Tory cuts could be mighty unpleasant

StevieJ

Afriend wrote: »

Cutting the Beeb would be popular. It's a waste of money and I hardly watch the thing.
I'd prefer the license fee money to be in my pocket.

<self note: you promised yourself that you wouldn't debate with Graham>

Not with me it wouldn't an oasis in a sea of repeats and trash (although standards have dropped I must admit).

LauraW10

The_White_Horse wrote: »

In the LONG RUN - which is something the lefty never sees, it will be better. Yes, of course things might have to get a bit worse, but that is life.

there may be no tax cuts, but at least the rises will be smaller.

You write with much confidence. May I point out that the writer says the following :-

Readers should also know that it is a gamble because no one can know whether it will work — whether the shock treatment and shrinking of the public sector will in fact re-invigorate the economy.
Another thing readers should remember before they fall too easily into line behind such a strategy is that Margaret Thatcher had two other things going for her which we don't have now. The first and most important of these was North Sea oil, which in the Eighties was just beginning to flow in earnest. It was the tax revenues from this windfall which allowed her to finance so many unemployed. Other oil-rich nations have sovereign wealth funds which they now use to buy assets across the world. We spent ours paying dole money.

Afriend_2

StevieJ wrote: »

Not with me it wouldn't an oasis in a sea of repeats and trash (although standards have dropped I must admit).

Have you not experimented with torrents. One can find all the old series on there (apparently).
And there's UK Gold?

Rochdale_Pioneers

Mr_Mumble wrote: »

Can't believe I'm agreeing with Rochdale ... he's right, the cuts today amount to very little as Stephanie Flanders notes:


Perhaps the Conservatives have far more cuts planned, if they don't then there is little difference between current Labour and Tory proposals.

What has miffed me is how the cuts have targeted the working (state pension, public sector pay) and middle classes (tax credits) while leaving Quangos, international supranational funding (EU, UN, World Bank, IMF) and the benefits system largely untouched.

Its politically stupid on a scale that would make me think Labour had done it if I didn't know it was the Tories.

What have we heard today. A pay freeze for the public sector. A postponement in pensionable age. A cull of tax cuts and baby bonds. All seemingly designed to really hack off the working majority across the pay scale. Whitehall is expecting a massive cut, and the rest of the public sector will be watching and wondering if they are next.

And for all that pain the contribution towards reducing the deficit if basically sod all. What does that tell people? That the stuff they hate today is just the first of what HAVE to be cuts on a massive scale which they don't want to tell you about.

I say again. Ignore the polls. People couldn't give a toss about national debt if they feel that THEY have to take the pain and the people responsible - the landed who keep their IHT cut and the bankers only goven a stern warning - get off scott free. The Golden Age of Austerity for the many to allow the few to continue the good life is not a vote winning position.

We now have months for the implications of all this to sink in. Just watch. People hate Brown - we all know that. But they aren't in favour of the Tories either. Are turkeys really about to vote for Christmas? It may be the right thing to do for the country. But when did people start putting the country above their own self interest?

Afriend_2

LauraW10 wrote: »

You write with much confidence. May I point out that the writer says the following :-

Laura, I feel I should warn you that whitehorse is the same guy that said people living in carboard boxes should pay council tax because they had use of the street lights.

lostinrates

Afriend wrote: »

Ditto with bells on. I confess to liking Chris Moyles Radio One show as well.
I wonder how much of the license fee goes to radio.

btw. what were you doing in my area? They don't usually let chavs in.

Chav? That's sjaypink, she prides herself on it. Old skool chav, I think she says. I'm going to tell DH someone called me a chav, see what he says.

We were looking at a property, have been in tears over this one. (not that near you but near enough). Spent most of Saturday and Sunday looking at things.

LauraW10

Jonbvn wrote: »

BTW, whatever Dave and his chums are saying, the markets seem to like it.

Do they? I thought the pound was falling?

StevieJ

Afriend wrote: »

Have you not experimented with torrents. Can find all the old series on there (apparently).
And there's UK Gold?

No, don't bother with Torrents, gold is OK some of the time as is Bloomberg and Docs occasionally.

LauraW10

wxmlad wrote: »

Public money is also used in the private sector to top up the measly wages of private sector employees in the form of working tax credits.

Tesco makes billions of pounds profit and pays its staff £5.73 an hour, so low that you as a tax payer has to 'top it up' so they can actually afford to live

Excellent point:T:T

LauraW10

Afriend wrote: »

Cutting the Beeb would be popular. It's a waste of money and I hardly watch the thing.
I'd prefer the license fee money to be in my pocket.

<self note: you promised yourself that you wouldn't debate with Graham>

Not with me it wouldn't. I love the beeb. I hate adverts and I love the BBC News web site.