UK 'must cut spending or raise taxes,' say experts

Sir_Humphrey

Perhaps if pay is linked to changes in productivity, those people whose work destroys parts of the economy should pay to do that work? Let me think of a few examples?

itsallagame_2

I’m sure cutting spending and raising taxes will be part of the solution but its becoming increasingly clear that PROTECTIONALIZM rather than GLOBALIZATION is at the front of most politicians minds worldwide, mainly to help save their own skins.
Brown says we must not revert to it but he’s already started, banks, car industry etc
World trade agreements may have to be rewritten because there going to be broken, tit for tat on the way.

Wookster

Rochdale_Pioneers wrote: »

2. Nurses. Generali - you are forgetting the mass of foreign nurses that was at one time filling all of the vacancies in the NHS. There was a shortage in both doctors and nurses and their pay was substandard, which is why there was a mass training and recruitment drive and why wages have gone up.

And now out blessed government has gone way overboard with GPs. Furthermore it seems apparent that there is an enormous amount of wastage in the NHS. Making people more accountable and sackable would go a long way to encouraging greater productivity.

Rochdale_Pioneers wrote: »

As for productivity, those of us without access to 30ft yachts tend not to work particularly hard when we are distracted by the pressing need to find enough money to pay bills and keep ourselves fed.

That sort of comment is quite unnecessary.

Sir_Humphrey

itsallagame wrote: »

World trade agreements may have to be rewritten because there going to be broken, tit for tat on the way.

I am generally in favour of Free Trade, but the current situation is a prisonner's dilemma situation regarding erecting trade barriers. I suspect it is something we will start to see.

On a more theoretical note, at what point does a globalised economy stop being a collection of small open economies and becomes a single closed economy?

Sir_Humphrey

Wookster wrote: »

Making people more accountable and sackable would go a long way to encouraging greater productivity.

The sort of accountability that company CEOs get would be quite welcome for me, from a purely selfish POV. I could deliberately f**k up and get enough money to retire as a golden parachute. Adam Applegarth and Fred Goodwin don't seem to be suffering too much from their 'call to account'.

Rochdale_Pioneers

Wookster wrote: »

And now out blessed government has gone way overboard with GPs. Furthermore it seems apparent that there is an enormous amount of wastage in the NHS. Making people more accountable and sackable would go a long way to encouraging greater productivity.

The general public are demanding access to a GP 24 hours a day - an abolition of office hours only surgery times with access in evenings and weekends becoming the norm. They're demanding enough slack in the system to be able to make a same day appointment guaranteed.

Both of those things require another large increase in the number of GPs - not a reduction as you appear to be suggesting. I agree that doctors like anyone should be accountable. But you can't physically make them work 80 hour weeks - to greatly increase both capacity and operating hours you're going to need more doctors even if they work as efficiently as it is humanly possible to do.

Sir_Humphrey

Rochdale_Pioneers wrote: »

The general public are demanding access to a GP 24 hours a day - an abolition of office hours only surgery times with access in evenings and weekends becoming the norm. They're demanding enough slack in the system to be able to make a same day appointment guaranteed.

+1 Some people love cuts until it affects themselves.

Wookster

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

The sort of accountability that company CEOs get would be quite welcome for me, from a purely selfish POV. I could deliberately f**k up and get enough money to retire as a golden parachute. Adam Applegarth and Fred Goodwin don't seem to be suffering too much from their 'call to account'.

What would you like to see happen to them?

Generali

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

Perhaps if pay is linked to changes in productivity, those people whose work destroys parts of the economy should pay to do that work? Let me think of a few examples?

Well mine was. I lost my job so am now unproductive so receive no wage. I have no recourse to welfare as a recent migrant to Australia.

If you start indulging in protectionism things will end up in an almighty mess.

You can buy a pair of jeans for GBP3 in Tesco(?). What's the cheapest pair of UK made jeans you can buy? 30 quid? 50 quid?

Wookster

Rochdale_Pioneers wrote: »

They're demanding enough slack in the system to be able to make a same day appointment guaranteed.

That is just rubbish. Most people don't demand to see a GP the same day unless it is an emergency, which doesn't happen very often. Most people would like to see surgeries open in the evenings and some of the weekend though.

Rochdale_Pioneers wrote: »

Both of those things require another large increase in the number of GPs - not a reduction as you appear to be suggesting. I agree that doctors like anyone should be accountable. But you can't physically make them work 80 hour weeks - to greatly increase both capacity and operating hours you're going to need more doctors even if they work as efficiently as it is humanly possible to do.

Again, rubbish. Its about working smarter - instead of surgeries open from 7.30 till 5.30 (10 hours) why not open from 7.30 to 12.30 and 15.30 to 20.30.
Its just simple common sense - but you fail to see this!