If you were PM... where would you cut back?

Former_MSE_Lawrence · 4 August 2009 at 11:44AM

Poll ran between 4-10 August 2009.

If you were PM... where would you cut back?

After the next election, there’s little doubt whatever the colour of the leading party, radical cut backs will be necessary to balance the nation's books. This question is designed to give a deliberately stark, big picture choice.

Which main area would you wield the financial chopping axe on first?
(source HM Treasury)

A. Defence - £38 billion - 31% (3140 votes)
B. Education - £88 bn - 3% (345 votes)
C. Housing & Environment - £29 bn - 5% (484 votes)
D. Industry, agriculture, employment & training - £20 bn - 3% (281 votes)
E. Health - £119 bn - 4% (435 votes)
F. Public Order/Safety (Policing etc)- £35 bn - 2% (190 votes)
G. Social Protection (Pensions, benefits etc) £189 bn - 33% (3278 votes)
H. Social Services - £31 bn - 11% (1123 votes)
I. Transport - £23 bn - 8% (802 votes)

This vote has now ended, but you can still click 'post reply' to discuss below. Thanks

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zygurat789 · 4 August 2009 at 2:01PM

And, whereabouts in that list are the gold-plated copper-bottom pension schemes for the thieving ( claiming council tax they haven't paid), terminologically inexact MPs; and, whilst we are here how about the civil service. Health, it was reported today a GP earned £380,000 in a year. Can this be right?

zygurat789 · 4 August 2009 at 2:05PM

Education, all finance to students should be a loan, criteria to qualify, this should then be repaid after qualification with sizeable credits for those who do specific jobs i.e. Teaching, nursing (not the managers), junior hospital doctors and any other jobs that we need to staff so that we do not have to impoverish the health services of less well-off countries

zygurat789 · 4 August 2009 at 2:10PM

Social protection presumeably includes the money paid to the idle in their subsidised social housing so that they can watch their wall sized plasma TVs, drive their MPVs to see their boyfriends in prison in Devon (you don't go there for nowt) and take frequent trips (presumeably self-financing) to Spain.

ThinkingOfLinking · 4 August 2009 at 2:10PM

I'd look at which job roles/titles were necessary, and get rid of any unneeded posts, and I'd also abolish huge wages for GPs, huge bonuses and large expenses.

Everywhere can be cut back on,but the money has to be better managed than it has been. There has just been so much waste.

Does anyone read Metro newspaper? You know the "No s**t Sherlock" bit where they'll have things along the lines of "The University of X has discovered that if a haemophiliac bleeds, it's harder to stop the flow of blood than a normal person." No more of this nonsense.

quickgirl1 · 4 August 2009 at 2:53PM

I agree with the above, first I would look at all the quangos, then look at cutting local councilors pay, as some local council leaders are paid more than our 'hard working' MP's. Then I would look at streamlining everything in the public sector and getting rid of all the paper pushing managers that are are so out of touch with the real world it amazes me how they manage to get to work in the mornings (or should that be golf!!)

nick810 · 4 August 2009 at 4:00PM

council leaders salary max 60k a year , working non nationals tripple national insurance,single mothers under 22 should be housed in purpose built dwellings say 15 single mothers to one dwelling with 2 kitchens instead of council houses,company cars that are status symbols must pay half there value per year for tax ie 80grand car you pay 40 grand tax, if in prison for murder or rape maximum prison term 15 years if conviction not quashed hang them ,these are just a few radical views to our modern lifestyle but wee need drastic steps now much longer can the people of the united kingdom sit back and watch while firms take on foreign workers cheaply and flash there wealth while the rest of us get bankrupted

zygurat789 · 4 August 2009 at 5:02PM

A very large percentage of crime is committed by a very small percentage of individuals. Build more prisons, give them realistic jail terms (at least 10 yrs for violence, bring back the death penalty, no community service, no probation.
Pay for the prisons by sacking the parole board and the excessive number of police are no longer required. The courts will be empty so savings on the CPS and overaged overpaid sleepyheads in the wigs.

[Deleted User] · 4 August 2009 at 5:21PM

I'd reduce benefits, and turn them from cash into vouchers.

It's obscene, the number of people on benefits who can't be bothered to find work because they wouldn't be better off, who are spending their benefits on booze, smokes, and Sky TV.

hamstercheeks_2 · 4 August 2009 at 5:24PM

definitely look at cutting benefits for those who don't deserve it

minerva_windsong · 4 August 2009 at 5:34PM

First on my list would be a benefits overhaul, particularly of all the work-related ones (ie, if you are able to work and choose not to regardless what the job is then you get nothing, none of this people thinking they're above menial employment, money's money but you've got to earn it). I'd also have a much more stringent review system in place for health- and circumstances-related benefits.

In an ideal world I'd want to scrap the Trident renewal as well, but I accept that unless other countries also cut back on their nuclear weapons programme that won't happen. And whilst it's not on the list I'd like to make sure that big companies such as energy providers used their massive profits not for executives' bonuses but to be put towards cuts for users, and I'd deal with the banking system so they can't gamble with people's savings.

If you were PM... where would you cut back?

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