What Goverment spending would you cut? poll discussion

anjak-j · 9 June 2010 at 5:22PM

I answered Defence, because while yes, we should fund the military to defend us, we spend way too much on war elsewhere.

That said, there are plenty of other areas here to cut spending. Getting rid of some of the bureaucracy in the NHS for one. Too many managers and administrators, too few medical staff. About time that was addressed. While I believe in a social responsibility to the world entire, spending on overseas aid should be lessened while this country sorts out its problems. And as to social protection - the benefits system needs a total overhaul so that only the people who truly cannot work get to claim benefits indefinitely. It's about time more effort was expended on getting lazy JSA claimants who just sit on their !!!!!! milking the system without any intention of actually finding a job, out of that rut and into work. I'd also reorganise Child Benefit, so that the most needy got it rather than even the wealthy being entitled to it. And I'd set it up so that it discouraged having many children to stay on it...give the maximum amount for the first child of each gender, and a significantly lesser amount for a third child. Any child after that, nothing.

And while it wasn't listed, I'd cut spending on the EU too.

voiceofreason · 9 June 2010 at 5:26PM

Gallovidian wrote: »

We give India £1,900,000,000.00 a year in aid. They have a space programme, nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers and we give them aid. Please explain why? Anyone? Anyone at all?

Happy to - right after you give me some sort of attributable link or other credible back-up for your claim

analyst_2 · 9 June 2010 at 5:30PM

Defence:
Cut defence - savagely!
Especially scrap the Trident, HUGE waste of money.

Its about time we recognised Britain for the little 'pea-fart' country that it is, and stopped trying to act above our station just to play with the big boys.

The Empire has gone - admit it and get real.

Education:
I'd rationalise Universities "research" funding.
Sure, we all would like to see a cure for cancer and lots of other great medical innovations but, and its a big but
do you guys realise with the current funding formula for Universities every member of academic staff in every department in every university is being (effectively) bound up in doing what I call "so-what research".
You look at it, skim read the abstract and say "So what?" Because 98% of it is carp and has no consequences for our lives or the future of our planet.

But this is all costing the taxpayer an absolute fortune and is a complete, utter, and total waste of money. It is said that the typical research paper is read by no more than 5 people and that includes the supervisors

Finally, for those who say pull out of Europe - daft, daft, daft.
Our biggest trading partners, both import and export are by far the countries of the EU. Do you really want to cut them off? :eek:
And another thing, we are now almost totally dependent on Russia for our gas supplies, ever more in the future. Whilst the united countries of Europe have massive bargaining power, what earthly chance do you think poor little Britain would stand on its own? They don't owe us any favours, guys!
So unite with Europe, we really do not have any alternative.

Now, please let's have no comments about my big but, I'm working on it

(Or as Ricky Thomlinson might say, "Working on it, my ärse"

silver_dawn · 9 June 2010 at 5:34PM

Overseas aid has never been altrustic, it is always linked to British foreign policy, which is why the money mostly goes to other gouverments instead of straight to easily identifiable projects and schemes.

Often when aid is given there is something else expected it return, wether it be in the form of trade or some kind of political support.

So not as straight forward as it first seems.

Likewise with defense, the UK punches well above it's weight in terms of the size of the military, again this is linked to the British foreign policy and is a huge hang over from the Imperial days.

But I am all in favour of drastically reducing our defense budget, there is no real risk of invasion and we have NATO membership with it's mutual defense agreement.

Likewiser with overseas aid, UK is not some great imperial power anymore, even though some people have not got this yet, we are a diminishing island nation (sorry but it is true

).

aranel · 9 June 2010 at 5:39PM

If your in the public sector, I would start thinking about getting a real job if I were you.

Excuse me? So Teachers, Nurses, Doctors etc - these are not real jobs?

I am heartily sick of people lumping all public sector workers into one steaming heap. I am a teacher. I contribute to my pension, just like anyone in the private sector. I work very hard for the pay I get and put in a huge number of hours in overtime because I care deeply about the kids I teach - the future of this country, remember? If you are referring to the extremely highly paid civil servants at the top of that steaming heap, then save your ill-considered vitriol for them: you would have my support on that! If you have children , you need me. If you went to school and have a life because of it, thank a teacher. When you get sick, you'll be happy enough to see the nurses and doctors that, yes, even my public sector salary tax payments go towards paying.

Knee-jerk comments don't help the situation. Let's actually THINK - real solutions are needed.

taxpayer12 · 9 June 2010 at 5:39PM

If Overseas aid includes contributions to the European Union then why dont the government just come out of the EU. That would save just short of £16.5billion per year, every year and not cost the taxpayer a penny. And not one job would be lost

aranel · 9 June 2010 at 5:42PM

barryd999 wrote: »

If your in the public sector, I would start thinking about getting a real job if I were you.

Excuse me? So Teachers, Nurses, Doctors etc - these are not real jobs?

I am heartily sick of people lumping all public sector workers into one steaming heap. I am a teacher. I contribute to my pension, just like anyone in the private sector. I work very hard for the pay I get and put in a huge number of hours in overtime because I care deeply about the kids I teach - the future of this country, remember? If you are referring to the extremely highly paid civil servants at the top of that steaming heap, then save your ill-considered vitriol for them: you would have my support on that! If you have children , you need me. If you went to school and have a life because of it, thank a teacher. When you get sick, you'll be happy enough to see the nurses and doctors that, yes, even my public sector salary tax payments go towards paying.

Knee-jerk comments don't help the situation. Let's actually THINK - real solutions are needed.

Gallovidian · 9 June 2010 at 5:45PM

http://www.parliament.uk/briefingpapers/commons/lib/research/briefings/snep-05578.pdf

US$4.9Billion UK to India bilateral between 1990 and 2008, buy a few thermonuclear devices with that, God bless them.

Em1979_2 · 9 June 2010 at 5:49PM

HI,

I agree with cutting benefits even thou i am on certain benefits myself.
Before we all jump on the everyone who gets benefits is a waster let me just say that i am disabled and my other half works full time for £6.50 an hour...we dont get help with everything, no free school meals for us, no council tax benefit handouts... we get £100 to help towards the rent .. that would be because of the lack of council/ housing association houses so we are forced to to rent a house that costs £500 pm ( that cheap for where we are) also thanks to the banks and people buying the houses up to let there is just no way we could even attempt to get a foot on the housing ladder . Also may i add that we dont have all the newest things iphone etc.. eveything we do have we have saved and saved and saved for.

I agree that if you can work you should work.

If your below the age of 18 and you get pregnant you should not be given a house/flat unless there are special circumstances you should have to live at home with mum and dad and raise the baby until your 18 and an adult ( that might not work but its a valid point).

For those school leavers not prepared to go into further education/apprenticeship then bring back national service for a year.

Child tax credit / Child benefit for the 1st & 2nd child only

All MPs wage £30,000py ( as far as i was aware normal working ppl could only claim for travel and office supplies).

NHS/Police/Public sector Less chiefs more Indians

Banks.....no more bonus's

Immigration .. family of 4's only if the main earner has skills that the country requires and an age limit of 40 ( it works for Australia) Also after a year of being here a english language test to be taken.

Education is for our next generation so i believe in payment relief in regards to degrees in which our country has a need however if you want to do non essential degrees like media studies fees should be expected.

im sure theres more but im probably boring everyone now

JTO · 9 June 2010 at 6:10PM

All very interesting but I'm left wondering at the composition of the (group?) of people who are going to decide on the suts - for example, how many are disabled (25% of Britain is disabled), how many of them are unemployed (presumably nil, they are Govt employees), how many are below the offical povery line (again, presume nil) - so whatever is decided will be unfair to the poor, disabled and unemployed.

There are two ways to deal with the budget problem - one is decrease spending, the other is to increase income - just make NI and income tax MASSIVELY higher and problem solved (my NI works out at just 35p per day - how I can expect ANYTHING for that money is amazing).

All very basic and obvious, and now they don't have to worry about voter numbers for another 5 years, it's the best time to do it.

What Goverment spending would you cut? poll discussion

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