Budget 2009

tomterm8

So, my conclusion is that it was a fairly boring budget.

And, I suspect, the borrowing figures are still going to be wildly inaccurate, as the recovery isn't going to be a bed of flowers... the predictions disregard the ongoing cost of sorting out the banks... so... whoever wins the next election, we can expect high taxes, bad public services, and bad economic performance for some years ahead.

Great.

System

I don't quite understand the argument to reduce numbers, if the government do that then the same people will be complaining about unemployment figures. Bit of a catch 22

Really2

tomterm8 wrote: »

so... whoever wins the next election, we can expect high taxes, bad public services, and bad economic performance for some years ahead.

Great.

So you predict much the same as the last 10 years

tomterm8

No, I predict even worse than the last 10 years... even if the Tories get in and start fixing the fundamental problems, we have the prospect of a great austerity for the next decade with years of pain to get the economy back on track.

Really2

tomterm8 wrote: »

No, at least we had improved public services, even though the way it was done was about as inefficient as you can imagine.

Have we? I would say we now have a public service well versed at providing dodgy data (EG haringey).
I would really strugle to tell you of a service that as improved in the last 10 years.

tomterm8

Hm... I edited out my response because I reconsidered after I posted. i don't really know whether public services have got better... my own impression is they have, but only by chucking money at the problems. And any gain in public services is going to be utterly wiped out in the next few years.

Really2

tomterm8 wrote: »

Hm... I edited out my response because I reconsidered after I posted. i don't really know whether public services have got better... my own impression is they have, but only by chucking money at the problems. And any gain in public services is going to be utterly wiped out in the next few years.

Actualy I should say,yes schools budgets have improved, but I dont see that our core services (EG Police, councils, Doctors, NHS, etc) have improved at all.

lostinrates

Really2 wrote: »

Actualy I should say,yes schools budgets have improved, but I dont see that our core services (EG Police, councils, Doctors, NHS, etc) have improved at all.

I think its been discussed here that NHS waiting times have decreased. TBF this was our experience this year: my mother needed a very minor op and asked to use her private health but the consultant said as he had such a short waiting list it would make next to know difference, especially as it was a local aneastheitic op and she wouldnt need a room.

Really2

lostinrates wrote: »

I think its been discussed here that NHS waiting times have decreased. TBF this was our experience this year: my mother needed a very minor op and asked to use her private health but the consultant said as he had such a short waiting list it would make next to know difference, especially as it was a local aneastheitic op and she wouldnt need a room.

Depends on the trust I belive. I did feel my wifes maternity care and after care was very poor. Also in the last 10 years hospital infections have been higher than in the past.

The point is I was making do we actualy feel the services are better or are we just being told they are.

10 years ago hospitals did not have departments making the figures did they? Most state funded things now seem to have spin departments for stats

Rochdale_Pioneers

ILW wrote: »

I would suggest the above are not Quangos but governments departments and companies, The QUA stands for Quasi Autonomous and the above could not be considered in any way autonomous.

yes I know what Quasi Autonomus Non Governmental Organisation stands for. The other terms that can be used is a Next Steps agency - they are the next step after policy is set by government. All of these bodies are QUANGOs because they are executive agencies of government departments - owned by and responsible to departments but not directly managed by them. Thats the Quasi Autonomus bit btw.

As I said earlier, blanket statements like "lets get rid of Quangos" suggests that the speaker has no idea what one is.