Government Expenditure

[Parksy]

Before starting on this topic I am not in any way prepared to enter into a political debate regarding which political party is best for the country, etc.

What concerns me is the continual announcements of financial cutbacks at both central and local government. We at present have, in Wales, The E.U., House of Lords, Parliament, Welsh Assembly, Local Government and eventually town councils all having a damn good living off the tax payers back. Therefore what I would like to know is how much money is being wasted on salaries and expences at each level of control. We have previously seen how central government politicians have broken the rules on expences - this surely is only the tip of tthe iceberg as I am sure it has been rife from the E.U. down to town council level. The majority are there now for their own ends and not as a representative of the electorate.

If there are any cut backs to be made then it should be from these wasteful thieves and not where money is genuinly needed at the bed side, in the classroom, policing, fire service, etc. We never see their salary or expences being curtailed - they are the first to jump on the band wagon for over inflation pay rises.

 

[John_374564913]

Colin

It doesn't matter how much the Government cuts expenditure either on the Health Service Police or Employment it will not have any effect on reducing the National debt.

The only way to reduce the National Deficit is by two means Importing less or Exporting more.
Everybody in the country will suffer over the next four years and we will only find that it hasn't made any difference

 

[OmOnWeelz]

We're paying the price for years of socialist pie in the sky and their craze for more and more politicians whilst telling us that we need to be more productive

Stop giving money to other countries, shut the borders and repatriate immigrants who are not productive and the debt will soon go down, if UK workers are lacking in skills, train them. We don't need any more outsiders, All the UK needs is Westminster, Scots,Welsh and Eurocrap polly-ticians are a waste of our money

 

[JonnyG]

We're paying the price for years of socialist pie in the sky and their craze for more and more politicians whilst telling us that we need to be more productive

Stop giving money to other countries, shut the borders and repatriate immigrants who are not productive and the debt will soon go down, if UK workers are lacking in skills, train them. We don't need any more outsiders, All the UK needs is Westminster, Scots,Welsh and Eurocrap polly-ticians are a waste of our money

clearly economics is not a strong point, your measurer's would save 10 billion Maximum, and our debt run to 100 times that,that's even before you lengthen our already long unemployment numbers,and even if you retrain people for new skills to produce in the manufacturing industry who are you going to sell to? ourself s?and where are we going to get the money from? Borrow more?
Political parties did not get us into this mess,us living outside our means[general term] did, and the pyramid effect has finally caught up with us after decade upon decade of living outside our true means......We must now pay it all back, and stop looking for scapecoats....As we have ALL been on the gravy train one way or another for decades!!!

 

[OmOnWeelz]

Clearly economics are ot your stong point Jonny.
Only saving £10 billion a year isn't to be sniffed at

Plus you can't blame people for the governments lack of control over the countries finances and spending especially when Brown was in league with the banks. Governments are supposed to govern, Labour didn't, they spent all the family savings plus some and lived on credit leaving us to pay for their mess

 

[seth1]

John 3745..........,you,ve hit the nail on the head.This is one hell of a reason we are in the mess.The selling out of uk companies to european countries thus then shutting the doors and sadly i cannot see it coming back.My own view is that it will stay as it is.My question is by closing all of these authoritys to save money were will these folk then get employment?Will this not prove to then be a greater drain on society?I personally cant see the point of being in the european union,we dont now benefit from exporting as nothing is produced of any great size in the UK.Although not possible but by pulling out of eu would then force this country to manufacture again.Although there again funding isnt available to get manufacture back on its feet.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

If we had kept on going like we were we would have ended up with 30% unemployed, 60% in public services and 10% in manufacturing.
R.I.P. New Labour

 

[John_374564913]

Seth

Thanks for your confirmation regarding debt reduction, with regards to the comments on Europe I would tend to disagree for the following reasons:
1. We don't want to return to a 1914-1918 scenario
2. or a 1942-1945 scenario
3. I quite like travelling all over Europe without the need for passports and the free movement element
4. In fact I think that had we joined the Euro Zone when the one pound was equal to one Euro forty two our debt would be less today for the following reason:
If you consider that you have an internal pound which covers all your costs in England and does not effect the wealth of the country and then you have an external pound which is what you buy and sell abroad with to boost or decrease your economy. the fact that we had one single currency for all of Europe would in actual fact mean we were importing less thereby decreasing our external out goings and reducing the debt. I agree we would be exporting less as we would have automatically reduced our market but all in all I think it would be better for us especially when nearly all our cars today come from European partners.
5. I am fed up of losing money to British Bankers every time I want to exchange my currency.

I appreciate in or out of Europe is a personal choice and not everybody sees it in the same frame of mind as me.
Your point on saving money by sacking police men or nurses or ministry workers is correct it will not save us money because A) they are paid with what I call internal pounds and B) you will either have to still pay them a pension or unemployment benefit and not even get any work in return whatsoever.

 

[OmOnWeelz]

If we had joined the Euro we would be in the same mess or worse than the likes of Eire, Portugal, Greece and Spain. At the weekend a report on the Euro crisis stated that in parts of Spain children are not going to school as parents and afford shoes for them, things are pretty dire we've heard from friends who work and live there. 20% or more unemployed in Eire and 30000 unsold new homes.
We need the Euro, NOT

Many financial experts are of the opinion that not being part of the Euro zone has been the UK's saviour during the recent financial crisis.
We love continental holidays and the old days of having different currencies was part of the holiday fun.

 

[seth1]

John yes you do make some good points,not quite sure on the travelling around europe one though,this seems to me to work both ways in which it has.By letting all the riff raff in to this country and which i do not wish to pay for.The crime rate has risen because of it,people who should be behind bars are not because of prison overcrowding.Perhaps most motor vehicles do come from europe,but it wasnt always like that.Admittedly im not just singleing out passenger car.Im afraid i look at European companies as little more than asset strippers and we are now at a point of no return due to the simple fact we cant prop ourselves up,no funding,no industry,the banks have backed out.A vicous little circle.

 

[Past_it]

I have read all the comments and agreed with most of them, but it seems to me that the stuffing has been knocked out of the British people by government.
We are taxed to death and government can’t see any further than wasting money on bad decisions and letting the tax payer pay for their mistakes.
The government need to reduce taxes, make it easier and cheaper to employ workers, give incentive for workers to work overtime, make it simpler to start your own business and give back control of our own destiny.
The British are a highly motivated race but the help we need from government is LESS taxes, if they reduce taxes they will reap what they sow, Britain will get back to work and in so doing spend more and the government will in the long run receive more in taxes…. Simple!

 

[LMH]

Before starting on this topic I am not in any way prepared to enter into a political debate regarding which political party is best for the country, etc.

You never cease to amaze me Colin.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

The government need to reduce taxes, make it easier and cheaper to employ workers, give incentive for workers to work overtime, make it simpler to start your own business and give back control of our own destiny.

This will never happen unless we leave the E.U.
The E.U. work time directive controls what hours we work in this country just as the E.U. controls most of our lives. It is they who control our destiny, unelected people like Herman van Pompusass and Baroness Ashton whose only experience of political life is running a Health Trust.
Leaving the E.U. would be the greatest service any government could bestow on Britain.

 

[seth1]

To leave the EU....... heaven.The only other way to reduce taxes and needless expendature is to get Britain working again,reduce unemployment .But there needs to be a market,a demand,manufacture.We no longer have it.This is now where we fall down.Our once market share has been sold on to different countrys by means of company take overs.This once self suffiecent island is no longer.I personally dont think it would be just as simple to leave the EU even if we could self support.I think it would cause unease.

 

[Jennifer2]

So where has all this money "we" borrowed gone to?

Personally, we have no debt, we even have savings, we pay all our taxes. The same goes for our son and our daughter.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

I thought we did NOT do politics on this forum well I never guess the mods are all asleep or it's ok as long as we are all on the same side peeing in the same bucket and slapping each other on the back..

no chance once the meanies have crawled out of the woodwork "some have allready" watch your pockets people

 

[forestgump]

more important who let wagner in the countryit is in more of a state

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I thought we did NOT do politics on this forum

We are talking economics and the state of our personal piggy banks

 

[joeby]

i could go on about the goverment but i dont have my paperwork handy here in Ozz , but if you go to the tax payers alliance web site you will find plenty of ammo there , or type in Daily Express and read the Leo Mckinstry column , he really tells the truth about the country ,and he pulls no punches

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

read the Leo Mckinstry column , he really tells the truth about the country ,and he pulls no punches

This chap should be Prime Minister, he tells it as it is.
He isn't afraid of the establishment and sticks two fingers up at political correctness as does Patrick O'Flynn

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

If we had kept on going like we were we would have ended up with 30% unemployed, 60% in public services and 10% in manufacturing.
R.I.P. New Labour

I rest my case??? . the new direction were going in is 50% unemployment 30% in the public sector and 20% in private sector earning wages less than the min tax level so not contibuting to the increased unemployment bill.
of course the voluntary sector will give the unemployed something to do replacing the paid staff in the public sector,
the expectation of the private sector taking up the slack when all the public sector jobs go is living in cuckoo land this island does not have a big enough manufacuring base to create the shortfall in paid employment . and the first casualty will be the minimum wage
so those lucky enough to have a job will se there earnings fall the most.
R.I.P common sense.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

the expectation of the private sector taking up the slack when all the public sector jobs go is living in cuckoo land this island does not have a big enough manufacuring base to create the shortfall in paid employment .

Spot on ya ol' tyke

That is why the country cannot carry on creating public sector jobs. These jobs have to be paid for and the public sector doesn't create the wealth of the country. They are simply public servants.
To take matters to extremes to explain what I mean you cannot have 100% employed in the public services. The money has to come from somewhere and a balance has to be maintained.
Common sense is alive and well

 

[Dustydog]

Lord Young has just resigned because of his gaffe
"You've never had it so good".
Actually depending who he was addressing and who you are , he is absolutely right.

Tha fat cat bankers and highly overpaid senior civil servants are now saving thousands on the mortgages of their second, third fourth homes as mortgage interest rates have plummeted.
But have they reduced rents to tenants?

. No.
Again us tax payers who are supporting the unemployed and paying their housing benefits are being cheated by those who can easily afford to reduce the rents in line with their mortgage reductions.
So in that context Lord Young was probably right

 

[John_374564913]

To All

This is what we currently pay for:
Westminster Parliament
Welsh Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Irish Parliament
European Parliament
Lord Mayors
Council Leaders
Councillors
Cut backs could be made here
How do we currently pay for it
40% Income tax
30% Petrol Tax
15% Council Tax
20% VAT
5% Airport Tax
5% Car Tax
In real terms the average person is paying around 70% of everything he earns in tax to support the above which is not reducing our debt
END OF.

 

[JonnyG]

Tonight is the BBC night for children in need, a worthy cause I think most will agree? Now as a "community" [country]any one want to hazard a guess how much will be raised? Now unless its simply Bankers digging into there pockets [joke]somehow i expect it to be a record year [again] or very close to that.
My point? Things may be bad, but they aint that bad, it seems plenty of people still have enough spare cash to donate.
Negativity or a negative approach is something that in its least form slows down progress,and or recovery.At worse it sends you into decline.
That lord youngy chap well I am always glad to see the back of a tory but he wasnt that far out as we are not Eire, Greece or Spain indeed its insulting to use them as examples to compare us to.

Investment in this country has come from all over the Globe,and over the last 3 or 4 decades it has been vital to our prosperity.
So i do find it amussing to read comments concerning these type of issues,and the negativity that comes with it.

We have a cash flow problem, that's all nothing as drastic as the like of America, or those inferior countries of Spain, Greece, Eire.
We will be fine, its just a matter of how much time it takes.....