of cuts?
I’d like to see the NI tax reduction reversed, and the Non Dom tax income redirected to support public services.
Relocating central government offices to other parts of the country would be another worthwhile investment, it’s always seemed iniquitous to me that they are located in the most expensive area, London-centric is unnecessary now.

I agree up to a point but as I've previously said, people's perceptions vary according to where they live and how their lives are impinged by migrants, illegal or not. I suspect that Grans in some of the South coast towns might have something to say about this.

👍What Bluebelle said!!! 👍

Sort the service out to check the migrants quickly and make it possible to enter the country legally then bring in genuine claimants to fill all the jobs we have vacant ie doctors, nurses dentists care workers
This country is built on migrants, thank goodness and this misery towards many, many good people really makes me angry Of course there are bad apples we have plenty of the home grown variety, but the short sightedness and vitriol of the racists in this country really makes me angry

Cancel the migrants! All the government has to do is say that we are not accepting any further applications for asylum. Turn away any boats that do get across and remove all those who should not be here.
That will save millions for a start.
Cut crime and vandalism by having street patrols. It works in town centres, so it should be extended to residential areas. The wages paid would surely be less than the cost of repairs and the legal costs.