90% Public Sector Final Salary Pension Meltdown Scandal

Harry_Powell

:thinks: Oh dear, I hit a raw nerve there, I must have been bang on the truth, still I'll apologise to that chap and I then wont get attacked by all his little gang :thinks:

Sorry Graham!

Graham_Devon

Harry_Powell wrote: »

:thinks: Oh dear, I hit a raw nerve there, I must have been bang on the truth, still I'll apologise to that chap and I then wont get attacked by all his little gang :thinks:

Sorry Graham!

Love the little grey writing.

Really disproved the point you were being an idiot.

Gorgeous_George

Cutting the number of public sector workers will save very little on its own. If their work still needs doing they will employ contractors. The increase in the unemployment figures will increase the social security bill and reduced spending will hit growth. Less income tax, VAT, corporation tax etc.?

If we really want to save money we will have to cut services. Bigger class sizes, less NHS treatment, less support to the Armed Forces.

Maybe can Trident or the new aircraft carriers? Sounds easy but cancelling contracts isn't free. Are we ready to be a insignificant country in the North Atlantic?

I'm afraid higher taxes are the only viable answer. Unfortunately, neither party is prepared to say this in fear of not being elected. That's one of the problems with democracy. I don't mind higher taxes while my mortgage rate is so low but that is not the case for everybody.

How about a 90% tax on bank profits? That should trim the bonuses for a while.

How come there was billions available to bail out the banks but we knew there wasn't enough for public services long before the credit crunch began?

GG

MyLastFiver

Gorgeous_George wrote: »

Maybe can Trident or the new aircraft carriers?...Are we ready to be a insignificant country in the North Atlantic?

Surely it's a throwback to empire that we Brits wring our hands about being able to "project power" in a military sense. If you look at the happiest (and therefore most successful) European countries, they don't feel the need for a huge and expensive military.

Another thing. Our police forces seem very well-equipped these days. I seem to remember once upon a time, the police drove Metros and Escorts, with maybe one "fast car" per division. These days, whenever I see a police car it's a BMW 5 series, or an X3/X5, or some other big, luxury car. BTW this is all anecdotal - I don't know the figures - just putting it up here for debate.

As for cuts in other areas of the public sector, I agree that there is currently lots of waste, but I also agree that there will inevitably be cuts to important services. And it will be the poor who suffer. It's very easy for comfortably-off people to post on an internet forum that services must be slashed, when they are unlikely to suffer as a result.

Funny how money is no object when needed to fight wars or bail out banks, but when it comes to services that actually help people, we're all told we need to tighten our belts and expect less.

To the politicians, I would just say that if you're going to make cuts, please wield a scalpel rather than an axe.

ruggedtoast

Harry_Powell wrote: »

It's a LOT cheaper to pay someone dole than it would be to pay them a salary. A LOT cheaper, and if the public sector posters on here are anything to go by, they'd be a lot more productive on the dole than they are when working.

Lol - thats quite funny considering the amount of money my team brought into the UK economy this year.

What did you do?

MyLastFiver

Harry_Powell wrote: »

if the public sector posters on here are anything to go by, they'd be a lot more productive on the dole than they are when working.

I doubt my A-Level students would agree with you.

Davesnave

Great thread, only slightly tainted with personal abuse and with good points made on both sides. One or two posts very revealing....;)

Tried to use it as a cure for insomnia at 3am, but failed, so it was out with the whisky, bought with my 'gold plated' pension, of course!:D Picking it up from the local Spar, I didn't really think about the way I was supporting the local private economy, or the fact that the majority of the purchase price would go back to the Exchequer, but I'm thinking about that now.

Harry_Powell

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Lol - thats quite funny considering the amount of money my team brought into the UK economy this year.

What did you do?

I was part of the top secret military team that was sent to Mars to battle with the Invaders. Sounds to me that while my job didn't bring fortunes into the UK economy like yours did, I actually saved the world. Kudos to me then.

Sir_Humphrey

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Lol - thats quite funny considering the amount of money my team brought into the UK economy this year.

What did you do?

My job reduces the amount of work the emergency services have to do. This saves a lot of money by preventing expensive (and fatal) accidents, but this cannot be measured as you cannot logically prove a negative.

Harry_Powell

MyLastFiver wrote: »

I doubt my A-Level students would agree with you.

They would if you were on here while you were supposed to be teaching them.